[mobike008]

Likes

1. Acceleration- Ferocious, mind-numbing & guaranteed tunnel vision due to ~ 550 HP and 700 NM of Instant torque. Friends who never drove a Tesla are in shock when they drive it. My wife almost passed out the first time she drove it.

2. Design - It's pretty damn gorgeous. I love the body style and probably the 2nd best looking model in their line up after the Model S.

3. Drive- It’s like a toy and super fun car to drive. Speed, Cornering, and Overall ride comfort is
excellent.

4 - Supercomputer on wheels- It’s Auto-almost-everything- Auto Boot Open, Auto Charge Port Open, Strange way to open glove box and most importantly Auto-Car Lock & Unlock with phone...no more looking for keys! And many more.

5 - Auto-Pilot- I’ve used it just a few times and works like a charm. It’s adaptive cruise control on steroids.

6. Sound System- This is the best stock music system that I heard in a stock car. BMW’s H&K pales in comparison. Clean Vocals & Treble and deep Bass and does not crack even at highest volume which is super loud.

7. Center Screen- It’s heart of the Tesla. Everything about it is snappy, intuitive and never-ending features.

8. Over the air updates-Make the car better over time.

9. TeslaCam™ and Sentry mode- This is literally cool and so futuristic

10. Order process to delivery- Smooth and Literally no human interaction.


Dislikes

1.Range Anxiety- This is biggest worry when driving an EV

2. Cabin noise-Tesla added 2-pane windows in new models, but it’s still not the quietest and has wee bit of wind noise. My BMW in comparison has tomb-like silence inside.

3. Ride Quality- Smooth even on 20” Ubertine Wheels but, if roads are bad, it becomes harsh

4. Range in Performance Model- Due to 20” tires & Ubertine Wheels, Range is compromised in performance models and is far from Tesla quoted figures- Real Life is 260-270 Miles vs. 315 miles quoted by Tesla

5. SUV to Sedan transition- Been away from Sedans for about 5 years and it feels very different, Will probably get used to it in a few weeks as now I will be shifting between SUV and Sedan more regularly.

6. No CarPlay or Android Auto- Come on Tesla, is that for real in this age?

7. Door Handles, FRUNK, Trunk, Glove Box- It’s all futuristic and requires some getting used to as it’s so different from regular cars- Initial days, my wife struggled to get inside the passenger seat from outside as she could not press the door handle in right way.

8. Paint Quality- Tesla has improved by leaps and bounds but, still behind the traditional car makers as there is anxiety of it losing sheen or when/how you wash the car.

9. Expensive- Prices have risen sharply over the last 12 months of the car as well as FSD (Full Self Driving)

Credits

Pictures- - Seattle BHP'ian Abhiram90 despite having a bad back-ache accompanied for a couple of hours during a work week to take some lovely shots of the Rosso Diablo. You can easily distinguish ones that are from DSLR and rest are from my humble "iPhone 13 Promax".Thanks Bro !!

Tesla Information- BHPians Carthick1000 and LexusES350 for their inputs and a big shout out to Carthick1000 for proof reading the review as I didn't want to publish any incorrect information.

Car Name- Our overactive Hyderabad Team BHP group which generates over 1000 messages each day was on fire when I requested some suggestions for name. BHP'ian Himanshugoswami won the coveted trophy (need to give him a nice treat when I am in Delhi next) by suggesting this beautiful name “Rosso Diablo” which means "Red Devil" as the Tesla accelerates like the devil’s got into it.

I can’t close credits without thanking BHP'ian Nellikode for trying hard and dishing out quite a few names. Will pick one of those names for my next car, buddy. Haha!

P.S : Please click images on your computer to see them in full resolution.

A few pictures of the "Rosso Diablo" against the PNW background.







And, a final one with most iconic landmark of Seattle- Space Needle

[mobike008]

1. Background
2. Tesla Delivery & Pooja
3. Performance
4. Ride, Handling, NVH & Regen Braking
5. Battery & Range
6. Autopilot
7. Interior & Infotainment
8. Exterior
9. Tesla “Fun Facts”

This might be the most extensive review that I ever wrote on a car after my BMW, which probably tells how much of an impact it has made on me.

I decided to break the whole review into multiple chapters so it's easy to write a few details about each of these key parameters.

My style of writing is informal and hopefully fun and brings a "smile" on your face. I think fast, write fast and despite doing proof reading, you may find some grammatical errors, so I urge you to ignore and feel the "feeling" behind the content.

With that said, let's begin...

Background

Some abbreviations to be aware about which is universal and known to most car aficionados:

M3P : Model 3 Performance
MYP : Model Y Performance
ICE : Internal Combustion Engine (not, In-Car Entertainment.)
EV: Electric Vehicle

Before I get started, I would recommend you dig into your pocket and take out your sunglasses/glares as you will see a lot of “RED” in this entire review. It may hurt your eyes when you are reading this review but, trust me it looks gorgeous in flesh and makes everyone turn and take a look at it at least once. However, a downside is that it’s a cop magnate which makes me keep a leash on the A-pedal.

Sometime early this year, I thought of adding a second car to our garage and my automatic choice was to buy a fast electric car to give company to my ridiculously fast BMW.

For those who are new and not aware, you can read my BMW ownership report here:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ml#post4990969

For me personally, I like everything fast and performance oriented as I love driving and aggressive at that too.

You will see me compare the Tesla to my BMW in many aspects of this review. They are like chalk & cheese. Both are completely different cars and astonishingly good in their own way.

However, this comparison stems from habit and sometimes involuntarily so you will have to take it with a pinch of salt and ignore sometimes the apples vs. oranges comparison of an ICE vs. EV

I drove a Tesla for the first time back in March 2018, it was a top of the line Tesla Model X of my sister’s friend in Boston. That was an experience that I can never forget. It blew me away from the autonomous driving, acceleration, technology, sheer luxury of the car and not to mention the Christmas song it plays.

Here is a link to that Christmas Song- A video that I shot back in March 2018

https://youtu.be/BGqldPXdZCA

It also amazed me that it drove so differently from an ICE car. I was in awe of this super expensive luxury electric car from Tesla that costed over $120,000.

