‘CR’ won’t recommend Tesla Model 3
Reviewers say its brakes aren’t good enough.
SAN FRANCISCO – Citing “big flaws” that surfaced during its testing of a Tesla Model 3, Consumer Reports dinged the electric automaker’s critical entrylevel sedan Monday by denying it a recommendation.
While the consumer product reviewing outlet praised the Model 3’s brisk acceleration and impressive range — upwards of 350 miles on a single electric charge — testers were particularly critical of the vehicle’s long stopping distances from 60 mph and how all functions must be accessed via one centrally-mounted touch screen.
The sour assessment comes as Tesla races to ramp up production of the Model 3, which is considered vital to the company’s financial health. CEO Elon Musk has vowed to double Model 3 production to 5,000 vehicles a week by July.
Musk’s annual target of 500,000 cars — or about five times its current Model S and Model X production — would help make Tesla more of a mainstream automaker and bring the company more in line with its lofty $48 billion market cap.
Reviews of the Model 3 hold particular sway because the vehicle is not readily available for road tests at Tesla stores, given that any cars that are finished are earmarked for some of the 400,000 people who put down $1,000 deposits.
Aside from renting a Model 3 from peer-to-peer sites such as Turo or borrowing one from a friend, third-party assessments of the car are all that most prospective buyers can rely on for insights.
“A less-than-complimentary report from a mainstream consumer site (means) I’m doubtful we’ll see Tesla make the jump to high-volume auto- maker anytime soon,” said Karl Brauer, executive publisher of Cox Automotive.
In its review, Consumer Reports noted the Model 3’s stopping distance of 152 feet from 60 mph “was far worse than any contemporary car we’ve tested and about 7 feet longer than the stopping distance of a Ford F-150 fullsized pickup.”
Consumer Reports said its first stop from 60 mph was done in 130 feet, but when it could not repeat that performance after numerous tries, it secured a second, privately owned Model 3 to repeat the test. But it got the same, long results.
Tesla issued a statement to USA TODAY saying the company’s own tests yielded stopping average distances of 133 feet and added that variables such as road surface and outside temperature can have an effect on such testing.
The company also noted that it often improves its cars’ capabilities through over-the-air software upgrades.
Tesla has had a hot and cold relationship with Consumer Reports. The outlet has both praised its vehicles and been stingingly critical.