326 real car owners, 16 questions, 5 dialogues, take you to understand Model 3 in the eyes of car owners.

Some say it’s a combination of technology and aesthetics;

others say it’s as crude as a blank room.

Some say the cost per kilometer is less than 1 cent;

others say it depreciates by $10 per kilometer driven.

Some say it has no range anxiety at all;

others say it’s just a toy for the rich.

It is the Tesla Model 3.

A controversial pure electric intelligent vehicle.

As we were putting together this article, the Model 3 had another eagerly awaited price adjustment today. Except for the domestically produced standard range upgrade version, all had different price reductions, as shown in the figure below.

In fact, for most new models on the market, the initial discounts are small and then gradually increase, and Tesla is just one of them. It’s just that there’s a layer of dealerships (4S stores) between other manufacturers and car owners, so there are rarely official price reductions.

However, whether the current price is worth buying or not is not the focus of this issue, because this is not a review experience, not a delivery report, and not a Model 3 buying guide.

This is a real feedback from hundreds of Model 3 owners, objectively taking you to understand what the Model 3 is really like, without exaggerating or hiding anything.

Range and Energy Consumption

The Model 3 Long Range edition has a battery capacity of 75 kWh. According to the votes we received from certified owners, nearly 80% of them have consumed energy between 12 kWh/100 km and 16 kWh/100 km. In other words, the daily driving range of the Model 3 Long Range edition is around 500 km when fully charged.

However, electric vehicles usually leave some margin for daily driving, using only between 10% and 90% of the battery capacity. The reasons are as follows:

For daily driving, there is always a small amount of battery left to prevent running out of power.
Charging more than 90% is very slow, and full charging is not conducive to battery life.However, even so, the Model 3 still has a range of around 400 km.

If there is no private charging station at home, based on the daily round-trip commute of 50 km, it will only need to be charged once a week. Due to the fast charging speed of Tesla Supercharger, it takes only about 45 minutes to charge from 10% to 90%.

Of course, 40 minutes of charging time is still much slower compared to 5 minutes of refueling, but many Superchargers are located in shopping centers or popular business districts. Therefore, in actual use, sometimes people charge their cars while shopping.

Moreover, according to the poll of the owners, the Model 3 almost does not have range anxiety issues when used in cities, but nearly 2/3 of the owners think that there will be range anxiety when traveling long distances.

First show the long-range driving range at high speeds.

Due to the fact that the majority of Model 3 deliveries took place after March of this year, there hasn’t been a winter experience of the Model 3 in China yet. Therefore, the high-speed range in winter can only be investigated next year.

Regarding the high-speed range in summer, 79% of the owners reported that the driving range is around 500 km. However, most friends usually drive on a combination of highways and city roads.

According to the above view, if running at a constant speed of 120 km/h, the Model 3 should have a range of around 450 km at full charge at high speeds, which is actually long enough.

But as we all know, the biggest inconvenience for electric cars during long-distance travel is recharging. So, for a long-range car like the Model 3, is it convenient for owners to travel long distances in actual use?

About 54% of the owners think that it’s convenient to drive the Model 3 on long trips, and the difference from gasoline cars is not significant. However, one viewpoint is too real and cannot be refuted at all ↓↓↓Even for a car such as the Model 3 with a long range, planning the route is still necessary for out-of-town travel. However, this is still limited to developed areas in the east. Whether it is Tesla’s supercharging network or the layout of charging stations from other brands, they are relatively complete. Once you go to the western or less convenient charging areas, the disadvantages of electric cars become apparent.

Quality and workmanship

I believe you have seen criticisms online about the workmanship of the Model 3. However, let’s take a look at the picture first.

Alright, I take back what I wanted to say. Feel free to criticize it! Of course, you must be wondering why people still want to buy the Model 3 despite knowing its poor workmanship. The truth will be revealed in the following interviews with owners.

Exterior and interior

Many people describe the Model 3 as having the space of a 200,000 RMB car, the interior of a 100,000 RMB car, and the appearance of a 500,000 RMB car.

I think you guys are a bit too harsh! How can you say that the Model 3 has an interior worth 100,000 RMB? Model 3 has an interior???

However, for the owners, most of them really like this interior design style. Many have also shared their views on this interior.

Indeed, for literary enthusiasts, minimalism plus technology is hard to resist.

Why did this owner buy a Model 3??? But please remember this owner, they will appear in the later interview.

If we look at it from the perspective of traditional interior design, the Model 3 indeed has no interior. But it is just a different style, taking subtraction to the extreme. Although it is not luxurious, it is not cheap either. Of course, whether you like it or not depends entirely on your personal taste.

