The act of driving is more than just pressing the accelerator and pointing a car toward its destination.

Yet no matter how engrossed you are in the act of driving, the interior of the Model 3 will probably manage to confound you at some point. With a range of 220 miles for the base model and 310 for the Long Range edition, you're going to be spending a good amount of time behind the wheel instead of sitting at a Supercharger.īy subscribing, you are agreeing to Engadget's Terms and Privacy Policy. It's quieter than most other EVs, and it glides almost as well as a mid-tier luxury sedan. The Model 3 also has a very smooth and nearly silent ride. It doesn't have the neck-snapping speed of Ludicrous mode, but the Long Range version's 307 pounds of torque coupled with 271 horsepower make for a car that's just asking the driver to punch the accelerator and hit a few curves. It handles corners and is far lighter on its tires than the S or X. I prefer it to the Model S (yes, even the P100D) as well as the Model X. Behind the wheel, the Model 3 is the best Tesla. The relationship (and if you follow any Tesla forums or even hang out at a Supercharger station, you know the owners are in a relationship with their cars) starts out like all new affairs: filled with excitement. During a single trip I went from having an electric-motor-fueled grin on my face to throwing my hands up in exasperation while trying to adjust the cruise control follow distance. Now that the Model 3 is here I can positively say it's a joy to drive, but it's also frustrating to do some of the simplest things in the cockpit. It's the culmination of CEO Elon Musk's nearly 12-year-old ' master plan' to bring an affordable EV to market. Judging by its pre-orders (the highest the industry has seen), it's already the most anticipated car ever. To say the $35,000 Model 3 is important to Tesla would be an understatement.

Tesla model 3 review