CarVertical: The History Checking Service Use this link or code "JAYEMM" for a discount! www.carvertical.com/gb/landing/v3?b=1e4c9523&a=JayEmm&voucher=jayemm&chan=jayemm
The issues described relate to it being a car currently designed for U.S. roads. Roundabouts are extremely rare here, they got rid of them over 40 years ago and only in a few really old areas (Northeast) do they still exist. No one would want a car merging on a roundabout automatically as every rule in the book is broken by other drivers as they are so rare. As for parking garage dim lighting affecting parking...no...I have never seen this in any garage in the United States. The lack of a direct view driver display however is a dealbreaker to me.
You didn't mention that if you want anything other than white, you have to pay a thousand or two extra, depending on what non-white colour you want (red is or at least was the most expensive option last time I checked) - which is why most model 3's and model y's you see are white - as that is the only "non upgrade" colour. I think they have reduced the price of the colour options a bit recently though, so I guess that is something.
You know you can put the Tesla access card in your pocket? This rant alone makes your review sound rather biased AGAINST the brand. Seriously, if you are going out of your way to do an unbias review, why are you criticising the handing over of the car? The fact you think its 'annoying' that the karaoke feature is so good just confirms your inherent bias...
Can't touch a mobile phone in a car without stopping, putting on the handbrake, and turning the engine off. But yet you can use a massive 24 inch touch screen if it's built into the car? It's madness!
You can't touch a mobile phone in a car because there is no good reason to do so while moving that isn't excessively distracting. When a touchscreen controls core vehicle functions, there are good reasons to interact with it. That doesn't make the interface design a _good_ one. Furthermore, distracted driving is just as illegal when it's through a vehicle's infotainment system, and you can be prosecuted if your head is buried in a screen adjusting navigation or dicking around just as it would be if you were fiddling with your phone.
@@BlazeFirereign You miss the point. In many cars (And Tesla are not the worst) have to go through several menus to adjust the speed of the air vents, or turn on the heated seats, or change the temperature instead of older cars where you just press a button or turn a dial. It's ADDING distraction, ie it's increasing the risk of an accident. And by putting things like games and TH-cam/Netflix into the screen you add even more temptation for drivers to reduce their focus and attention. And manufacturers have admitted that it saves them money; they don't need interior design, can dispense with the complexity of buttons, levers and switches and just use touch screen controls and have software do all the work. So new cars are MORE distracting and therefore create a higher risk to others all to save the manufacturer money. It's a backwards step in safety so manufacturers can make more money. That's the issue.
@@deaks25 As I stated above: "That doesn't make the interface design a good one." I pointed out why, legally, using that touchscreen is allowed and why using a phone is outright disallowed. I also pointed out that drivers aren't given carte blanche to bury their head in the screen while they're driving, and I absolutely agree that sticking every function on a touchscreen is not good design.
@@BlazeFirereign It's just as dangerous to use the touchscreen while driving as a phone. That's the key point. And that's why touchscreens should not function while in motion. If you let business do whatever it wants, this is what happens.
I have two models 3's, a 2018 Long Range RWD and a 2019 Performance. I wanted to upgrade the 2018 but when we test drove the 2024 the lack of turn indicator stalks killed the deal. I could understand not having turn signals if this was a BMW .....
Y'know what I like? Someone reviewing a Tesla and not trying to gaslight ME about it. Very much appreciate such a comprehensive, no bs review like this.
@@foureye7058 I agree, but all the tech in the single screen is just stupid. There should at least be a small display higher up & in front of the driver with at least speed & charge on display. I also hate the amount of times I hear about silly things occurring with EVs that a quick software patch is released for. It’s almost like we are expected to Beta test the car for the manufacturers! Problem I have with this is unlike a TV, phone etc that wants an update the car is ultimately in charge of the lives of the driver and the passengers, scary when you think about it!
@@hagestadagreed. Honda CR-V (‘18 & ‘24) wife drives phantom breaks all of the time when a vehicle turns left or right off of a main road. I’m clearly going to miss them but it goes nuts and breaks anyway.
Great video as usual, James 🙂 I own a 2018 Model 3 AWD. I do not have FSD, but I have had the car do a complete panic stop on 2 occasions. On both occasions, on a narrow street, it thought a person on the side of the road was going to cross in front. It freaked both me and the pedestrian out! I had to explain (with embarrassment) that it wasn't my fault, it was the car! Keep up the good work. (John from Canada)
If you’re viewing this video and consider buying a Tesla, this is the only review you need to see. Ignore all other videos. I have my Tesla M3 Highland for 3 months (secondary car) and I underline all points positive and negatives presented by James. This was amazingly unbiased and spot on! It’s how automotive reviews should be
Hi James. Was one of the first 100 to get my model 3 and now had it well over 5 years. I would point is yes you have covered all the main good and point’s but servicing in that time has cost me £44 (air filters that’s it) I will not use autopilot or self driving as phantom braking was the worst experience of losing control I have ever had. I will keep mine for probably another 5 years but will I buy another Tesla after that my answer is no ( and yes I have the performance version that is great but the software is 1st call for in car entertainment but 1 star for not being irritating and some time dangerous
@@tonyduncan9852 i owned a 2CV Charleston, and loved it, 40 mpg whether you thrashed it or drove it sensibly, and took two biker mates out in it seperately, when they laughed at it.. I told them that I could definitely scare them in it, and they were sceptical.. Yeah, approaching the same bend at 50mph they both shouted "Slow down", which I didn't... It leaned at a mororbike angle (but in the opposite direction, as you'll know) and made it 'round the corner with no issues.. Hehe! Telling this to a friend that's a mechanic, he explained that he, as an apprentice, worked for the Citroen 2CV racing team.. I obviously thought he was pulling my leg, nope! It existed. Then, a neighbour told me he worked for Ripspeed and one of his bosses had a 2CV fitted with a turbo, upgraded the tyres and wheels to ones that originally fitted a BMW boxer engined bike, and it absolutely thrashed the local "Barry's" of the 80's in their XR3's in Waltham Cross.. I'd say the ultimate 'sleeper'..
This is the best review you ever did!! Anyone can review a boring car telling you it's boring or some hypercar gigling and grinning, but a base model 3 without taking sides or sticking to the obvious like acceleration and range THAT is some fine journalism! Chapeau!!
I like cars, thats why i watch youtube videos on cars and you can knock yourself out with countless videos about the next hypercar...jayemm brings a refreshing but more importantly geniune personal viewpoint, he makes interesting thoughtful video, sometimes about stuff you had no idea you would be interested in watching, He is a car guy! I just watched a 50 odd minute about a tesla! Something im not really bothered about.... Keep up the good work jay
I’m in Australia, have the 2024 M3P. Phantom braking is a real issue as you have described. It also gets confused with speed limits when you’re in a tunnel. You’re doing 90k and all of a sudden it thinks you’re on a road above the tunnel and changes the speed and slows to 50. Autopilot will occasionally try and steer you into a road siding or exit lane. With your emergency braking experience, the brakes work much better if they’re properly bedded, this won’t happen with normal driving as it’s mainly using regen. All in all though, great car, you do get used to the indicators on the wheel and everything on the screen. There are plenty of after market indicator stalks, screens etc if you really need them.
I agree, one of his USPs is how honest he is, even with press cars it makes his opinions mean more. Other channels you can see them dancing around things they want to say (car is far too heavy to really be a sports car now for example) but they won’t say it as they don’t want to upset the marketing dept at said manufacturer and then not get cars to review. I can remember him reviewing a Porsche may have been a Taycann but he rinsed them on charging 2k for upgraded wheels and then 800 More pounds to paint them black!!
Having owned this exact car (on company lease) for about 6 months now and you very well encapsulated all the good and bad aspects. You covered everything I love about it and everything that annoys me at times. I got used to the indicators and screen pretty quick, but fully agree there are way better existing implementations. The ghost breaking is very much an issue, especially on smaller roads, causing me to not use adaptive cruise control or autopilot as often. Tesla sure likes to do things different, some things they do really well other things not so much. Despite this, I do love how it looks and drives. Compared to its direct competition, I think you get a lot of car, considering all the "fancy" options like heated/cooled seats, etc you get included in the base price.
Not many people know about the upgrade in hp and torque as well. The 2024 base model rwd has 271 hp and 310 lb ft torque while the 2025 base model rwd has 295 hp and 332 lb ft torque
Ex auto industry guy here. Tesla deserves credit for single handedly making EVs mainstream. No question about that. Change had to come from outside the industry , and they shook things up. Bigly. But this shake up the industry philosophy only goes so far. There's a reason the safety info is on a separate display (ID4, Ford Mustang E, Chevrolet Equinox etc) you cannot be taking your eyes off the road to navigate a big laptop, and tap through menus to find whatbyou need. There's a reason infotainment and nav screens are separate. Other controls, indicators, lights etc are on stalks on other cars, for a good reason. But Tesla knows all this. They don't care. Their brand message seems to convey tech bro dominance. " I'm in front of a screen all day as a SW guy, and my car to get home is an extension of that environment " . It's style over substance and use case. Now, car buyers have been willing to choose style/image over practicality for ever, but Tesla has tapped into that demo with a vengeance. It's not a surprise, that the main initial converts were ex BMW and MB drivers. With BMW and MB, along with high prices and iffy reliability, you do get displays in the right place, controls where you can find them in a hurry, and nothing on the production vehicle is 'beta". Which is why, as you say in the review, " ive never had a phantom stop in another car, ever!". So, how do you explain Tesla in all its odd mix of interesting, novel, very clever, good, bad and downright dangerous? Well, IMO, the realTesla product is rheir stock trading on the NYSE. That's not beta, that's released into the market. Everything they do, drives the stock. That's job 1. The cars, and by extension the customers, are actors in a play. The audience are stock analysts. The whole idea is to persuade them, that the stock price deserves a hefty premium, ( Tesla's PE is 80 something, whereas Ford and GMs are around 6) , so the show works. It really does. Potential Tesla buyers are willing to pay real money, for that rapid response, dopamine inducing big screen that suggests im Captain Kirk of the Enterprise, and if controls are not where i expect them, and are hard to find, well, im superior to you, and i don't care if the car phanthkm brakes or not.
Tesla is such "California tech bro" that they removed the windscreen defrost "button" from the home screen because no one in California uses it. NTSB had to step in and they put it back without a recall. Just shows how overly tech focused they are. I like the car, but it desperately needs an instrument cluster like the model S, and a wiper / signal stalk.
Older Model S owner here. The blistering acceleration is the only reason I'll hold on to it until it falls apart, but you are spot on about the customer service. I've had the car given back to with grease smeared all over the rims after a tire change. Also had a manager lie to my face when I asked for a software upgrade for my car, telling me it's not possible when I had another shop do it over a phone call.
I've had amazing expeirences with Tesla service where I live in Australia. I have the new Model 3 LR. I went in because the steering wheel was creeking sometimes which sort of felt silly to do because the car still functioned great, but they fixed it (for free under warrently) at my request. I had two different service advisors empower me by saying that I'm the customer, I live with the car, and I get the last word on what's acceptable. Made me feel like I could and should bring up things even if they're a bit trivial. Then when I went to pick up the car I noticed a small crack in the windscreen, I pointed this out to them and I literally said that I doubted it was caused by them. I explained I had got back from a road trip just before bringing it in and even that I had a guess for when it might've happened, but, examining the photos they took pre-service, they couldn't be certain they hadn't done it and so they gave me a free $1,500 windscreen replacement under good will. Hard to say they don't go above and beyond. And the whole service process is very easy with their app.
I’ve been driving all kinds of cars and vans since I was pretty much a child; and those indicators in the middle of a tight roundabout with the wheel turned is one of the most difficult things I’ve done in my life.
@@elrumcajs777 If you thought that was difficult maybe it’s time to call it with driving a car. I have one of these and I’ve not had any issues from the moment I sat in the car. 🤷🏻♂️
@@Yorkshire-z5v…. 😏… dude, if those where “car” indicators, I’d agree with you. But they have more in common with a Play Station controller, than with a “car”. Don’t take me wrong. I actually like everything else about the car, but those indicators things are an unnecessary extra hassle
You're so right. The indicator lights are "workable" if the roundabout has a large diameter, but if it is narrow, just forget about using the indicators.
So that's why I never saw one of these using the indicators. I always assumed those were ex-BMW owners, but it turns out, the indicators are just awful.
@@alexanderstefanov6474 I am glad he did install them, because I, on the other hand, is the only one using them in my town. Lazy and inconsiderate people will keep being so.
As a Model Y owner I’d say this is probably the most rounded and honest review I’ve seen. I’d agree with 99% of what you said. It is the modern day Mondeo in many ways. I own one because as a daily driver it’s so easy to live with. Little things like being able to precondition and defrost the car in a morning from my bed, the lack of needing to organise a service for it as there’s no service schedule (something you did miss out that other brands could learn from but won’t because it would kill their dealer networks) and the incredibly cheap cost of motoring if you can charge at home (which equates to about 250mpg). I have no interest in the eco credentials, as my other car is a V8 Mustang, but I just love the effortless relaxing power that electric motors provide. Agree with most of your findings on the tech side of things like. I’ve experienced phantom braking once and tend to drive the car rather than be driven by it. The only bit is disagree with is the main screen. It’s only a distraction for the first few weeks. Once you’ve owned one a while and the novelty wears off you hardly look at it, and also begin to learn how good the voice control is (speak in an American accent - you’ll feel like an idiot but it’s more effective 😂). I hardly touch mine on the road once the destination is plugged in.
you're describing the benefits of any EV though, heck, even a 1990's 7 series would do preheating. Point is, there are better cars out there for anyone who doesn't need superchargers, or lives in a part of the country where there aren't any/many. All EVs are very convenient to daily as long as you can charge at home.
@ To a point I agree. Before the Tesla I had an iPace for 3 years, which I loved. It was probably a better car than the Tesla in traditional terms, but it wasn’t as good as an EV. Whilst most of my charging is done at home, when I want to do a long trip I don’t think twice in the Tesla - the Supercharging is well integrated, well placed, and half the price of non-Tesla charging (and yes, I know some of them are open to all cars). On top ofvthatvthe range and efficiency is in another league, easily getting over 4 miles/kwh compared to 2.5 in the Jag. Also Jaguar (and I’m assuming BMW/Volvo etc) insisted on £300 a pop servicing, something not required by Tesla. . Funnily enough I owned a 730i back in 1997! It didn't have remote preconditioning though! EV heating is much more useful as it's pretty unlimited - I camped in my Tesla in -4 degrees and it used 1% per hour. in the super hot sunny days and I'm going into a supermarket I just leave the aircon going, which id never do in an ICE car) Im not a Tesla fanboy though. it has flaws as this video pointed out. Hell, I hired an old VW Van the other month that did radar cruise better than the Tesla, but overall it works for me as an easy car. in the future though if the charging network improves and comes down in price Id look at the Taycan, Macan or something else.
Touch screens instead of knobs and buttons for basic functions are an ergonomic disaster. And its tiring for the eyes to constantly having a screen on at night.