Every time I am in Boston which was literally every 3-months, I would take it for a spin or be passenger so the love for Tesla grew slowly and steadily. Down the line, I drove a Tesla Model 3 (RWD) of a friend in New Jersey in 2021 and was equally impressed.

Basically, after having the experience of a Tesla, I wanted to check the competition and see if they are better. I kept a budget of $50,000-$60,000 and started a hunt for EV’s in this range and obviously the performance was my primary criteria that would impress and influence me towards a purchase.

I test drove the following cars which were powerful versions of the respective manufacturers and I have briefly documented these test drives on the forum (a simple search will get you below reviews)

Polestar 2 (400 BHP)
Kia EV 6 (320 BHP)

Then immediately afterwards, I arranged for a Tesla Model Y performance (MYP) overnight and also a Tesla Model 3 Performance (M3P) was tested thoroughly.

Tesla’s normally don’t give their test drive cars overnight but, my friendly sales advisor and my convincing skills helped achieve this and keeping the car overnight gave me a very good perspective about the car and whether I can live with it for a long time.

Polestar and Kia despite being powerful version were just “nice” cars to drive and were underwhelming from a performance aspect. After these test drives I asked myself:

“Did you get blown away.”

“Nope. Not at all “

“Will I settle for them.”

Yup, if I win a lottery or someone else is paying for it. Definitely not, if I am paying.

If I am spending so much, I will never settle for the average Joe. It has to be thoroughly impressive and something that would not bore me for next half a decade.

Coming back to Tesla test drives, the moment you sit in a Tesla, you will immediately know it’s special.

From the way it drives to the long list of wonderful and unique technology, it hits your senses and within a few miles of driving, you know that this is 3X or maybe even 5X leagues above other EV’s in the market.

I immediately decided, it has to be a Tesla. Nothing else comes close to it in this price range (at least as of now)

Now, I was confused between the Model Y and Model 3 (my consideration was only the performance models) and when I test drove both of them. I fell in love with Tesla Model 3 driving characteristics more as it drives like a sports-car from every aspect (acceleration, cornering and handling). Since, we already have the BMW X3M40i, we didn’t need another SUV.

Besides the slightly additional space at the back and little more head room, Model 3 and Model Y are exactly the same car.

Tesla M3P drives much better than the Model Y for obvious reasons. Besides these points, it was an additional cost of $8,000 for the MYP.

Despite my wife pushing me to get the Y (she loves SUV’s and is not a fan of Sedans…Sigh!). I convinced her this is a better choice and placed an order for Tesla Model 3 Performance. (It’s a different story, that I went hungry for a couple of days as my wife refused to serve food due to this decision…LOL!).

Isn't she a beauty?

[mobike008]

Tesla M3P Delivery & Pooja

Like many things in my life everything happens with a little bit of tadka (drama) and taking delivery of our Tesla was no different. As you can see from my car booking thread:


https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/elect...ml#post5374032 (Unique Tesla booking experience | EDIT: 2023 Tesla Model 3 Performance delivered)

I had booked the car back in July. One of the primary reasons a few people (who have extra cash) are buying performance version is purely from a quicker delivery timeline perspective.

Most popular is cheapest Tesla (RWD version) and then it’s Long Range and both of which have nearly 7-8 months to 12 months waiting period.

I genuinely wanted a Performance car and was in no hurry for delivery (as I have my BMW for daily duties) and saw that it will be delivered in 6-8 weeks. However, during the course of the time, the Tesla app would continuously update the delivery timeline and it changed 7-8 times and after a point, I stopped feverishly checking the updates every day.

And it happened when I was least expecting.

I was on a work trip to Dallas, TX and was supposed to spend the whole week there (Left on Sunday night) and on Wednesday afternoon (CST time zone is 2 hours ahead of PST time zone), I get a text and it gave me literally 3 options (Same day, Thursday, Friday).

I had no option but, choose Friday and in between meetings, I was doing the paperwork which is pretty simple and cancelled some of my internal meetings and flew back to Seattle a day before (on Thursday).

D-Day- We were supposed to pick up car at 3:00pm on Friday (October 21st, 2022) and it was raining and we reached on time (couple of my close colleagues also joined us).

I spent 10 mins in a detailed walkthrough of the car (it was parked in the lot with my name on the dashboard facing outwards) and asked everyone to highlight anything out of the ordinary. Luckily, not a single thing was out of place.

I went inside and It was a simple matter of signing in exactly 3 places, taking the 2 card keys and driving away. The whole process was completed in < 15 mins.

It would be the fastest delivery in my car owning history and the most pleasant one too.

We were like excited puppies; we just drove around and did Diwali shopping and clocked almost 100 miles on the first day itself.

Next day morning, we did a simple pooja outside our home and prayed to god that it keeps us Safe, Happy, and Smiling for a long time.

Happy Owners



Confettis fall when you accept the delivery of car in app



Welcome to your Tesla- Such a nice feeling



My car had 5 miles on odometer when I took delivery- I clicked this after taking my colleagues for a short spin



Big Happy Puppy



This was stuck to front windshield from inside- This is how I recognized my car in the lot



With my colleagues who joined me for this happy and momentous occasion



Pictures from delivery day





Simple Pooja Ceremony at home



Attachment 2380287



Tesla gave these 2 card-type keys- I kept one in wallet and other at home as I don't need either of them. My iPhone is the "Key"



AMD Ryzen Processor- Powerful & Snappy



Ran it over "Lemons" to ward it off evil eyes







A quick video from the delivery day

https://youtu.be/GctS1zSQZh4

[mobike008]

Performance

What’s new for Tesla’s in 2022 and beyond.

Tesla Model 3 was introduced for the first time in 2017 (Gosh! It’s already 5 years since this model came out from Tesla) and despite several teething troubles as it will be for any new product launch over the years (Sound in Cabin, Panel Gaps, Slower Processor, Less Range, Paint quality etc., etc.) and despite these teething issues, model 3 fan-following kept swelling over the years.

