Lockdown, lockdown, lockdown
With the company car sector changing at pace, we finally got our hands on the Tesla Model 3, the brands third model & the one tasked with appealing most to both fleet & retail customers. The range has recently been updated with the entry level Standard Range Plus now costing from £42,000, which is currently, the cheapest way into Tesla.
Most readers will be familiar with the Tesla brand, which for us is best described as the ‘Apple’ of EV car brands, a car manufacturer producing minimalist, uncluttered interiors, coupled to sleek, exterior designs, with some clever design touches here & there.
If you’re considering a Model 3, it’s offered in three specs. Standard Range Plus, the only RWD model, with a WLTP range of 267 miles. Long Range, with a 360 WLTP mile range & Performance offering a WLTP range of 352 miles. Standard Range Plus starts at £40,490, Long Range costs from £46,990 & Performance from £56,490, with the two more expensive versions using a dual-motor system, one driving each axle.
The latest Model 3 benefits from a series of ongoing quality & efficiency improvements, the most notable of which is the introduction of the Model Y heat pump HVAC system to the latest Model 3. Exterior updates include Satin black side repeaters, door handles & brightwork. There’s more efficient tyres across the range, plus updated 18/19” Sport Wheels with Performance offering new 20” Uberturbine wheels. The power lift boot opens at the touch of a button on the boot itself or from the interior touchscreen or via the Tesla app.
Interior updates include a matte black finish, which replaces the gloss ‘piano’ black finish, satin black sill plates, graphite finish seat controls & metal-ised scroll wheels on the steering wheel.
The centre console has been redesigned with fixed inductive charging mats for two smartphones, an updated front compartment with sliding lid, two additional high-powered USB-C ports for high speed device charging, plus an additional USB-A port in the glove compartment to use for storage devices for Sentry Mode & Dash Cam footage.
The cabin itself is dominated by the 15″ central touchscreen, which literally & figuratively, controls all of the car’s functions. All models get keyless entry, Autopilot, SatNav, Cruise Control & climate control, with all functions accessed through the central screen. Download the Tesla app to your smartphone & you can also access the cars functions, so you can check the charge status, adjust the temperature, lock or unlock the car as well as checking Tesla Supercharger availability. Talking of which, Model 3 owners have to pay to use these, but their frequency, especially at motorway service stations, takes away the range anxiety experienced in other EV’s, rapidly recharging the battery in under an hour.
Whilst the touchscreen offers iPad like performance, the lack of any physical in front of the driver displays, especially at night, can be little annoying. The touchscreen displays all of your driving data, including your speed & you do have to glance across to check this at times, which can be distracting. As for the functionality of the hardware, it only takes a day or two to master the basic functions & as a bonus, the climate control, a bugbear of many touchscreen’s, is easy to use in the Model 3.
On the negative side, there is sadly no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto connectivity, although you do get access to Spotify & TuneIn radio. Teslas SatNav is very good though, as is the permanent image of your car moving along the road, with other vehicles & obstacles, such as traffic cones also showing up. Connecting your iPhone via Bluetooth is straightforward & can be done with or without the USB.
Climb into the cabin & you’ll find some decent storage between the front seats & in front of the central binnacle. Even the door pockets will take a bottle each. Front seat passengers get decent head & leg room & so do those seated in the rear. THere’s also a couple of USB’s in the back for good measure.
The electrically adjustable front seats make it easy to get comfortable. To adjust the steering wheel & mirrors, you have to use the touchscreen & the two steering wheel scroll wheels. You can also use these scrolling buttons to adjust the infotainment volume, cruise control speed & adaptive cruise control’ distance to the vehicle in front. A couple of days behind the wheel & using the scroll wheels becomes second nature.
As far as practicality goes, the boots a decent size & comes with a split floor, underneath which you can hide your charging cables. It’s narrow to access though. There’s also a front boot, large enough for those charging cables or a couple of small bags, so together you get a total of 425 litres of storage.
For those of you wondering if the Model 3 has any normal paraphernalia, you’ll be comforted to know that the steering wheel does feature two stalks. On the right, is the gear stick, which selects Park, Neutral or Drive & when pushed down once engages cruise control. When pushed down twice you can set up the Autopilot. The left hand stalk is for the indicator’s & screen wash.
