Tesla Model 3 Long Range: Computer On Wheels
When I say I’ve driven a computer on four wheels most of you will know what brand I’m talking about. Yes! Tesla. They probably have the most innovative EVs on the whole market and definitely when it comes to autonomous driving. I got the chance to drive the Model 3 Longe Range and believe me when I say it was an eyeopener compared to other cars in the same price range. I was thrilled to take the Model 3 home for a week and it was really surprising!
Can you steal the show with its looks?
Probably not. Wow! You hurt my feelings! To be clear, I’m not saying it’s an ugly car but Tesla is known for its plain and simple, yet classy look and The Model 3 is a perfect example of that. It’s not very striking but that’s okay, it wasn't designed or needs to be striking. The Model 3 is not the “type of car” for people to turn their heads while passing by even though fans will definitely do! Although the Model 3 looks really amazing with sunsets!
Something cool is that the door handles don’t stick out, sadly they don’t pop out like the ones on the Model S when unlocking the car. It looks cool but it takes a couple of times to find a practical way to open them, especially when you’re as clumsy as I am. But once you get the hang of it, it’s really great.
BTW, you don’t even need a key anymore. To open the car you just need the Tesla app on your phone, the car will detect when you’re nearby and unlock the car for you, when you leave, it will lock automatically. If you still prefer to use a “key”, that’s not a problem at all. The car comes with a key that looks like a bank card, you just have to swipe it onto the door.
What I really like is the front perspective of the Model 3, it’s up to you if you agree with my opinion or not but I think the front view is very beautiful and clean. The full glass roof gives it something extra and makes the car seem more luxurious. But when it comes down to the rear of the car, I would definitely say I’m not a big fan. I don’t know why, maybe it’s the lights or just the design of the trunk, I don’t know and I just don’t have a connection with it.
Let’s check the inside!
Something that immediately catches your eye on the inside, because it’s the only thing that’s present (except the steering wheel of course), is the 15-inch touch screen. This is the brain of the car, the place to control everything. You can control every single function with this screen, from the heating to playing music, from the wipers to the sound of your horn, from Netflix to open the trunk and I can continue endlessly. The interface is pretty easy to use and works SO smooth! Hallelujah for this Infotainment system! After working with this system for a while I even feel more frustrated when working with infotainment systems from other brands. Tesla did a great job with the software and the speed of it. I’m really in love with how everything works (I can’t stress that enough).
Although the car looks very empty and simple inside, it’s very practical and spacious. You have a lot of compartments where you can get rid of the usual stuff you’re carrying all day long without making the car look messy. The huge panoramic roof makes it even more spacious!
You also won’t find 50 buttons or switches which keeps it extra tidy. Only on the steering wheel you’ll find 2 little buttons and that’s it, easy to use and they’re used for everything that’s adjustable. If you want your mirrors to be higher or lower, you go through settings to select the mirrors and adjust them with the buttons on the steering wheel.
Functionality & Cool Tech stuff
I’ve talked earlier about the infotainment system but it gives you a lot more than just settings. If you’re charging, for example, you can watch a movie on Netflix or Disney Plus, read some reviews on Car Journalism or even play a game. I’ve played a little racing game while waiting and it was so funny because you use the steering wheel to steer in the game. Oh a little thing about the horn, you can play custom sounds or use it as a megaphone as well. Amazing to scare the heck out of people!
Tesla has also built an amazing app which works as smoothly as the infotainment system. With the Tesla app, you can control almost everything, lock & unlock the car from wherever you are, control the temperature, live view and statistics of the car. You can even open the charging port with the app.
When it comes down to lighten up the dark and creepy road in front of you I have to say that the lights aren’t as sophisticated as they are with some other cars. They aren’t extremely bright and the adaptive headlight system works quite “simple”. On many other cars I’ve driven in the past, the headlights have small rays that can be turned on and off individually to light or un-light small areas in front. On the Tesla Model 3, the whole light dims. For a high-tech car, this isn't as sophisticated as I expected it to be but overall they do what they are built for and you’re not driving completely blind.
Okay, but it’s still a car, not a geek toy! How does it drive?
Driving a Tesla is something that’s not comparable to something else. With its 441hp this car drives very smoothly and sporty. I finally got used to driving with the one pedal mode and it’s so much more comfortable than constantly switching between two pedals. The one pedal mode on this car is one of the best compared to other cars I’ve tested.
But it’s not the normal driving that makes it so special, it’s mostly the FSD (Full Self-Driving). This makes it possible to let the car drive on “autopilot”. In Europe, it’s less advanced than in the USA but it works, and it works pretty well. The FSD works between 30 km/h and a maximum of 150 km/h. It has a few nice features like switching lanes for you, proposing to switch to faster lanes, and even taking an exit for you when you’re driving on navigation. When you come near a red light, the Model 3 stops automatically if you’re driving on adaptive cruise control or FSD. For people like me who are distracted very easily, the car gives you a little signal when the lights turn green. FSD felt so weird at first but I got used to it so fast and I wanted to use it every time I had the chance.
I can say I’ve tested the Model 3 quite well because I drove about 700km in 6 days. So that means I have tested the range as I should. This one was the long-range version with a 602km (WLTP) range and to be honest, the actual range is very close to what Tesla says.
Theoretically, A Tesla can charge up to 250kW/h at a V3 Supercharger, the newest and fastest variant with a single cable (CCS). From my own experience, I only got the chance to charge at 130kW/h which means that it will take, give or take, 45 minutes to fully charge.
It can be annoying to arrive at a charging station where all the places are taken by Teslas that have already been charged. To create a better experience, there’s an idle fee to increase the availability of the Supercharger. The app notifies you when the vehicle is almost charged and notifies you again when fully charged. An idle fee will be charged for each additional minute a car stays connected to the Supercharger. If the car is moved within five minutes, the fee will be waived. Idle fees only apply when a Supercharger station is at least 50% occupied. Idle fees are doubled when the station is 100% occupied. So keep this in mind!
The perfect EV for nerds?
Overall, the Tesla Model 3 long range is a great EV that has everything you need when you’re on the road. With its price starting from €61.990(BE) It’s not a cheap choice of course but considering what you get, it’s worth your money. The value for money is really okay with this car. It’s one of the most user-friendly cars I’ve driven so far and I would’ve taken it home to keep it for myself if Tesla allowed me to. Sadly I had to give it back. But you’ll be able to read our next review on the Mode Y soon!
