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Monthly Update for April 2018 - 2017 Tesla Model 3 Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,315
edited May 2018 in Tesla

imageMonthly Update for April 2018 - 2017 Tesla Model 3 Long-Term Road Test

We haven't had our long-term 2017 Tesla Model 3 very long, but the list of issues is growing. Here's a breakdown of everything that went wrong in April.

Read the full story here


Comments

  • longtimelurkerlongtimelurker Member Posts: 455
    Wow...the LT Model S was bad, but this is way, way worse. At least many of the issues with the S were related to the new-tech propulsion system...the issues here are not specific to that system, were things that didn't need to be reinvented and that any modern car should have down pat. Just really, really bad.
  • mmaddoxmmaddox Member Posts: 1
    Thank you Edmunds for not whitewashing the problems with the Model 3. Tesla must view their customers as chumps by serving up this half baked steaming turd.
  • kirkhilles1kirkhilles1 Member Posts: 863
    See, this is what I was afraid of. Tesla NEEDED the Model 3 to be the non-Elon model. The one that removes his tweaking and adjustments and instead focuses on creating a SIMPLE and RELIABLE car. That is what the Middle Class wants and needs. I thought that was the plan. Something where you can drive it 200k miles and still have it be a workhorse. Something relatively fast, clean, simple, but quiet and effective. The Middle Class can't deal with this crap? ONE repair visit in 20,000 miles is one too many. This, is just laughable. What's going to happen is that these issues aren't going to get better and once production increases, repair times will stretch into weeks and months and Tesla is going to have some very mad and vocal customers.
  • throwbackthrowback Member Posts: 445
    ".. everywhere we went the car was fraught with problems. Sixteen weeks into ownership, we've had so many issues with our Model 3 that we started a shared Google Doc to catalog various warning messages, necessary screen resets and general failures.

    Wasn't this supposed to be the car that was less complicated to build? I don't know how anyone can put up with this many problems on any car, much less one that costs 56k!
  • m3teslam3tesla Member Posts: 6
    edited May 2018
    BS review. I have not had even one of the issues that are mentioned here. Not one. And my Vin is 13k.

    And I call this review BS because the efficiency they see is 330 wh/mile. That is ridiculous and no where the kind of consumption what I am seeing and in fact every one of the owners in youtube reviews or on Teslamotorsclub forum. I am hard pressed to to go even more than 250 wh/mile and my average is around 235 wh/mile - going with the traffic at 70+ and AC on. I can easily go 330 miles just keeping up with traffic and AC on. That is an amazing amount of range.

    Why is it reviews from regular users are mostly stellar and superlative while "automotive experts' come up with all these negative observations? Not saying this particular car did not have any issues, but the point is one car that a reviewer might have had some problems is not reflection of the overall quality of the product.

    I have seen and read over a 100 reviews on the internet by regular users. Most of them are gushing about this car. I care about those reviews than paid automotive experts, which mostly I find highly biased
  • viet658viet658 Member Posts: 2
    I've had my car since January '18. I don't think the door handles are that big of a deal as the Edmund's drivers make it out to be. I have not encountered the audio issues they have as well. My efficiency numbers are in line with EPA numbers.
  • throwbackthrowback Member Posts: 445
    I was wondering how long it would take for the Elon acolytes to show up. As to whether or not Edmunds observations are "BS", they are taking the car to a Tesla service center for the issues. If NOTHING is wrong with their car, I'm sure Musk will tweet out some snarky comment about fake news.
  • m3teslam3tesla Member Posts: 6
    edited May 2018
    Elon acolytes? We are the ones owning the car and driving it everyday for errands and commute and family trips. Who knows better how the car drives? a click bait automotive reporter? or a regular user? Again not saying Edmunds did not see those issues, but you need to look at the larger picture and you will learn that an overwhelming 90%+ of folks love the car and would buy another one in a heartbeat. There is a negative slant to this article where every little niggle is made out larger than what it is.

    Door handles and the button to open the door from inside, only takes a day to get used to it. Just because it is different doesn't mean it is somehow bad. iPhone works perfectly fine as key fob, and some Androids do have problem, but Tesla will fix it. I am beginning to appreciate this no key driving.

    Again I would be hardpressed to see anyone with 330 wh/mile consumption unless they are deliberately lead footed all the time.
  • sneddrensneddren Member Posts: 14
    Let's see who I trust more...Edmunds, an institution with a long history of fair, informed and blunt reviews or a few Tesla fanboys who can't stand any honest reporting.

    I honestly don't care what one sock puppet with the screen name M3tesla has to say about his or her car. Edmunds is the regular user.

    And I relied on Tesla's very fair long term review of the Model S when I bought my first Tesla (I've owned more than one). They pulled no punches and allowed me to buy the car knowing exactly what I was in for, and they were quite accurate with their observations.