Is the back seat comfort unbearable to look at?

From the reviews online, it seems that many people have been discouraged by the less-than-satisfactory rear seating in the Model 3, especially considering its price point of over 400,000 yuan as a family sedan. However, after personally experiencing the Model 3, I don’t entirely agree with these comments. Comfort is subjective and varies from person to person, and different heights and weights will produce different sensations. Let’s take a look at how owners have evaluated the Model 3’s rear seating.

From the poll results, it can be seen that only 10% of car owners actually think that the rear seating is not good in the Model 3. Some may argue that this is just survivorship bias, and that most people who have bought the car probably think it’s fine.

However, one friend’s evaluation of the Model 3 was still quite objective.

Of course, space is not the Model 3’s strong suit, but it’s not as bad as the online reviews would suggest. However, if you happen to be someone who is soft and overweight, then I didn’t say anything…

I believe many friends saw a well-known car blogger’s criticism of the Model 3 air conditioning on Weibo↓↓↓

Now that summer has arrived for some time, from the perspective of our Model 3 owners’ group, no one has yet complained about the air conditioning system. However, just to be sure, we conducted a survey.

The results are quite clear, with only a handful of people feeling that Model 3’s air conditioning system is not up to par.# One car owner who selected air conditioning complained about it in the opinion section.

The culprit is actually the panoramic roof.

We then investigated “Do you think Model 3’s roof is exposed to sun?”

From the poll, we can see that 44% of car owners at least feel a little bit exposed.

Although the panoramic roof offers a good view and head space, it is an undeniable fact that its heat insulation effect is worse than that of a normal roof. This problem has led to a series of discussions among car owners, who have also contributed their own anti-sun small techniques.

Cold wind comes out of the air outlet and hits the face, while hot air penetrates the skin from the top glass—the two clash with each other… It’s like a martial arts novel if you didn’t know better.

Let me summarize the solutions to this issue:

Apply a heat-insulating glass film to the panoramic roof.
Install a sunshade on the panoramic roof (you can easily find one on some e-commerce platforms).
Direct the air conditioning upwards.
Sit lower and keep a certain distance from the panoramic roof.
Wear a hat…

Driving Experience

Compared with manufacturing issues, many people may not know about the NVH performance of Model 3. Only 14% of car owners think Model 3’s NVH performance is acceptable. It has to be said that the performance of Model 3 in this regard is not very good.

Fortunately, the audio effect of Model 3 is acceptable. As long as the volume is turned up a bit, the noise issue can be easily ignored.

However, if you just want to drive quietly on the highway, how about trying the sound insulation of the vehicle?

The workmanship of the car with poor quality is prone to noise problems, so we also investigated the issue of noise.

Fortunately, only 23% (17% + 6%) of car owners can often feel this noise. Moreover, the polarization is quite obvious, some have never felt it, and some have already repaired it…

Therefore, for the problem of noise, we can only say that it depends on fate.

Power and handling seem to be the only points where there is no controversy about Model 3. Almost all aspects, such as absolute power, power output characteristics, and handling are highly praised, so I won’t waste your time.

In short, Model 3 is awesome! No objections will be accepted…

Intelligence

As mentioned in the interior design earlier, Model 3 has taken subtraction to the extreme, to the point where even the dashboard has been removed.

Many people may feel that it is inconvenient and dangerous not to see speed and other information when driving this car. However, actual car owners don’t seem to agree much on this issue.

85% of car owners feel completely comfortable and natural, without feeling any discomfort.

Let’s take a look at the opinions of one car owner’s friend:

Indeed, as the friend above said, whether it is looking at the dashboard below the field of vision or the left side of the center console screen, you still have to glance at it, but why does it feel different when it is aligned in a different direction…

So the lack of a dashboard in Model 3 is not a problem at all. Just adapt to it. The only drawback is why not add a HUD.

Not only there is no dashboard, but Model 3 also has almost no physical buttons, relying on the central control screen to operate and control vehicle-related settings. This issue has been discussed since the birth of Tesla Model S. I don’t want to use Nokia VS Apple as an example, after all, cars are not phones. Let’s see how car owners feel about this in-car system?

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80% of car owners find it very convenient to use, but only 6% feel a bit uncomfortable. However, Tesla’s voice function is indeed inferior to many domestic competitors, and there is still room for improvement.

Of course, some people may have experienced some other models of central control screens which dealt with stutters, unclear menu logic, resulting in a very bad user experience, so they think that all large-screen car interaction is rubbish.

