Fortunately, Tesla is not only about apps and data, but also about driving. The Tesla 3 is a really nice driving machine.
Raw driving experience
Electric motors deliver full torque at once. If you are a little heavy on the gas from the start, it is easy to get wheelspin. Not with the Tesla. It grabs spontaneously with both pairs of wheels and sends us rocketing forward. The computers on board redistribute the power in 1/10th of a second when needed. The center of gravity is very low and the weight distribution is perfect. "My" Tesla 3 Long Range is an early 2019 model with two electric motors – 204 HP front and 258 HP rear – totaling 462 HP. Today's Long Range model produces 476 HP - and the Performance a whopping 490 HP. The torque on "my" car is a solid 639 Nm. It should be possible to accelerate from 0-100 in less than 5 seconds. You don't have to drive far to feel that the Tesla 3 with Dual Motor can challenge the laws of physics.
Data monitoring
If you rent - or borrow - a Tesla, be aware that the owner can monitor everything. If you want to try a Tesla, you should have a serious purpose - not just robbing around aimlessly and without meaning. It was my wife who reminded me of it.
"For the weekend you can hire a car, because then we will visit Grete and Einar."
A Sunday trip to Tønsberg is a great opportunity to try a Tesla Model 3. The car that many praise to the skies. Then the following threat appeared on the mobile:
"If you drive over 130 km/h, the car automatically sends a message to Tesla and to the owner..."
I have long had objections to renting a Tesla. Partly because someone can monitor us, and partly because of my own data anxiety. I like driving better than tinkering with computers. And what do you do, by the way, when the data doesn't work?
Range
I had charged the batteries so that we had 340 km at our disposal before we left. The trip Oslo-Tønsberg round trip is approximately 200 km. The winter range with Tesla's 75 Kwh battery should be approximately 400 km. WLTP is over 500 km. After driving and charging, the Tesla calculated a theoretical maximum range of 470 km based on our driving pattern on a mild January day.
E-pedal
Tesla does not advertise with that, but it has an e-pedal like the Nissan Leaf and the BMW i3. You accelerate and brake with the same pedal. The computer reads the movements well. When you let off the gas careful, slows it down careful. If something comes up that makes you have to slow down more powerful, you lift the accelerator suddenly, - and then the car stops nicely by itself - at the same time as the consumption indicator lights up green. Win-win for traffic flow and consumption. The ordinary brakes were dosed well. Let me also mention the nice steering feel. It can of course be adjusted on the screen. "My" steering was somewhat sporty - but the steering resistance was far from constant and dead. I also liked the thick steering wheel.
The user interface of the future
Tesla 3 owners with a mobile phone and app only need to touch the door handle, and it unlocks and adjusts the seat, steering wheel and mirrors. The owner gets in, puts his foot on the brake and the gear lever in "Drive" - and sets off. I have seen that Volkswagen's new ID.3 should provide similar experiences. We are talking about the user interface of the future. On the way out towards Asker, we both sit and try to figure out how to switch on the radio. With my nose up at the screen, I feel that the steering wheel vibrates as we touch the edge. The central 15-inch screen takes some getting used to, especially when it also covers the most common buttons on the dashboard.
Over the plains
Could you imagine a Tesla?
I answer like that er, that I feel helpless in a car I can't fix anything on. But the Tesla gave a great driving experience. So good that I took a small detour down Bispeveien (RV35) from Kronlia - then a turn from Revetal to my childhood village, Ramnes. I have heard that this is Norway's third largest plain. In my childhood, I often crossed the plain on a bicycle, skis or kicks. Today, the distances seem shorter. I made a short stop to take some pictures. We are at the end of January and the fields have already got green shoots. A few decades ago, you would have seen a skinny, snotty boy kicking away on sparkling winter fields.