    Bravo, Edmunds, for being honest.
  • m3teslam3tesla Member Posts: 6
    Ignore my comments. Are you saying every owner review out in YouTube and TMC are sock puppets? Edmunds is somehow more knowledgeable on judging car quality and are more honest than the hundreds of owners who have offered their reviews ?
  • viet658viet658 Member Posts: 2
    edited May 2018
    Here is a poll of Model 3 owners' actual efficiency. The majority of owners are in the 220-239 wh/mi. You'd expect the first time drivers from Edmunds to floor it at every stop. Real world numbers from real owners are more in line with EPA.
    https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/poll-model-3-efficiency-battery-to-wheels.115353/
  • sneddrensneddren Member Posts: 14
    m3tesla said:

    Ignore my comments. Are you saying every owner review out in YouTube and TMC are sock puppets? Edmunds is somehow more knowledgeable on judging car quality and are more honest than the hundreds of owners who have offered their reviews ?

    Electroman (that is your fanboy name on the Tesla Kool Aid site, right?), you don't seem to understand what this is . It's a long term test. It isn't meant to be anything other a long term test. They admit that they drive cars hard. They aren't saying the car can't be efficient. They are simply showing what their experience is with this car over 20,000+ miles under the conditions that they drive it in. You're obsessed with trying to question their honesty when you should be focused on seeing what happens to a Model 3 when it is driven hard at times, which many people do.

    More importantly, you're ignoring the real point of their update---this car is very poorly assembled. Perhaps when all of you Musk sycophants are mixing up the grape Kool Aid you all talk about the things you like about the car and conveniently ignore the serious problems, but Edmunds isn't a fanboy site. They are doing a real world LONG TERM review.

    Edmunds was one of the first to do a serious long term review of the Model S and they disclosed the good, the bad and the ugly, and all of those things turned out to be things that many other owners experienced (see, e.g., the drive unit replacements and the alignment problems).

    Take a deep breath, realize that no one is out to get your hero Musk and open your eyes to honest reviewing of the car. It would be in your best interest to focus on getting Tesla to fix the problems Edmunds is finding rather than attacking Edmunds for having "BS" reviews.
  • m3teslam3tesla Member Posts: 6
    <<"They are simply showing what their experience is with this car over 20,000+ miles under the conditions that they drive it in">>

    20 thousand miles of hard driving? Are you kidding? Does that represent a genuine use case of how this car will be driven by a typical owner? I can also take any car, like a Honda Accord, to track every day and show how everything is falling apart and how poor the mileage is.

    I am not saying the problems what Edmunds saw in their car were all made up. But you can't only take their review as gospel and as an accurate indication of the quality and ignore the hundreds of reviews that have come from "real" users.

    Sycphants, fanboy, Tesla KoolAid, acolytes... You seem to have an hatred for anything Tesla. No wonder you are latching onto a negative review. Confirmation bias ?
  • sneddrensneddren Member Posts: 14
    Funny you mention confirmation bias, as that is what you are engaging in by attacking an honest, long term review because it conflicts with the result that you want (i.e., fawning over the Model 3).

    I trust Edmunds more than I trust "hundreds of reviews" by fanboys who tell you that the price of innovation is putting up with lies and poorly constructed products.

    Edmunds hit the nails on the heads with their long term tests of the Model S and Model X. That's a lot better track record than you and your kool aid drinks have, Electroman.

    And note that I said I bought a Model S as a result of Edmunds very thorough long term review of that car. Hardly a hatred for Tesla. Just a hatred for trolls who try to attack honest long term reviews.
  • morrisg2morrisg2 Member Posts: 12
    It would be helpful if Edmunds told us which software version the car has when they report problems. I don't doubt that the issues they report happened, but so much of this car depends on software that knowing which rev the car is using helps the reader.

    I took delivery a week ago (VIN 14xxx) and my software rev was 2018.18.2 and I have experienced the blank backup screen once, but none of the other problems Edmunds has reported. Since then, the car has received an update to 2018.18.3 (automatically downloaded overnight, no service visit required) and I have experienced no problems in the few days since.

    My Model 3 has been averaging 235 wh/mile over a total of 210 miles (18" Aero wheels and Michelin MXM4 tires @ 42 psi cold). Driving includes city streets, freeway cruises at 70 mph, and twisty road drives with occasional full acceleration runs 0 to 60 mph. I don't doubt that Edmunds Model 3 is averaging 336 wh/mi, I'm just in the dark as to why.

