What_Car_UK_-_August_2020

74 August 2020 whatcar.com

isacarthatmakesshortworkof

twistingcountryroads.

Sure,itdoesn’thavequitethe

delicatebalanceorfinesseas

thebestpetrol-poweredsports

saloons(thinkAlfaRomeoGiulia

Quadrifoglio),nordoesagreat

dealoffeedbackstreamtoyour

fingertipsthroughthesteering

wheel.Thesteeringitselfistough

tofaultforprecision,though,and

there’scertainlynodoubtingthe

Model3’seffectivenessatgetting

youfromAtoBjollyquickly.

TheModelS?Well,itsextra

weight(around250kgmorethan

theModel3)meansitisn’tquite

aseagertochangedirectionand

wouldultimatelybeleftbehind

bythesmallercarthrougha

seriesofcorners.It’spretty

composedcomparedwithmany

otherluxurysaloons,though,

anditssteeringisjustaslightyet

accurateastheModel3’s.

Whenitcomestoridecomfort,

though,theModelShastheedge.

Withairsuspensionasstandard,

itdealswithbeaten-uptown

roadsalittlemoreadroitlythan

itssmallersibling.Mindyou,

bothcarsaresimilarlyexcellent

atkeepingyoucomfortableon

motorwaytrips,evenifyouwill

hearquitealotoftyreroarata

steady70mphineither.

Ofcourse,howfaryou’llgo

onafullchargeislikelytobe

thenumberoneconsideration

formanyEVbuyers.Bothcars

useverysimilarbatteries,but

unsurprisingly,it’sthelighter

Model 3 thatuseselectricitymore

efficiently.Indeed,inourReal

Rangetestitpostedoneofthe

longestdistanceswe’veeverseen

fromanelectriccar: 239 miles.

Mindyou,theModelS’s 204 miles

ishardlyshabby,and,inwarm

weather,youstandagoodchance

ofbeatingourfiguresifyoudrive

reallygentlyineithercar.

BEHINDTHEWHEEL

Drivingposition,visibility,

buildquality

Thelayoutanddesignofthe

ModelS’sinteriormaybe

eightyearsold,butitstillhasa

minimalist,sci-fifeeltoit.There

aretwoscreens;theoneinfront

ofthesteeringwheelshowsyou

importantdrivinginformation,

includingyourspeed,energy

consumptionandAutopilot

controls(moreonthatlater),

whiletheother,largertouch-

sensitiveoneinthemiddle

ofthedashboardcontrolsthe

infotainment(seepanel).

TheModel3,meanwhile,lumps

everythingintoonetouchscreen

inthecentreofthedash.The

result?Anevensleekerlook–but

notwithoutsomeergonomic

TESLAMODEL 3

895mm

730mm

1375mm

1065-1870mm

950-1280mm

445-825mm

945mm

1100mm

1430mm

2

3

1

INFOTAINMENT

Although this

touchscreen

is 15.0in in size

and landscape-

orientated, while the

Model S’s is 17.0in

and portrait, both

infotainment systems

are essentially the

same. The menus are

simple, the screen

resolution is fantastic

and it’s incredibly

responsive to inputs,

but some icons on

both systems are a

bit small and tricky

to prod accurately.

BMW’s dial-controlled

system is easier to

use on the move.

Model 3 is a saloon, so

naturally it has a slimmer

boot opening, and its load

bay is smaller than that

of the hatchback Model S.

It’s still massive compared

with most comparable

non-electric saloons’

boots, though, and the

rear seatbacks fold down

1 Material quality is

Tesla’s best yet, but

the wood and plastics

impress more than the

synthetic leather

2 Credit card-sized key

sits here to start the car.

It’s simpler to use your

phone instead, via an app

3 Reversing camera is

standard, but it’s a shame

there’s no 360deg camera

on any Tesla yet

Suitcases 10

NEW VS USED