Few cars have been so eagerly anticipated as the Model 3 – and even fewer were the ones whose success or failure would either make or brake the whole brand.
That’s because this is the first truly affordable Tesla and the one that will hugely increase the automaker’s annual sales to 500,000 units.
Whether you belong to the people waiting for the Model 3 to trip over itself or you sit on the opposite side, you must agree that the Model 3 is an important car. Flawed, but important as Regular Car Reviews points out in their review.
The Tesla Model 3 is supposed to bring the Palo Alto car maker into the mass market, especially when the delayed –and much advertised- $35k base version arrives. Until then however, the Model 3 starts from $50k, as only the Long Range derivative is available.
In theory, the Model 3 has everything it takes to make a landmark vehicle. It’s currently the production electric car with the longest driving range available now, with 310 miles (500km), and has access to arguably the most established EV infrastructure out there right now.
It’s also pretty fast. Tesla says it’ll do the classic 0-60mph in 5.1 seconds, however many people were able to clock sub-5-second runs.
On the down side, the build quality isn’t that great. The door panels and front hood are out of alignment, the weatherstripping is just plain bad and there is a question mark on some of the material used inside the cabin, something that’s been noted before.
All in all, the Model 3 ain’t flawless and it still costs nowhere near the $35k promised by Elon Musk, but it’s pretty much the best EV you can get right now for a relatively affordable price.