Tesla over the last 5 years made leaps and bounds with respect to improving all above cited downsides of the Model 3.

It has reached to a stage now where it has become almost flawless (Similar problems are now being seen more in Model Y as it’s sales volumes have exponentially grown and they seem to have slightly more issues than Model 3).

Overall, the quality and other issues have been rectified almost to 95% stage as number of complaints on these issues on any of the social media forums has reduced drastically over the years.

Key Changes made to Tesla over the last few years:

1. 12-volt lithium-ion battery instead of the previous lead-acid battery
2. Double Pane sound reducing windows.
3. Quicker Processor from AMD Ryzen (Moved away from Intel Atom Processors)


Key Differences-2023 Tesla Model 3 Performance vs. 2022 Tesla Model 3 Performance

1. Tesla removed the sensors from 2023 models as we will get Tesla Vision (Camera will do the duty of sensors- It’s so cool. Isn’t it?
2. Tesla has upgraded the cameras of 2023 model from 1.2 megapixel to 5-megapixel all around- This is a huge update.

With Tesla updates aside- Now, let’s get to the fun stuff- Performance of this car which is probably the main reason most of the consumers buy the performance model against the long range.

Let’s get some basic stuff out of the way- What does the additional $10,000 over and above the Tesla Long-Range Model that you fork out get you?

1. Sports Suspension
2. 20” Ubertine Wheels
3. High Performance Brakes
3. Red Brake Calipers
4. Carbon Fiber Spoiler
5. Aluminum Pedals
6. Track Mode (With all kinds of setting changes to enjoy a drive on track)
7. And, of course heart of matter- An almost 550 horsepower

Whenever anyone drives a Tesla, I can guarantee they will roll their eyes, raise their eyebrows and give a wide look of disbelief about its acceleration.

Above holds true right from its base model (RWD with a single motor and less than 300 horsepower) and as you go up to Long Range and Performance, degree of disbelief just multiples.

I’m not new to 4 seconds to 60mph which is stupid fast as know but, when I drove the Tesla Model 3 performance for the first time, it left me breathless and completely in disbelief.

I never experienced anything like this before in my life.

The acceleration is so brutal and ferocious that if you and your passengers are not prepared, they will get whiplash, neck jerk and serious tunnel vision as the car takes off almost instantaneously.

Tesla Model 3 acceleration feels like a missile out of its launcher and sprints from 0-60mph in 
 3.1 seconds which is 0.5 second slower than most 1-liter super bikes in the market.

Imagine doing this speed in a car, it’s sometimes unhealthy for an unprepared mind and body.

This is the single most fun-factor with a Tesla Model 3 Performance, irrespective of your speed (10mph, 40mph or 60mph) just a brisk tap to the accelerator will push back not just the passenger but, each and every 5-passengers who might be sitting in the care with a brutal push-back into their seats, they will most certainly be shocked and scared witless.

Tesla never quotes horsepower or torque figures but, everyone have very different numbers and it ranges from 490 horsepower to all the way to 550 horsepower for the Tesla Model 3 Performance.

Here is a video from Misha (Big fan of his channel and amazing driving capabilities) who put a 2021 Tesla M3P on a Dyno and the results were astonishing.

It returned 523 HP and 700 NM torque.

These figures can be felt in real life especially that sea of torque, it’s almost scary.

2022 and 2023 M3P’s have been bumped up in the horsepower and torque department and I won’t be surprised if mine returned a 550 Horsepower and >700 NM of torque if it ever were slapped on a Dyno.

Check this interesting video of a 2021 Tesla Model 3 Performance being Dyno’ed :

https://youtu.be/WO7bTdAirKY

Not a fan of Misha? No way, you got to check him out. He’s awesome and makes some amazing videos with fast cars on Nürburgring, Germany.

A few pictures taken of over the delivery weekend- This is the picturesque "Microsoft's Redmond Campus"- Except the last picture

[mobike008]

Ride, Handling, NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) and Regen Braking

Ride- Due to lower suspension and 20” wheels, Ride is firm without being harsh; I’m thankful to live in the Greater Seattle area where the roads are fabulous (If this was our earlier location-Michigan, it would have been a slightly unpleasant experience as Michigan roads aren’t the best).

When you are on smooth roads, it feels firm and supple without being harsh. It has a perfect setting for some sporty driving. However, when you get on roads which are patchy or cobble stone type (some areas in Downtown Seattle are like that) and you will immediately note the difference in ride. It becomes harsher and you start worrying about the rims getting damaged if you by mistake land up in any pothole at high speed.

NVH- Being an EV, it’s inherently silent and feels like sitting inside a luxurious airplane (yes, that’s the feeling you get when riding a Tesla) however, you do hear some noise inside the cabin as the tires thwack and thrum over pavement imperfections. This is despite the front driver and passenger windows are now double-paned. It’s silent but still some very minor sound that seeps in.

To compare, my BMW is deadly silent in comparison to Tesla in the “Eco-Pro” mode.

Handling-Like all Tesla’s, the Model 3 has its massive batteries which incidentally is the major reason for its body weight under the floor of the car, resulting in a low center of gravity.

Handling is almost like supercar level. It changes direction crisply and can dart from one lane to another and for some strange reason reminds me of an "eel".

It slithers and slides from one lane to another at high speeds and remains so flat to the ground it's unreal.

I notice other Teslas on road and see most of them change lanes and slide into another one so quickly, it's a breathtaking maneveour to watch.



Also, Seattle area has many roundabouts (4-corners and you take one of them) and I have to pass 3 roundabouts every day to reach home.

I have done multiple experiences with my BMW and now with Tesla where I approach the roundabout at an above average speed and take them to check how it handles.

I used to be impressed with BMW’s handling. Tesla M3P is in a different league in handling. I don’t even touch the brakes but, lift off the gas (err, accelerator) and take the roundabout at the same speeds and it feels stuck to the ground and super-stable.

Steering Wheel- It has 3 settings (Comfort, Standard, Sports)- Would you believe me if I tell you in comfort the steering feel is equal to my BMW X3M 40i? It’s taut and feels great.