    I hope this sharing of personal experience helps people calm down a bit and adds to the data people can use to form their own opinion.
  • genesb2genesb2 Member Posts: 2
    edited May 2018
    We have 2 Model 3's in our household. Our 2017 did ride a bit stiff but Tesla swapped out all the suspension parts to update it to the 2018 suspension which is very smooth, and at no cost to us. What other car maker would do that for an owner? Other than that, the 2017 had no issues. Our 2018 has had zero issues at all. As far as the door handles go, it took maybe 3 days to get used to them. The 2017 now has over 6,000 miles on it including some long road trips. The 2018 now has about 3,000 miles on it. Overall, these are the best cars we have ever had. And WOW! What fun to drive!

    oh, and both cars are at an average of 228 watts er mile. If you get get 330 watts per mile, you must have your foot all the way on the pedal up an endless steep hill.
  • will_t3will_t3 Member Posts: 3
    Not sure I understand why the "Vehicle Systems are Powering Up" message is something to be worried about or even mention. That message comes when the car is booting up. When the car is booting up seems like a perfectly reasonable time to have a "car is booting up" message. As to the clunk as if a "drive shaft is engaging" that is the main battery pack's high voltage contactor. It connects the main battery pack to the cars systems. So it makes perfect sense that the car can drive after that engages. Usually takes a second or 2. Model S and X perform exactly the same, with the same message.

    The complaints about the systems powering up message and actual power up sound of the contactors seems like the reviewer made no effort to actually understand what was going on, and instead decided that it was a problem. It is not. That message and clunk of the main contactor happen in less time than it takes for a gas engine to turn over, and with much less noise and vibration. All in all, a non-issue.
  • DLuDLu Member Posts: 94
    Beta testers' problems.
  • mateo771mateo771 Member Posts: 1
    It seems clear that Tesla has made significant quality improvements since the early 2017 release. I've put over 4000 miles on a 2018 Model 3 purchased in April, and have experienced none of the issues reported here. Yeah, the door handles are a bit odd, and the screen-centric controls take a few days to get used to -- like learning to use iOS for the first time, after which you never want to go back to a button-heavy approach. But my car had no production flaws, the sound system and screen work flawlessly, handling and acceleration are superb, and I'm averaging 245 Wh/mile and I drive it like I stole it. Incidentally, I haven't had problems with braking -- it's much quicker to stop than my AWD 2016 Subaru Forester. I'm sorry to hear that Edmund's had such a rough experience with the 2017 model. I'd recommend they re-test with a more recent build.
  • m1c4____m1c4____ Member Posts: 1
    For unbiased and statistically significant reliability stats I prefer to use http://truedelta.com
    Given that the Model X is by far the worst car in terms of reliability, I don't have high hopes for the Model 3. TrueDelta will probably have stats in a couple of months.
    For comparison's sake, here are a few examples how Tesla compares. Repair trips per 100 cars:
    2016 Model X: 81 trips
    2017 Model S: 62
    2015 Fiat 500: 34
    2016 Audi A7/S7: 11
  • m3teslam3tesla Member Posts: 6
    Its funny. Actual Model 3 owner after owner are coming out with stellar reviews in many forums and wondering what the heck Edmunds is talking about. I am sure some of the owners are seeing some of the problems, but the overwhelming majority haven't seen those issues.

    I would take a 100 owner reviews than one 'professional' review. Ultimately cars are bought based on peer feedback from friends and relatives.
  • gslippygslippy Member Posts: 514
    kirkhilles1 is right - The Model 3 was supposed to finally be the EV for the masses, with usable range, and good looks and performance.

    Instead, Tesla produced their bread-and-butter car with first adopters in mind, expecting that buyers would be willing to pay $50k+ for the first release, and then deal with unnecessary oddities like weird door handles, cruise and wiper controls on a display, shoddy build quality, and unfinished software. I'm certain that Mr Musk has micromanaged everything from design to production, handcuffing his people, so that the simple EV that we hoped for can't actually be built by Tesla.

    It's clear that Tesla hasn't learned the lessons from the Model X, despite their statements to the contrary.

    Except for the usual range and battery degradation issues in Leafs, my 12 Leaf was perfect. I understand the EV lifestyle, and was willing to pay a little more to get the Model 3. But I cancelled in March 2018, after waiting nearly 2 years as a Day 1 reservation holder. The $50k price was too dear, the reports of build quality too many, I'm uncomfortable with the center display, and I feared constant service issues while my nearest Tesla shop is an hour away.

    People buying this car are NOT first adopters. They want a perfect vehicle, as many of them are upgrading from a Camry or Accord to take a chance on Tesla. Reports like this do not help EV adoption. Instead of calling 'fake news' on Edmunds' experience, the True Believers should accept that these problems are real for some people. For example, lots of people have good experience with the Fiat brand, but enough don't so the brand is tainted in the public eye. My one experience with Honda was so terrible I may never own another one again.