Tesla↓↓↓

Although everyone is quite satisfied with this car operating system, it is still a small operating system after all. If the computer is tired, it must take a rest, so the problem of system crash does exist.

However, when Model 3’s system will crash is still a mystery. No matter what system version, there will always be bugs that cause the system to crash.

From the voting results above, only 3 car owners have not encountered the problem of black screen. To this, I just want to say, you 3 people don’t be too happy, justice will not be absent, it’s just occasionally late…

Fortunately, the central control system crash does not affect driving functions, but it needs to be restarted in the short term. However, Model 3 has updated so many versions of the system, and this problem has never been completely solved.

Many geek car owners joked that Tesla has been solving the problem of system crash, but every time a new version comes out, there are new bugs. So, although Model 3 has been crashing, the reason for the crash may have been evolving all the time.

I think what they said makes sense. To describe it in a proverbial way, “add more water when there is more dough, add more dough when there is more water.”

Comprehensive Evaluation

First, let’s take a look at the areas where car owners are dissatisfied with Model 3 after delivery?

The top three are NVH (61%), changes in sales strategy (51%), and workmanship and quality issues (43%).To be honest, I’m not surprised that these three items are the top three in ranking, but I’m surprised by the order…never expected that workmanship and quality problems would only rank third.

But what’s more interesting is one of the opinions in the poll:

This is definitely a plastic fan. I thought you were going to return the car, just by looking at the first half.

Next, let’s take a look. As a Model 3 owner, would you recommend this car to people around you?

Why ask this? Because only truly good products dare to recommend to friends.

Among the 73 certified owners, only 10 owners would not recommend their friends to buy. The result is obvious, at least in the minds of the owners, Model 3 is a good car.

So the question is, why does Model 3 have so many small problems, yet still get high praise from owners?

I suddenly thought of a love confession: You have many shortcomings, just like the stars, but your advantages are like the sun, there is only one, but when the sun comes out, all the stars disappear.

I think this is the best explanation for Model 3’s pros and cons.

By the way, I guess you must be wondering why there is no section on Autopilot (driver assistance). Due to limited space, the next article will introduce you to it.

This time we interviewed 5 friends in the community, including 4 owners and 1 who accidentally test drove a Model 3.

Among them, there are dual Tesla owners, digital enthusiasts who have no home charging and have the only vehicle at home, and traditional performance car fans.

xzj: The car owner who strongly criticized the workmanship and interior of Model 3 in the previous article. So we want to see if he regrets it?

Q: How many cars do you have at home now?

A: 1.Q: Why did you buy a Model 3?

A: This is actually a big question:

I’m a fan of Elon Musk, but not to the point of being a fanatic.
I’ve always been interested in electronic and electric things, and I work in a related industry.
Tesla’s product strength is so great that there will be no real competitors for a long time in the future.
The brand and the status of owning a Tesla are worth more than 400,000 yuan.
The driving experience is amazing – quietly smooth and fast.
It comes with a green license plate, Full Self-Driving package, reduced fuel costs, and easy maintenance.

So, I can’t find any reasons not to buy it.

Q: What are you satisfied with about the car?

A: There are a lot of things:

The operating logic is very simple. You just open the door, get in the car, shift to drive, and go. In contrast, with a gasoline-powered car, you have to use the key to open the door (and remember to carry it all day, and differentiate the buttons on the key), start the car (you need to find the keyhole and insert it), warm it up (wait two or three minutes for the engine speed to slow down), release the handbrake (make sure it’s all the way off), shift to drive (don’t get it wrong), and accelerate… Then, there are as many steps in reverse…
The acceleration is fast, especially 0-50, which isn’t just fast, it’s lightning fast, and very linear. There are no engine shifts or roaring, and every time you pass by a luxury car, you can quietly say to yourself, ‘I’m just watching you show off.’
The chassis is incredibly stable, the steering is precise, and the accelerator pedal is well-tuned.
It charges quickly and has a long range.
With over-the-air updates, you can always look forward to driving a new car. Although there are still many issues with Autopilot or Full Self-Driving (FSD), it can allow you to experience the most advanced technology in the field of autonomous driving as soon as possible.

Q: What are you not satisfied with about the car?

A: There are a lot of things:

The workmanship is a bit rough (I can only bear it).
The NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) is not very good (but I can add soundproofing strips myself).
There is no privacy glass (I can add film).
The interior decoration is not up to par (I can decorate it myself).
In addition, it does not have ventilated seats, independent rear air conditioning, or an electric tailgate. These items are a bit difficult to retrofit, as they involve electrical engineering and app integration, and there is no perfect modification solution at present.