Precisely - Tesla have adopted a cheap and nasty camera based system (which according to a report that I read this week are often very badly aligned, due to Tesla’s notoriously flaky quality control), whereas other manufacturers use radars, and laser distance measurers as well as cameras, that is totally reliant on the quality and completeness of its programming. It is hardly surprising that it was unable to detect an excavator bucket emerging from the side of the road.
I just took delivery of a used model Y in Texas. The delivery was interesting to say the least. They had me wait in line in this room with the cheapest IKEA chairs and tables imaginable, yet the walls were filled with giant Tesla posters, so it also looked like an art gallery. Then they lead me through a hallway with floors covered with very worn red carpets. I see the idea they were after with the "red carpet treatment" but it didn't make any sense that way. Once I got into the car, it was in immaculate condition, except the center console and screen were dirty and had sticky stuff stuck onto surfaces. It cleaned out easily, but they could have at least wiped down the interior before handing it over. It's just a two year old car. Sloppy! At least the warranty is reasonable with their used cars.
Hi James. You gave it the full "Jayem on Cars" treatment, for which I am grateful. As Car Magazine used to say, you gave us the "Good, Bad & the Ugly". A biker friend of mine was a little perturbed, as he thought the trouch screen may well distract drivers to the detriment of keeping an eye out for him and his mates. Quote of the film: "I felt that I'd been at a riveting conference. About rivets"!
My FIL had a Tesla Model 3 until Arpil 2024. In the year preceding the end of his lease, he had: - A 10-month wait for a replacement windscreen. - An over-the-air update that stopped the car from charging. It took a month for this to be fixed. - Many problems with Tesla supercharging (granted, this could have been on him). - The glove box fell off. - Occasional issues with the phone app not letting him into the car, and also not doing the pre-heating etc. I wouldn't touch one. I actually liked the car when it was working, but far, far too many problems and shocking customer service puts me off. And that's before I even consider the owner of the company...
The next Jaguar commercial in an effort to get back it's fanbase will have a bunch of actors wearing "Elbow-less sport-coats" with the slogan "No patches, think bold". There still won't be a car but instead a globe with a red X and an arrow pointing to it saying "Car is here ---->".
Very fun and fair review! I've owned my Model 3 2019 from new and still absolutely love driving it every day. I bought it with the FSD capability and can confirm that it's hobbled hugely by the annoying UNECE regs on both motorway and city streets/A-roads. The one thing I slightly disagree with is the phantom braking. Have I had it? Yes, but it's got much less frequent over the years with each new update. Is it annoying? Yes, a little, but it's not dangerous; my foot is usually hovering over the accelerator and I just tap it to allow the car to know it's safe to continue. I know people who have complained about the AEB in other cars and I've found Tesla's implementation to be the best and getting better as they refine their driving model. It can sense the difference between me driving towards the back of a parked vehicle, and turning the steering early to start moving out around. And on standard mode at least, the audible warning comes well before the braking would kick in so you can still turn out in time with no need to apply the accelerator. In this way, the TACC is actually quite usable even on A-roads with parked cars. FSD assistance like automatically slowing for turns is actually ok-ish, especially when it's coming to a red light and stopping (yes, even temporary traffic lights that are not in the map data). You get used to it. And again it's mainly due to UNECE restrictions on automation that they can't implement it to be better in the UK and Europe when it does so well in US and Canada. They only recently allowed it to go through a green light without any driver intervention, but only if there is a lead car. Again, in the US it works with no car in front so they could do better if permitted.
As an owner, I can’t deny a hatchback would be great (not the Y though). However, the boot is excellent and has a “lower boot” which easily fits another suitcase. And a Froot (front boot) of decent size.
💯 % but that's because it would kill sales for the Model Y. It should be a hatchback but that's too convenient for the money and they force you into the Model Y instead.
@@koolerking440 Actual sedans are getting more and more rare on this side of the pond. Hatchbacks have always had the 'station wagon' stigma, and therefore are shunned. Massively overpriced SUVs are what's the money maker over hear, it's disgusting. Still driving my 17 year old Corolla Hatchback (we call it a Matrix), my previous car was a Subaru Legacy wagon (REAL station wagon)
@@IdaiMakayaPublications The Model Y IS the hatchback version, it's only a few thousand more. There's no reason for them to come out with a Model 3 hatchback. Tesla is all about REDUCING the SKU count.
Wow, that was so much fun to watch! well done! Yes the phantom breaking is scary. And the indicator control was already annoying even with the stalks still present. They stay on occasionally, and then the sound is too soft to hear it. Other than that love to drive the Tesla :)
Some valid points here, I am vey much a petrol head, and could not see the point in a EV until actually living with one. Once you get use to the quirks and the screen they are great cars to own ( except depreciation) I have a model 3 LRP, covered nearly 60,000 miles trouble free, and lucky enough to charge at home on 7p electricity, so very cheap to run.I have turned all the features down to the lowest setting, so no phantom breaking yet! but it has tried to turn me away from a corner once, which was a little iffy. I regularly travel up and down the country and never had issues with super chargers etc. I know EV's are not for everybody, but if you do get the chance to live with one for a while, take the chance as they may surprise you.
Knowing that a company isn’t good at heart and led by someone who doesn’t shy away from disappointing customers is my number one reason not to buy a Tesla.
I had a third gen Toyota Prius in Canada that applied the brakes coming out of a dip under railway tracks, AND my current 2019 Infinity QX50 has also done it several times, so it's not just Tesla! Very good review, full of "British Humour". Enjoyed it and learned a lot. Thanks.
When I drove a colleague's Model 3 for 120 miles along the motorway, I drove the car and he controlled the screen. The car was fine to drive (it was a slightly older one with an indicator stalk), but I think of the screen as a distracting iPad. I recently have got a company EV, and of the 4 I could choose from, selected the one with the most physical buttons. It also happened to be the one with the most pleasant interior and the only one based on a petrol engined vehicle.
Probably the best review of the refreshed Model 3 that I've seen, ever. It's better than the old one in some things and worse in some others. Tesla could have made the perfect little car by just putting a few buttons in the cabin and not putting the stupid small screen at the back for the rear passengers, but put it in front of the driver and make a normal instrument cluster out of it.
What ever happened to KISS... Keep It Simple Stupid. The problem with modern cars now in my opinion, is that they are so unnecessarily complicated, which is why they are getting so expensive. You cannot beat proper buttons and levers. Regardless of it being an EV, it's just too soulless to operate. I want to feel like I am driving the car, not that it does everything for me. The joy of driving is slowly being taken away from us, which I don't like!
@andrewcockburn7484 I'm not sure you could call all of the gimmicks in the Tesla, keeping it simple? As James says, why put in a karaoke machine and bird noises, but not give the driver an indicator stalk... Personally, I think the simplification for the manufacturer and over complication for the user may be their undoing in the long run. User-friendly is generally what I personally would look for, which I am sure many others do. I'm not into gimmicks, I'd rather have a better experience.
@@andrewcockburn7484 If only 'software' was as reliable and simple and physical controls! I am guessing that Elon doesn't pay his software engineers then? Everything comes with a cost! Let's be honest, the majority of issues with modern cars are electrical and software issues. Why else would there be an 'emergency handle' to get out of a Tesla for when the button doesn't work. A physical back up, which in my eyes is doubling the complication. Why not just have a single mechanical handle and negate the button and save on the cost? Maybe I am just a simpleton that doesn't understand?
@@Alistair Give me all the driver aids but give me a way to selectively turn them off and not have to do it again each time I start the car. Lane assist can be great on a well marked main road but hopeless on suburban streets to the point of being dangerous.
So let me get this straight... the car automatically stopped for no reason? Can you imagine this happening on the Autobahn? How can this thing be allowed on the road? I know they don't like motorbikes/cyclists and will try to off them. No other car would be allowed on the road if they were just stopping for no reason. And this is a new car. What will it be like after 10 years? Not going to put my life in the hands of these stupid things.
I’ve had a Model 3 for over 18 months, done over 20,000 miles and never experienced phantom braking. It has though avoided another car which tried to enter the lane I was in on the motorway.
@@kellygrant4964 you really think the drunk driver or the person texting his mate make mistakes. These issues with autonomy will be highlighted and put in spotlight and people will base there opinions on snippets. IT will be safer and it will save countless life’s, in time
@@pompeypaul69 but people want to take the bad examples and run with it. In years to come we will say how did we let people drive around killing the innocent by texting,speeding,drinking etc
Unless the self driving works perfectly all of the time, what's the point in having it at all? If you don’t trust it, or feel that you have to second guess it, then there is no point having it. Once it works properly, i am all in. But until then, no thanks.
That’s the issue with auto lights and wipers. It takes more brain space to constantly actively monitor their activities and asses overriding, than just using them yourself. The lights are especially bad and way less safe than my brain / fingers!
My car has automatic lane following and adaptive cruise control, and I feel that's about the right level of automation for me. It's simple enough that you can understand its choices and behaviour, but it's enough automation that you can focus instead on the traffic around you, and watch out for the few situations where the car will need manual intervention. It's ideal for the most boring kind of driving, on motorways.
FSD in the UK is more for Tesla than for you. They use all the info they can get from the cars to train the FSD computer, which is not programmed in the traditional way, but learns by doing, and being corrected when it makes an error. Proper 'hands off' FSD is most likely sometime next year in the US, but UK and Europe? .. who knows.
On a long drive through the countryside it is a god send. It makes long trips a joy and you arrive rested. In an urban environment it is painful. Other than stop and go 5 mph traffic. Not ready for that environment. Especially in Europe.
As a Tesla owner I agree with most things said. As for the screen, the interior heating and many other things can be controlled by voice control. The car has many safety features, one to look out for is asking the car for maximum acceleration when pulling out from a side road turning left or right and the power just drops away!!! Using cruise control at 20mph in the village, the car panics when a car waiting to pull out and edges it nose too far out will cause an emergency stop. Anyone behind will not stop in time. Still love it thou for all its faults. 🙂
I never thought I’d buy-let alone love-an electric car. But after test-driving the new Tesla Model 3, I was genuinely impressed, especially considering the gas savings. Within a week of owning one, even more so impressed and I ended up buying a second for the family. I also own a Porsche, but 9 times out of 10, I find myself reaching for the Tesla instead. It’s the best decision I never wanted to make.
I grew up in a house with big V8s and going to the drag strip occasionally with my dad and grandfather. My first car was a Mustang GT, and thought electric cars were unworkable, but Feb of last year, I took the plunge and bought a base Tesla Model 3, and never want to go back to an ICE car ever again! My family are the only people I know that have EVs, and I am constantly telling people, just go test drive one, you will see that they are amazing cars! Forget politics, test drive one and see what they are about.
@@gtcharliep first of all, sure mate, also gas savings? Lmao, you'd need to drive this thing for 100 000 kms just to make back 10 000 euros, that is counting free charging.
@@Ginger_head_Man We have what is now a "base" (RWD LR) / 258hp, and while I agree with Jay that it runs out of steam on the top end, I wouldn't say at 60mph -- it's really not until 90 that I look down at the speedo and wish it had a tad more shove. And that's, of course, a pretty rare thing.
I do almost the entire length of the M5 multiple times a year and am looking at car with more self driving stuff (started test driving in August)...out of interest, which bridge? I can't charge anything currently so I was heading towards an E53 but the Merc didn't have the bridge issue - it decided to not bother braking for real obstacles! Did drive nicely though, just the tech was generally terrible. Teslas have always intrigued me, looking past the marketing ("full self driving"- yeah, and my arse is fully self cleaning) and irritating fanboys, Tesla cars have so many huge positives. The phantom braking thing is one I hadn't heard until today though, so for all my mocking, I'm actually interested...
@@ApothecaryTerry Not entirely sure, think between Bristol and Gloucester where the road dips under the bridge. The speed limit can also read wrong if two roads are parallel, temporary signs placed poorly etc, but that's more of an issue for 2024 cars (new EU warning bongs). The Telsa system might just be more cautious.
@@ConsumerWatchdogUK Interesting, I drive that stretch a lot (used to live just off it!), hopefully in the not too distant future I'll be able to spot that on a test drive, unless they've solved it by then of course. My current car gets speed limits wrong all the time, although thankfully it's from 2018 so no bongs! The parallel roads thing gets it too, plus dirty/faded signs...and sometimes it just doesn't bother 😄 It's info only in my car though, since it's not even got radar cruise (lower spec models do...French cars are still odd).
Hi James, as a Tesla 2024 M Y owner, I totally agree with your assessment of this car, why are basics like the auto wipers and trafficators so terribly awful, but my biggest worry is the screen, and GUI. I'm convinced it was designed by a myopic desk bound nerd who has never driven a car in real life, it is profoundly flawed, and what earthly use is the "visualiser" a 40% part of the screen area, all it does is represent what you see when looking ahead out of the window, but transformed in to a spirit worldly image, inhabited by ghosts, why is the layout so illogical, so random, and so bland, and the text so small, why is it near impossible to use a phone hands-free, or text? The product development dept. need a kick up the butt, they are allowing trivial easily remedied issue to ruin the experience and genius of their cars. Wake up !! I too have had inexplicable and frankly dangerous phantom braking events, while in basic cruise control, and based on that experience I would not trust my life, and that of others to FSD, even if it were supplied free!!! Nick
When it detects a potential collision it shows you on the "visualiser". Its also useful for changing lanes etc. providing another view on surrounding traffic. So while I agree its not essential, its not useless.
I bought the 2025 model 3 rear wheel drive long range. Which gives 363 miles of range. An independent real life distance test in Wyoming on the interstate at 70 mph managed 387 miles in the same model. I have only had the car three weeks and it came with three months full self driving free. And it is amazing and after a few trips using not the slightest bit unnerving . You do have to be ready to intervene but so far any disengagements have been when I decide a change of direction an not a wrong move by the computer. I was driving a Lexus gx v8 and the fuel savings are proving to exceed the estimated savings by Tesla. Very smooth and quiet ride and great sounding tunes. So far 👍
TBH, it's always been Elon's sales-pitch that the driver is irrelevant and will "soon" be relegated to someone that needs to take-over in emergencies and other events. That is why the Model 3 never had a driver display and they are removing more and more direct driver controls to the point of obfuscating them. The *problem* is that we are probably _decades_ away from FSD being actually useful in any *real* way, other than a cute tech-demo to show your friends. TL/DR: It is *ENTIRELY* Elon's direction that the interior of a Model 3 is essentially driver-hostile, he simply does *not* understand what it means to _drive_ a car; he sees them as a robotic mobility and entertainment appliance, nothing more.
Yes phantom braking is a real problem, in fact after 3-4 times on a single 300 mile trip I turned off full self driving. It also tried to ram through the side of a Walgreens building while showing the wife how well it drives itself. I again turned off the full self driving and have never used it again.
The phantom braking might be the worst part of owning one of these cars. It happened to me about 10 times on a local freeway and each time I thought I was gonna cause a pileup. Sold that shit as soon as I found a replacement.