    Let's be clear here: Displays are nothing new in cars, and Tesla of all companies should know how to build a large automotive display. To experience display issues in the Model 3 is totally unacceptable. People might understand if there were issues with the cutting-edge technology, but displays and vanity mirrors are not cutting edge. As for the display, I'm convinced the wiper and cruise functions will become a safety issue due to distracted driving. Muscle memory won't be useful for setting wiper speed and cruise on a display, and several reviewers have noted how they must remove their eyes from the road in order to make these adjustments. That's crazy.

    How about some regular door handles on the inside and out? These complicated designs add nothing to function or safety; all they do is scream "I'm different, so I must be better!".
  • jameswwiiijameswwiii Member Posts: 5
    Uh oh...

    https://www.consumerreports.org/hybrids-evs/tesla-model-3-review-falls-short-of-consumer-reports-recommendation/

    What does the Elon Musk Fanclub have to say about this? Another "BS review", I suppose?
  • actualsizeactualsize Member Posts: 451
    edited May 2018
    I need to clarify a few points about our data.
    Average Energy (Wh/mi) is -- the meter readout in the car itself. We record this value each time we plug in. Average energy is the rate at which the car consumes electricity from the battery. Our average "Average Energy" reading is 254.4 Wh/mi. This is not a weighted average, but is instead a simple average of all of our readings.

    Lifetime Average Consumption (kWh/100) is fundamentally different in a way that explains why it is significantly higher (worse) than Average Energy. The unit here is kWh used per 100 miles driven, which is the standard used by the EPA for rating the consumption of electric cars and PHEV. But the difference is more than just the decimal point shift brough about by multiplying by 100 miles and dividing by 1000 watts to adjust the unit. This measurement is based on the actual amount of electricity needed to REPLACE the electricity the car withdrew from the battery. It is measured at the power panel upstream of the charge station -- which is the same as the number of kWh you'd get charged for on your electric bill.

    This difference is not insignificant. Charging a battery generates heat. On-board battery cooling systems must be run to control it, and the energy required to run those systems is part of the metered inflow. There's resistance in the charge cord, too - you've felt them get hot, right? That's more energy lost. The total of these losses varies from charge station to charge station, but we've owned about a dozen EVs (three of them Tesla products), and we can say that charging losses can range between 20 to 30 percent. It's like spilling 2 or 3 gallons of gas on the ground (and paying for it) for every 10 gallons that makes it into the tank. So if you're a Tesla owner and you think the Average Energy reading describes your car's consumption, think again. Your're low by about 25%.

    Now, the EPA knows that all of this rightly counts charging losses as vehicle consumption, and their rating of 27 kWh/100 miles does include such losses. It is worth noting that the data for range and consumption ratings comes from Tesla-conducted tests and Tesla-submitted documents that the EPA reviews, not tests conducted by the EPA themselves. That's the way it goes with most cars, EV or not.

    So if you take our average "Average Energy of 254.4 Wh/mi and tweak it into kWh/100, you get 25.4. Next, let's add a 25% charging loss onto that by multiplying by 125%. Care to guess the result? It's 31.75 kWh/100, a near-exact match of our Lifetime Average Consumption number that was generated by measuring electricity flow through the HPWC. (31.7 was indeed the real number - the 33.6 that was published was a typo based on incomplete data entry in our April calculation spreadsheet.)

    So our 254.4 Wh/Mi Average energy equals 31.7 kWh/100 after you add in 25% for charging losses.

    But none of this explains why our average of 31.7 is so far off the Model 3's 27 kWh/100 rating. I have a hard time with this, but it follows a pattern established by our Model S and Model X test cars because they fell short of their ratings, too. Other EVs (just about ALL other EVs, I might add) have proven to be very accurately or even conservatively rated. I've easily beaten the range and consumption ratings of the Bolt, the Volt, the 2nd-gen Leaf, the eGolf, the BMW i3, the Fiat 500e, the Spark EV -- I could go on. I have driven 70 miles on a Volt (rated at 53) and 334 miles on a Bolt (rated at 238 miles.) But I have never even matched a Tesla rating using the same driving techniques. I'm not saying I can't, but it's not as easy. Just look at the Leaf and the Bolt LT data. Both are currently beating their ratings, and both are being driven by the same crew of Edmunds staffers.

    How do we get our kWh data for our EVs? The non-Tesla's use our chargepoint station, which has a factory-installed meter. But the Telsa is filled with our own private Tesla HPWC, which is not a metered device like our Chargepoint station. To recitfy this we have had a meter installed by a certified commercial electrician, and it is a "revenue grade" meter that is tamper proof. Our drivers record the before and after kWh readings (the meter can't be rezeroed 'cause its revenue grade) when they plug in and unplug, and we subtract one from the other to determine the amount of electricity that was dispensed to refill the battery after the car was driven a known number of miles.

