Tesla Model 3 Standard Range review: Did everything go right?

With the new Model 3 Tesla is bringing a facelift of its former bestseller to the car market. We drove the new Model 3 in the entry-level version for two weeks in everyday life. What has Tesla improved, what has been made worse? You can find out everything here.

tl;dr: Good design, better quality

Anyone who thinks of the Model 3 will probably always have an image in their head. The design has never changed in recent years. Well, with the new Model 3, the car has a new design language both at the front and the back. We think the new design is very successful, it looks more modern and sportier. The indicators at the back have become larger so that you can see them better. In terms of chassis, the new Model 3 is in a completely different league compared to the previous model. Before, there was a relatively hard chassis without much comfort, which also tended to rattle from time to time. As we also found out review of the old Tesla Model 3 Performance have noticed strongly.

The interior has remained largely the same, but there are better and better quality materials and less hard plastic. We are of course very pleased that Tesla has thought of lining the door pockets with fabric, even where many manufacturers cut corners. The new steering wheel no longer has levers for indicators etc., but it is thinner. This makes it easier to grip and hold the steering wheel on longer journeys, but this is a matter of taste.

In general, it can be said that Tesla has finally listened to its customers and has made significant improvements in quality without increasing the price significantly. However, there are still a few points of criticism here and there. Such as the missing indicators or windshield wiper levers, or the fact that the quality is not yet 100 percent right everywhere. However, this will definitely improve further in the coming model years. As for the software, it can be said that it is still just as fast and easy to use as it was the year before last.

Video report:

Design: New and elegant

As already mentionedprochen, the new face of the Model 3 is really well done. Thin headlights and a little more sportiness than before are very noticeable here. You could almost say "Chinese". Because this market is hotly contested for Tesla. From the side you can really see hardly any noticeable difference. It is said to be safer and to have achieved better crash test results than before. This is also due to "interesting" door bars, which we were unable to identify.

There is of course still a frunk. Compared to the pre-facelift, it is positioned a little further forward, but we would say it is the same size. We drove the standard range model of the new Model 3, which is why the smallest possible rims were fitted to the test car. The motto here is to be as efficient as possible.

Interior: Significant improvements, but still room for improvement

Tesla has given the new Model 3 new and higher quality materials. The door panels finally justify the price, and the other surfaces that you touch more often are also well made. Nevertheless, we noticed in one or two places in the interior that the gaps or the parts were not installed correctly. This naturally results in gaps that do not look particularly nice. In later iterations, however, this should be a thing of the past, as was the case with the old Model 3.

Driving characteristics: Agile, sporty, but not too wild

You can tell after the first few meters that this is not a performance model. The new, improved chassis of the Model 3 showed us during the test period that Tesla is learning over time and wants to improve things that weren't so great. The new chassis is really very well done and doesn't take on bumps in the road as much as the predecessor did. This is a big advantage in our eyes.
The Model 3 facelift, or also known internally as “Highland,” is a successful upgrade, especially in the most important area: “driving.”

Missing indicator lever: Why?

It's a big change if you've only ever driven cars that didn't have a turn signal lever. The new turn signals, which can be activated using a haptic button on the steering wheel, are easy to reach when turning normally. But you start to get frustrated at roundabouts. Is it all a matter of getting used to it? We don't think Tesla needed to reinvent the wheel here; the previous turn signal levers worked very well, and there are now even retrofit kits for the new Model 3 that add them back. However, we have to admit that it was more convenient to use the button on the steering wheel when changing lanes on the motorway.

Assistance systems: need for improvement

Tesla's assistants in Europe have been based entirely on the cameras installed for some time. There is no radar or ultrasonic sensor technology anymore. At least the autonomous parking works very quickly, and you now have a good 3D thermal imaging camera-like view when parking in tight spaces. This worked quite flawlessly in our test. But where Tesla has unfortunately not done anything for some time are the other assistance systems; the steering assistant is the same as it was 3 years ago. The ACC works well, but in our test it triggered phantom braking at least three times under normal conditions.

Things are getting better again after the start of Tesla's "Vision Only", you can tell. But they are no longer really competitive in Europe today. More needs to happen. But we believe that this could soon be the case. After all, Tesla has announced its "Full Self Driving", which is already working surprisingly well in the USA, for the EU in early 2025. If the EU grants approval by then.

Infotainment: Everything the same as before?

The new infotainment system is not to be confused with the old one, because it is exactly the same. The new display is supposed to be a bit brighter and more colorful. But we couldn't tell that in our test, it is and always has been one of the best displays in a modern car. There is now even a display for the rear passengers, who can even connect their Bluetooth headphones and enjoy YouTube videos while driving. Or even have exciting chess duels.

The new display at the front is also slightly rounded at the sides, which gives it a more high-quality look. We don't need to say much about Tesla's software. We already covered this in detail in our last Model 3 review. What's new is a large car overview where you can see your car in detail from all angles. You can also now choose between the classic split-screen view and a full-screen "autopilot". A little taste of what's to come?

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