It’ll be fixed with the US software stack coming to Europe next year fall/winter. The US software has vastly improved phantom braking. We’re on very old software.
Thank you for a review I could truly relate to. Closing on 60k km with my 3P and I love and hate more or less the same things you mentioned. First company that makes a 3P clone without all the stupid bells and whistles, and throw in nice, old-fashioned tactile controls will probably have a faithful customer for the rest of my life.
Even if you accept that indicators on the wheel isn't insurmountable, tell me how it makes sense that the right indicator is on the left hand side as well? Also as I'm sure James would attest Ferrari indicators are physical buttons (on either side of the wheel) and the steering rack is like a go-kart. On that car it works, not so much one where you're going arm over arm to go around a roundabout.
@@Durzel A normal indicator stalk also has both left and right indicators on one side of the wheel. The buttons are stacked, so it mimics the stalk approach of relating to which direction you need to move the wheel rather than which direction you want the car to go in. The logic is fine and I'm sure you get used to the buttons, but I think a stalk is ergonomically superior.
About the efficiency, I have a BMW i4, and I get my best range / efficiency on the motorway. Get low 3’s mi/Kwh around town and anywhere from 3.7-4.4 mi/kwh on longer / motorway journey's. Not sure if that the case for the the model 3, but appears that modern EV’s are far far more efficient on motorways than their previous counterparts.
Depends entirely on how fast you like to drive. Sounds obvious, but the maths of energy use against speed mean that if you go 85mph+ (not legal but lots of folks do), the m/kwH really drop. At 70mph, it’s not bad. I have an i4 too, and get similarly good results to you because I don’t push it that often. Both the i4 and M3 are really pretty streamlined which is the main factor for consumption at high speed.
Nice one Jay. Very balanced. I enjoyed having a 2020 model 3 LR for 3 years. I travelled all over Scotland and the North of England. The range is great, the superchargers are brilliant. I agree with the comments about the screen. It is only getting worse. Far too much stuff on it and it isn’t clear. I have a Taycan now, and whilst I miss the Tesla network, I enjoy the car more. Indicators on a stalk and wipers and a “gear knob”. So much more intuitive and safe. Final point, you may have encountered the night mode on Saabs; Tesla need to do something like that. This would allow you to reduce the distractions.
Me watching this video: I will buy a model 3 I wont buy it I will buy, that's it I probably wont buy I am certain I will be buying one I am afraid of buying a model 3 Ok I will live with the bad points and still get one in the end :) Thank you James, brilliant review!
no, just get another car, there are so many now! You shouldn't buy a car with a bunch of annoying things - you remember the daily interactions, not the once in a while flashy gimmicks.
@@Leon_George Thanks. I do know a thing or two about cars but regardless thanks for your opinion. My comment was supposed to be on the funny side rather than reflect someones indecision for lack of knowledge or experience... All the best
That absolutely *has* to be the best line ever - "the best karaoke machine I've ever driven". Fantastic. Thank you, James. A brilliant review, and because it's interesting and all germane, not over-long. A reference point for all car reviewers. Brilliant.
3.5 years into running a Model 3 and I've never had to push the charging flap down, it just closes automatically after you take the charger out. The auto-wipers are however the worst I've ever come across. I'll still get another one after my lease is up though.
With nearly everything through the touchscreen, a terrible indicator control, and phantom breaking, it's always going to be a no. There's no excuse when they can get other elements right. Therefore, it smacks of app design Trumping true driver features ;)
In my Tesla M3, there are more no excuse flaws: rain sensing, auto switch off turning signals, getting away from the car with the phone (locks itself including windows like 1 meter away), opening and closing the charging flap, gear buttons on ceiling are not sensitive at all, auto steer is terrible (at least in Portugal), speech recognition for commands (EN-GB) is horrible;
What a coincidence! The Tesla 3 we rented for month had a similar phantom braking episode as we approached a railroad bridge overpass. The car was cruising nicely at about 50mph toward the overpass, with no cars coming the other way and no cross-traffic. The Tesla suddenly slowed, so much the 18-wheeler behind us slammed on the brakes. Its horn may have sounded too. The Tesla seemed confused as it slowed to half the prior speed then abruptly accelerated again. But there was never anything in the way. It had apparently seen the bridge as a problem. That was the worst episode, because of the truck behind us, but there were others. Some of these "driver-aids" can get you into trouble fast.
@@jaysloane ok thx. I read somewhere that it was recommended to always have your foot on the gas pedal in case this happens - and then just floor it so no one gets hurt. Kind of a little bit too exiting
This beginning to worry me now, as it has never happened to me - and I drove under many bridges using the (basic) autopilot. Maybe it only happens if there is no other car in front...?
This is a great review, James! I can say that as a 2018 Model 3 AWD owner. Recently I test drove a 2024 Model 3 Performance and I declined making the "upgrade". Keep up the good work. (John from Canada)
I’ve been a passenger in a Tesla 3 once. My opinion is that it is the ultimate gadget. Every gadget freak should get one. As a car driver, the random emergency breaking is definitely a reason not to buy one.
No it's not. You are not forced to use Tesla driving aids, you can just drive the car like you would any other. Mine has phantom braked twice when using Advanced Autopilot, but I prefer not use that and just use Traffic Aware Cruise Control which works perfectly well.
False alarms plague these systems and this can create real danger. No idea why anyone would pay 6 grand for this half-baked technology that is clearly being mis-sold. This is not just a Tesla issue and sadly consumers are not getting the choice in having this kind of technology: they didn't ask for it but they have to pay for it and spend time figuring out how to switch it off. Carwow also found Tesla emergency braking capability was very poor. That alone is a reason to think twice before buying one.
Hi Great video, but I have just got one question, You are now allowed to uses a mobile phone in your car if your driving it yourself, So this means its illegal to read a text message or to send a text. But with these cars the instrument Panel is a big tablet set to the middle of the car and if you want to change the heating or just get the fan to below harder you have to take your eyes of the road to adjust this ,if your on a motorway you just cant pull over and adjust this, So what are you to do???????????????
I don’t mind Tesla making cars “appliances”. They’re designing cars people want. Not everyone is a car enthusiast. Most people just want to get from A to B, cheaply, with a good stereo and A/C. That’s it. Car guys don’t need to get angry about Tesla, because they’re not car guy cars. We have our enthusiast cars, Joe Bloggs has this.
Why do they make them so unsanely fast? Those people who regard driving as a must aren't the nicest to be around on the road. The car doesn't help in that regard.
I consider myself a car guy and I think this car is briliant. Fast, low center of gravity. 4-wheel drive that is best in class. Acceleration that pushes blood into back of your brain and organs. Cornering performance on the level of BMW M3 and yet comfortable for long journeys. I don't know an actual car guy that would say this car is an appliance.
@@darekmistrz4364 I'm an actual car guy, and I would say it's an appliance. I think the reason is that the cars I do love tend to be machines that let you FEEL the driving. Screw comfort, screw efficiency, screw luggage capacity, screw passengers, etc. My track-prepped Exige is my favorite car. I've also got faster cars, more comfortable cars, etc. The Exige is a relative piece of shit in almost every regard, but it FEELS the most amazing to drive...TO ME. From this point of view, my GT3RS even leans towards the appliance end of the scale, relatively speaking.
I am four years into Tesla M3 ownership. The cost savings I have experienced are staggering. When I charge using solar at home, ‘fuel’ is free. Charge cheaply overnight using off peak. No service costs. My tyres lasted 83000km. One broken rim from encounter with a giant pothole!
I’ve had my 2018 Model 3 Long Range for about 6 months now and really love it. The pros: •infotainment is amazing, even after 7 years •acceleration never gets old •sound system is fantastic •the app is very useful. I love pre-heated the car from my living room •plenty of storage •charging infrastructure is the best Cons: •the safety equipment is too sensitive •ride is very stiff (the new highland models have fixed this, and the highland suspension can be retrofitted) •CHIMES… especially when I’m turning on/off cruise control… why? • costs of supercharging. It’s about twice as expensive as it should be IMO Overall, I love the car. There’s so much false information spread about Tesla and EV’s in general, but they’re genuinely really good cars.
Agree with everything, although I'm not sure what you mean by costs for supercharging being too high. Compared with home-charging, of course. But compared with any other public ultra-rapid chargers, let alone motorway services petrol prices?? We did a 3,300 miles road trip around Europe last August and spent £420 on the car (including motorway tolls & on-street charging). Show me the petrol car beating that ...
@ in the US, it’d cost less to drive across the country in a BMW X3 M40i than it would a Model Y, with almost 20 fewer stops. I just think, for the inconvenience of having to stop for the extended period and the additional stops, it should be cheaper than an ICE alternative to take on road trips.
@@gratigo1tbh gas is super cheap in the US. For example in Poland a road trip in EV using superchargers can be as much as 50% cheaper than in a gas car. Do you never want (or even need) to stop for a pee or grab something to eat after 3, 4, 5 hours of driving? I think many people look at the required stops as an additional inconvenience without realizing that they do it anyway, even in their gas cars.
I think the reason for the load out for each spec at tesla is laregly due to the fact that it significantly eases teh production logistics and costs. Other parts of equipment such as heated seats all around are there to make heating more efficient in the vehicle. I think it is a rather good idea, especialy when one can still encountr stuff like manual winders in Opels and VWs.
I agree. Tesla is highly vertically integrated so to produce lots of options would mean keeping stock of components not used on every car and this would cut production efficiency. Musk has always stated he wants to make the cars cheaper and easier to make.
Phantom braking is a huge problem. I had an original 2013 Model S and loved it - no cameras, so no phantom braking. I later had a 2019 Model S and the Phantom Braking was so bad I was unwilling to tolerate it and traded it in for a used BMW iX which is far superior for both driver and passengers. I love EVs and your review is absolutely spot on for both advantages and disadvantages. On the continent most Tesla Superchargers are open to all EV brands. Why are so few in the UK?
You aren't allowed to text someone while driving but you are allowed to spend half an hour looking at your center display while driving trying to get to the AC menue or whatever, it makes a mockery of making cars with heads up display. Eyes on the road! give me buttons and dials I'm used to operating with little to no reason to look for. An Ipod bolted on a very basic dash is just a cop out for the designer and cheaper for the manufacturer, although they'll never pass on that saving when you have to order a new one...beware used market three or four owners down the road.
I've owned 5 teslas, put prob 200k miles on them. I hardly ever interact with the screen. The vast majority of screen content is settings you set once and never look at again. Other items like climate control are purposely placed for safe interaction while driving. Further, if it isn't safe to use the screen due to traffic or general driving conditions, I don't use it. there isn't anything there I absolutely must do right now. I can and have just put off certain changes until it is safe to do so.. and even those situations are few and far between.
@blanketwodahs6741 Nothing personal about your Tesla, it's something most manufacturers are doing and some people don't like loosing tactile controls in favour of a menu dive.
@@Kev5565 Yep, I am fine with people preferring physical controls. I was just offering that it isn't as distracting as it might seem on teh surface. for me, cleaning the car is so much simpler because there aren't physical knobs and buttons gathering grime and dirt and dust. one swipe of the screen, steering wheel and flat dash, done. also I get an ever changing UI / control set as Tesla rolls out updates. so I prefer the display.
My wife needed a new economical car, and we drove a Model 3 Long Range and were shocked by all the same things you were. In the end we went with a Camry Hybrid (rated at 48mpg (US)) mostly because the interior was a lot more normal with common use things having their own knob or button. If they added a few switches (and got rid of Musk) the Model 3 would be much more tempting.
Those indicators on the wheel are dangerous. I was following a Model 3 Highland on the motorway recently. As we approached an exit, it indicated left, so naturally I assumed it was taking the exit and moved out to pass on the right. But it didn't take the exit. It started moving over to the right just as I was along side it. Thankfully, there was nothing in lane 3, so I was able to avoid it. But that could have been nasty, and totally avoidable if Elon had stuck with proper indicator stalks.
Not a defender of it at all, but as you describe the situation, it shouldnt be possible for the steering wheel mounted buttons to be in any way responsible.
I've had the same problem with a model 3. It mistook a bridge for a wall and entered emergency braking. This happened in rush hour traffic and it very nearly caused an accident. Really pissed off the guy behind me, too...
Tesla Owner here, I am at my second lease tesla now, t 2019 model 3 and got my new one in May (the updated model 3) As A dumb car, it is great, but expecting it to be smart: that's is where you get annoyed and maybe it gets a little dangerous. I turn all the smart features off or down, only user lane assist on the motorway sometimes. I did get used to the blinkers, but sometimes I still mess up. the buttons are weird to press at some rotations. I manually control the wipers (still bad Auto function) It beeps at me when I drive through a neighborhood with speed bumps with a car in front of me, or when I drive at parking lots. I think I had about 8 big phantom breaks in the 5 years. and a multiple of that much in smaller incidents where it slows unnecessarily when something is blocking a part of the road. But all in all, I did decide to get an 2nd one and not go for another brand, because of what you mentioned, it is good value for money. I like the coupé (frameless) doors. It drives great. If it wasn't lease, I think I would not have done it, because i don't really fell I own the car, since Tesla is known to deny people supercharging or parts it it feels like it...
I am 59 and over the last 42 years I have hopefully mastered the various controls which enable me to drive a car with the minimum of fuss/angst. I would absolutely hate to have a Tesla where all of those controls are on a touchscreen - it would drive me nuts 😂😂
I'm 63 and bought myself a Tesla a year ago. Absolutely love it :D It's a pre facelift model 3, i'm planning to buy a new model 3 in 2 years but i'm gonna drive one first to feel how stalkless turn signals/wipers feel.
I'm 66 - got the Model 3 when I was 63. Took me 20 mins to master it (admittedly the one with stalks) and I'd been driving 4 years longer than you. My wife's slightly older - took her a couple of days (now I can't get the Model 3 off her). It's just not a problem. Sure a lot of stuff is on the screen. You set it up it's done. You want Spotify to play a particular track you tell it to by pressing the scroll wheel in on the steering wheel (or on the new Model 3 the microphone button). You want to change the temp on the aircon or open the glovebox you tell it to do that. Everything is available via voice control (including navigation) or on the steering wheel. I never touch the touch screen while driving. That would be stupid. Is it a perfect car? Nope. Is it an easy car to drive - absolutely. Drive one. Have a go instead of sitting on the sidelines going "Nah, I can't do that". Consider what you said - it'd be like saying "I've always used a Blackberry with a real keyboard, I'll never use a smartphone" (which is what a lot of people were saying in 2007.) Or riding a horse in the early 20th century saying "these new fangled horseless carraiges are way too complicated - they'll never catch on." And those early cars were a hell of a lot harder to drive than a Model 3.
2014 model S driver here, have had the phantom braking a few times, though it only applied for a second, not slowing down significantly. Features change, and there is no description in the software release notes, just "bug fixes" or some such vague thing. autopilot will also act odd on hilly roads / shadows from trees - not sure what the trigger is, but it'll veer out of the lane which is why I avoid those possible triggers.
