Having been in a model X recently. The wood looks ok, not great, it is very fake, you could also see the corner of the panel where it didn't fit properly. That was on a £90k Tesla. So I would expect similar on the model 3 assuming they haven't made advancements in their tooling etc since the Model X I was in was an earlyish model. Having said that, Tesla's are incredibly nice places to be (I have only been in a model S and X), they are very comfortable and the quietness is absolutely lovely for cruising around, its super relaxing. Without the engine noise the speakers also have more of the frequency range to truly play with too since they don't have to compete with the engine. The panoramic windscreen on the model X is legitimately game changing (even if Vauxhall and Citroen beat Tesla to it by many many years), it makes the car feel considerably more spacious since there is no headliner, just sky. Even though you don't even consciously look up, it still makes a huge difference. While I don't really like having everything on one screen like in the model 3, I don't take any issue with the speedo etc being offset. My parents have had 2 Citroen Xara Picasso's throughout my childhood and they have the instruments centred too (as do many other cars). It is actually a really smart thing to do in terms of bringing production costs down since it makes it far easier to produce both left and right hand drive cars without having to make major dashboard and electrical changes between models. For reference here is LHD and RHD Citroen Xara Picasso interior. On the note of everything being on a large touchscreen. I don't really buy into the hype. On a motorway sure, its fine. On bumpy roads though you are totally screwed, since you won't hit the right buttons. This is because you are holding your arm out at length while trying to tap buttons that keep moving as the car goes along the road, unlike a normal dashboard you can't grab onto anything or slide your finger till you reach the button. Its actually rather infuriating. As far as distractions go it is actually horrific. Since nothing is ever in the same place, you have to tap through menu's to get to different functions meaning you aren't watching the road, you are reading menu text on the dashboard. All I can say is thank god they have the fancy crash prevention tech, without it you would be screwed.
I feel like having the speedometer in the middle would be distracting because you have to look towards the center to see it instead of just glancing down. I've never been in a car like that though, so I'll take your word for it
Funny thing is, on the RHD uk model of the car, the speedometer / fuel gauge etc is on the passenger side and the radio/CD/Tape information are on the drivers side. They didn't even bother to swap the displays around But I guess that is what you get on a car of that size that cost £9k brand new. Incredibly practical cars though. Surprisingly decent radio too.
My parents had a Citroen C8 which has basically the same sort of idea, clusters are in the center but pretty much touching the window so you can see them without needing to move your head at least. The model 3 basically has the screen right up beside your hand so you will probably have to move your head to see it, but hard to know how bad it is without actually sitting in one.
Those shifters that poke out of the dash are weird looking as hell to me. It's for old boring people, why not just make it automatic?
Look at an early 2000's Mini which had possibly the world's largest speedo mounted on the center of the dash, especially ones with a screen like the Countryman. Driving one would probably give you a similar feeling to Tesla's Model 3. Note that not every model had this and Mini ditched this design a few years ago.
Re: Tesla Model 3 discussion. All this discussion about range still misses the point: even if the range is good, the charge times are awful. So, electric cars are still a problem in terms of spontaneity. They might be improving, but between the charge times and the infrastructure issues, electric cars still haven't reached the level of "go wherever you want, whenever you want" freedom that a combustion engine provides. Remember that it's not about need, it's about want, and also about it not being the government's business to tell us what we "need". Electric cars have reached the point where they're pretty good for just driving to/from work, maybe running a few errands, but how boring would it be if your car was only good for the daily same ol' same ol'? Also, I too hate the idea of cramming everything into a central screen; I already hate digital gauges (unless it's actually a racing digital cluster) and touch screens both, so combining the two does not make me happy. Menu-based interfaces are really only good for turning trivial audio & climate adjustments into potentially lethal distractions, and if a car needs one then it's a good bet that it's full of electrogadgetronic idiocy that most people will never actually use. But of course, as this thread proves, there are plenty of people out there who will not care about any of that, and will just see the Model 3 as incredible value for money. At this point, all we can hope is that they're selling them at a loss and will run themselves out of business before they can advance any further.
I got stuck driving a 2004 Lincoln Town Car that belonged to my girlfriend's mom for about an hour today. I'm very unimpressed. It seemed so cheap and bland for a Lincoln, though admittedly, the only other contact I've had with Lincolns was with late 60's-early 70's models, when they were more reminiscent of Rolls Royces, while this just felt like a Crown Vic with too much cheap leather and fake wood. And it's a 4.6, which I already despise, but this one felt very lazy and sluggish, compared to other 4.6's and 5.4's I've drove in the past, and this one only had 60,000 miles on it.
I'm guessing the Town Car is one of the heaviest non-trucks that ever had a 4.6 in it, and it wasn't in a particularly high state of tune in that car (IIRC it might have even had the 220-horse single exhaust wheezer depending on options). That could explain it.
How long have electric cars been available as factory cars? How many years have ICE vehicles been available? Give it a few years and it'll be vastly better. People seem to forget that this is still emerging technology.
Obviously, to you or me a manual is better, but why do the old british ladies care? Why wouldn't they see automatic as an easier/more comfortable way to drive?
I've been driving for almost four years yet this was somehow the first time I've done a proper overtake. Also, I did that thing I said I would a few pages back: There are some gaps (no mid-size sedan, only one pickup configuration), but I think it's a good start. The idea is that there would be no trim levels. You just pick a body style and can choose as many or as few options as you want, in any combination. I would also offer more than four paint colours, and maybe even let you choose the interior (*gasp*).
Nice, but too many hatchbacks, no coupes. I like the "no trim levels" idea, though. Also, I've come up with a strategy that might help an underpowered car successfully outrun or tail an electric car on the mountain pass.
I forgot to mention that all the cars on the left are available with two doors as well. The mid-size car I mentioned would make a good coupe too, just haven't got there yet. What's your strategy?
