Tesla's Model 3: At least 215 miles per charge, 0-60 in under six seconds, starts at $35,000

Shawn Knight

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Elon Musk’s 10-year master plan came to a head last night as the Tesla chief unveiled the long-awaited Model 3, the budget-minded electric sedan for the mainstream audience. It will indeed arrive at a starting price of $35,000 but for the 130,000+ people that have already pre-ordered the vehicle, the wait is far from over as the car won’t begin shipping until late next year.

Musk said the base model will accelerate from 0-60 mph in less than six seconds and will have a minimum range of 215 miles on a single charge. It’ll be fully compatible with Tesla’s global Supercharger recharging network.

Speaking of, Tesla plans to have 7,200 Superchargers in commission by the time the Model 3 arrives which is roughly double the number in the wild today.

The base Model 3 will be of the rear-wheel drive variety although there will be an option for dual-motor, all-wheel drive. What’s more, all models will include Tesla’s Autopilot features as a standard option.

As for styling, the roof is constructed from a near continuous sheet of glass that’s said to give the occupants a sense of openness. Like the Model S, the Model 3 has two “trunks” which will give it the most cargo space of any vehicle in its class. The chassis, meanwhile, is constructed of a mix of steel (to keep costs down) and lightweight aluminum.

On the inside, you’ll immediately notice that the entire instrument cluster is nowhere to be found. Instead, everything has been moved to the 15-inch center-mounted touch screen display. Musk says the car will fit five adults comfortably and that there is even enough room to haul around a seven-foot surfboard.

Tesla plans to add more features and upgrades before the Model 3 goes into production sometime next year.

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The interior looks like it was made of plywood, or 3D-printed. And the steering wheel looks like from a toy car.

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I was wrong to compare it to an Audi A4, it looks 10 times cheaper and dull. Here's the A4 for comparison:

2016-Audi-A4-interior-press-shots.jpg


To tell you that both cars cost the same, you should be laughing, but it is a no April's fool joke.

Which one would you rather sit in?
 
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The interior looks like it was made of plywood, or 3D-printed. And the steering wheel looks like from a toy car.

sdk4aer5dfha45bxrmqt.png


I was wrong to compare it to an Audi A4, it looks 10 times cheaper and dull.
For those not familiar with car
Shows, the interiors of prototypes are not (usually) the slightest bit indicative of the consumer product.

I'd rather sit in the one that didn't have potentially unclear emissions and that didn't destroy the environment regardless of how boring the interior is.
Also the significantly faster one. But hey having an interior that LOOKS better is what's important.
 
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But hey having an interior that LOOKS better is what's important.

The car's quality is what's important, which will translate into the customer's satisfaction.

This new Tesla 3 should be priced at about $25,000, not $35,000, it doesn't belong there.
Their goal is to eventually lower the cost to 25k after they start mass producing and mass recycling of lithium batteries. This isn't something that's going to happen overnight.
 
The car's quality is what's important, which will translate into the customer's satisfaction.

This new Tesla 3 should be priced at about $25,000, not $35,000, it doesn't belong there.
The car is already significantly cheaper in many areas due to tax credits. The visual appearance of the interior isn't exactly the only indicator of quality.
 
The interior looks like it was made of plywood, or 3D-printed. And the steering wheel looks like from a toy car.

sdk4aer5dfha45bxrmqt.png


I was wrong to compare it to an Audi A4, it looks 10 times cheaper and dull. Here's the A4 for comparison:

2016-Audi-A4-interior-press-shots.jpg


To tell you that both cars cost the same, you should be laughing, but it is a no April's fool joke.

Which one would you rather sit in?

Audi typically does interiors better than the competition. Not even a contest in that area.

The real question is which one would you rather drive/rely on? I'd spring for the Audi as the only Tesla worth considering is the Model S.
 
Outside looks great... 0-60 in under six seconds and RWD is sports car territory so some will be happy about that. The whole waiting to recharge is a problem though for anyone who wants to go on a road trip. This would be great for around town though, but then the price is too much for a car that some may only want to drive in town.

As for the interior... what is it with this damn tablet or external display trend? I hate it... I think it is ugly and is just another thing to get things snagged on. Why did the display molded into the center dash go away?

I also hope this car has a HUD for speed indicator... I don't care having to look down and over to the right to see my speed. In fact, why doesn't every car have a HUD? It is such a useful safety feature to have.
 
