Tesla Model 3
Does cheapest version of award-winning EV make sense?
MUCH has been written about the Tesla Model 3 already – in the car’s troubled gestation, few might have believed it could turn into a world-beater. We’ve already driven the Performance and Long Range versions of the Model 3, but now it’s the turn of the mainstream variant: the Model 3 Standard Range Plus.
That tag comes courtesy of the basic 3’s £37,340 starting price, which has recently been cut to make it even more affordable. For that you get a 55kWh battery and a single motor delivering 235bhp and 375Nm of torque to the rear wheels, for a claimed 0-60mph time of 5.3 seconds and up to 254 miles of range – although those numbers are most likely to be mutually exclusive.
The Standard Range Plus doesn’t feel anywhere near as quick as the Model 3 Performance, but there’s still plenty of punch, given the electric motor’s instant torque. You can, in fact, change the ferocity of the power delivery; in Chill mode the throttle pedal’s calibration is softer, so the Model 3 feels progressive off the mark. In Standard mode it’s as aggressive as we’ve come to expect from a Tesla, with much keener reactions to flexes of your right foot.
Like many EV makers, Tesla still has a way to go with its regenerative braking system, but the set-up is fairly intuitive. There are two modes to choose from, but only off and on, so there’s less graduation with the driver’s calibration when it comes to braking.
With it on, the Tesla slows predictably as you lift off, recouping energy to the battery that would otherwise be wasted. Respect the throttle and drive conservatively, and the Model 3’s range read-out is accurate, giving you confidence to use the car to cover longer distances without any anxiety.
The steering is weighty and you can change modes, which also adjusts the car’s torque vectoring to improve the agility of this weighty 1,611kg machine. Few modern cars have much in the way of feel, but there’s very little connection to what the Model 3 is doing. That’s not to say it’s not capable; there’s plenty of grip, in fact, allowing you to turn in harder and faster than you might expect.
In the past, Teslas have been on the firm side, and while this one is still occasionally crashy, there’s an acceptably compliant side to the ride. It has to be firm to control all of that weight, but there’s more finesse to the way the Model 3 covers bumps than in early examples of the Model S. It shows Tesla is evolving, improving and learning, which is obvious if you take a glimpse inside, too.
Build quality is better, if still not in the same league as Audi or BMW’s, yet the infotainment is great. A head-up display in front of the driver would be nice, but the system works slickly and with hardly any lag, so there are few complaints.