Regular X3 or 3-Series steering is tuned for comfort compared to M-versions so you can imagine the feel of Tesla steering wheel.

When you dial up to Standard & Sports settings of steering wheel, the weight increases substantially and in Sports, it almost feels like a hydraulic system.

Modes- There is a “Chill Mode” and then there is my mode “Sports Mode”. To give a simple comparison, Chill Mode is like the Long-Range acceleration and Sports mode is like a Supercar acceleration. Both are ridiculously fast and can be changed on the fly even while driving.

There is also a “Track Mode” which only the performance model gets and has multiple settings- ESP Off, Diff Off, Only RWD enablement etc., and can be put on only when you are in “Parked”.

I haven’t tried this yet so honestly, it’s premature to give any feedback on this mode.

Regenerative Braking or Regen as it's popularly known — Tesla is also one of many electric cars that allows a one-pedal driving system, wherein the car uses a regenerative braking system to slow down as you ease off the accelerator. In a lot of cases, timing it right means you can avoid using the brake pedal altogether and recoup a little bit of energy life in the process.

It has 3 modes (Roll, Creep and Hold) and is also capable of holding the car in place when you stop. Not only does this avoid the annoying slow creep forward that most automatic cars do, it’s also strong enough to hold the car in place on a fairly steep hill.

This is especially helpful because the Model 3 doesn’t have a dedicated handbrake like you’d find in a manual or some automatics.

Like many Tesla features, this is the kind of thing that will take some getting used to as you drive.

If you use this feature carefully, for each drive you can easily put back 2%-3% of the battery with this regenerative braking system.

[mobike008]

Autopilot

Let’s muse now over Tesla’s another key feature (apart from it’s crazy acceleration) which makes everyone go ga-ga over it which is the “Autopilot” feature.

Autopilot is Tesla’s breakout feature, and it comes as standard in every single car that rolls out of Tesla’s factory.

Tesla also offers 2 upgrades :

1. Enhanced Autopilot
2. FSD (Full Self Driving)

FSD used to be a $6,000 upgrade not many months ago and it’s price has been jumping faster than it’s acceleration and now retails for $15,000 for lifetime or you can pay $199/month which is a convenient option and can be subscribed for a long driving trip and then once back from the trip, it can be unsubscribed.

Autopilot is a glorious piece of technology and takes out a lot of stress out of driving on roads (especially highways).

Provided there’s a solid lane marker on the road (Which is available even in the remotest part of USA), you just need to flick the right stalk on steering twice to give control to the car.

Autopilot sensors can be seen in action before you switch it on, since the Model 3’s display shows what it can see — including cars, trucks, traffic cones, and even trash cans.

Basic Autopilot is able to control steering and acceleration at the same time, meaning the Tesla Model 3 can stay within its lane, turn, maintain a constant speed and keep a safe distance from the car in front — a distance that you can tweak using the steering-wheel dials.

However, it’s important to remember about Autopilot is that you are not supposed to switch on and, (Read a Book, Check Cellphone, Sleep)- "Believe you me, I have seen all of these in reality on the roads here in Seattle and California".

Tesla warns you to keep the hand on the steering wheel (at least once in a few minutes). You can let go, but it doesn’t take long for the car to check you’re still attentive, with an alert flashing up on the infotainment screen. If you don’t spot it quickly enough, Autopilot will eventually disengage, and the car will slow to a halt.

As great as Autopilot is, it’s not without its flaws and sometimes if a car is too close in lane next to you and brakes, the brake lights sometimes trigger Tesla’s sensor and it brakes even though there is nobody in front.

Similarly, Autopilot doesn’t seem to handle turns in the road that well, not like a human driver at any rate. Sometimes, it may go faster than you are comfortable and sometimes it’s slower than what you expect.

In other words, Autopilot cannot be treated like a full autonomous driving system, regardless of what you think the name might suggest. But, it works like a charm 99% of the time and makes you feel relaxed and fresh at the end of a long journey.

My first experience of a software update. Feels like it's a device and not a car.



At time of writing this review, completed 500 miles. Yayyyy !!



Engaging auto-pilot is simple

Pull the right stalk down once, it engages in cruise mode

Pull the right stalk down twice in quick succession, it also enables auto-steer





It "warns" you to keep hands lightly on wheel.



If you don't, auto-steer will not be available for rest of the trip.



Here is an example of Autopilot- I tried to keep my hands complete off the steering but, it's fine for a while but, afterwards the system warns to at least touch the wheel for a second. I tried not touching it and it disabled the auto-steer (adaptive cruise control works) for rest of the trip as per the previous picture in this post.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Nt1wz5-VZIw?feature=share

Update : Yesterday (Nov 19th, 2022), I drove the car extensively for about 100+ miles and kept auto-pilot for nearly 50% of this distance. It works like a charm. It needs a gentle touch to steering every 2 minutes or so to tell car that you are "attentive" and car drives on its own. It's a surreal feeling.

[mobike008]

Battery, Range & Maintenance

2023 Tesla Model 3 comes with an 82 KWH which is a Lithium Ion Battery Pack (Similar to battery in our phones, the only difference is iPhones have pouch cells and Tesla battery is cylindrical cells) and is supposed to last an astonishing 1 Million Miles (16 Lakh Kilometers) as per Elon Musk’s claims.

There is already a live example of an early adopter of a Tesla Model S owner from Germany who crossed 1,000,000 miles (16 Lakh Kilometers) with the battery pack getting replaced twice (Each time a cost of $16,000) and several times changing the electric motor.

https://insideevs.com/news/592845/te...million-miles/

Tesla came into being in 2013 and clocking 1 million miles in < 10 years is an incredible achievement which is averaging just over 100,000 miles per year.

This goes on to prove that the car is unstoppable and can last for several generations of family as nobody in their right minds drive for those many miles in their lifetime.

Quick Facts about how the battery works :

1. Tesla recommends never to charge the Lithium-Ion Battery Pack for more than 90% of its capacity to extend its battery life. 100% charge is perfectly alright when you plan for long road trips.

