What I Love About My Tesla Model 3
Elon Musk is simply a genius…
A few days ago, I wrote about the things I hated about my Tesla Model 3. It was actually one of the hardest articles I have ever decided to write. I was literally pulling every string possible trying to find enough to turn it into an article worth reading.
There were only four things that “bother” or “annoy” me about the car. All four issues I have with the car are so minuet that it never really bothers me, but everyone keeps asking if there is anything I have found so far that I didn’t like about the car.
Read My Last Article: Things I hate about my Tesla Model 3
When it comes to the features I love, it’s almost endless. Between the software updates, the driving experience, the user interface, everything is almost perfect.
I could easily turn this article into a 30 minute read, but I’ve decided to narrow it down to my top 10 favorite features. Otherwise we’d be here all day listing each and every feature out.
Flashback:
I took ownership of Tesla in September of 2020, and have put about 3,000 miles on the car. Plenty enough to get to know it, how it handles, the secret easter eggs and more.
Before I bought my Tesla, I opened a 4 door Jeep Wrangler, so it is a drastic change coming from an off road SUV to a luxury sedan. The Jeep Wrangler didn’t have a smooth ride whatsoever and got about 13–14 miles per gallon with a top speed of about 80MPH.
I decided I wanted something a bit more comfortable & better fuel efficiency. While I did get a much better riding car, I eliminated the need to ever go to a gas station, except to fill up my wife’s car every two weeks or so.
The Good:
- The Minimalistic But Powerful Interior:
The minimalistic design inside the Model 3 is probably my favorite overall “thing” about the car. With a massive display in the center of your dash, you might think it could be distracting, but while driving I only look over at it to check my speed or change the radio station.
The screen does EVERYTHING. You will notice there are no buttons or knobs anywhere on the dash, everything is done through the screen. Want to adjust the temperature? It’s on the screen. Want to turn on your seat warmers? It’s on the screen.
There are only two levers on the steering wheel. The right hand side being your shifter. Pushing it down for drive, up for reverse, and in for park. The left hand side has your brights (which are automatic) and turn signals, you can also push it in for windshield wipers (also automatic).
Whether you are wanting to change the song, adjust car settings, or put the car into valet only mode & set a speed limit so the valet drivers can’t go on a joy ride, it is all done on the screen.
2. Only Going To Gas Stations For Snacks:
Gas stations are a thing of the past… I only go into gas stations now for a drink or a snack if I am out and need something to hold me over until I get home. Because the Tesla is an electric vehicle only unlike some hybrids that can still take gas, I never have a need to go to “fill up”.
The battery life is phenomenal for the amount I truly drive. I am self employed and work from home, so having roughly 300 miles per charge is more than enough.
When it is time to charge, I can plug in at home overnight with a standard outlet, when I wake up in the morning I will have an additional 50 miles of charge.
More times than not, I go to a Tesla Supercharger as it is 5 minutes from my house & charges ridiculously fast. I can pull in, pop the cord in and be on my way in 10–15 minutes as it charges at 500–600 miles per hour & I never drain my battery to empty. Some say waiting 10–15 minutes to get back on the road could be annoying but it leads us perfectly into the next feature.
3. On Screen Entertainment:
Tesla has developed an entertainment tab on your screen that includes things like Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Web Browser, and even video games.
So, while sitting there for 10–15 minutes, I can easily turn on a YouTube video & by the end of it be ready to rock & roll, or turn on Twitch.TV and watch my favorite content creator for a bit.
There are numerous video games also built in that aren’t an additional upgrade. Mainstream titles like Fallout have reached the Tesla & they even have their own version of Mario Kart — Beach Buggy Racing. Something that still blows my mind about Beach Buggy Racing is you actually use the steering wheel to drive the car, and with the massive display, it makes for a fun time.
4. Blasting Off To The Moon:
Tesla’s are fast…
When I say fast, the newest models are some of the fastest production cars in the world. While I don’t have one of the insanely fast ones, the car still feels like you are about to take off when you punch it.
Coming from a Jeep Wrangler that had a small 3.6L V6 engine and had the aerodynamics of a filing cabinet, the Tesla gets up and GOES. Taking off from a dig or having to pull out on a business roadway has never been easier, and when you punch it, you sink back in your seat.
The electric motors produce a ton of torque, and when you do give it throttle, it is a totally different feeling than any other car I have ever driven or rode in. It feels like you are on an airplane about to take off, or taking off on a fast roller coaster. There is absolutely no delay in throttle response. The next time you are in your car, punch the gas (carefully) and you will notice the car will shift down (normally) then start to accelerate. With the Tesla having electric motors it doesn’t have to shift, so it simply goes.
5. The Whoopee Cushion:
Yes Elon Musk is probably the troll & meme king of the internet. If you follow him on Twitter you have probably seen a few of the hilarious tweets he has put out there. The “emission testing mode” a.k.a Whoopee Cushion is just another opportunity for him to make people laugh once they realize what the feature does.