    Twitter: @Edmunds_Test

  • newride76newride76 Member Posts: 22
    Someone help me understand how a long term test of a single vehicle is in some way a fair representation of a particular model's overall quality. Isn't this akin to using a single data point to formulate a general statement of all subjects? Understand that I'm not saying that Edmunds is in anyway fabricating their results as I think their reputation is much too valuable to do so over a single vehicle. However, wouldn't it be a little more convincing if they did a long-term test with a handful of vehicles from the same model in order to isolate issues that are truly common versus possible issues related to a single vehicle that may have less than average quality across the entire population?
  • newride76newride76 Member Posts: 22

    Uh oh...

    https://www.consumerreports.org/hybrids-evs/tesla-model-3-review-falls-short-of-consumer-reports-recommendation/

    What does the Elon Musk Fanclub have to say about this? Another "BS review", I suppose?

    Not a fan, but your comment does raise the question if CR found the brakes to be so terrible, but Edmunds points on in their own review that,

    "Performance
    "This car is a joy to drive on Angeles Crest Highway, and I don't say that lightly. Angeles Crest is a famously demanding road that winds up into the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles. You need brakes, power and a taut, balanced chassis to do it right. The Model 3 has it all. Body roll is minimal, the brakes don't complain, the steering is gratifyingly precise, and there are gobs of instant torque on tap. Plus, the regenerative braking function means you use the actual brake pedal less often."

    Then something doesn't add up and I agree you might be right that there could possibly be some BS, but not sure it is necessarily who you would like to place the blame on.
  • will_t3will_t3 Member Posts: 3


    This difference is not insignificant. Charging a battery generates heat. On-board battery cooling systems must be run to control it, and the energy required to run those systems is part of the metered inflow. There's resistance in the charge cord, too - you've felt them get hot, right? That's more energy lost. The total of these losses varies from charge station to charge station, but we've owned about a dozen EVs (three of them Tesla products), and we can say that charging losses can range between 20 to 30 percent. It's like spilling 2 or 3 gallons of gas on the ground (and paying for it) for every 10 gallons that makes it into the tank. So if you're a Tesla owner and you think the Average Energy reading describes your car's consumption, think again. Your're low by about 25%.

    The Model S charger is 91% efficient from EVSE to battery (this includes resistance, AC/DC conversion, etc). Check out Idaho National Lab testing if you want some data on charging efficiency. Last I checked the Model S was the most efficient of all the EV's tested. All other brand EVs were 90% or below. The kWh per 100 mile number the EPA lists includes charging (in)efficiency. The reason it doesn't match up with your actual consumption numbers is that it doesn't include stuff like the rather significant vampire drain. Or waking the car from sleep mode by checking the app, or climate control energy usage from turning on the heat or ac from the app while the car is sitting, or the heating and cooling of the battery when Not charging and just sitting, etc. Really wish Tesla would get a handle on the vampire drain. I also have a separate meter for my charger like you guys, and it only matches up with the 91% efficiency number when I leave immediately after finishing charging like on a road trip (no time for the vampire to take it's toll). Normal day to day driving where I don't immediately use the energy and the car gets a chance to waste it sitting in my garage, overall efficiency drops as vampire drain becomes a higher percentage of overall energy use. Good thing electricity is so much cheaper than gas, otherwise it would really start to piss me off. Was hoping they'd fix this issue with the Model 3, so far it looks similar.
  • genesb2genesb2 Member Posts: 2
    gslippy said:

    kirkhilles1 is right - The Model 3 was supposed to finally be the EV for the masses, with usable range, and good looks and performance.

    Instead, Tesla produced their bread-and-butter car with first adopters in mind, expecting that buyers would be willing to pay $50k+ for the first release, and then deal with unnecessary oddities like weird door handles, cruise and wiper controls on a display, shoddy build quality, and unfinished software. I'm certain that Mr Musk has micromanaged everything from design to production, handcuffing his people, so that the simple EV that we hoped for can't actually be built by Tesla.

    It's clear that Tesla hasn't learned the lessons from the Model X, despite their statements to the contrary.

    Except for the usual range and battery degradation issues in Leafs, my 12 Leaf was perfect. I understand the EV lifestyle, and was willing to pay a little more to get the Model 3. But I cancelled in March 2018, after waiting nearly 2 years as a Day 1 reservation holder. The $50k price was too dear, the reports of build quality too many, I'm uncomfortable with the center display, and I feared constant service issues while my nearest Tesla shop is an hour away.

    People buying this car are NOT first adopters. They want a perfect vehicle, as many of them are upgrading from a Camry or Accord to take a chance on Tesla. Reports like this do not help EV adoption. Instead of calling 'fake news' on Edmunds' experience, the True Believers should accept that these problems are real for some people. For example, lots of people have good experience with the Fiat brand, but enough don't so the brand is tainted in the public eye. My one experience with Honda was so terrible I may never own another one again.