2. Tesla recommends avoiding using the fast DC charger (All Tesla Superchargers are DC chargers) which is capable of charging at speeds ranging from 75 miles per hour to all the way to 500 miles per hour. Which means from 0%-100% charging can be done as quickly as 4 hours to 20 minutes depending on charging speeds of that particular supercharger.

3. DC chargers put a lot of loads on the battery hence, it's recommended to use it only when required and not on a daily basis.

4. Best way to charge the car is trickle or mobile charge which takes 8-hours (overnight at home) to 16 hours to refill the juice of battery.

Charging Costs

1. This is where the fun begins- Topping up from 20%-90% at home has been costing me anywhere between $5-$8 which adds roughly 200 miles worth of range which is just mind-boggling cost savings on gas.

Typically, the electricity charges are 8-12 cents or 0.08 to 0.12 USD when charged at home.

2. Compare it with the cost of tankful of premium fuel in my BMW costs me a ridiculous $90 due to the high gas prices.

This is means driving a Tesla will save me 75% or more in gas cost.

3. Charging at Supercharger will be slightly expensive at 0.25 to 0.50 USD costing anywhere between $15-$20 for topping up the battery from 20%-90%

Other Maintenance Items :

1. Brake Pads- Due to regenerative braking, brakes are hardly used which means they last super long. To give you an example, if you are driving for 100 miles, you may touch the brake pedal maybe 2-3 times at the most.

Tesla long-term owners might not even touch the brake pedal for these entire 100 miles.

2. Tires- These are regular wear and tear consumable so this spend once in 20,000 to 30,000 miles is to be considered depending on how you drive.

Other than above, there is literally no other costs to maintain a Tesla which is the beauty of owning and driving an Electric Vehicle.

Fun Fact-Stand-by Battery : I was in Detroit last 2 weeks. When we left Seattle, I charged the car to 90% and noticed in about 12 days, the car lost only 3% battery as when I came back home after 12-days, battery % dropped to only 87%.

You can check fellow BHPian ( Carthick1000) and long term Tesla Model 3 Owner's beautiful long term maintenance article here for more details :

https://www.team-bhp.com/news/tesla-...-years-48000km

These savings still boggling my mind- I drove 500 miles and spent just $21-Same cost in my BMW would be ~$160. I still have 87% of battery left so the overall savings are much higher.



Tesla Mobile Connector



Nice Packging



Tesla Mobile Connector easily got plugged to my EV charger and charges at a decent speed of 35-40 Miles Per hour.



App constantly shows the charging % progress and this is finally when charging is completed- It's always recommended to charge only to 90%.



My watch shows the progress and as you can see it takes about 7.5-8 hours to charge to 90%. Home charging is such a blessing for overnight charging.



Attachment 2380634



Recent software update shows beautiful analytics of how much range can be squeezed out depending on your driving style. This is really helpful



Battery also shows what would be the % or range left when you reach your destination. Due to my aggressive style, I always beat that by 1%-2% lower.


Feels great to wake up to a fully charged car.



This is how app mimics charging (Pretty cool-huh?)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=yagtlWKqXfI?feature=share

[mobike008]

Interiors

Tesla’s interiors are pretty well known and like an interior unlike any other car. It’s shockingly simple inside and biggest shock you get when you sit is the lack of buttons. There is absolutely nothing to press anywhere (except the 2 buttons on the steering wheel and stalks on either side of the steering wheel)

Everything is controlled by the “IPAD” like massive center screen in the middle of the dashboard. I’m not entire sure but, Tesla operating system is based on UNIX or LINUX (not sure as I am not a techie) and screen has HD resolution which is crisp and clear. OS itself is snappy and there is absolutely no lag when you are cycling through the “100’s” of features that are buried in that screen.

Confession to make- Tesla’s features are so long and never ending, I am sure it will take me many weeks to understand all of them and even then, I may miss a few. No Kidding!!!

Just for fun sake, I have dedicated a post to call out a few “fun” features which will be just scratching the surface and is a partial list.

Since there is no engine, you will not find a HUMP at the back so the flat floor makes the backseat space quite spacious and airy can easily occupy 3-adults. This feeling also is increased because of the “all-glass” view of car.

It feels like sitting in an aquarium as the moon roof extends all the way to the boot and is cleverly integrated into it.

When I got the BMW, it took me a few months to get adjusted to its seats as it was bolstered and curved upside from corners and would bite into my rather large thighs..LOL!…However, the Tesla seats are so comfy and supportive that it feels like it was made with American sizes during their blue-printing.

Same goes for rear seats, they are comfortable for 3 adults, thinner folks will enjoy the experience better, obviously.

Folding the 60/40 split-folding rear seats is simple and expands the trunk considerably. The Model 3's seat backs fold flat, too, providing an uninterrupted cargo floor for hauling larger items.

With the rear seats folded, the Model 3 provides enough room for almost 5-6 suitcases. Also, there are also generously sized bins and cubbie holes throughout the cabin.

Clean and uncluttered look of the cabin



View from driver side



Model 3 Logo prominently displayed before you step into the cabin



View of cabin from passenger side- Beautiful isn't she?...Love the white vegan leather



Rear seat space is plenty even for 6-footers



Center Console is such cleverly designed- Plenty of space in 2 compartments- One at upper level and another level opens when you slide the upper side.



Heart of the matter- 15” center screen that is HD quality crispiness and snappy like the latest iPhone Promax.



Seats are extremely comfortable and well cushioned. Has adjustments for lumbar as well.



Door panels have a soft touch leather and lovely materials giving it a high quality feel upon touch and feel.l







Sunroof? Moonroof? Nope, entire roof is glass and stretches all the way to the boot- It's a masterpiece design and feels like sitting in an aquarium.



Outside Home during the beautiful PNW fall





Attachment 2380625

Attachment 2380626

Floor mats that I purchased for the car







Buttons on the steering wheel- This controls so many things- Songs, Cruise Control, Voice Commands and many more.....