Back to the purpose
The detour over Heianveien had not gone down well with my beloved. We were 20 minutes late for lunch in Tønsberg, which was really the purpose of the trip. I silently thought that someone might be watching us with a hidden camera and wondering why the entourage had stopped in the middle of a field in the middle of nowhere. Just to look at the "gender", like? “Hey Bill, look! What's that guy from Norway doing?»
Not like other cars
Elon Musk realized early on that it was necessary to build up his own infrastructure around the cars, in the form of charging stations, cars that themselves communicate with the headquarters, apps and the like. It is only when the Teslas come into contact with other systems that things can go wrong. For example, if you fast charge at other charging stations. After charging has been completed in the prescribed manner, the Tesla may refuse you to remove the charging cable from the car. My son - who has driven a lot of Teslas - says that one of the charging companies said that this was a common Tesla problem. "Put the red emergency stop button on the pump hard, and the cable will release!" I found out that there is a secret rubber strap inside the padding in the trunk. With the middle finger, you can pry it forward - and voilà, the contact is released. I love low-tech solutions, but for uninitiated Tesla 3 owners such problems can ruin the day.
No stop button
When I had to return the car via the app to the car-sharing service Hyre.no, I received an error message that I could not return the car while the engine was running. On the Tesla 3, you don't switch off the engine. You put the car in "Park", get out and lock the car. The rental app therefore did not let me end the rental relationship until the immobilizer turned on a quarter of an hour later. This is not Tesla's fault, but a discrepancy between Tesla and the real world. Separate buttons for the handbrake and engine on/off are by no means necessary in 2020, but many expect such buttons to be in place.
Place
With a length of 4,69, the Tesla is the size of the Audi A4 and the BMW 3 series. You get the same impression behind the wheel as well. But the sitting comfort in the back seat is far from satisfactory for long-legged adults. It seems surprisingly cramped compared to the space you actually have, and I wonder if it might have something to do with how the seats are designed. The rear seat seems to have too low and flat a seat cushion, - and the seat backs on the front seats could perhaps have had a different, more space-efficient design. There is plenty of space in front, and you sit comfortably - that is, jeg sat very well, but my wife thought the seats were too hard in the stop.
Luggage compartment
The luggage compartment is divided into two, one at the back and one small compartment at the front - in what Tesla owners call the "frunken"? In total, there are 425 liters - 340 liters at the back and 85 at the front. The rear seats can be folded down (in 2 parts) so you can load through. The biggest limitation is the low height of the luggage compartment. On my way to drive my son to the train this morning, I discovered that there is only room for one regular suitcase.
Security
The Tesla Model 3 gets very good results both in tests carried out by Euro NCAP and the American IIHS. NCAP scores the Tesla as one of the best for 2019, along with the new BMW 3 series. The biggest demonstrated weakness is lateral collisions with posts. Then the driver suffers damage to the ribs corresponding to the level Marginal. Other tests are top class. In the safety assessment, I would also like to mention the digital 4-wheel system of the Dual Motor models. This is active safety at its best, as long as you don't get too cocky. I haven't had the chance to test it under demanding conditions, but I think it has to be the best 4-wheel drive system out there - perhaps better than Audi's original Quattro system. Last weekend we drove on a back road with almost blank ice and storm water. Would love to have the Tesla da.
NCAP Report 2019 Tesla Model 3
IIHS Test Report 2020 Tesla Model 3
Conclusion
The main reason for me to choose the Tesla 3 is the raw driving characteristics. For the same price as a good family car, you get a car that can compete with sports cars that "fart" between gear changes. The Tesla doesn't make noise and it doesn't smoke, and best of all – you can charge a full tank for a hundred on your own wall charger. The world's best range (with 75 Kwh) is reason number 2. With this car, you can get all the way to the cabin without charging en route.
Tesla is not like other cars and can present technical challenges in daily use - incidents that I experienced during my weekend. Fortunately, most of the challenges are well described on YouTube.
Everything is on the smartphone.