    Let's be clear here: Displays are nothing new in cars, and Tesla of all companies should know how to build a large automotive display. To experience display issues in the Model 3 is totally unacceptable. People might understand if there were issues with the cutting-edge technology, but displays and vanity mirrors are not cutting edge. As for the display, I'm convinced the wiper and cruise functions will become a safety issue due to distracted driving. Muscle memory won't be useful for setting wiper speed and cruise on a display, and several reviewers have noted how they must remove their eyes from the road in order to make these adjustments. That's crazy.

    How about some regular door handles on the inside and out? These complicated designs add nothing to function or safety; all they do is scream "I'm different, so I must be better!".

    You clearly do not own a Model 3 so you speak without any real experience on any of the subjects you profess about. I can say, the door handles are quite simple, my 89 year old father has a Model 3 and has no issues using the door handle. He also has zero problems using the display functions. All this may seem foreign to you but I have many friends with Model 3's and not only have they all adjusted after a few days, not a single one of them want to go back the the old complicated ways of controlling their cars.

  • ougrad05ougrad05 Member Posts: 1
    This is a solid review, keep up the good work. Glad to see you aren't glossing over M3 issues. Glad I didn't put a reservation down on one and followed advice from others I had talked to on the subject.

    Josh, I have a new(ish) 3 series and it's built quite a bit better than even the mS and mX Tesla's. My interior has stayed together, it's been reliable, it puts up with track days and the brakes work very well CONSISTENTLY. My radio volume works appropriately, infotainment has never failed me yet, I paid a lot less than a similar M3 with similar performance, have a great warranty, the list goes on.

    M3 has a ton of potential, the instant torque of a fully EV drivetrain is intoxicating. But every other car in the class is literally better than the M3 right now. Tesla hasn't learned how to build cars and I certainly can't recommend them to anyone for anything other than "toy".

    These vehicles and concepts put forth by Musk have driven the industry forward 10 years maybe more. For that Musk should be commended. However, he's destroying Tesla. He doesn't know how to run a car company and as a whole they are really bad at building cars.
  • jameswwiiijameswwiii Member Posts: 5
    edited May 2018
    genesb2 said:

    I have many friends with Model 3's and not only have they all adjusted after a few days, not a single one of them want to go back the the old complicated ways of controlling their cars.

    Yeah, the old days of "complicated" controls like a climate control knob that indicates blue when turned in one direction and red when turned in the other. Or a stereo volume control knob that makes the speakers louder when turned in one direction and quieter when turned in the other. And it's really "complicated" when you can reach for these knobs without taking your eyes off the road, and know by feel which you are touching. You're right, it's much better to have one giant touchscreen tablet with multiple menus stuck to the dash that REQUIRES you to look at it in order to adjust many of the vehicle's functions. That sort of driver distraction probably won't increase the likelihood of accidents at all.
  • DLuDLu Member Posts: 94
    There is only one M3. Please stop calling this cute little EV Model 3 an "M3". It's not even close to an M3.
  • keefwivanefkeefwivanef Member Posts: 10
    Will the Model 3 have WHOMPY WHEELS like the Model S and Model X?
    http://teslabears.club/t/tesla-suspension-fatal-flaw-entire-fleet-should-be-grounded
  • morrisg2morrisg2 Member Posts: 12
    @ actualsize: Thanks for the energy explanation, the numbers make a lot more sense to me now that I know they are total energy measured at the meter before the HPWC.

    A request: Could you publish the software rev numbers installed when you had the problems reported with the car? This is important in tracking progress at resolving these bugs and noting if they have been fixed. For instance, my car also had the black reverse camera screen with Rev 2018.18.2 but does not with the Rev 2018.18.3 which was automatically installed one night last week.

    Note to those who complain about wipers and cruise control operation via the touch screen: The wipers still operate a single wipe when the button on the end of the turn signal stalk is pressed and released, and still do a washer squirt and several wipes when the button is held down. The wiper button press now brings up the wiper control screen automatically with a larger touch icon for Auto operation in addition to the other speed control icons. I find this easy to use.

    The cruise control is now the right scroll wheel on the steering wheel, and is scroll up for increase speed and scroll down for decrease speed, left for increase following distance and right for decrease following distance. Also, a fast scroll up or down changes speed in 5 mph blocks. And you can set an offset from posted speed up to 11 mph so that when you activate the cruise control (single pull downward on the right stalk) and are near the speed limit, then your offset cruise speed is implemented. Example: I set + 2mph on my cruise so when traveling at around 35 mph the cruise implements 37 mph when the stalk is pulled.