Performance model comes equipped with brushed stainless steel. Other models have rubber equipped pedals.



Unconventional way of opening the door- Press the button to open door



Wireless charger for 2-phones and Plenty of cubby holes

[mobike008]

Infotainment

Tesla does not feel like a car but, more like sitting inside a “Supercomputer” as it has gone to a different league from a technology adoption perspective and has many more things to offer, way beyond what Autopilot has to offer.

The most obvious example is how the company has ditched almost all of the interior buttons and dials in favor of a central 15-inch touchscreen (Folks, jokingly refer to it as an IPAD) display to control nearly everything.

There are a couple of dials on the steering wheel used for several different features (including audio control), but the majority of the car's controls require you to use the touchscreen.

It’s too early to say if it’s an advantage or disadvantage as getting rid of physical buttons and rely solely on touchscreen takes a lot of getting used to.

In most cars, you can easily hit the A/C button by touch alone all while your eyes are looking straight ahead. By contrast, a touchscreen is smooth, glossy and there is no way you can carry out any tasks without taking your eyes off the road.

Only saving grace is the voice controls in M3P and they are stupid easy to use. There are over 150 voice commands for a Tesla

Few funny examples:

“I’m feeling hot”- -Tesla will dial down the temperature by 3 Degree Fahrenheit.

“Feeling Cold”-- It will bump up the temperature by 3-Degrees Fahrenheit.

"Take me home"- It will instantly start navigation to home. The transition is so fast (I mean, other systems will take a few seconds to load)

”Open Butthole/Open Chargeport”- It opens the charge port

”My butt is cold”- It switches on the seat heater

”Open Glove Box”- It opens glove box

”Open Dome Light”- Switches on the cabin roof lights

”Show Energy Graph”- Displays the energy consumption graph chart

”Unfold Mirrors”- Unfolds the mirror of car

Imagine remembering 150+ commands is like mastering the IIT exam. And, software updates keep adding new stuff.

Infotainment System is exactly like using a Apple iPhone or IPAD and has copious number of settings that are buried one under another. It will take a new Tesla owner sometime to understand and know all the features available as it’s a pretty long list.

The key features are strategically kept right in the upper layer of the infotainment which can be easily used while driving- Climate Control, Audio, Navigation, Modes, Adjustments to Mirrors and so on.

Tesla’s infotainment system also includes a bunch of frivolous features just for the fun of it : ‘Emissions mode’ that lets you activate a virtual whoopee cushion on demand, play games, web browser, video streaming, and a feature that turns your navigation screen into the surface of Mars.

When you are toggling through all of these features, you feel like not sitting in a car but, inside of a super-computer.

Some of the features are quite cool, though. One feature alters your Autopilot display to make it look as though you’re driving on Mario Kart’s Rainbow Road.

Streaming integration is seamless, and you can access Apple Music, Spotify, Tunein and other important video channels like Netflix, YouTube, HBOMax etc. which are pretty useful when you are sitting in the car and wait for it to charge at some random supercharger.

TeslaCam- The cameras which fortunately for 2023 model are upgraded to 5 mega-pixel and resolution is super crisp and HD quality (even the previous one was very nice but, this is better).

All Tesla’s have camera all around the car and you get a 360” view at all times and they work as Blind Spot Monitoring (They open up to show the blind spots when turn signals are switched on)

SentryMode- This is one of most useful features of Tesla. The camera is constantly recording activity around the car when parked and footage is stored on a USB that is inside the glovebox. I am not sure of duration but, I guess it keeps overwriting the data every 7-days. It also records on impact, motion etc. Pretty cool feature..eh?

Unfortunately, there is no support for Apple Car Play nor Android Auto which is a major bummer for a CarPlay fan like me.

There is Bluetooth connectivity, which lets you listen to audio and take calls from your phone, and a wireless charging pads to keep 2 cellphones.

The wireless charging is excellent and charges the phone pretty fast (While the one that I have in BMW is a bummer and is just a showpiece and not at all useful)

Nothing is free in America, connected services come at a monthly
subscription of $10 for Tesla’s premium connectivity service, which costs $10 a month after your complimentary period ends.

Another way is to use cellphone hotspot to use these features if you don’t wish to pay that additional monthly charge.

The Model 3 also features a unique air-circulation system, which is a great example of high-tech features done really well. Rather than using a series of vent shutters and dials to control the flow of air, the Tesla infotainment system lets you do it all via the touchscreen.

This means you can drag your finger around to direct the air in whatever direction you like and tap in different places to activate different vents that blow towards different parts of the car. The air-vents switch off if there’s nobody in the relevant seat. Unfortunately, if someone is in that seat and the fan or A/C is switched on, there’s no turning it off without switching it off for everyone.

Teslas don’t have a car key or fob. Instead, Tesla has opted for an automatic proximity-based locking system that relies on a key card or a smartphone with the Tesla app.

You can’t physically lock or unlock the car yourself. Also, Tesla's electric motor is always ready when you are in car and shuts off when you step out of car. It’s an eerie feeling for sure that you have neither control on car nor it’s locks. LOL!

Sample of stock Tesla Music System :

This was a 2022 Tesla Model Y test drive vehicle. voice clarity, bass and treble is crystal clear and would rate it 5*

https://youtu.be/Ok4k7pKlpjM

A clever way to hide HVAC- Slide up and this screen pops up and you can control all your HVAC needs from here.

[mobike008]

Exteriors

Model 3 is a conventional looking 4-door sedan and there is nothing that screams it’s an Electric Vehicle nor that it can shame supercars. My favorite design theme in Tesla stable is the Model S which looks like a full-size sedan with beautiful proportions.

Model 3 has taken a lot of design elements from its bigger brother and looks like it’s younger sibling from most angles.

Most EV’s on the market are usually hatchbacks and it’s rare to see a sedan from a manufacturer barring the latest Polestar 2 and Porsche Taycan (Well, it’s not really a sedan in real sense).

M3P size is similar to compact luxury sedans like the BMW 3-Series, Audi A4 or Mercedes C class.