Q: How would you evaluate this car?

A: It’s still a great car…

Actually, it’s a very contradictory question. The company’s strengths are so strong that even if competitor dies, they still can’t catch up (there is no spare tire). However, its weaknesses are also very weak without any intention of improvement. Tesla is really like the mischievous top student in the class.Q： Would you recommend buying a Tesla to your friends?

A：Definitely

TONG: Factory owner, Model X and Model 3 owner

Q： Why did you buy a Model 3 even though you already have a Model X at home?

A： Basically, my wife is driving the Model X now. The old petrol car needs to be replaced, and I feel that electric cars are still better to drive. When considering to change the car, I had also considered the Model S. I saw pictures of the S and 3 online (later discovered that the S is much more atmospheric than the 3), and looked into the motor and battery of the Model 3, which are more advanced and new on the market. In the end, I chose the 3.

When buying a car for the first time, people may be concerned about the age of the hardware, but in fact, there is not much difference when driving it. If there are cheap inventory cars, such as a Model S priced around 500,000, I think it is also a good choice, after all, it is a higher level car, and it looks more advanced than the Model 3 when seen in person.

Q： What do you like about the Model 3?

A： I like the fast acceleration, good handling, and no exhaust emissions.

Q： What are you not satisfied with the Model 3?

A： I am not very satisfied with the after-sales service. The reception capacity is weak and I often need to make an appointment many days in advance. The waiting time for replacement parts is also long, and a very important point is that the car price is very unstable.

Q： What do you think of the workmanship of the Model 3?

A： It is normal. I don’t have any special feelings.

Q： Have you encountered any interesting or distressing situations after buying the car?

A： The interesting thing is that I have met many Tesla owners as friends, and the group is small, so there is a sense of recognition between each other.

The distressing thing is that when driving long distances, there is range anxiety, and I can’t go wherever I want. I need to consider the battery level, and when choosing a hotel, I need to check if there are charging piles nearby.

Q： Would you recommend your friends to buy a Model 3?

A： I have been recommending my friends to buy Tesla, not necessarily Model 3. I have also been recommending the S and X.

Hermione: A female Tesla fan’s confession

Q： Why did you buy the Model 3?A: I plan to buy my own car in 2017. My family has always been loyal customers of Mercedes, but the expensive maintenance and upkeep costs are well known, so it’s now only a backup plan.

However, I have noticed more and more Tesla cars appearing on the streets where I live. Later in 2017, I test drove a Model S with the advisor, experiencing the Model S’s 2.7 second acceleration and Autopilot driver assistance function.

When using Autopilot, I no longer need to press the accelerator or brake, I just lightly place my hand on the steering wheel, and the car follows the lane on its own. After this test drive, I was completely conquered by Tesla. However, the Model S far exceeded my budget, so I decided to wait for the Model 3.

Q: What attracts you to the Model 3?

Safety and performance

Safety is the primary factor when choosing a car for me. The Model 3 has received a five-star safety rating from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and watching related collision tests online has increased my confidence in purchasing it.

The rear-wheel-drive version’s 5.6 second acceleration performance is much better than similar gasoline-powered cars. Good human-machine interaction makes it more playable. The driver assistance system (which I call “worry-free driving on the highway”) effectively alleviates my fatigue during long-distance driving. Receiving OTA updates after purchase also increases my expectations. The ergonomic seats and first-principle button settings all add weight to my purchasing decision.

Eye-catching appearance

I like its sleek body lines, coupe styling, and minimalist interior design, which is quite avant-garde and unique compared to other cars.

Lower maintenance costs

I won’t explain this much because electricity is much cheaper.

Q: What do you think of the craftsmanship of the Model 3?

A: The workmanship is indeed a bit rough, with large seams and uneven paint. Tesla’s old car owners are particularly tolerant of this point. They initially summarized more than 30 bugs, which were slowly self-digested. Now even sometimes self-deprecating, saying that each Model 3 is unique-because the defects are different.

Q: What do you like or not like about the Model 3?

A: Let’s start with dislikes:

There are relatively few personalized options available, such as electric tailgate, seat ventilation, wireless charging, etc.
There’s still plenty of room for improvement in terms of software optimization. It’s not compatible with domestic software applications, such as navigation, social media, and music apps.
Automatic windshield wipers are not easy to use, the camera’s rain gauge integration is not functional, and the automatic gears are often not suitable and require manual adjustment.* Lack of the function of automatic window closing when leaving the car. Tesla is restrained by US laws and regulations in this aspect, but China doesn’t have related mandatory requirements. We are used to the convenience brought by the automatic window closing when leaving the car, and Tesla can do localization OTA.
Frequent black screen.
After-sales troubles (hell)

Short service time: Tesla service centers are not open on weekends, and there is no way to emergency repair cars.