In the USA, FSD is a full hands-off the wheel eyes-on-the-road system that works on city streets and highways, it handles roundabouts, stop signs, traffic lights, onramps etc.
I seriously considered buying an EV recently. One would have suited my transportation needs very well, as I mostly drive short distances in urban areas and can charge at home. However, none really got my juices flowing. Notwithstanding, I was close to settling on a Model 3 as it was the most interesting of a rather bland bunch, but I just couldn't live with that central screen and the fiddly-farty stuff. I like dials, switches and clicky things (yes, I'm no longer a young man). I eventually decided against an EV because I felt I would never be happy with my choice, so I sprang for a Mercedes-Benz CLA35 AMG and I am very happy with it. It's not perfect (no car is), but I know I made the right decision.
I have owned and driven M3’s for about 5 years. Currently have the previous SR+ version to this one (with indicator stalk), and I think you have pretty well nailed it. Really enjoy it, flaws and all, charging is so simple and efficiency on 18in wheels is superb. We also have a LR MY, but I prefer driving the M3.
I had a Model 3 Performance for 1.5 years and really liked it for most of that time. I wanted an M3 Comp Xdrive but the dealer wanted 30k over MSRP so I went Tesla. After a while the car got very boring. I sold it and my Rivian R1T and got a new C8 Z06. It’s much less practical but it makes me smile.
in the US, auto pilot is no longer an issue. until 2023, I used to have phantom braking. I havent had any phantom braking this year and I've driven 12k miles this year, mostly on autopilot
it's better than it was 2 years ago but living in scotland it hates the narrower roads and pedestrians and weird junctions. phantom brakes all the time
I can confirm the same in switzerland. I have a model y for almost 3 years now. In the first year, i had around 3-5 phantom braking events. But they improoved alot and i have never had an event in the last 12 months. I primarily use autopilot on the highway though... Problem is, that you can never trust the car conpletely and always have to be ready to take over in order not to get rear ended...
I’ve had the older model 3 for the past 4 years and I’d say this was a very accurate review. My car only has the basic auto-pilot but I just won’t use it because of the terrifying phantom braking issue, when I did try it. I would say that the speedometer position and lack of a driver side screen really isn’t as bad as you think, you quickly get used to it and it isn’t an issue. Everything else about the central screen though is pretty useless as a right-handed older driver. The font is so small, I’d need to stop and put my reading glasses on to use it. The warnings that flash up are gone before I can stop do this. Trying to do anything, left handed, while driving, without reading glasses is impossible. Tesla seem to change things just because they can rather than making a car better.
Your suggestion to remove the large screen and replace it by a little one so you can easily drive off is what other less smart manufacturers would do. My phone is my car key. When I’m close to my car it unlocks, I just open the door, take a seat, tap and hold the brake and hit the drive stalk to drive and drive off. With the car key? You tap the B-pillar just under the camera to unlock the car. Take a seat, place the car key on the middle console, tap and hold the brake … For those looking for an on/off switch? • The car is on the moment it unlocks. Affraid the car might drive off accidentally? • You need to put it in drive first • Even if your in drive and you harshly tap the accelerator the car will prevent a collision Affraid somebody might drive off with your car once the car is unlocked • You can prevent that by only unlocking the driver’s door when unlocking the car (this is default by the way) • You can set a PIN. The dialog to enter your PIN is displayed the moment you hit the brake pedal. Without the PIN the car won’t drive. Affraid the car will roll away when you haven’t applied the parking brake? • The car applies the brakes the moment you stop the car. • Opening the driver’s door will ‘switch’-off the car automatically. • No more problems driving up a slope.
Good balanced review. I'm a Tesla Model 3 Performance owner since 2019 and it's the best car we've ever owned. Agree with you points, it's not perfect, but no car is. We are a 2 car Tesla family now.
@@DanJHayes I have some good friends that now live about 350 miles away in a quite rural area. Yes, there are some charging stations along the way, but the one nearest to their house is about 40 miles from them. At their house, I could only use a granny charger on a long extension cord. Stopping every 150 miles or so and spending the better part of an hour to recharge would make that about an 8-hour drive. I would have to rent an ICE vehicle to visit them. Another close friend (may she Rest in Peace now) lived about 100 miles from me. I used to visit her often. Most of that drive was through cornfields, with a conspicuous lack of charging infrastructure. (Hmmm, maybe with a coil on the roof I could pick up some energy from the high-voltage transmission lines overhead as I was driving.) At her place I would again be reduced to using a granny charger, but probably not even that since we would often be driving around while I was visiting. An EV could just about do it, though not comfortably in extremely hot or cold weather. Yes, 95% or my driving is less than 50 miles in a day. An EV would be great for me as a second car. I need only one car.
@@DanJHayes Quite often. And it’s not just the driving in a single day, but the inconvenience of re-charging up to twice as often as compared to filling up with gas/diesel.
Very good review in my opinion. People have probably already reached out to you about the turn signals, but if not, Tesla is moving very rapidly towards full autonomy and you probably won't even have to use the steering wheel anymore in + or - two years. That Karaoke will be pretty good once you can do whatever you want while the car is driving itself. You'll probably wonder why they even put a steering wheel in the car :)
As a road user, I think that having to use multi-level menus on a screen is, frankly, f***ing dangerous. I know they are cheaper to manufacture than dials, stalks and switches, but we really need legislation to prevent functionality when the car is actually moving. Oh, and we need all cars to have indicator stalks too. That must surely be the most sensible option. Great review though.
You dont use multi level menus when driving, everything ypu would require whilst driving is done simply using sma voice command, so hands stay on the wheel snd eyes stsy on the road...JM is ignorant to this fact due to lack of researching properly for his review.
Clearly not driven one. As the two buttons on the steering wheel are used for almost all driving tasks. Please DRIVE one for God sake before commenting.
Hey Jay, my wife and I both drive Teslas every day-I've got a pre-facelift Model 3 Performance (stealth variant), and she's got a facelifted Model Y. So far, no issues with the cars or Tesla, but maybe that's because we haven't needed to contact them since buying them. I'm a bit of a petrolhead, having owned tons of hot hatches over the last 10 years, and switching to EVs was easier than I thought. We've got a home charger, so the running costs are awesome; my M3P costs about £5 for 250 miles this winter! No servicing is a huge bonus too. Long trips are easy with the Supercharger network - the satnav handles everything. Full self-driving's still pretty new in the UK and from what I get, it's not great. All used Teslas come with Enhanced Autopilot for free. Mine has it and it works really well on the motorway. It'll change lanes if you indicate, and it'll even exit at motorway junctions if your destination's in the satnav. Hope this helps! P.S. Love your channel and watch it all the time.
A 2009 Boxster 987 is my daily driver. It puts a smile on my face whether driving in traffic listening to the superb stereo system, or thrashing it around twist back roads in the wet. It doesn't have lots of electronic gadgets and 'safety' systems, and it is simply me and the machine working together to get from A to B as safely and quickly as possible. I don't think the current breed of electrical appliances would be right for me, especially the Tesla.
I've 3.4 987S and I daily Model 3 Performance. If i want to cruise slowly I take the 987 out as it is an incredible slow car I comparison. If I want to drive aggressively, overtake or race people (which you shouldn't) Tesla is the one. It is a rocket ship.
I've got a Boxster and my Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor AWD (with Acceleration Boost) is faster in all conditions, even though it doesn't feel like it due the seat of the pants nature of the Porsche. Try one, you might be pleasantly surprised.
@@huwjones5879 Another Welshman here- have the exact same Tesla and a sorted 2ZZ mk3 MR2. One's a toy, the other's a missile which can nearly drive itself. Same acceleration rush as a fairly quick motorcycle just less likely to die as the traction control is so effective. Over 80,000 miles so far and still look back at it after a drive.
I have a 986. The last of the analogue cars. I also have a Tesla LR AWD. They are polar opposites and if you understand each in the way they were designed and meant to be used, they both are entertaining and great cars to drive. Don't ask them to do things out of their wheelhouse and all is well.
I have to admit that I am biased Against modern Tesla's - I Don't want a glass roof, I Do want physical switches. Worse though is appears that other motor vehicle manufacturers are trying to emulate the "good" parts of this car - like the glass roof and no physical switches (see the debacle of Audi's user interface in higher end cars and VW, well forget that ). The programming that underlies all this is the real problem - the things you described are like Microsoft Windows 3.1 (half baked, just because ). And NO CAR should stop on it's own to avoid an overhead bridge, EVER. As with most modern cars, there is so much stuff embedded in layers on that screen that you'll likely never use - it's more like a game and a game should not be out on the road, humans are bad enough at driving !
Got my Tesla Model 3 10 days ago. I love the car for how it drives, reminds me of a BMW 3 series when they were fun. Totals agree with you on the indicator situation, totally hate it. Will try the Enhauto stalks when they come out. Also, it seems to me that you get a reasonable amount of hate for driving a Tesla in Germany these days. A lot of people hate because you bought a car made my Elon and others hate for driving an electric car. I have owned Audis, VWs, Mercs and Porsches so far but never encountered so many aggressive reaction towards a car of mine while driving.
22:40 Tesla customer service in my experience is appalling. For example, mine (Model X) was in for a service and was handed back to me with the battery practically dead (so I had to sit and charge it at the dealership before heading home). Another time it was handed back to me while still in Service mode. And yet another time they hadn’t fitted a new tyre correctly so it dis-inflated as I was driving away. I could go on…
The vehicle should automatically come out of ‘service mode’ when the technician finishes the work, but occasionally it doesn’t. It’s really not an issue, you just press ‘exit service mode’ on the screen, and voila, it exits service mode.
I’ve had fantastic service. Far better than the local bmw or Merc service. Anything that’s needed is done. Even damage to the front bumper paintwork. Which I have no idea how it occurred. Prob another car hitting it in a car park. But Tesla resprayed the bumper for free. Picked up and delivered back at the time I ask.
My neighbor had a brand new model-X. And I was finding enough courage to ask him to take me along for a spin. A fortnight ago I noticed I didn’t see it anymore, but a BYD instead. Also something with Tesla’s non-service.
CarVertical: The History Checking Service
Use this link or code "JAYEMM" for a discount!
www.carvertical.com/gb/landing/v3?b=1e4c9523&a=JayEmm&voucher=jayemm&chan=jayemm
The issues described relate to it being a car currently designed for U.S. roads. Roundabouts are extremely rare here, they got rid of them over 40 years ago and only in a few really old areas (Northeast) do they still exist. No one would want a car merging on a roundabout automatically as every rule in the book is broken by other drivers as they are so rare. As for parking garage dim lighting affecting parking...no...I have never seen this in any garage in the United States. The lack of a direct view driver display however is a dealbreaker to me.
Teslas are garbage, its CEO an extremely thin skinned sociopath.
hmm.. how about the morally abject idea of enriching the new american first lady, elonia... a true modern day fa$ciste if there is one…
You didn't mention that if you want anything other than white, you have to pay a thousand or two extra, depending on what non-white colour you want (red is or at least was the most expensive option last time I checked) - which is why most model 3's and model y's you see are white - as that is the only "non upgrade" colour. I think they have reduced the price of the colour options a bit recently though, so I guess that is something.
You know you can put the Tesla access card in your pocket? This rant alone makes your review sound rather biased AGAINST the brand. Seriously, if you are going out of your way to do an unbias review, why are you criticising the handing over of the car?
The fact you think its 'annoying' that the karaoke feature is so good just confirms your inherent bias...
"the other day I was wearing a plain shirt"
Oh now come on James, no-one's going to believe that. 😁
ehhyyyyyy 🤣
i'd like to think that the plain shirt in question was more relatively plain than actually plain!
Tesla would never do that ....would it?????? Yes That's what Tesla would do.....Elon must protect the stock price
Probably the only one he could get in his new size 🤣
Everything is relative
Can't touch a mobile phone in a car without stopping, putting on the handbrake, and turning the engine off. But yet you can use a massive 24 inch touch screen if it's built into the car? It's madness!
You can't touch a mobile phone in a car because there is no good reason to do so while moving that isn't excessively distracting.
When a touchscreen controls core vehicle functions, there are good reasons to interact with it. That doesn't make the interface design a _good_ one. Furthermore, distracted driving is just as illegal when it's through a vehicle's infotainment system, and you can be prosecuted if your head is buried in a screen adjusting navigation or dicking around just as it would be if you were fiddling with your phone.
@@BlazeFirereign You miss the point. In many cars (And Tesla are not the worst) have to go through several menus to adjust the speed of the air vents, or turn on the heated seats, or change the temperature instead of older cars where you just press a button or turn a dial. It's ADDING distraction, ie it's increasing the risk of an accident. And by putting things like games and TH-cam/Netflix into the screen you add even more temptation for drivers to reduce their focus and attention.
And manufacturers have admitted that it saves them money; they don't need interior design, can dispense with the complexity of buttons, levers and switches and just use touch screen controls and have software do all the work.
So new cars are MORE distracting and therefore create a higher risk to others all to save the manufacturer money. It's a backwards step in safety so manufacturers can make more money. That's the issue.
@@deaks25 As I stated above: "That doesn't make the interface design a good one."
I pointed out why, legally, using that touchscreen is allowed and why using a phone is outright disallowed. I also pointed out that drivers aren't given carte blanche to bury their head in the screen while they're driving, and I absolutely agree that sticking every function on a touchscreen is not good design.
@@BlazeFirereign Well said 👍🏻
@@BlazeFirereign It's just as dangerous to use the touchscreen while driving as a phone. That's the key point.
And that's why touchscreens should not function while in motion.
If you let business do whatever it wants, this is what happens.
I have two models 3's, a 2018 Long Range RWD and a 2019 Performance. I wanted to upgrade the 2018 but when we test drove the 2024 the lack of turn indicator stalks killed the deal. I could understand not having turn signals if this was a BMW .....
Y'know what I like? Someone reviewing a Tesla and not trying to gaslight ME about it. Very much appreciate such a comprehensive, no bs review like this.
On the contrary, this is how gaslighting works. You first pretend to be a petrolhead...😀
Teslas are garbage, its CEO an extremely thin skinned sociopath.
what? If phantom braking did not happened to him it means he just does not drive those cars long enough. Happened to me in volvo xc60
@@foureye7058 I agree, but all the tech in the single screen is just stupid. There should at least be a small display higher up & in front of the driver with at least speed & charge on display. I also hate the amount of times I hear about silly things occurring with EVs that a quick software patch is released for. It’s almost like we are expected to Beta test the car for the manufacturers! Problem I have with this is unlike a TV, phone etc that wants an update the car is ultimately in charge of the lives of the driver and the passengers, scary when you think about it!
@@hagestadagreed. Honda CR-V (‘18 & ‘24) wife drives phantom breaks all of the time when a vehicle turns left or right off of a main road. I’m clearly going to miss them but it goes nuts and breaks anyway.
"Best Karaoke machine I've ever driven" is the quote that wins today's internet. Bravo!
