Few car firms have had a bigger impact than Elon Musk’s Tesla. And with mainstream motor manufacturers now producing some decent electric car competition, there can be no denying the Californian company has shaken up the market.
I have just picked up the ‘affordable’ and attainable Tesla — a Model 3 Dual Motor Long Range All-Wheel Drive with a base price of £48,490, but costing £49,990 after the addition of £1,500 19in sports wheels.
Customer service was faultless — from the setting up of the drive to the hand-over. I was also sent some ‘how to’ video links to familiarise myself with the controls.
A delight to drive: Tesla’s powerful Model 3 Dual Motor Long Range
The minimalist interior has no traditional dashboard and only a smart-pad-like screen in the middle of the dash. It is through this the car’s functions are conducted.
Doing things differently and re-imagining the art of driving is all very well – but if you’ve spent decades mastering the ‘traditional’ car set-up you’ll need time and patience to adapt. It’s like mastering an Apple Mac after a lifetime on Windows PCs.
I know owners who are in seventh heaven with their Teslas – once they get totally familiar with it.
Its 82kWh battery promises a range of 360 miles. But part of Tesla’s genius has been to set up a network of more than 750 superchargers in 84 locations across the UK. I found the Model 3 a delight to drive with great presence and precise handling. And boy does it shift. My family saloon could accelerate from 0 to 60mph in 4.2 seconds, up to a top speed of 145mph.
The more powerful Performance AWD model (priced from £59,990) will cover 0-60mph in 3.1 seconds up to a top speed of 162mph and a range of 352 miles.
The entry level Standard Range Plus rear-wheel drive costs from £40,990 and covers 0-60mph in 5.3 seconds up to a top speed of 140mph with a range of 278 miles.
I tried ‘Autopilot’ mode — my hands lightly on the steering wheel as the car cornered by itself. But I’m not sure I’d let go at speed. There was plenty of room for passengers in the back, plus storage in the front trunk.
However, the smart screen settings can be a faff. Yes, they’re explained in the ‘how to’ videos. But you can’t watch them when you’re in traffic. Plus the Tesla voice control responds only to U.S. English — they’re still working on ‘British English’.
On a motorway during a monsoon downpour I wanted to increase the speed of the windscreen wipers. Look left to the screen, search for icon, press icon, adjust setting On a motorway? Forget it. Too distracting in the deluge. I thought I’d be clever and try voice control. I press the voice command button on the steering wheel and say: ‘Wipers fast’. It switched the wipers off altogether.
Thankfully, pressing the one-wipe button on the left stalk kept it going long enough for me to pull in and sort safely (it also causes the wiper-adjust icon to pop up on the screen I belatedly discovered). But it was hairy.
My biggest criticism is the absence of a head-up display, which would overcome the distraction.
Despite the glitches, I really enjoyed the experience and would like to spend longer with a Tesla in the future.
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