The interior looks like it was made of plywood, or 3D-printed. And the steering wheel looks like from a toy car.

sdk4aer5dfha45bxrmqt.png


I was wrong to compare it to an Audi A4, it looks 10 times cheaper and dull.
For those not familiar with car shows, the interiors of prototypes are not (usually) the slightest bit indicative of the consumer product.

This. It's not a finished product (two years from that).


I also hope this car has a HUD for speed indicator... I don't care having to look down and over to the right to see my speed. In fact, why doesn't every car have a HUD? It is such a useful safety feature to have.

It might get a HUD - but I doubt it. By putting auto-pilot as standard in this model I suspect Tesla is strongly hinting that they want you to use that and not worry about speed cause the car does it for you.

The interior here is clearly minimalist and I like it. Just tell the car where you want to go and move freely about the cabin :) (at least within the next decade).
 
I don't know how anyone can afford new cars anymore. And the only reason this car is $35k and will likely sell for "less" is because of gooberment subsidies. To me, it all just seems like a sham. On top of that, electric car owners aren't paying the gas tax to maintain our roads, which everyone expects the gooberment to take care of. So where does that leave us?
 
I don't know how anyone can afford new cars anymore. And the only reason this car is $35k and will likely sell for "less" is because of gooberment subsidies. To me, it all just seems like a sham. On top of that, electric car owners aren't paying the gas tax to maintain our roads, which everyone expects the gooberment to take care of. So where does that leave us?

Electric cars are given these subsidies because they are the future. I'm sure that once electric because mainstream the government will shift taxes over to electric cars.
 
It's a reveal, the interior is far from finished - just needed to be able to drive it.

I appear to be in the minority here, but that's not new - I see a good looking car that goes like a scalded cat the few times that I want it to (unlike the specialized desert-thirst gasoline car I would need to purchase to accomplish the same thing) and I plug it in when I get home so its ready to go, from my garage or basement parking, the next time I need it - just like my phone.

If I find I Just Cannot get outa' my auto-pilot Tesla for a Thirty minute lunch-break after three hours of driving, I can use the money I've saved from home charging to rent a nice Land-Yacht instead, enjoying its fuel economy the entire way to my destination, -stopping for Only Fifteen minutes every 3 hours of driving instead- then give it back when I return. You -can- drive for more than 3 hours at a stretch, up to you to determine if you Should.

What's not to like? Not getting the surliness, but I'm pretty crush on anything that reduces unnecessary pollution in the cities and maybe keeps a few of us home and/or alive the next time something goes fluey in one of our all-important oil producing countries, forcing us all to go and Help them.. so I'm obviously biased (if the average person doesn't need their oil so badly, would we remotely Care about their crummy arguments).
 
Is this an April fools joke? Who wants to drive a car where the instrumentation is not directly in front of you? People have enough trouble trying to drive and text at the same time. I see it all the time on the interstate here.
Electric cars are still not where they need to be to replace gas powered cars, you can't go 400 plus miles on a single charge like you can with most cars on a single tank, and it still only takes you maybe 10 minutes to fill up.
 
The interior looks like it was made of plywood, or 3D-printed. And the steering wheel looks like from a toy car.

sdk4aer5dfha45bxrmqt.png


I was wrong to compare it to an Audi A4, it looks 10 times cheaper and dull. Here's the A4 for comparison:

2016-Audi-A4-interior-press-shots.jpg


To tell you that both cars cost the same, you should be laughing, but it is a no April's fool joke.

Which one would you rather sit in?

Audi typically does interiors better than the competition. Not even a contest in that area.

The real question is which one would you rather drive/rely on? I'd spring for the Audi as the only Tesla worth considering is the Model S.

Audi's are cheaply made. Poor quality. They look flashy new then all the little plastic parts start to break. This is indicative of their crap resale value. I love how judgemental people are about a car they've never seen/driven/not even produced yet, lol
 
Audi's are cheaply made. Poor quality. They look flashy new then all the little plastic parts start to break. This is indicative of their crap resale value. I love how judgemental people are about a car they've never seen/driven/not even produced yet, lol

I have been inside the new A4, it is awesome! And they say, driving experience is way better than before, that's why it sells really well.

I am yet to see the first Tesla here in Ireland, nobody is selling it here, because the price is ridiculously high.
 
Audi's are cheaply made. Poor quality. They look flashy new then all the little plastic parts start to break. This is indicative of their crap resale value. I love how judgemental people are about a car they've never seen/driven/not even produced yet, lol

Crap compared to what, exactly? This comment smacks of a Consumer Reports enthusiast who hasn't actually spoken with drivers and mechanics (ownership certainly being out of the question here).

We get it. You're a Tesla fan. Congratulations.
 
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