Great video as usual, James 🙂 I own a 2018 Model 3 AWD. I do not have FSD, but I have had the car do a complete panic stop on 2 occasions. On both occasions, on a narrow street, it thought a person on the side of the road was going to cross in front. It freaked both me and the pedestrian out! I had to explain (with embarrassment) that it wasn't my fault, it was the car! Keep up the good work. (John from Canada)
If you’re viewing this video and consider buying a Tesla, this is the only review you need to see. Ignore all other videos. I have my Tesla M3 Highland for 3 months (secondary car) and I underline all points positive and negatives presented by James. This was amazingly unbiased and spot on! It’s how automotive reviews should be
Thankyou so much, it means a lot coming from an owner
Hi James. Was one of the first 100 to get my model 3 and now had it well over 5 years. I would point is yes you have covered all the main good and point’s but servicing in that time has cost me £44 (air filters that’s it) I will not use autopilot or self driving as phantom braking was the worst experience of losing control I have ever had. I will keep mine for probably another 5 years but will I buy another Tesla after that my answer is no ( and yes I have the performance version that is great but the software is 1st call for in car entertainment but 1 star for not being irritating and some time dangerous
Too bad Tesla makes junk, how many would buy a Tesla that's outside of it's warranty?
@@ftffighter An 4-5 year old Performance is cheap, if you get 8 years out of it it's a lot of power for not much money.
I just think straight line performance, havjng owned alot of very fast cars, is just not a big deal especially for a daily. @@xx-----------xx873
My Vauxhall Corsa does 0 to 60 in 1.3 seconds (with quarter mile roll out)
My old skoda citygo did 115 on the speedo it was going downhill
I don't know what you're saying, but I'm sure you're hinting strongly at something, here. 😉
Thats nothing. My minibus does a 1/4 mile in 1.3 seconds with only a 1310ft roll out.
That's nothing. My Citroen 2CV beat that hands down.
@@tonyduncan9852 i owned a 2CV Charleston, and loved it, 40 mpg whether you thrashed it or drove it sensibly, and took two biker mates out in it seperately, when they laughed at it.. I told them that I could definitely scare them in it, and they were sceptical.. Yeah, approaching the same bend at 50mph they both shouted "Slow down", which I didn't... It leaned at a mororbike angle (but in the opposite direction, as you'll know) and made it 'round the corner with no issues.. Hehe! Telling this to a friend that's a mechanic, he explained that he, as an apprentice, worked for the Citroen 2CV racing team.. I obviously thought he was pulling my leg, nope! It existed. Then, a neighbour told me he worked for Ripspeed and one of his bosses had a 2CV fitted with a turbo, upgraded the tyres and wheels to ones that originally fitted a BMW boxer engined bike, and it absolutely thrashed the local "Barry's" of the 80's in their XR3's in Waltham Cross.. I'd say the ultimate 'sleeper'..
This is the best review you ever did!! Anyone can review a boring car telling you it's boring or some hypercar gigling and grinning, but a base model 3 without taking sides or sticking to the obvious like acceleration and range THAT is some fine journalism! Chapeau!!
I like cars, thats why i watch youtube videos on cars and you can knock yourself out with countless videos about the next hypercar...jayemm brings a refreshing but more importantly geniune personal viewpoint, he makes interesting thoughtful video, sometimes about stuff you had no idea you would be interested in watching,
He is a car guy!
I just watched a 50 odd minute about a tesla!
Something im not really bothered about....
Keep up the good work jay
Probably the best review I have seen of any car. Thank you for not being a petrol head biggot nor an evangelical EV fan boy. More like this please
I’m in Australia, have the 2024 M3P. Phantom braking is a real issue as you have described. It also gets confused with speed limits when you’re in a tunnel. You’re doing 90k and all of a sudden it thinks you’re on a road above the tunnel and changes the speed and slows to 50. Autopilot will occasionally try and steer you into a road siding or exit lane. With your emergency braking experience, the brakes work much better if they’re properly bedded, this won’t happen with normal driving as it’s mainly using regen. All in all though, great car, you do get used to the indicators on the wheel and everything on the screen. There are plenty of after market indicator stalks, screens etc if you really need them.
You're one of the few reviewers I can count on to give an honest review. I'm dying to see you review the Alfa Romeo Junior veloce and the new BMW M5..
I agree, one of his USPs is how honest he is, even with press cars it makes his opinions mean more. Other channels you can see them dancing around things they want to say (car is far too heavy to really be a sports car now for example) but they won’t say it as they don’t want to upset the marketing dept at said manufacturer and then not get cars to review.
I can remember him reviewing a Porsche may have been a Taycann but he rinsed them on charging 2k for upgraded wheels and then 800
More pounds to paint them black!!
Same opinion here; straight to the point no bias
Having owned this exact car (on company lease) for about 6 months now and you very well encapsulated all the good and bad aspects. You covered everything I love about it and everything that annoys me at times. I got used to the indicators and screen pretty quick, but fully agree there are way better existing implementations. The ghost breaking is very much an issue, especially on smaller roads, causing me to not use adaptive cruise control or autopilot as often. Tesla sure likes to do things different, some things they do really well other things not so much. Despite this, I do love how it looks and drives. Compared to its direct competition, I think you get a lot of car, considering all the "fancy" options like heated/cooled seats, etc you get included in the base price.
Not many people know about the upgrade in hp and torque as well. The 2024 base model rwd has 271 hp and 310 lb ft torque
while the 2025 base model rwd has 295 hp and 332 lb ft torque
I've only ever had phantom braking on autopilot. Not sure if it happens with cruise control
Ex auto industry guy here. Tesla deserves credit for single handedly making EVs mainstream. No question about that. Change had to come from outside the industry , and they shook things up. Bigly. But this shake up the industry philosophy only goes so far. There's a reason the safety info is on a separate display (ID4, Ford Mustang E, Chevrolet Equinox etc) you cannot be taking your eyes off the road to navigate a big laptop, and tap through menus to find whatbyou need. There's a reason infotainment and nav screens are separate. Other controls, indicators, lights etc are on stalks on other cars, for a good reason.
But Tesla knows all this. They don't care. Their brand message seems to convey tech bro dominance. " I'm in front of a screen all day as a SW guy, and my car to get home is an extension of that environment " . It's style over substance and use case. Now, car buyers have been willing to choose style/image over practicality for ever, but Tesla has tapped into that demo with a vengeance. It's not a surprise, that the main initial converts were ex BMW and MB drivers. With BMW and MB, along with high prices and iffy reliability, you do get displays in the right place, controls where you can find them in a hurry, and nothing on the production vehicle is 'beta". Which is why, as you say in the review, " ive never had a phantom stop in another car, ever!". So, how do you explain Tesla in all its odd mix of interesting, novel, very clever, good, bad and downright dangerous? Well, IMO, the realTesla product is rheir stock trading on the NYSE. That's not beta, that's released into the market. Everything they do, drives the stock. That's job 1. The cars, and by extension the customers, are actors in a play. The audience are stock analysts. The whole idea is to persuade them, that the stock price deserves a hefty premium, ( Tesla's PE is 80 something, whereas Ford and GMs are around 6) , so the show works. It really does. Potential Tesla buyers are willing to pay real money, for that rapid response, dopamine inducing big screen that suggests im Captain Kirk of the Enterprise, and if controls are not where i expect them, and are hard to find, well, im superior to you, and i don't care if the car phanthkm brakes or not.
@@bikeman9899 guess you missed out on gains 🤒
@kieronmcgee Yeah. But I sleep at night 😁
Tesla is such "California tech bro" that they removed the windscreen defrost "button" from the home screen because no one in California uses it.
NTSB had to step in and they put it back without a recall.
Just shows how overly tech focused they are. I like the car, but it desperately needs an instrument cluster like the model S, and a wiper / signal stalk.
And another thing I won't buy a car from a Nazi fascist.
proper car reviews from a proper car bloke
Older Model S owner here. The blistering acceleration is the only reason I'll hold on to it until it falls apart, but you are spot on about the customer service. I've had the car given back to with grease smeared all over the rims after a tire change. Also had a manager lie to my face when I asked for a software upgrade for my car, telling me it's not possible when I had another shop do it over a phone call.
Tesla makes the best cars in the world. They also deliver the worst customer service in the world. It really is that bad.
Does your Model S not do Over the Air Updates?
Not sure anyone uses 'grease' to fit tyres matey.
Was it tyre soap (which a tyre fitter uses so that the bead slips over the rim) ?
I'm in the US and have a Y. Aside from the fact that the car has been very reliable, we've had great service.
I've had amazing expeirences with Tesla service where I live in Australia.
I have the new Model 3 LR. I went in because the steering wheel was creeking sometimes which sort of felt silly to do because the car still functioned great, but they fixed it (for free under warrently) at my request. I had two different service advisors empower me by saying that I'm the customer, I live with the car, and I get the last word on what's acceptable. Made me feel like I could and should bring up things even if they're a bit trivial.
Then when I went to pick up the car I noticed a small crack in the windscreen, I pointed this out to them and I literally said that I doubted it was caused by them. I explained I had got back from a road trip just before bringing it in and even that I had a guess for when it might've happened, but, examining the photos they took pre-service, they couldn't be certain they hadn't done it and so they gave me a free $1,500 windscreen replacement under good will.
Hard to say they don't go above and beyond. And the whole service process is very easy with their app.
Test dove a model 3 yesterday . This review is spot on . As suggested a simultaneously brilliant yet mystifying car.
I’ve been driving all kinds of cars and vans since I was pretty much a child; and those indicators in the middle of a tight roundabout with the wheel turned is one of the most difficult things I’ve done in my life.
@@elrumcajs777 The indicator stalk is back on the Model Y Juniper 🎉
@@elrumcajs777 If you thought that was difficult maybe it’s time to call it with driving a car. I have one of these and I’ve not had any issues from the moment I sat in the car. 🤷🏻♂️
@@Yorkshire-z5v…. 😏… dude, if those where “car” indicators, I’d agree with you. But they have more in common with a Play Station controller, than with a “car”. Don’t take me wrong. I actually like everything else about the car, but those indicators things are an unnecessary extra hassle
You're so right. The indicator lights are "workable" if the roundabout has a large diameter, but if it is narrow, just forget about using the indicators.
@@Yorkshire-z5v As if we needed more proof that Tesla attracts superior people.
Just be careful you dont play the song 'fly me to the moon' whilst inside a new Tesla.
So that's why I never saw one of these using the indicators. I always assumed those were ex-BMW owners, but it turns out, the indicators are just awful.
If you're ever feeling useless, just remember there's a bloke in Munich installing indicators in BMWs
tbf that's the same reason BMW drivers don't signal either
@@NikhillRao27 I bet you're a flat earther too ffs.
@@alexanderstefanov6474 I am glad he did install them, because I, on the other hand, is the only one using them in my town. Lazy and inconsiderate people will keep being so.
@@alexanderstefanov6474 😂😂😂❤❤❤
As a Model Y owner I’d say this is probably the most rounded and honest review I’ve seen. I’d agree with 99% of what you said. It is the modern day Mondeo in many ways. I own one because as a daily driver it’s so easy to live with. Little things like being able to precondition and defrost the car in a morning from my bed, the lack of needing to organise a service for it as there’s no service schedule (something you did miss out that other brands could learn from but won’t because it would kill their dealer networks) and the incredibly cheap cost of motoring if you can charge at home (which equates to about 250mpg). I have no interest in the eco credentials, as my other car is a V8 Mustang, but I just love the effortless relaxing power that electric motors provide.
Agree with most of your findings on the tech side of things like. I’ve experienced phantom braking once and tend to drive the car rather than be driven by it. The only bit is disagree with is the main screen. It’s only a distraction for the first few weeks. Once you’ve owned one a while and the novelty wears off you hardly look at it, and also begin to learn how good the voice control is (speak in an American accent - you’ll feel like an idiot but it’s more effective 😂). I hardly touch mine on the road once the destination is plugged in.
I've been talking to voice assistant apps in a valley girl accent for years now and I works, like, super well
you're describing the benefits of any EV though, heck, even a 1990's 7 series would do preheating. Point is, there are better cars out there for anyone who doesn't need superchargers, or lives in a part of the country where there aren't any/many. All EVs are very convenient to daily as long as you can charge at home.
@ To a point I agree. Before the Tesla I had an iPace for 3 years, which I loved. It was probably a better car than the Tesla in traditional terms, but it wasn’t as good as an EV. Whilst most of my charging is done at home, when I want to do a long trip I don’t think twice in the Tesla - the Supercharging is well integrated, well placed, and half the price of non-Tesla charging (and yes, I know some of them are open to all cars). On top ofvthatvthe range and efficiency is in another league, easily getting over 4 miles/kwh compared to 2.5 in the Jag. Also Jaguar (and I’m assuming BMW/Volvo etc) insisted on £300 a pop servicing, something not required by Tesla.
.
Funnily enough I owned a 730i back in 1997! It didn't have remote preconditioning though! EV heating is much more useful as it's pretty unlimited - I camped in my Tesla in -4 degrees and it used 1% per hour. in the super hot sunny days and I'm going into a supermarket I just leave the aircon going, which id never do in an ICE car)
Im not a Tesla fanboy though. it has flaws as this video pointed out. Hell, I hired an old VW Van the other month that did radar cruise better than the Tesla, but overall it works for me as an easy car. in the future though if the charging network improves and comes down in price Id look at the Taycan, Macan or something else.
@@throwback19841 Haha 😂
Touch screens instead of knobs and buttons for basic functions are an ergonomic disaster. And its tiring for the eyes to constantly having a screen on at night.
How can safety systems that seem to purely rely on daylight cameras work at night? Or in heavy rain and snow when the cams are blind?
Precisely - Tesla have adopted a cheap and nasty camera based system (which according to a report that I read this week are often very badly aligned, due to Tesla’s notoriously flaky quality control), whereas other manufacturers use radars, and laser distance measurers as well as cameras, that is totally reliant on the quality and completeness of its programming. It is hardly surprising that it was unable to detect an excavator bucket emerging from the side of the road.
I just took delivery of a used model Y in Texas. The delivery was interesting to say the least. They had me wait in line in this room with the cheapest IKEA chairs and tables imaginable, yet the walls were filled with giant Tesla posters, so it also looked like an art gallery. Then they lead me through a hallway with floors covered with very worn red carpets. I see the idea they were after with the "red carpet treatment" but it didn't make any sense that way. Once I got into the car, it was in immaculate condition, except the center console and screen were dirty and had sticky stuff stuck onto surfaces. It cleaned out easily, but they could have at least wiped down the interior before handing it over. It's just a two year old car. Sloppy! At least the warranty is reasonable with their used cars.
Hi James. You gave it the full "Jayem on Cars" treatment, for which I am grateful. As Car Magazine used to say, you gave us the "Good, Bad & the Ugly".
A biker friend of mine was a little perturbed, as he thought the trouch screen may well distract drivers to the detriment of keeping an eye out for him and his mates.
Quote of the film: "I felt that I'd been at a riveting conference. About rivets"!
My FIL had a Tesla Model 3 until Arpil 2024. In the year preceding the end of his lease, he had:
- A 10-month wait for a replacement windscreen.