Few car parts: If replacement parts are needed, the waiting time will be very long.

In order to better understand Tesla, I have joined many Tesla communities, which not only bring me more fresh updates but also become my “remote repair station”.

There are many aspects that I like, and Tesla is like a cup of good tea, which needs to be slowly tasted. The longer you use it, the more you can appreciate how good it is. Once you drive a Tesla, you really can’t go back.

Brother Dachen: A fan of traditional performance cars, here to share test drive report after accompanying a friend to test drive Model 3

Q: What are your impressions after trying Model 3?

A: Firstly, on the evaluation of Model 3, it can satisfy daily use and solve the problem of just demand. New energy is a trend of the future. Model 3 can basically meet daily household needs in terms of range and charging time. The rear-wheel drive long range version driven during the test drive had an actual range of around 500 km, which is sufficient for daily commuting.

Secondly, the sense of technology, the overall car system is easy and smooth to operate and without any inconvenience. Finally, the driving assistance system, personally speaking, I am relatively conservative. I will use it if AP is gifted, but if I have to pay for it, I won’t consider it for the moment. I won’t spend so much money to buy a configuration with low frequency of use.

Q: What is the difference between Model 3 and your current car?

A: Currently driving an ATS-L, the sense of space in both cars is similar and both belong to the not spacious but enough level. Because the rear floor of Model 3 is almost flat and there is a frunk, the space is slightly better than ATS-L.

In terms of driving, the acceleration of Model 3 is definitely stronger than that of most gasoline cars, but in terms of steering feel, the feedback of the steering wheel is not as good as ATS-L. In addition, the regenerative braking of Model 3, whether it is high or low, can be clearly felt when releasing the throttle, which requires an adaptation process.

Q: What are the strengths and weaknesses of Model 3 in your opinion?A: The biggest advantage is the sense of acceleration, which is fast enough to be enjoyable even on short test drives. The second point is the Tesla brand effect; while any vehicle can meet the basic needs of travel, a brand adds value and can satisfy users’ vanity at specific times.

Currently, the disadvantage seems to be the quality control issues. While I personally don’t think the overall assembly process of the Model 3 is that bad, there are indeed many negative comments about quality control on the internet, and the test drive cars do have strange noises on bumpy roads. I don’t think a test drive car with a few thousand kilometers on it should have such noises.

Q: Will you buy the Model 3 in the future?

A: I won’t consider buying a Model 3 for now due to the gasoline vehicle quota, because there are many other cars that I find more attractive in the same price range. I am currently considering the Audi S4 as my next car. However, I will consider the 2025 model of the Model 3 when gasoline vehicle emissions standards become more restricted in the future.

Chenhui: “Maybe I’m one of the few car owners who don’t have a charging station at home and the Model 3 is my only car.”

Furthermore, according to Chenhui himself, he got his driver’s license last year because he saw NIO and thought it looked very cool.

So, here’s the question.

Q: Why did you choose the Model 3 in the end?

A: I liked the design of the Model 3 from the outside to the inside. It used to be too expensive, but then it lowered the price a few times, and then I could afford it.

You make a very reasonable point, but NIO: ?????

Q: Since taking delivery, what happy or unhappy things have happened?

A: On the unhappy side, I didn’t expect the price to keep dropping… and there doesn’t seem to be any sign of it stopping.

As for the happy things, I’ve met many car enthusiasts, especially after the car review. I successfully referred three netizens through the referral program, and by the end of June, they had become happy EV owners. It was very pleasant.#### About the Detailed Driving Experience of Model 3 by Chenhui

Welcome to click on the “Report on 5594KM Model 3 Driving Experience with No Charging Pile at Home and Only One Car | 42Group” previously written by Chenhui, a classmate, which won’t let you down.

The above car owners have already talked a lot. In short, Model 3 is not a perfect car, it has some shortcomings, but its advantages are attractive enough. I may not recommend you to buy it right away.

However, I also want to speak my mind:

It may not be the car that suits you,

but it is definitely worth trying.

Ps. Welcome more car owners of other models to verify their vehicles in the 42 garage mini program and share their real driving experiences, so that more friends can understand what “it” is like in your mind.