The Tesla 3 upgrade reveal in December was underwhelming, with very subtle changes to what we knew of the Tesla 3 as it was before the unveiling.
Most of the upgrades appeared to be cosmetic, with no power/battery improvements, but a few interior electrical updates and exterior changes had been put in place to impress trainspotters.
I was kind of hoping for an Ultra Red coloured car, this vibrant and cheerful colour forming 50 per cent of the new colour palette, but the powers-that-be felt Stealth Grey was a more attractive option, so that was mine for a week.
Both (cost option) colours are designed to change with the light and viewing angle and they do, but more subtly than say, Chameleon paint. Intriguingly, this is indicative of the rest of the changes.
The Tesla 3 seems to have toned down its ‘shouti-ness’ with the new colours, and to be frank, that’s not a bad thing. Indeed, the aerodynamic upgrades are effective but more a delight for Tesla trainspotters.
To the casual observer, you might notice the new, sleeker headlight design and the revised front bumper, the new rear tail-lights with their de rigueur C-shaped styling and for those who are paying attention, a redesign of the 18 and 19-inch wheels.
Subtle changes? Absolutely, but worth it? Well, you’ll be delighted to know the drag coefficient has come down which contrary-wise, means your range will go up, so there’s something.
The Standard rear-wheel-drive model claims 513kms while the Long-range AWD with dual motors is said to get 629kms. Using ‘ludicrous speed’ will probably bring that down some.
Oddly, although I did give it some welly to make sure the 3 still performed as advertised (it does, and I have the eyeball recesses in the back of my skull to prove it), there’s something subtle at play here too.
It seemed to me that Tesla’s ‘toning down’ extends into subliminal driving habits so I could easily resist the temptation to hoof it, which is what Tesla built its rep on.
The suspension is still firm, and some (chiropractors/osteopaths) would say it’s perfectly fine, see you next week, but for those who spend a lot of time behind the wheel and want to eke out every centimetre of those 629kms, I’d recommend regular driving breaks – out of the car.
Cabin changes? Again, more cosmetic than anything else, though the inner cabin is now much more ensconcing, thanks to that all-encompassing neon trace ring which brings everything together.
It also serves to highlight the massive glass cockpit and roof, so at no time do you ever feel trapped in your Tesla.
Of course, the big roof means anyone flying overhead can read everything on your tablet command centre, which I swear, is so bright it can be seen from space, and now that includes what gear you have selected.
Yep, no shift lever. Swipe up and swipe down on the screen for Forwards or Reverse. I reckon this is an innovation which should have stayed in the design studio, but you could give us a heads-up speedo display. I’d rather that than the autopilot to be honest.
And as if removing the shift lever wasn’t enough, we have no indicators or wiper stalks either. These have been replaced by rolling scroll button switches on the steering wheel and I have to say, talk about a solution looking for a problem!
After a week, those rolling scrolls were not as reactive as I would have liked, so if a late model Tesla 3 cuts in across your lane without indicators, chances are his scrollers weren’t working – well, give them the benefit of the doubt.
I wouldn’t call the Tesla 3 improvements ‘upgrades’ – more like ‘tweaks’, though overall the car has matured – and IMHO, it needed to – as a car.
By Sean Willmot