- An over-the-air update that stopped the car from charging. It took a month for this to be fixed.
- Many problems with Tesla supercharging (granted, this could have been on him).
- The glove box fell off.
- Occasional issues with the phone app not letting him into the car, and also not doing the pre-heating etc.
I wouldn't touch one. I actually liked the car when it was working, but far, far too many problems and shocking customer service puts me off. And that's before I even consider the owner of the company...
I don't think they use the whole hide of the geography teachers. They just take the elbow area and allow them ro live on with a patch.
That's very humane
The next Jaguar commercial in an effort to get back it's fanbase will have a bunch of actors wearing "Elbow-less sport-coats" with the slogan "No patches, think bold". There still won't be a car but instead a globe with a red X and an arrow pointing to it saying "Car is here ---->".
This is sustainability
"Best karaoke machine I've ever driven". Sums it up perfectly.
As a proud new Model 3 Performance owner I fully endorse this statement. ;)
@@Formulaik the new model 3 is beautiful
Very fun and fair review! I've owned my Model 3 2019 from new and still absolutely love driving it every day. I bought it with the FSD capability and can confirm that it's hobbled hugely by the annoying UNECE regs on both motorway and city streets/A-roads.
The one thing I slightly disagree with is the phantom braking. Have I had it? Yes, but it's got much less frequent over the years with each new update. Is it annoying? Yes, a little, but it's not dangerous; my foot is usually hovering over the accelerator and I just tap it to allow the car to know it's safe to continue.
I know people who have complained about the AEB in other cars and I've found Tesla's implementation to be the best and getting better as they refine their driving model. It can sense the difference between me driving towards the back of a parked vehicle, and turning the steering early to start moving out around. And on standard mode at least, the audible warning comes well before the braking would kick in so you can still turn out in time with no need to apply the accelerator. In this way, the TACC is actually quite usable even on A-roads with parked cars.
FSD assistance like automatically slowing for turns is actually ok-ish, especially when it's coming to a red light and stopping (yes, even temporary traffic lights that are not in the map data). You get used to it. And again it's mainly due to UNECE restrictions on automation that they can't implement it to be better in the UK and Europe when it does so well in US and Canada. They only recently allowed it to go through a green light without any driver intervention, but only if there is a lead car. Again, in the US it works with no car in front so they could do better if permitted.
the biggest fundamental design flaw of the this car is that it's not a hatchback.
As an owner, I can’t deny a hatchback would be great (not the Y though). However, the boot is excellent and has a “lower boot” which easily fits another suitcase. And a Froot (front boot) of decent size.
Merica doesn't understand hatchbacks, only saloons.
💯 % but that's because it would kill sales for the Model Y. It should be a hatchback but that's too convenient for the money and they force you into the Model Y instead.
@@koolerking440 Actual sedans are getting more and more rare on this side of the pond. Hatchbacks have always had the 'station wagon' stigma, and therefore are shunned. Massively overpriced SUVs are what's the money maker over hear, it's disgusting. Still driving my 17 year old Corolla Hatchback (we call it a Matrix), my previous car was a Subaru Legacy wagon (REAL station wagon)
@@IdaiMakayaPublications The Model Y IS the hatchback version, it's only a few thousand more. There's no reason for them to come out with a Model 3 hatchback. Tesla is all about REDUCING the SKU count.
The charge port will close itself after a few seconds. You don't need a phone.
And also as soon as the car is taken out of park.
Yep, I’ve had my M3P for 5 years and never manually closed the charge port even a single time!
I see an open port, I push it with my hand, it is shut. Welcome to the largely free from uncertainty and anxiety, analogic world.
Wow, that was so much fun to watch! well done!
Yes the phantom breaking is scary.
And the indicator control was already annoying even with the stalks still present. They stay on occasionally, and then the sound is too soft to hear it.
Other than that love to drive the Tesla :)
Some valid points here, I am vey much a petrol head, and could not see the point in a EV until actually living with one. Once you get use to the quirks and the screen they are great cars to own ( except depreciation) I have a model 3 LRP, covered nearly 60,000 miles trouble free, and lucky enough to charge at home on 7p electricity, so very cheap to run.I have turned all the features down to the lowest setting, so no phantom breaking yet! but it has tried to turn me away from a corner once, which was a little iffy. I regularly travel up and down the country and never had issues with super chargers etc. I know EV's are not for everybody, but if you do get the chance to live with one for a while, take the chance as they may surprise you.
Knowing that a company isn’t good at heart and led by someone who doesn’t shy away from disappointing customers is my number one reason not to buy a Tesla.
I had a third gen Toyota Prius in Canada that applied the brakes coming out of a dip under railway tracks, AND my current 2019 Infinity QX50 has also done it several times, so it's not just Tesla! Very good review, full of "British Humour". Enjoyed it and learned a lot. Thanks.
When I drove a colleague's Model 3 for 120 miles along the motorway, I drove the car and he controlled the screen. The car was fine to drive (it was a slightly older one with an indicator stalk), but I think of the screen as a distracting iPad. I recently have got a company EV, and of the 4 I could choose from, selected the one with the most physical buttons. It also happened to be the one with the most pleasant interior and the only one based on a petrol engined vehicle.
@@robk1003 What car did you choose?
I'll never buy a car with options physically available and just disabled through software that you then have to subscribe or pay extra to enable
Probably the best review of the refreshed Model 3 that I've seen, ever. It's better than the old one in some things and worse in some others. Tesla could have made the perfect little car by just putting a few buttons in the cabin and not putting the stupid small screen at the back for the rear passengers, but put it in front of the driver and make a normal instrument cluster out of it.
What ever happened to KISS... Keep It Simple Stupid. The problem with modern cars now in my opinion, is that they are so unnecessarily complicated, which is why they are getting so expensive. You cannot beat proper buttons and levers. Regardless of it being an EV, it's just too soulless to operate. I want to feel like I am driving the car, not that it does everything for me. The joy of driving is slowly being taken away from us, which I don't like!
They have applied KISS. Just to their manufacturing rather than the customer's user experience.
@andrewcockburn7484 I'm not sure you could call all of the gimmicks in the Tesla, keeping it simple? As James says, why put in a karaoke machine and bird noises, but not give the driver an indicator stalk...
Personally, I think the simplification for the manufacturer and over complication for the user may be their undoing in the long run. User-friendly is generally what I personally would look for, which I am sure many others do. I'm not into gimmicks, I'd rather have a better experience.
@@mattt3302 a bit of software can be written once then installed, essentially for free, in each car. Fitting a stalk adds cost to each car made.
@@andrewcockburn7484 If only 'software' was as reliable and simple and physical controls!
I am guessing that Elon doesn't pay his software engineers then? Everything comes with a cost!
Let's be honest, the majority of issues with modern cars are electrical and software issues.
Why else would there be an 'emergency handle' to get out of a Tesla for when the button doesn't work. A physical back up, which in my eyes is doubling the complication. Why not just have a single mechanical handle and negate the button and save on the cost? Maybe I am just a simpleton that doesn't understand?
when the car's software is updated, and a new feature is added, how do you add a new set of physical buttons to operate that feature?
The lack of a completely practical indicator is bafflingly stupid and dangerous
Great review. I’ve had my model 3 for 2 years and you’ve got it spot on. I love my car but share your frustrations
I absolutely hate all the "driver aids" in current cars.
ABS and stability control sure, everything else, no thanks.
stability control? Eww
@@Alistair Give me all the driver aids but give me a way to selectively turn them off and not have to do it again each time I start the car. Lane assist can be great on a well marked main road but hopeless on suburban streets to the point of being dangerous.
You just need to find a brand that has done them right or at least made them easy to switch off.
So let me get this straight... the car automatically stopped for no reason? Can you imagine this happening on the Autobahn? How can this thing be allowed on the road? I know they don't like motorbikes/cyclists and will try to off them. No other car would be allowed on the road if they were just stopping for no reason. And this is a new car. What will it be like after 10 years? Not going to put my life in the hands of these stupid things.
Please, my Honda Accord will do the same thing.
I’ve had a Model 3 for over 18 months, done over 20,000 miles and never experienced phantom braking. It has though avoided another car which tried to enter the lane I was in on the motorway.
@@kellygrant4964 you really think the drunk driver or the person texting his mate make mistakes. These issues with autonomy will be highlighted and put in spotlight and people will base there opinions on snippets. IT will be safer and it will save countless life’s, in time
@@kellygrant4964 after 10 years and countless over the air updates it will drive 10x better than the average meat sack
@@pompeypaul69 but people want to take the bad examples and run with it. In years to come we will say how did we let people drive around killing the innocent by texting,speeding,drinking etc
Unless the self driving works perfectly all of the time, what's the point in having it at all? If you don’t trust it, or feel that you have to second guess it, then there is no point having it.
Once it works properly, i am all in. But until then, no thanks.
That’s the issue with auto lights and wipers. It takes more brain space to constantly actively monitor their activities and asses overriding, than just using them yourself.
The lights are especially bad and way less safe than my brain / fingers!
My car has automatic lane following and adaptive cruise control, and I feel that's about the right level of automation for me. It's simple enough that you can understand its choices and behaviour, but it's enough automation that you can focus instead on the traffic around you, and watch out for the few situations where the car will need manual intervention. It's ideal for the most boring kind of driving, on motorways.
It's a great car without FSD
FSD in the UK is more for Tesla than for you. They use all the info they can get from the cars to train the FSD computer, which is not programmed in the traditional way, but learns by doing, and being corrected when it makes an error.
Proper 'hands off' FSD is most likely sometime next year in the US, but UK and Europe? .. who knows.
On a long drive through the countryside it is a god send. It makes long trips a joy and you arrive rested. In an urban environment it is painful. Other than stop and go 5 mph traffic. Not ready for that environment. Especially in Europe.
As a Tesla owner I agree with most things said. As for the screen, the interior heating and many other things can be controlled by voice control. The car has many safety features, one to look out for is asking the car for maximum acceleration when pulling out from a side road turning left or right and the power just drops away!!! Using cruise control at 20mph in the village, the car panics when a car waiting to pull out and edges it nose too far out will cause an emergency stop. Anyone behind will not stop in time. Still love it thou for all its faults. 🙂
I never thought I’d buy-let alone love-an electric car. But after test-driving the new Tesla Model 3, I was genuinely impressed, especially considering the gas savings. Within a week of owning one, even more so impressed and I ended up buying a second for the family. I also own a Porsche, but 9 times out of 10, I find myself reaching for the Tesla instead. It’s the best decision I never wanted to make.
I grew up in a house with big V8s and going to the drag strip occasionally with my dad and grandfather. My first car was a Mustang GT, and thought electric cars were unworkable, but Feb of last year, I took the plunge and bought a base Tesla Model 3, and never want to go back to an ICE car ever again! My family are the only people I know that have EVs, and I am constantly telling people, just go test drive one, you will see that they are amazing cars! Forget politics, test drive one and see what they are about.
@@gtcharliep first of all, sure mate, also gas savings? Lmao, you'd need to drive this thing for 100 000 kms just to make back 10 000 euros, that is counting free charging.
@@KameeGaming I'm saving a net of €690 a month between insurance and fuel/electric costs. To each his own though.
@@KameeGaming Ours has 164,000 km. *shrug*
@@Ginger_head_Man We have what is now a "base" (RWD LR) / 258hp, and while I agree with Jay that it runs out of steam on the top end, I wouldn't say at 60mph -- it's really not until 90 that I look down at the speedo and wish it had a tad more shove. And that's, of course, a pretty rare thing.
Love an unbiased review, thanks James!
There's a bridge I go under on the M5 that causes Teslas on cruise control to brake hard. Being happening to me for years, and I'm on my 2nd model 3.
I do almost the entire length of the M5 multiple times a year and am looking at car with more self driving stuff (started test driving in August)...out of interest, which bridge?
I can't charge anything currently so I was heading towards an E53 but the Merc didn't have the bridge issue - it decided to not bother braking for real obstacles! Did drive nicely though, just the tech was generally terrible. Teslas have always intrigued me, looking past the marketing ("full self driving"- yeah, and my arse is fully self cleaning) and irritating fanboys, Tesla cars have so many huge positives. The phantom braking thing is one I hadn't heard until today though, so for all my mocking, I'm actually interested...
@@ApothecaryTerry Not entirely sure, think between Bristol and Gloucester where the road dips under the bridge. The speed limit can also read wrong if two roads are parallel, temporary signs placed poorly etc, but that's more of an issue for 2024 cars (new EU warning bongs). The Telsa system might just be more cautious.
@@ConsumerWatchdogUK Interesting, I drive that stretch a lot (used to live just off it!), hopefully in the not too distant future I'll be able to spot that on a test drive, unless they've solved it by then of course.
My current car gets speed limits wrong all the time, although thankfully it's from 2018 so no bongs! The parallel roads thing gets it too, plus dirty/faded signs...and sometimes it just doesn't bother 😄 It's info only in my car though, since it's not even got radar cruise (lower spec models do...French cars are still odd).
Hi James, as a Tesla 2024 M Y owner, I totally agree with your assessment of this car, why are basics like the auto wipers and trafficators so terribly awful, but my biggest worry is the screen, and GUI. I'm convinced it was designed by a myopic desk bound nerd who has never driven a car in real life, it is profoundly flawed, and what earthly use is the "visualiser" a 40% part of the screen area, all it does is represent what you see when looking ahead out of the window, but transformed in to a spirit worldly image, inhabited by ghosts, why is the layout so illogical, so random, and so bland, and the text so small, why is it near impossible to use a phone hands-free, or text? The product development dept. need a kick up the butt, they are allowing trivial easily remedied issue to ruin the experience and genius of their cars. Wake up !!
I too have had inexplicable and frankly dangerous phantom braking events, while in basic
cruise control, and based on that experience I would not trust my life, and that of others to FSD, even if it were supplied free!!! Nick
Just don't use any form of Tesla cruise control. Some gents have found a way to use Comma OpenPilot on Teslas which is far superior.
When it detects a potential collision it shows you on the "visualiser". Its also useful for changing lanes etc. providing another view on surrounding traffic. So while I agree its not essential, its not useless.
I bought the 2025 model 3 rear wheel drive long range. Which gives 363 miles of range. An independent real life distance test in Wyoming on the interstate at 70 mph managed 387 miles in the same model. I have only had the car three weeks and it came with three months full self driving free. And it is amazing and after a few trips using not the slightest bit unnerving . You do have to be ready to intervene but so far any disengagements have been when I decide a change of direction an not a wrong move by the computer.
I was driving a Lexus gx v8 and the fuel savings are proving to exceed the estimated savings by Tesla. Very smooth and quiet ride and great sounding tunes. So far 👍
TBH, it's always been Elon's sales-pitch that the driver is irrelevant and will "soon" be relegated to someone that needs to take-over in emergencies and other events. That is why the Model 3 never had a driver display and they are removing more and more direct driver controls to the point of obfuscating them. The *problem* is that we are probably _decades_ away from FSD being actually useful in any *real* way, other than a cute tech-demo to show your friends.