Facts about the Tesla Model 3 LR Dual Motor
Weights and Measures
Length, width, height: 469 / 185 / 144 cm
Wheelbase: 287 cm
Net weight: 1856 kg (without driver)
Max trailer weight with brakes: 910 kg
Boot: 425 liters (340 rear and 85 front)
Cw: 0,21
Drivetrain
Cars manufactured before March 2019: Electric motor 204 HP (front) + electric motor 258 HP (rear) = 462 HP (total)
Cars manufactured by March 2019: 476 HP (Long Range), 490 HP (Performance)
Performances (cars manufactured after March 2019)
Range (WLTP): 560 km (Long Range), 530 km (Performance)
Top speed: 233 km/h (Longe Range), 261 km/h (Performance)
0-100: 4,6 seconds (Long Range), 3,4 km/h (Performance)
charging
Tesla Supercharger (150 Kw, CCS): 45-60 minutes
11 KW (Type 2): approx. 7 hours
Concrete charging examples:
Quick charger 50 Kw (CCS) from 50% to 74% capacity corresponding to 27 Kwh: 48 minutes
Indoor wall charger 7,4 Kw (Type 2) from 26% to 90% capacity: 5 hours
Tires
Dimension: 235/40R19 96T
Type: Studless winter tires
Brand: Nokian Hakkapelitta R3 XL
Price and equipment
Base price: NOK 459 (Long Range), NOK 900 (Performance)
Lacquer supplement (Deep Blue): NOK 8
19″ sports rims: NOK 13
Towbar: NOK 8 (not on the mentioned car)
White interior: NOK 8
Autopilot: NOK 50
About the car
Owner: Private
Rented via the app Hyre.no
Model: 2019
Km driven: 227
Sources: tesla.com, vegvesen.no, elbilforeningen.no
See
Stian's Tesla filmed everything that happened for six hours outside of work
I wonder what I won't bring with me. Daily drives my 320d GT 2014. Is this a superb car when it comes to handling and precise steering feel? The thing is that I have test driven both the model S and the Tesla 3 and with the exception of the acceleration which is incredible, I find these cars much worse to drive than my 7 year old BMW. Especially when it comes to precise steering feel etc. All the tests and reviews I read emphasize the Teslas as being almost sports cars in connection with steering feel and driving characteristics. Thinking of switching to ev, but so far I'm dreading leaving my old car to get into some of the ones I've test driven so far. I also think we should think twice before investing in a Chinese car. Not only because of violations of human and animal rights, which mean a lot to me, but which I am directly planed down in any forum if I try to mention. But. Having lived in the Philippines and followed a lot, I am sincerely afraid that we are facing a country that is becoming so assertive that we could quickly end up with a breach of Western democracies with the challenges this might mean for the who sit with Chinese cars. One thing I also don't understand is that ev is always referred to as having an automatic transmission. They haven't, have they? I only know of a couple of high end electric cars that have two-speed automatic transmissions. All the others have electronically operated manual transmissions. The fact that they run on the same ratio at all speeds only means that the torque curve on a DC motor is naturally so favorable that maximum torque is at 0rpm. Electronic control compensates and adapts the AC motors' torque to fit ideally in a possible In both cases, the cars go smoothly from 0-top speed on the same gear. Just as an electric locomotive has always done. The gearbox is manual, but you do not operate it while driving. It only stands in the same exchange, its one gives all the time. Neither neutral nor reverse is necessary for this to be regulated easily electronically. Some even say that electric cars have no gears! Guess they think that gear is when you change gears. It is not. Gear means cogwheel. An ev stays in a single gear all the time (There are possibly evs that have neutral and reverse in the gearbox) as if a car with an internal combustion engine was stuck in 1st and had a speed range from 0-50 fex. Surely no one would say that this one had an automatic transmission? A big thank you to Terje for bringing current and exciting car news to us ordinary people.
10 EVs With The Longest Driving Range | 2022!
https://youtu.be/jQAuYwKCYy8