Model 3 was released in 2017 and being their most affordable offering went on to become an instant hit as it was priced reasonable at little over $30,000 for their basic model (RWD Version) but, over the years prices have crept up and it’s unbelievable that same model now costs little less than $50,000.

Fun Fact:
Model 3 & Y put together sell almost 1.2 million (12 Lakh) units globally and roughly 600,000 units each with majority sales being in United States. Elon Musk has been ramping up Tesla Giga Factories in Texas and China and they expect to churn out 2 Million Units/ Annum in 2023.

If you think about it and compare to largest selling car in India (Alto) sells 30,000 or 360,000 units per year. Tesla’s sales numbers boggle the mind especially since they sell their cars in such an unconventional way with no dealerships or middle man.

However, during initial days there were lot of issues related to build and paint quality. The cabin would be noisy and there were several inconsistent panel gaps in rear quarters and other distinctive places of the car but, over the years Tesla has mastered their art and now 99.9% of the cars that come out of the production are flawless.

From a design perspective, it’s nothing really special and looks like an ordinary sedan and it’s “Fish-Like” snout (Front portion of the car) has made it stand out amongst the sea of ICE cars. It’s looks rather ugly but, like most things in life, they grow on you.

Tesla Model 3 Performance can be immediately identified only from 3 parts (20” Uberturbine Wheels, Carbon Fiber Spoiler and if you look hard the “Red Underline” under the Dual Motor badging).

Accessing your Model 3 is an unconventional affair, since there is no key fob.Instead, once you authenticate your smartphone’s Tesla app with the car, it acts as a proximity key, causing the doors to unlock or lock automatically as you approach or leave the car.

The app can also remotely open the front and rear trunks and start the car. As a backup, there are also two key cards that lock or unlock the doors when held up to either of the two radio receivers located at the rearward edge of each front seats hand rest.

Door handles are pretty tricky and there is distinct way to press to unlock them.

Overall, the Tesla Model 3 Performance exterior design is a clean, well-proportioned and pleasing to the eye without anything standing out too much.

Fish type of nose- Hate it or love it- I don't think it's attractive at all



Looks gorgeous from rear- Neat taut back.



Next 4 pictures, all angles are highly complimentary to Model 3- Looks great









Tesla Model 3 Performance gets a Carbon Fiber Spoiler



Proximity Sensor- This is where the Tesla card is shown to unlock the car. Not required for owners as iPhone is the key.



Looks menacing from this angle



20" Uberturbine Wheels shod with 235/35/R20 profile Pirellie Summer Tires. Wonderful grip and performance oriented.



Rear Lights- Same design with slight improvements to the light housing



M3P gets Brembo brakes with red calipers. Now, I have 2 red calipered cars at home. LOL!



Matrix Headlights-The throw, width and brightness is unbelievable.







FRUNK- A term coined by Tesla. Nice space to carry groceries and other stuff.







Underline below the Dual Motor means, it's a performance model. Long Range does not come underlined.







Copious amounts of space in the boot. It's rather surprising as I thought it would be quite less.







Beautiful fall leafs outside home.



Close look at the Matrix Headlights- Gorgeous and lucky to have them as it came only in 2022 onwards







I did bring some groceries and used the frunk for same.

[mobike008]

Tesla Fun Facts

1.Free Over the Air (OTA) updates- Tesla’s are like iPhones, they connect to Wi-Fi and becomes better and better each week as software updates are literally once a week.

My first OTA update.



2.Glove box- It can be opened only via. Voice command or touchscreen

3. Dog Mode- Tesla has a feature called “Dog Mode” which is specifically for dog owners who leave their dogs in the car (pretty common in US, Europe, and probably other countries) and ensures the car is at comfortable temperature and is neither too hot nor too cold for your dog.

It also display’s an on-screen “My Owner will be back soon”. So cute!!

4. Karaoke- Tesla’s have “Caroke” feature where you can sign from a vast selection of songs and lyrics that are displayed on the touchscreen.

Multiple languages are also supported, and this can be played only when car is parked.

A very poor attempt of taking a stab at Billy Joel. Haha!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=gB-xhMRA2xI?feature=share

5.Bio-Weapon Defense Mode- Sounds Military’sh isn’t it?

Tesla has a HEPA filtration system in car that prevents toxic chemicals to enter the car. This filtration system targets anything from pollution and bacteria to pollen.

6.Video and Game Streaming-Tesla’s have streaming and video games that can be played while stuck in a back-up, charging the car or anywhere you are bored and sitting in the car.

Youtube, Netflix, HULU and multiple arcade games also available to enjoy.

Watching my favorite scene from "Breaking Bad" in the car

https://youtu.be/ZtFViFr99lY

Who doesn't like TikTok or this awesome fella?

https://youtube.com/watch?v=o2tnymguvRc?feature=share

7.Web Browser-Tesla’s are equipped with a full-fledged web-browser to enjoy the internet when parked.

Browsing Team-BHP in the car.



8. Crazy Stuff-Each Tesla is programmed with virtual Easter Eggs that can range anywhere from Santa in Sleigh, A Rainbow-like Road and can even light up the charging port.

9. Tesla App- One of the most interesting things about Tesla is the Phone APP, it allows owners to control the car from virtually anywhere. This app sends real time updates when sentry mode is active.

Check status of charging, remotely charge the car, lock, unlock, control air condition, heat and many more.

This is how my phone screen looks like with Tesla App prominent at top.



10.Tesla’s come with automatic cabin heat protection- Car will become cooler after outside weather hits a certain temperature or heats the car if it’s overtly cold outside.

11.FART MODE- This is interesting. Tesla’s have a fart mode and you can even choose which side of the car it comes from speaker so as to embarrass that particular passenger. LOL!

Check this video- This is more than hilarious. I have embarrassed a few people already including my wife. LOL!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=UBIh9UDXKbc?feature=share

12.FRUNK- Introduced by Tesla, the front portion of the car where engines are normally located has a deep space to keep luggage that increases the overall luggage capacity of car.

13.Explicit Lyrics Censorship- Through the Tesla music app, you can censor the explicit lyrics if you are travelling with passengers.