The minimalist cabin has appeal, but a far as build quality, touch & feel go, it’s not up there with the best from Germany or from Sweden. Certainly the wood strip across the dash looks great & the screen operated glove box is a neat touch, but some of the plastics fitted lower down are a little cheap looking. The push-in pull-out door handles, another design detail, don’t feel that substantial. And, the doors & boot don’t close with the loudest thud either. These gripes aside, the baby Tesla is hard to fault.
All three Model 3’s come with rapid acceleration, which for some will be part of the attraction. On the touchscreen you’ll find several enhanced menu options. Acceleration allows you to select from either Chill or Sport modes & Steering can be adjusted with a choice of Comfort, Standard or Sport. We were testing the Model 3 Performance, which will hit 60mph in just 3.1 seconds. Suffice to say we tried this out & it does.
To this end, the Model 3 mirrors the best features of the Model S, so you get adroit handling & impressive road holding & a firm but comfortable ride. The brakes are fabulous & because you can utilise the built in regeneration, pick from Low or Standard, you barely need to use them in town or in traffic. Again, in the screen menu you can select Stopping mode & choose from Creep, Roll or Hold, our choice, as the car seamlessly slows down on it’s own.
Autopilot is standard across the range & whilst we tried it on the motorway, it, like other similar systems out there, doesn’t feel like the finished article. For example, it has a tendency to suddenly activate the brakes when you are overtaking a vehicle that’s travelling inside you on a bend. The windscreen wipers are also not the most intuitive. Accessed from the touchscreen only, we found that the Auto setting didn’t turn them on enough when required. And, if you select a manual wipe, this comes on too often.
Our test car came with a credit card key, which you place behind the centre cup holders to start the car & wave on the drivers door pillar to open or lock the car. When you charge the Model 3, you need to unlock the charge point cover – handily tucked away underneath a fake rear light cluster- via the touchscreen. And in order to unplug the cable, you first need first to unlock it in again, you guessed it, the touchscreen. Similarly, the front & rear boots & charging cover are unlocked or locked via the touchscreen.
For those who want a car that offers plenty of iPad or Xbox like options, the Model 3 doesn’t disappoint. Menus include, a selection of Arcade Games, Internet connectivity, Netflix, You Tube & Twitch, plus the infamous ‘Fart’ mode, a la CJ from the TV Series Reginald Perrin. Not sure if Elon’s ever seen that show ?
Talking of charging, we utilised our Rolec 7kW home charger, http://www.rolecserv.com/home-charging as well as the free Podpoint’s currently offered at our local Tesco. Most of our week was spent driving shortish, local distances so when fully charged, our battery range displayed 275 miles, which was more than enough for sour requirements. We did undertake a 190 mile round trip to & from the PSA HQ in Coventry. Leaving with a range of 270 miles, this had fallen to 139 when we arrived. Whilst we were there, we plugged into a 7kW charger at Pinley House for 2.75 hours & the range went back up to 243 miles. When we arrived home, the range showed 115. The conclusion of this is that driving at motorway speeds does run the battery down faster than you’d like.
After a week & 350 miles driven in the Model 3 we would surmise that the full battery range shown actually equates to about 75% of what you’re likely to achieve. If like us you drive in Chill mode, utilising Standard braking, on our test car that would be 210 miles. Drive short distances at low speeds would see a better return.
Although there are other new executive electric cars coming to market almost weekly, think Polestar 2, Audi e-Tron/Q4. BMW i4 & Mercedes-Benz EQA/B/C, the Model 3 is arguably still the most cost effective way into the high-class premium electric car sector. Opt for our choice, the Standard Range Plus Model 3 at £42,000. And, of course full electric cars are all 2% BIK for the current tax year.
What would choosing a Model 3 save you ? Compared to a BMW 320d, Mercedes-Benz C-Class or Audi A4 diesel, you could save as much as £15,000 over the three years you lease your car & that doesn’t include the fuel savings, VED & company National Insurance benefits. We’re struggling to see any negatives here, unless you are a bona-fide high mileage motorway driver & even then, the Tesla Supercharger network is there if you need it.
As we write this review, the UK Government has just announced that all petrol & diesel new car sales will be banned from 2030. In our opinion, company car drivers need to decide quickly if they can live with an EV, because the financial hit the Treasury will take by offering electric car drivers such low BIK rates, won’t last for ever. And, the car brands are rushing to bring out as many EV models as they can, giving customers even more choice.
If you’re looking to tick the money saving box, whilst also ticking the premium saloon box & the decent battery range box, then the the Model 3 is hard to flaw. And it’s green to boot.
A David Bowie as Nikola Tesla 4.25/5
