2024 Tesla Model 3 on test: I have a problem

In the last two weeks, my last electric car accompanied me in daily life before my first long-term review and that made me very happy because I was able to take a closer look at the new Tesla Model 3 2024.

Tesla gave me the Long Range version in red with a white interior and without the extended automatic. So we are talking about 56,170 euros, although Tesla prices can change at any time.

The Tesla Model 3 is not an option for us because it is too cheap for my wife (I prefer sedans), but the Tesla Model Y will be an option and since the innovation will definitely be here soon, that made me very happy. .

Tesla Model 3 on test: My 10 key points

• It’s the first look at the Tesla Model 3 facelift and here are my thoughts on the new one eyes it really depends on the color. The new design doesn’t work for me in white, I think the new gray is fine, as is the blue, but the new red looks the best of the colors. However, black would be my first choice, even for the interior, but that is very personal. In any case, the build was flawless and the hardware feels as high quality as most premium brands. In some cases (Mercedes, for example), I can see Tesla leading now. In any case, this is no longer a point of criticism for the price range (base price).

• But what really pleased me was the new one landing gear, because it is finally quiet and there are no more “wobbles” you can finally drive calmly even at 200 km / h. And even rough roads are pleasant, small potholes on the bottom were sometimes scary with the old model. At the same time, the chassis is still very taut and sporty, which I like. It is a lot of fun to drive, especially in combination with two electric motors with 366 kW (about 500 hp). This is still not a sports suspension like the one offered by a good BMW, Polestar 2 Performance or Porsche, which is very noticeable when cornering, but this is what you can expect for 40,000 to 50,000 euros.
• The Space is available in the Tesla Model 3 is beautiful and you can tell that it was planned from the ground up as an electric car. It is airy in front, I could sit behind me, there is a spacious frunk for dirty charging cables and a respectable trunk for such a sedan. There is only one disadvantage with the trunk: if you open it, water can run into the interior during rain. It’s a shame this hasn’t been addressed eventually.

• At a glance Performance You don’t need to worry about Tesla, there is often more than enough and it is probably often the reason why Tesla is bought. In this case you can reach 100 km / h in 4.4 seconds, which for some is a performance version, for some (greetings to Volkswagen AG) even what is new, however, is that at 200 km / h Already high, that may bother them other people. I think that is enough. Most people slow down to 160 km/h or 180 km/h.
• The old Tesla Model 3 Long Range was the first electric car that I didn’t have to use in everyday life. Frequency I thought about it because there is more than enough for me. In this case there are 630 km, which in everyday life is still more than 450 km even at high road speeds of more than 150 km / h. 500 km is easily possible in this weather, Model 3 is very good for this performance. Tesla has yet to be beaten here, especially when it comes to battery size. And you can also see that the SUV trend is inefficient, because the Model 3 has 100 kilometers more range than the comparable Model Y.

• For Ladeleistung There’s up to 250 kW in it and that sounds like a lot, but the charge curve isn’t the gold standard and fast charging isn’t Tesla’s forte. It may happen that before 50 percent you are less than 100 kW, after the peak the curve decreases quickly. And in the AC charging station there is only 11 kW and no option for 22 kW. This would be something I would improve in the next upgrade.
• Tesla is known for beauty Program, but that is not easy and completely dependent. I think that program is infallible as a pure program. Fast, fluid, looking very attractive, often looks like iOS and a big iPad in the car. There are also many programs and options. But what if the software or service is not included? So that’s what happened to Tesla, because things like Apple CarPlay or Android Auto don’t exist. No matter how good the program is, for me this is the main point of criticism. Without the saved data package, the infotainment system cannot be used for me. With CarPlay you can save 120 euros per year. So the software itself remains the industry standard for me, but the rest offers things like CarPlay and that more than help me (as the software is also good for many brands now). But what I have to praise again is a very good program, it works quietly and has a lot of extras, including access to the camera in the car.