TL/DR: It is *ENTIRELY* Elon's direction that the interior of a Model 3 is essentially driver-hostile, he simply does *not* understand what it means to _drive_ a car; he sees them as a robotic mobility and entertainment appliance, nothing more.
‘Decades away from FSD’ - correct
may be something deep there after he totaled his new (uninsured) Maclaren F1 back in the day :-p
@@richhr89 wasn’t that Rowan Atkinson?
@@Mark13091961 Rowan Atkinson crashed and rebuilt his twice. Elons was totalled .
@@richhr89 you are correct, I didn’t know. He was too arrogant to insure it but did have it rebuilt but eventually sold it
Yes phantom braking is a real problem, in fact after 3-4 times on a single 300 mile trip I turned off full self driving. It also tried to ram through the side of a Walgreens building while showing the wife how well it drives itself. I again turned off the full self driving and have never used it again.
Try it on an A road in Wales, scared of it's own shadow. The B roads (I absolutely do not recommend) are another issue all together.
The phantom braking might be the worst part of owning one of these cars. It happened to me about 10 times on a local freeway and each time I thought I was gonna cause a pileup. Sold that shit as soon as I found a replacement.
It’ll be fixed with the US software stack coming to Europe next year fall/winter. The US software has vastly improved phantom braking. We’re on very old software.
I have no idea how that can happen.
@@lapin46They keep saying this all the time.
Thank you for a review I could truly relate to. Closing on 60k km with my 3P and I love and hate more or less the same things you mentioned. First company that makes a 3P clone without all the stupid bells and whistles, and throw in nice, old-fashioned tactile controls will probably have a faithful customer for the rest of my life.
Even if you accept that indicators on the wheel isn't insurmountable, tell me how it makes sense that the right indicator is on the left hand side as well?
Also as I'm sure James would attest Ferrari indicators are physical buttons (on either side of the wheel) and the steering rack is like a go-kart. On that car it works, not so much one where you're going arm over arm to go around a roundabout.
The only way it makes sense is to bean counting. Money saved but it cost in ergonomics and possibly even some sales id say
@@Durzel A normal indicator stalk also has both left and right indicators on one side of the wheel. The buttons are stacked, so it mimics the stalk approach of relating to which direction you need to move the wheel rather than which direction you want the car to go in. The logic is fine and I'm sure you get used to the buttons, but I think a stalk is ergonomically superior.
Really great review and I enjoy your delivery - just a touch too heavy on the (actual or perceived) Jeremy Clarkson influence I felt.
About the efficiency, I have a BMW i4, and I get my best range / efficiency on the motorway. Get low 3’s mi/Kwh around town and anywhere from 3.7-4.4 mi/kwh on longer / motorway journey's.
Not sure if that the case for the the model 3, but appears that modern EV’s are far far more efficient on motorways than their previous counterparts.
Depends entirely on how fast you like to drive. Sounds obvious, but the maths of energy use against speed mean that if you go 85mph+ (not legal but lots of folks do), the m/kwH really drop. At 70mph, it’s not bad. I have an i4 too, and get similarly good results to you because I don’t push it that often. Both the i4 and M3 are really pretty streamlined which is the main factor for consumption at high speed.
Nice one Jay. Very balanced. I enjoyed having a 2020 model 3 LR for 3 years. I travelled all over Scotland and the North of England. The range is great, the superchargers are brilliant. I agree with the comments about the screen. It is only getting worse. Far too much stuff on it and it isn’t clear. I have a Taycan now, and whilst I miss the Tesla network, I enjoy the car more. Indicators on a stalk and wipers and a “gear knob”. So much more intuitive and safe. Final point, you may have encountered the night mode on Saabs; Tesla need to do something like that. This would allow you to reduce the distractions.
Me watching this video:
I will buy a model 3
I wont buy it
I will buy, that's it
I probably wont buy
I am certain I will be buying one
I am afraid of buying a model 3
Ok I will live with the bad points and still get one in the end :)
Thank you James, brilliant review!
no, just get another car, there are so many now! You shouldn't buy a car with a bunch of annoying things - you remember the daily interactions, not the once in a while flashy gimmicks.
@@Leon_George Thanks. I do know a thing or two about cars but regardless thanks for your opinion.
My comment was supposed to be on the funny side rather than reflect someones indecision for lack of knowledge or experience...
All the best
That absolutely *has* to be the best line ever - "the best karaoke machine I've ever driven". Fantastic. Thank you, James. A brilliant review, and because it's interesting and all germane, not over-long. A reference point for all car reviewers. Brilliant.
3.5 years into running a Model 3 and I've never had to push the charging flap down, it just closes automatically after you take the charger out. The auto-wipers are however the worst I've ever come across. I'll still get another one after my lease is up though.
With nearly everything through the touchscreen, a terrible indicator control, and phantom breaking, it's always going to be a no. There's no excuse when they can get other elements right. Therefore, it smacks of app design Trumping true driver features ;)
👏
In my Tesla M3, there are more no excuse flaws: rain sensing, auto switch off turning signals, getting away from the car with the phone (locks itself including windows like 1 meter away), opening and closing the charging flap, gear buttons on ceiling are not sensitive at all, auto steer is terrible (at least in Portugal), speech recognition for commands (EN-GB) is horrible;
Same for me.
@ I use the autopilot in Portugal and love it … I think you are just an EU employee who hates Elon.
What a coincidence! The Tesla 3 we rented for month had a similar phantom braking episode as we approached a railroad bridge overpass. The car was cruising nicely at about 50mph toward the overpass, with no cars coming the other way and no cross-traffic. The Tesla suddenly slowed, so much the 18-wheeler behind us slammed on the brakes. Its horn may have sounded too. The Tesla seemed confused as it slowed to half the prior speed then abruptly accelerated again. But there was never anything in the way. It had apparently seen the bridge as a problem.
That was the worst episode, because of the truck behind us, but there were others. Some of these "driver-aids" can get you into trouble fast.
was it on auto pilot?
@@ricojensen2000 No, just the normal cruise control.
@@jaysloane ok thx. I read somewhere that it was recommended to always have your foot on the gas pedal in case this happens - and then just floor it so no one gets hurt. Kind of a little bit too exiting
That could have killed you, "death by Tesla" no thanks!
This beginning to worry me now, as it has never happened to me - and I drove under many bridges using the (basic) autopilot. Maybe it only happens if there is no other car in front...?
This is a great review, James! I can say that as a 2018 Model 3 AWD owner. Recently I test drove a 2024 Model 3 Performance and I declined making the "upgrade". Keep up the good work. (John from Canada)
Qvarden Token is easily going to hit $1 this month
@@MariDass-f4z month later and nope. Lob your scam in the bin
@@MariDass-f4z scammer
I’ve been a passenger in a Tesla 3 once. My opinion is that it is the ultimate gadget. Every gadget freak should get one. As a car driver, the random emergency breaking is definitely a reason not to buy one.
No it's not. You are not forced to use Tesla driving aids, you can just drive the car like you would any other.
Mine has phantom braked twice when using Advanced Autopilot, but I prefer not use that and just use Traffic Aware Cruise Control which works perfectly well.
False alarms plague these systems and this can create real danger. No idea why anyone would pay 6 grand for this half-baked technology that is clearly being mis-sold. This is not just a Tesla issue and sadly consumers are not getting the choice in having this kind of technology: they didn't ask for it but they have to pay for it and spend time figuring out how to switch it off.
Carwow also found Tesla emergency braking capability was very poor. That alone is a reason to think twice before buying one.
Hi Great video, but I have just got one question, You are now allowed to uses a mobile phone in your car if your driving it yourself, So this means its illegal to read a text message or to send a text.
But with these cars the instrument Panel is a big tablet set to the middle of the car and if you want to change the heating or just get the fan to below harder you have to take your eyes of the road to adjust this ,if your on a motorway you just cant pull over and adjust this, So what are you to do???????????????
@@robertdennis9075
Usar los comandos de voz.
Qué funcionan muy bien.
I don’t mind Tesla making cars “appliances”. They’re designing cars people want. Not everyone is a car enthusiast. Most people just want to get from A to B, cheaply, with a good stereo and A/C. That’s it.
Car guys don’t need to get angry about Tesla, because they’re not car guy cars. We have our enthusiast cars, Joe Bloggs has this.
Why do they make them so unsanely fast? Those people who regard driving as a must aren't the nicest to be around on the road. The car doesn't help in that regard.
I consider myself a car guy and I think this car is briliant. Fast, low center of gravity. 4-wheel drive that is best in class. Acceleration that pushes blood into back of your brain and organs. Cornering performance on the level of BMW M3 and yet comfortable for long journeys. I don't know an actual car guy that would say this car is an appliance.
@@darekmistrz4364 I'm an actual car guy, and I would say it's an appliance. I think the reason is that the cars I do love tend to be machines that let you FEEL the driving. Screw comfort, screw efficiency, screw luggage capacity, screw passengers, etc. My track-prepped Exige is my favorite car. I've also got faster cars, more comfortable cars, etc. The Exige is a relative piece of shit in almost every regard, but it FEELS the most amazing to drive...TO ME. From this point of view, my GT3RS even leans towards the appliance end of the scale, relatively speaking.
Such a good weekday car (100,000 miles and counting) tvr for the Sunday sunny days
I am four years into Tesla M3 ownership. The cost savings I have experienced are staggering. When I charge using solar at home, ‘fuel’ is free. Charge cheaply overnight using off peak. No service costs. My tyres lasted 83000km. One broken rim from encounter with a giant pothole!
I’ve had my 2018 Model 3 Long Range for about 6 months now and really love it.
The pros:
•infotainment is amazing, even after 7 years
•acceleration never gets old
•sound system is fantastic
•the app is very useful. I love pre-heated the car from my living room
•plenty of storage
•charging infrastructure is the best
Cons:
•the safety equipment is too sensitive
•ride is very stiff (the new highland models have fixed this, and the highland suspension can be retrofitted)
•CHIMES… especially when I’m turning on/off cruise control… why?
• costs of supercharging. It’s about twice as expensive as it should be IMO
Overall, I love the car. There’s so much false information spread about Tesla and EV’s in general, but they’re genuinely really good cars.
Agree with everything, although I'm not sure what you mean by costs for supercharging being too high. Compared with home-charging, of course. But compared with any other public ultra-rapid chargers, let alone motorway services petrol prices?? We did a 3,300 miles road trip around Europe last August and spent £420 on the car (including motorway tolls & on-street charging). Show me the petrol car beating that ...
@ in the US, it’d cost less to drive across the country in a BMW X3 M40i than it would a Model Y, with almost 20 fewer stops.
I just think, for the inconvenience of having to stop for the extended period and the additional stops, it should be cheaper than an ICE alternative to take on road trips.
@@gratigo1tbh gas is super cheap in the US. For example in Poland a road trip in EV using superchargers can be as much as 50% cheaper than in a gas car.
Do you never want (or even need) to stop for a pee or grab something to eat after 3, 4, 5 hours of driving? I think many people look at the required stops as an additional inconvenience without realizing that they do it anyway, even in their gas cars.
I think the reason for the load out for each spec at tesla is laregly due to the fact that it significantly eases teh production logistics and costs. Other parts of equipment such as heated seats all around are there to make heating more efficient in the vehicle. I think it is a rather good idea, especialy when one can still encountr stuff like manual winders in Opels and VWs.
I agree. Tesla is highly vertically integrated so to produce lots of options would mean keeping stock of components not used on every car and this would cut production efficiency. Musk has always stated he wants to make the cars cheaper and easier to make.
Phantom braking is a huge problem. I had an original 2013 Model S and loved it - no cameras, so no phantom braking. I later had a 2019 Model S and the Phantom Braking was so bad I was unwilling to tolerate it and traded it in for a used BMW iX which is far superior for both driver and passengers. I love EVs and your review is absolutely spot on for both advantages and disadvantages. On the continent most Tesla Superchargers are open to all EV brands. Why are so few in the UK?
You aren't allowed to text someone while driving but you are allowed to spend half an hour looking at your center display while driving trying to get to the AC menue or whatever, it makes a mockery of making cars with heads up display. Eyes on the road! give me buttons and dials I'm used to operating with little to no reason to look for. An Ipod bolted on a very basic dash is just a cop out for the designer and cheaper for the manufacturer, although they'll never pass on that saving when you have to order a new one...beware used market three or four owners down the road.
I've owned 5 teslas, put prob 200k miles on them. I hardly ever interact with the screen. The vast majority of screen content is settings you set once and never look at again. Other items like climate control are purposely placed for safe interaction while driving. Further, if it isn't safe to use the screen due to traffic or general driving conditions, I don't use it. there isn't anything there I absolutely must do right now. I can and have just put off certain changes until it is safe to do so.. and even those situations are few and far between.
@@blanketwodahs6741 It takes this guy half an hour to change AC settings. He is a lost cause.
@darekmistrz4364 lol and you're not so bright to recognise exaggeration to get a point across.
@blanketwodahs6741 Nothing personal about your Tesla, it's something most manufacturers are doing and some people don't like loosing tactile controls in favour of a menu dive.
@@Kev5565 Yep, I am fine with people preferring physical controls. I was just offering that it isn't as distracting as it might seem on teh surface. for me, cleaning the car is so much simpler because there aren't physical knobs and buttons gathering grime and dirt and dust. one swipe of the screen, steering wheel and flat dash, done. also I get an ever changing UI / control set as Tesla rolls out updates. so I prefer the display.
Thank goodness for our legislation! If they cant make the wipers and lights reliable would you trust the self driving?!! 😅
I'm sorry but you don't know what you are missing. In the us fsd is working very well. 🇺🇸
Trouble is, our legislation makes the auto steering more dangerous.
My wife needed a new economical car, and we drove a Model 3 Long Range and were shocked by all the same things you were. In the end we went with a Camry Hybrid (rated at 48mpg (US)) mostly because the interior was a lot more normal with common use things having their own knob or button. If they added a few switches (and got rid of Musk) the Model 3 would be much more tempting.
Those indicators on the wheel are dangerous. I was following a Model 3 Highland on the motorway recently. As we approached an exit, it indicated left, so naturally I assumed it was taking the exit and moved out to pass on the right. But it didn't take the exit. It started moving over to the right just as I was along side it. Thankfully, there was nothing in lane 3, so I was able to avoid it. But that could have been nasty, and totally avoidable if Elon had stuck with proper indicator stalks.
Or maybe it was driver error?
@@huwjones5879 in which the car, with its stupid ergonomics enhancing the error
@@krrk6337noever really been a problem on motorbikes.
@@krrk6337 Not possible in this situation, I dont think.
Not a defender of it at all, but as you describe the situation, it shouldnt be possible for the steering wheel mounted buttons to be in any way responsible.
I've had the same problem with a model 3. It mistook a bridge for a wall and entered emergency braking. This happened in rush hour traffic and it very nearly caused an accident. Really pissed off the guy behind me, too...