14. Tesla has a lovely feature of playing "Light Show" and is part of 10-odd features that has a few other crazy features. Wonderful to impress kids.

Tesla Light Show

https://youtu.be/HvcuInRyWdE

[mobike008]

A word of thanks..

I cannot end this review without thanking the "Almighty God" for blessing us with best of both worlds.

Never did I thought in my life that I will ever own such lovely cars, so a huge thanks to god for bestowing these beauties in our life.

This is how our "Dream Garage with ~ 1000 horsepower" looks like. I think I'm done with buying cars for life as I can now enjoy best of both worlds-ICE + EV.







Note : Thank you all for reading this review. Please expect regular updates on this thread on how our life gets evolved with the Tesla.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[lexusES350]

Congratulations Avi and welcome to Tesla family. Hope you will have many years of trouble free ownership experience (I wish so too for my MYP). This is a great read & full of beautiful pictures....you live in a very beautiful area & car's gorgeous color makes those pics stand out even more.

Minor diversion on the topic but I wish Tesla CEO stops his antics and focuses on what made Tesla a force to reckon with. His Twitter obsession & political shenanigans are ruining the clout he had once built.

Just a nitpick & suggestion for you. I request you to validate your utility/electricity rate which is showed in the app is accurate, it seems unrealistically low and may be misguiding you on total cost to charge the car. On average here in CA we pay 0.25c/KWH or so. For getting enough charge for 70 miles (typical daily usage) or 18-20KWH will cost about $5. This assumes car's efficiency is 300wh/mile which is what I get for MYP.

If I compare to your screenshot you shared here, I have used 250KWH in last one month and my total charging cost has been $62. Cheap in comparison to gas but not extraordinarily cheap. If you indeed get electricity for 0.08c/KWH to 0.12c/KWH rate, its fantastic rate and wish I can move there too.

Mind you this is the rate with EV specific plan during low demand periods. During peak demand period (4PM to 9PM), it goes as high as 0.58c/KWH so its not recommended to charge car during those times.

You can validate it with your local electricity provider, many have special rate plans available to EV owners to charge their cars during low demand periods & give pricing incentives to do so.

If you have not done so already, sign up for their EV rate plans and then set charging schedule accordingly in the app so the car charges only during those low rate slots. Also, once you know which rate plan you are on, you can set it accordingly in the app and it should accurately show you the total charging costs to give you more realistic picture.

On another note, just a tip based on what I have noticed is, tyres will lose about 2PSI every month and more if its cold outside. I have made a habit of checking and topping off tyre pressure each time I go to Costco. If not topped off, low tyre pressure warning will come up on my MYP and its annoying.

Hope it helps! Good Luck!

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by lexusES350

Congratulations Avi and welcome to Tesla family. Hope you will have many years of trouble free ownership experience (I wish so too for my MYP). This is a great read & full of beautiful pictures....you live in a very beautiful area & car's gorgeous color makes those pics stand out even more.

Thank you. Indeed I am blessed to live around PNW. This place is god’s gift to mankind from a natural beauty perspective.

Originally Posted by lexusES350

Minor diversion on the topic but I wish Tesla CEO stops his antics and focuses on what made Tesla a force to reckon with. His Twitter obsession & political shenanigans are ruining the clout he had once built.

Well, Musk is a maverick and his antics are always news worthy. His twitter actions are making corporates shun twitter ( we also stopped using that platform completely so as to protect our brand).

His Tesla focus continues to be relentless and glad to see so many improvements every so often.

Originally Posted by lexusES350

Just a nitpick & suggestion for you. I request you to validate your utility/electricity rate which is showed in the app is accurate, it seems unrealistically low and may be misguiding you on total cost to charge the car. On average here in CA we pay 0.25c/KWH or so. For getting enough charge for 70 miles (typical daily usage) or 18-20KWH will cost about $5. This assumes car's efficiency is 300wh/mile which is what I get for MYP.

You seem to be driving gently if you are getting 300miles to a charge. Mine is hovering around 250-260 miles to a charge.

I started out with “Chill” mode then when I switch on “Sports” mode. There is no way this car should be driven in Chill, Sports is the only way to use this car and that impacts the range quite a bit. But, I am not concerned about range as I didn’t buy it for range but, for it’s performance.

Originally Posted by lexusES350

If I compare to your screenshot you shared here, I have used 250KWH in last one month and my total charging cost has been $62. Cheap in comparison to gas but not extraordinarily cheap. If you indeed get electricity for 0.08c/KWH to 0.12c/KWH rate, its fantastic rate and wish I can move there too.

You can validate it with your local electricity provider, many have special rate plans available to EV owners to charge their cars during low demand periods & give pricing incentives to do so.

Well, here is the proof that my county is darn cheap. It ranges between $0.08 USD- $0.12 USD and I make sure to plug it in after 10:00pm so I get the lower rate.



When are you moving here? Should I start looking for a home for you?

Originally Posted by lexusES350

If you have not done so already, sign up for their EV rate plans and then set charging schedule accordingly in the app so the car charges only during those low rate slots. Also, once you know which rate plan you are on, you can set it accordingly in the app and it should accurately show you the total charging costs to give you more realistic picture.

How do you sign up for an EV plan with your utility company? Is there way to reduce overheads even more?

Originally Posted by lexusES350

On another note, just a tip based on what I have noticed is, tyres will lose about 2PSI every month and more if its cold outside. I have made a habit of checking and topping off tyre pressure each time I go to Costco. If not topped off, low tyre pressure warning will come up on my MYP and its annoying.

Hope it helps! Good Luck!

Thank you. This tip is helpful. I didn’t check since I got it home. I have an automatic inflator that I bought for my BMW and it inflates air in a few minutes and a reliable and useful tool.

Another point, I was away from home for almost 2 weeks ( 12 days precisely) and charged the car to 90% before I went on my trip. When I came back, it just lost 3% charge which is phenomenal.

Will continue to update the thread as I learn more. Owning a Tesla is like going through an exam prep, I discover something new every day.