• The next thing that most people think of when it comes to Tesla is this Automatic. But the videos from the USA are misleading, the German version is far from it. Yes, it’s a good routing assistant that controls distance etc, but nothing more. In addition, signal recognition is still unreliable and what good is good auto testing if the car doesn’t know how fast it can drive. For me, Tesla is behind many brands like BMW or VW in Germany. After all, a solid foundation is included in Tesla’s price, which is good since data is more important than a few euros per package. Tesla also has two packages, but I wouldn’t need their add-ons and wouldn’t rely on the promise. You can book later if necessary.
• The Single Pedal Driving it’s very nice with Tesla, because of the full recovery you don’t need a brake in everyday life and even stops without it. I would use it and set it up the same way, but I also know that not everyone likes it. While most brands allow you to change this in the settings, this is not possible for Tesla.
• For Price Tesla is still interesting today, because with these devices you can get a good electric car with a range of more than 500 kilometers for around 43,000 euros and for 52,000 euros (long term) no brand on the market can keep up. In my opinion, this cannot be defeated, also in terms of the range of functions and performance. But there are no unconditional purchase recommendations, which we now have to explain in conclusion.

Tesla Model 3 on test: My conclusion

Very quiet interior, high quality build, good software, good range, finally good chassis, Tesla Model 3 gets better and better with every upgrade. The facelift jump is huge.

That is why it is a shame that, in my opinion, Tesla is now in the wrong direction. Things like ambient lighting are still not important because there are completely different construction sites. The car’s windshield wiper is malfunctioning, finally there are matrix lights, but no cornering lights and the weather is bad.

Either it gets too cold or it gets too hot, it can’t keep the temperature very well. My wife was more critical than I was. He called it the worst air conditioner in any car I’ve ever owned.

The gesture recognition still doesn’t work honestly, the big display is enough for me, but where is the head display? Why do you rely entirely on the camera and not have a front camera when parking? Why were things generally worse? Cameras were often not very reliable for me in everyday life.

The middle class already offers a 3D view when parking, why isn’t that possible here? Removing the sensors was a mistake for me. And then finally we get to the elephant in the room, I haven’t forgotten it.

The steering wheel.

No more levers. So not all the time anymore. Selecting gear via the display is fine, I even thought it was cool. But the indicators have no place on the steering wheel, and nowhere at all. Yes, you get used to it in everyday life.

But this only applies if the steering wheel is right, as soon as it is not, as in a circle or when turning, it is so, then you can no longer find the indicator blindly. And it’s almost irresponsible that you have to watch.

I almost wanted to call the headline “Driving like a BMW” as a joke, because there’s a joke that BMW drivers don’t show, but it’s a big deal. This is a poor solution. Windshield wipers etc are also located on the steering wheel.

The buttons are good, they are fine, but my mind wanders too much from the road and this time I turned without a turn signal more times than I have in my entire life. When everything is calm and you have time, well, then it works well, but as soon as things get busy, you are lost with this solution.

Honestly, leave aside gimmicks like ambient lighting and, as far as I’m concerned, seat cooling (although I like that a lot), the basics still don’t match and the steering wheel is a big step up for me. The EU has already recognized the problem and I hope that it will ban something like this from 2026 at the latest.

I love modern interiors, but having a turnbuckle or mirrored mirror that you can operate blindly when things get messy is important. Yes, at Tesla you consider the cost, but then you cut all the tricks first.

The Tesla Model 3 is an excellent electric car and over time has become a very good car in this price range. But with this facelift, attention is focused on things that are not really important. Meanwhile there’s a new steering wheel, which to be honest is almost a knockout for me.

The competition is on and the Tesla Model 3 was far ahead as an electric car for a long time. But that’s no longer the case when it comes to payment functionality, you’ve really been left behind. So I did mine a few years ago he asked a question.

Does Tesla build a good car first or catch up with the competition and build an electric car to match. If you were to look at the basics, the Tesla Model 3 could not fail. The competition is fortunate that Tesla has a different opinion.

A Tesla Model 3 with a head-up display, real levers, good gesture recognition or radar sensors probably wouldn’t be more expensive, you’d have to cut out a few less important components. And even if you charged 1,000 euros or 2,000 euros more, that would still be attractive.

Compassion. I’ve been following the Tesla Model 3 since the first base version from the US, which was pretty poor. A lot has happened since then, a lot. In my opinion, by lifting the face, Tesla could leave the competition behind, but this means that you are standing because there are new disadvantages.

Let’s see how the facelift of the Tesla Model Y happens, because it is now the most important and it was the best-selling car in the world in 2023. Maybe I am too critical, but it annoys me because we are so close to the perfect electric car and shortly before the finish line we thought: No, we will do it differently.

If they would remove all the blame and not go back with the steering wheel, maybe they would put a head-up display and ask me for 1,000 euros more, it would not fail like a sedan. Even compared to “premium” electric cars like the EQE, some of which cost almost twice as much.

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