Tesla Owner here, I am at my second lease tesla now, t 2019 model 3 and got my new one in May (the updated model 3)
As A dumb car, it is great, but expecting it to be smart: that's is where you get annoyed and maybe it gets a little dangerous.
I turn all the smart features off or down, only user lane assist on the motorway sometimes.
I did get used to the blinkers, but sometimes I still mess up. the buttons are weird to press at some rotations.
I manually control the wipers (still bad Auto function)
It beeps at me when I drive through a neighborhood with speed bumps with a car in front of me, or when I drive at parking lots. I think I had about 8 big phantom breaks in the 5 years. and a multiple of that much in smaller incidents where it slows unnecessarily when something is blocking a part of the road.
But all in all, I did decide to get an 2nd one and not go for another brand, because of what you mentioned, it is good value for money. I like the coupé (frameless) doors. It drives great. If it wasn't lease, I think I would not have done it, because i don't really fell I own the car, since Tesla is known to deny people supercharging or parts it it feels like it...
I am 59 and over the last 42 years I have hopefully mastered the various controls which enable me to drive a car with the minimum of fuss/angst. I would absolutely hate to have a Tesla where all of those controls are on a touchscreen - it would drive me nuts 😂😂
I totally agree with you! At the very least, I would like a speedometer in my line of sight with conventional indicator stalks and climate controls.
@@shaunbrierley5864 Don’t knock it till you try it…..all other cars seem stupid after driving a Tesla.
I agree with you but you will get used to it also there is a company that sells physical buttons to add to it
I'm 63 and bought myself a Tesla a year ago. Absolutely love it :D It's a pre facelift model 3, i'm planning to buy a new model 3 in 2 years but i'm gonna drive one first to feel how stalkless turn signals/wipers feel.
I'm 66 - got the Model 3 when I was 63. Took me 20 mins to master it (admittedly the one with stalks) and I'd been driving 4 years longer than you. My wife's slightly older - took her a couple of days (now I can't get the Model 3 off her). It's just not a problem. Sure a lot of stuff is on the screen. You set it up it's done. You want Spotify to play a particular track you tell it to by pressing the scroll wheel in on the steering wheel (or on the new Model 3 the microphone button). You want to change the temp on the aircon or open the glovebox you tell it to do that. Everything is available via voice control (including navigation) or on the steering wheel. I never touch the touch screen while driving. That would be stupid. Is it a perfect car? Nope. Is it an easy car to drive - absolutely. Drive one. Have a go instead of sitting on the sidelines going "Nah, I can't do that". Consider what you said - it'd be like saying "I've always used a Blackberry with a real keyboard, I'll never use a smartphone" (which is what a lot of people were saying in 2007.) Or riding a horse in the early 20th century saying "these new fangled horseless carraiges are way too complicated - they'll never catch on." And those early cars were a hell of a lot harder to drive than a Model 3.
2014 model S driver here, have had the phantom braking a few times, though it only applied for a second, not slowing down significantly. Features change, and there is no description in the software release notes, just "bug fixes" or some such vague thing. autopilot will also act odd on hilly roads / shadows from trees - not sure what the trigger is, but it'll veer out of the lane which is why I avoid those possible triggers.
In the USA, FSD is a full hands-off the wheel eyes-on-the-road system that works on city streets and highways, it handles roundabouts, stop signs, traffic lights, onramps etc.
I seriously considered buying an EV recently. One would have suited my transportation needs very well, as I mostly drive short distances in urban areas and can charge at home. However, none really got my juices flowing. Notwithstanding, I was close to settling on a Model 3 as it was the most interesting of a rather bland bunch, but I just couldn't live with that central screen and the fiddly-farty stuff. I like dials, switches and clicky things (yes, I'm no longer a young man). I eventually decided against an EV because I felt I would never be happy with my choice, so I sprang for a Mercedes-Benz CLA35 AMG and I am very happy with it. It's not perfect (no car is), but I know I made the right decision.
Dude, after a couple of weeks all the screen stuff goes away. The point is you get in and drive. Everything is automatic.
@@specialkcitizen6263 This is what my son says about driving his Tesla. But it's not for me. YMMV
I have owned and driven M3’s for about 5 years. Currently have the previous SR+ version to this one (with indicator stalk), and I think you have pretty well nailed it. Really enjoy it, flaws and all, charging is so simple and efficiency on 18in wheels is superb. We also have a LR MY, but I prefer driving the M3.
I had a Model 3 Performance for 1.5 years and really liked it for most of that time. I wanted an M3 Comp Xdrive but the dealer wanted 30k over MSRP so I went Tesla. After a while the car got very boring. I sold it and my Rivian R1T and got a new C8 Z06. It’s much less practical but it makes me smile.
That’s fine, but you forgot to mention the running costs with the Corvette lol.
AFAIK we don't have Rivian in Europe
I sat in a colleague's Model 3 while he bored me to tears telling me how good it was. But it is soul-less. I wouldn't have one if I was given one.
in the US, auto pilot is no longer an issue. until 2023, I used to have phantom braking. I havent had any phantom braking this year and I've driven 12k miles this year, mostly on autopilot
This. Just did a 1400 mile road trip with 12.5.6.3 and it handled the entire distance like a champ.
So until 2023, you almost died, but now you don't and that's not a problem?
it's better than it was 2 years ago but living in scotland it hates the narrower roads and pedestrians and weird junctions. phantom brakes all the time
I can confirm the same in switzerland. I have a model y for almost 3 years now. In the first year, i had around 3-5 phantom braking events. But they improoved alot and i have never had an event in the last 12 months. I primarily use autopilot on the highway though... Problem is, that you can never trust the car conpletely and always have to be ready to take over in order not to get rear ended...
I’ve had the older model 3 for the past 4 years and I’d say this was a very accurate review. My car only has the basic auto-pilot but I just won’t use it because of the terrifying phantom braking issue, when I did try it. I would say that the speedometer position and lack of a driver side screen really isn’t as bad as you think, you quickly get used to it and it isn’t an issue. Everything else about the central screen though is pretty useless as a right-handed older driver. The font is so small, I’d need to stop and put my reading glasses on to use it. The warnings that flash up are gone before I can stop do this. Trying to do anything, left handed, while driving, without reading glasses is impossible. Tesla seem to change things just because they can rather than making a car better.
I don't trust Tesla with toasters after cybertruck!
Your suggestion to remove the large screen and replace it by a little one so you can easily drive off is what other less smart manufacturers would do.
My phone is my car key. When I’m close to my car it unlocks, I just open the door, take a seat, tap and hold the brake and hit the drive stalk to drive and drive off.
With the car key? You tap the B-pillar just under the camera to unlock the car. Take a seat, place the car key on the middle console, tap and hold the brake …
For those looking for an on/off switch?
• The car is on the moment it unlocks.
Affraid the car might drive off accidentally?
• You need to put it in drive first
• Even if your in drive and you harshly tap the accelerator the car will prevent a collision
Affraid somebody might drive off with your car once the car is unlocked
• You can prevent that by only unlocking the driver’s door when unlocking the car (this is default by the way)
• You can set a PIN. The dialog to enter your PIN is displayed the moment you hit the brake pedal. Without the PIN the car won’t drive.
Affraid the car will roll away when you haven’t applied the parking brake?
• The car applies the brakes the moment you stop the car.
• Opening the driver’s door will ‘switch’-off the car automatically.
• No more problems driving up a slope.
I think he meant having a small sceen aswell as a big one not instead. Some people still like having the speedo in line sight of the road.
@@voivod6871 Volvo xc ev does !
Good balanced review. I'm a Tesla Model 3 Performance owner since 2019 and it's the best car we've ever owned. Agree with you points, it's not perfect, but no car is. We are a 2 car Tesla family now.
I've had this car (in that colour but with the 18inch wheels) for a few months now, and i love it. Its hard to fault it. I get 272 miles of range.
When an EV gives me at least the same mileage (or more) than my ICE vehicle, then I’ll move over. Waiting, Tesla.
@ba2724 How often to you drive 300+ miles in one day?
@@DanJHayes like never probably... They allways need 300 or more miles but in 99% of time they drive 30-50 miles a day. People are strange ;)
@@DanJHayes I have some good friends that now live about 350 miles away in a quite rural area. Yes, there are some charging stations along the way, but the one nearest to their house is about 40 miles from them. At their house, I could only use a granny charger on a long extension cord. Stopping every 150 miles or so and spending the better part of an hour to recharge would make that about an 8-hour drive. I would have to rent an ICE vehicle to visit them.
Another close friend (may she Rest in Peace now) lived about 100 miles from me. I used to visit her often. Most of that drive was through cornfields, with a conspicuous lack of charging infrastructure. (Hmmm, maybe with a coil on the roof I could pick up some energy from the high-voltage transmission lines overhead as I was driving.) At her place I would again be reduced to using a granny charger, but probably not even that since we would often be driving around while I was visiting. An EV could just about do it, though not comfortably in extremely hot or cold weather.
Yes, 95% or my driving is less than 50 miles in a day. An EV would be great for me as a second car. I need only one car.
@@DanJHayes Quite often. And it’s not just the driving in a single day, but the inconvenience of re-charging up to twice as often as compared to filling up with gas/diesel.
Probably the best car review I have ever viewed. 👍 Many thanks.
That's very kind, thankyou!
Very good review in my opinion. People have probably already reached out to you about the turn signals, but if not, Tesla is moving very rapidly towards full autonomy and you probably won't even have to use the steering wheel anymore in + or - two years. That Karaoke will be pretty good once you can do whatever you want while the car is driving itself. You'll probably wonder why they even put a steering wheel in the car :)
As a road user, I think that having to use multi-level menus on a screen is, frankly, f***ing dangerous.
I know they are cheaper to manufacture than dials, stalks and switches, but we really need legislation to prevent functionality when the car is actually moving.
Oh, and we need all cars to have indicator stalks too. That must surely be the most sensible option.
Great review though.
You dont use multi level menus when driving, everything ypu would require whilst driving is done simply using sma voice command, so hands stay on the wheel snd eyes stsy on the road...JM is ignorant to this fact due to lack of researching properly for his review.
Clearly not driven one. As the two buttons on the steering wheel are used for almost all driving tasks. Please DRIVE one for God sake before commenting.
I have a Tesla and I’ve NEVER touched the screen while driving. Why would I?
"I am Press" it's 2024, we are all "Press"
and tesla doesn't give a damn shit about press
Hey Jay, my wife and I both drive Teslas every day-I've got a pre-facelift Model 3 Performance (stealth variant), and she's got a facelifted Model Y. So far, no issues with the cars or Tesla, but maybe that's because we haven't needed to contact them since buying them. I'm a bit of a petrolhead, having owned tons of hot hatches over the last 10 years, and switching to EVs was easier than I thought. We've got a home charger, so the running costs are awesome; my M3P costs about £5 for 250 miles this winter! No servicing is a huge bonus too. Long trips are easy with the Supercharger network - the satnav handles everything.
Full self-driving's still pretty new in the UK and from what I get, it's not great.
All used Teslas come with Enhanced Autopilot for free.
Mine has it and it works really well on the motorway. It'll change lanes if you indicate, and it'll even exit at motorway junctions if your destination's in the satnav. Hope this helps! P.S. Love your channel and watch it all the time.
A 2009 Boxster 987 is my daily driver. It puts a smile on my face whether driving in traffic listening to the superb stereo system, or thrashing it around twist back roads in the wet. It doesn't have lots of electronic gadgets and 'safety' systems, and it is simply me and the machine working together to get from A to B as safely and quickly as possible. I don't think the current breed of electrical appliances would be right for me, especially the Tesla.
I've 3.4 987S and I daily Model 3 Performance. If i want to cruise slowly I take the 987 out as it is an incredible slow car I comparison. If I want to drive aggressively, overtake or race people (which you shouldn't) Tesla is the one. It is a rocket ship.
I've got a Boxster and my Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor AWD (with Acceleration Boost) is faster in all conditions, even though it doesn't feel like it due the seat of the pants nature of the Porsche. Try one, you might be pleasantly surprised.
@@huwjones5879 Another Welshman here- have the exact same Tesla and a sorted 2ZZ mk3 MR2. One's a toy, the other's a missile which can nearly drive itself. Same acceleration rush as a fairly quick motorcycle just less likely to die as the traction control is so effective. Over 80,000 miles so far and still look back at it after a drive.
I have a 986. The last of the analogue cars. I also have a Tesla LR AWD. They are polar opposites and if you understand each in the way they were designed and meant to be used, they both are entertaining and great cars to drive. Don't ask them to do things out of their wheelhouse and all is well.
@boristabacsplatt6609 queer hairdresser?... who's salon is on the decline since 2009?
What hapen on -30C if you stack on the road with some magor acsident for min.8 hr. How long car heating desin to work bifore you friz to death
I have to admit that I am biased Against modern Tesla's - I Don't want a glass roof, I Do want physical switches. Worse though is appears that other motor vehicle manufacturers are trying to emulate the "good" parts of this car - like the glass roof and no physical switches (see the debacle of Audi's user interface in higher end cars and VW, well forget that ). The programming that underlies all this is the real problem - the things you described are like Microsoft Windows 3.1 (half baked, just because ). And NO CAR should stop on it's own to avoid an overhead bridge, EVER. As with most modern cars, there is so much stuff embedded in layers on that screen that you'll likely never use - it's more like a game and a game should not be out on the road, humans are bad enough at driving !
Got my Tesla Model 3 10 days ago. I love the car for how it drives, reminds me of a BMW 3 series when they were fun.
Totals agree with you on the indicator situation, totally hate it. Will try the Enhauto stalks when they come out.
Also, it seems to me that you get a reasonable amount of hate for driving a Tesla in Germany these days. A lot of people hate because you bought a car made my Elon and others hate for driving an electric car. I have owned Audis, VWs, Mercs and Porsches so far but never encountered so many aggressive reaction towards a car of mine while driving.
22:40 Tesla customer service in my experience is appalling. For example, mine (Model X) was in for a service and was handed back to me with the battery practically dead (so I had to sit and charge it at the dealership before heading home). Another time it was handed back to me while still in Service mode. And yet another time they hadn’t fitted a new tyre correctly so it dis-inflated as I was driving away. I could go on…
a tyre went flat because it wasn't fitted properly? i call bs. but yest service sucks balls.
Can happen easily - if the bead seal is not correctly applied. I've had it happen.
The vehicle should automatically come out of ‘service mode’ when the technician finishes the work, but occasionally it doesn’t. It’s really not an issue, you just press ‘exit service mode’ on the screen, and voila, it exits service mode.
I’ve had fantastic service. Far better than the local bmw or Merc service. Anything that’s needed is done. Even damage to the front bumper paintwork. Which I have no idea how it occurred. Prob another car hitting it in a car park. But Tesla resprayed the bumper for free. Picked up and delivered back at the time I ask.
My neighbor had a brand new model-X. And I was finding enough courage to ask him to take me along for a spin.
A fortnight ago I noticed I didn’t see it anymore, but a BYD instead. Also something with Tesla’s non-service.