    In a car that is so controlled by software, repeating shortcomings from reviews of outdated software revs is misleading. That is why I'm asking people to state the software rev related to their complaints in these comments. Thank you.
  • m3teslam3tesla Member Posts: 6
    edited May 2018
    I am not going to dispute the wall to battery consumption. But getting the EPA range under stop and go or highway conditions is pretty easy. I drive over 75 miles every day and I am hard pressed to see anything above 240 wh/mile. Typically around 220 wh/mile if I drive the speed limit which beats EPA range. Beating EPA range on normal weather, elevation and traffic conditions is easy. And my experience is not isolated. That seems to be typical to other M3 users I see on forums.
  • actualsizeactualsize Member Posts: 451
    @m3tesla Slow-and-go freeway conditions are indeed the best scenario for any EV, the Model 3 included. That's how I got 334 miles out of a Bolt and 70 miles out of a Volt. I have not had the same luck with a Model 3, but I know it is in there. I recently commuted between Santa Ana and Santa Monica (my daily 405 commute) back and forth a couple of times, and after 171 miles I averaged 171 Wh/mi, which is the best we've seen. Sadly, another staffer drove it on a high-speed freeway leg before it was plugged in, so the overall "tank" average got distorted.

    It is worth noting a couple of things about the Model 3 versus the Model S and Model X. Both of those had huge energy graphs, which I really liked and played with all the time. It really gamified driving effociently, and I think the lack of that on the Model 3 cannot be overlooked. The Volt, Bolt, Leaf and others have cool driver coaching feedback displays that reward smooth driving, too. But the Model 3 doesn't apart from the tiny Wh/mi meter. Also, the S and X's graph had a thin line that represented your target if you wanted to get the rated range. I think it was 310 on our Model S P85, and 330 on our Model X P90D. What is the goal line for the Model 3? Without a graph, I'm not sure. But our data suggests it might be 210 or 215. We're averaging 254.4 because about 20 people drive this car in all sorts of ways - nicely randomized, I think - so we're not hitting the Wh/mi average needed to achieve the rated range. But if I driv it again and can drive in traffic at 180 for a full charge event, I'm sure I can exceed the range.

    Also, we routinely set our car to charge to 90%, not 100%, so the effective rated range target we're gunning for is 90% of 310 miles, which is 276 miles.

    Twitter: @Edmunds_Test

  • will_t3will_t3 Member Posts: 3

    genesb2 said:

    I have many friends with Model 3's and not only have they all adjusted after a few days, not a single one of them want to go back the the old complicated ways of controlling their cars.

    Yeah, the old days of "complicated" controls like a climate control knob that indicates blue when turned in one direction and red when turned in the other. Or a stereo volume control knob that makes the speakers louder when turned in one direction and quieter when turned in the other. And it's really "complicated" when you can reach for these knobs without taking your eyes off the road, and know by feel which you are touching. You're right, it's much better to have one giant touchscreen tablet with multiple menus stuck to the dash that REQUIRES you to look at it in order to adjust many of the vehicle's functions. That sort of driver distraction probably won't increase the likelihood of accidents at all.
    Model S, X and 3 all have a dedicated volume knob. It's the left scroll wheel on the steering wheel, so you never even need to take your hands off the wheel to adjust volume. Many people I know who use the stereo volume knob on their center console in other cars take their eyes off the road to look at it before reaching and turning, so physical controls aren't immune to the problem of people driving distracted.

    Model S and X can map different functions to their right scroll wheel on the steering wheel as well. I have my right scroll wheel setup for fan speed, or temperature, depending on weather and if I want to let auto climate control do it's thing. That way I don't have to take my hands off the wheel, or look at the screen to adjust climate control. Clicking the wheel also turns climate on and off.

    There is nothing exclusively controlled on the Model S or X touchscreen that is essential to the functioning of the car. All the common features can be set to either automatic (no button press at all), or controlled with buttons on the steering wheel.

    Unfortunately, the Model 3 software appears to be unfinished, as you cannot map these functions to the right scroll wheel. I assume this will come in a free over the air software update. Disappointing they didn't ship with this basic functionality that is present on their other models.
  • actualsizeactualsize Member Posts: 451

    @m3tesla Slow-and-go freeway conditions are indeed the best scenario for any EV, the Model 3 included. That's how I got 334 miles out of a Bolt and 70 miles out of a Volt. I have not had the same luck with a Model 3, but I know it is in there. I recently commuted between Santa Ana and Santa Monica (my daily 405 commute) back and forth a couple of times, and after 171 miles I averaged 171 Wh/mi, which is the best we've seen. Sadly, another staffer drove it on a high-speed freeway leg before it was plugged in, so the overall "tank" average got distorted.