Anytime my niece gets in my car she always starts giggling, because she knows at any moment it is going to sound like she just let one rip in the back seat. While I know not every will find it funny, she sure does & her laugh is contagious.
Not only can you make your car sound like someone farted, you can set the scroll wheel on the left hand side to make a fart noise when pushed in. To top it all off, you can also set which seat the noise comes from, so no matter where your victim is, you can gas them up.
6. Headlights So Bright You Can See The Future:
I’m sure at some point, driving down the road you’ve seen a Jeep Wrangler with what seemed like spot lights as headlights. Coming from owning a Wrangler & being one of those guys with headlights that just about made it look like day time I was a bit concerned with how well the Tesla headlights would illuminate the road.
The design & style is sleek, but they also light up the road without totally blinding other drivers. The issue with my Wrangler was how high it sat, even with my low beams on people constantly flashed their lights at me thinking I had my brights on. With the Tesla, the car itself sits much lower therefore the brightness is the same but you aren’t blinding every person that passes by.
In the “Things I Hate About My Tesla Model 3” article, I talked about the auto high beam featuring not being sensitive enough at times, but overall it’s an amazing feature. Whenever I hop into my wife’s car at night, I flick on the brights & expect when a car is in sight it’ll auto turn them off. Well I’m constantly finding myself having to flick them back off. So while it is annoying in rare instances, it’s just another little bonus of the car.
7. The Mobile App & Key:
Who needs another app… Our smartphones & devices are packed full of clutter & junk, but the mobile app is one of my favorite features that comes with owning a Tesla.
With the mobile app, you can control the entire car for the most part. Whether you want to change the climate & preheat your car, turn on the seat warmers, prep your car for charging or pop the trunk, it’s as simple as clicking a button.
But what if I said you’d no longer need a car key?
Yes, you read that correctly, when I picked up my Tesla I didn’t receive a pair of keys, I was told to download the app & was handed what looked like a credit card.
So with no car key how does it work?
You have one of two options. The first being the black card above. You simply tap it against the car & it’ll unlock, when you enter the car, you set it on the center console and you’re good to go, no button, no starting the car, simply put it in drive & you’re off.
The second option being the mobile app, which is the only thing I use. You connect to your car via Bluetooth & it secures a connection, when you walk up to the car it unlocks, you get in and go. When you exit the car, you don’t have to lock the car, simply walk away and it’ll automatically lock & fold in your mirrors.
The only issue I have with the mobile app is how used to it I have become. When I drive my wife’s car, numerous times now I have gotten out of the car without turning it off & then realize as I’m walking away.
8. Having A Frunk:
Frunks, Frunks, Frunks…
I always thought having a trunk in the front of the car was a feature that only Ferrari’s & Lamborghini’s would have, but no engine means extra storage.
The best thing about having the frunk is the material that it is made of. The trunk is lined with carpet, like most trunks, but the frunk is all plastic. This allows you to put wet & muddy items like boots inside without having to worry about covering your carpet in mud making it easy to clean up.
9. Maintenance & Service:
Combustion engine cars are always having to be serviced. Whether it be oil changes, timing belts, brakes, or a part goes bad. There are a lot of moving parts on a traditional engine, a lot of oil & gas going through which over time breaks down & can cause some major issues.
When I picked up my Tesla I asked what the service schedule would be like & how often I would have to bring it in. With my wife’s car, we take it in every 4,000 miles for oil changes & other small service requests. The guy at Tesla just laughed and paused for a second when I asked this question. He said to rotate the tires every 10,000 miles & make sure you have windshield washer fluid. The car doesn’t use oil so doesn’t require oil changes & the regenerative braking makes the brakes usually age out before they wear out. Most are getting around 200,000 miles on their car before their brake pads need replacing which is absolutely shocking.
10. The Driving Experience:
Silence… No motor noise, no wind noise, just silence.
After riding in sports cars and driving the wrangler that had the aerodynamics of a filing cabinet, it was very odd to have a car that was so quiet. If you have ever talked to someone and they were in their car driving using bluetooth, you have heard car noise. I was talking with my Aunt & Uncle on the phone one day, and they didn’t know I was in the car until I said something about it.
Not only is the car silent, the overall ride of the car feels like it is floating. Speed bumps in the Wrangler felt like you were climbing a mountain, in the Tesla you just glide over them. Everything about the car is so smooth, the acceleration, the ride, the braking system, the steering, absolutely everything is perfect.
Overview:
If you are shopping for a new car, and you aren’t driving 100+ miles per day you might want to go test drive a Tesla. I will warn you though, if you test drive one you might fall in love so be careful.
After owning the car for a few months now I can say that I doubt I will ever own a different brand. Before now I had always dreamt of having a Tesla and well, I made it happen. I understand why Tesla is the most valuable car brand in the world. The quality shows, the engineering shows, everything about the car is basically perfect. There are a few tiny things that I would indeed tweak, but they are so minuet that it hardly ever crosses my mind, and well, what car is perfect, every car has a few things you wish you could change.
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