    It is worth noting a couple of things about the Model 3 versus the Model S and Model X. Both of those had huge energy graphs, which I really liked and played with all the time. It really gamified driving effociently, and I think the lack of that on the Model 3 cannot be overlooked. The Volt, Bolt, Leaf and others have cool driver coaching feedback displays that reward smooth driving, too. But the Model 3 doesn't apart from the tiny Wh/mi meter. Also, the S and X's graph had a thin line that represented your target if you wanted to get the rated range. I think it was 310 on our Model S P85, and 330 on our Model X P90D. What is the goal line for the Model 3? Without a graph, I'm not sure. But our data suggests it might be 210 or 215. We're averaging 254.4 because about 20 people drive this car in all sorts of ways - nicely randomized, I think - so we're not hitting the Wh/mi average needed to achieve the rated range. But if I driv it again and can drive in traffic at 180 for a full charge event, I'm sure I can exceed the range.

    Also, we routinely set our car to charge to 90%, not 100%, so the effective rated range target we're gunning for is 90% of 310 miles, which is 276 miles.

    Sorry about all the typos. It was a 14-hour day. And I didn't finish the thought. The point here is it has been fairly easy to hit or even exceed the rated range in the other EVs currently residing in our fleet (Bolt, gen-2 Leaf), and both are currently doing better than their EPA consumption ratings on a lifetime average basis. But the Model 3, with the same crew of drivers and mix of driving, is not producing consumption results that compare favorably with its rating. Yes, I believe someone will eventually post a good single-charge number, but matching the rating on a average lifetime bassis appears out of reach because this car seems to be sensitive to driving style. It is also possible that its lack of a compelling interactive driver coaching/feedback system may be a contributing factor. I can say for myself that I do get sucked into the game of driving smoothly when I drive an EV that has a good one, such as the Bolt.

    Twitter: @Edmunds_Test

  • DLuDLu Member Posts: 94
    Reading this review -- and many others -- reminds me of early model Android phones. They have advantages but are just too buggy for those of us who do not care to be early adopters. Tesla will soon advance from a toy company to a real car company, while all the other manufacturers are playing catch-up. Keep lighting the fire under them, Elon! Then we can have a selection of well-made EVs to choose from.
  • myobmyob Member Posts: 53
    Imagine owning one of these out of warranty 5 years from now. When the buzz wears down these will be hot potatoes nobody wants to own, like a big BMW with an 8 cylinder engine and high miles. You know it's going to explode and if it does it's headed to the junkyard as a write-off. This doesn't even consider the fact that by the time you're late in the drivetrain warranty the company may not be there to warranty it. Even IF you can find parts to fix it.
  • morrisg2morrisg2 Member Posts: 12
    @actualsize: I hear you saying that it's easy in the Bolt and new Leaf to achieve their EPA range ratings while it's more difficult in the Model 3. But I don't think that's due to the lack of a driving coach display. I think it's because the Model 3 will do 0-60mph in 5 seconds whereas the Bolt and Leaf are closer to 6 or 7 or even 8 seconds, and some of those 20 drivers are having lots more fun than other drivers.

    Here's a way to test that: Set the acceleration mode in the Model 3 to Chill for one or two charge cycles and compare energy consumption to the Standard acceleration setting. My guess is that energy consumption will go down significantly and complaints from some drivers will go way up. I wonder who they are? :<)
  • plat_travelerplat_traveler Member Posts: 1
    I'm in the software industry. NO ONE PAYS to Betatest. Elon's Muskrat followers are basically crash-test dummies. People are paying good money to be part of a grand experiment with unproven, unsafe, technology. Tesla has been shamelessly promoted to their true believers as game changing technology, when in reality it is rushed and unproven technology (continuous beta-testing, continuous updates, bad software and moral practices). Until you can manage the "edge cases" calling something "Autopilot" is (and will be), cause for plenty of litigation. We let him get away with things that we would never let happen at a real company. Elon Musk is the next Elizabeth Holmes waiting to be unmasked, we're just one WSJ article away from total TSLA oblivion.
  • wiseoldfartwiseoldfart Member Posts: 40
    I'll wait for solid-state battery packs to start appearing in Toyota and Honda EV's, thank you. I do appreciate Musk for lighting a fire under the butts of all the major car manufacturers.
  • Consumer Reports readers just ranked Model 3 "most satisfying car" (Feb 2019). These are normal everyday people. Seems Edmunds reviewers are a tad out of touch!
    https://www.consumerreports.org/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/10-most-satisfying-cars-owner-satisfaction/
    https://cleantechnica.com/2019/02/01/tesla-model-3-most-loved-car-in-usa/

    To learn about satisfaction, Consumer Reports has collected survey data from our annual survey on more than half a million vehicles. Our subscribers provide great insights into their satisfaction by answering one simple question: If they had it to do all over again, would they definitely buy or lease the same model?

    After spending a couple months reading reviews, talking to friends who are Tesla owners, and doing my own research, I decided to take the plunge. I can honestly say the car is a dream to drive and brings a smile to my face every time I get in. Previous/current Honda, Acura, BMW and Volvo driver. It took me a day to get used to the door handle design and user interface.
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