If you go back in time to the advent of mass production EVs, you remember that the brand that really thrust the idea into our conciousness is Tesla. They were one of the first to truly offer EVs to the public due to their infamous owner/leader Elon Musk’s visionary like prediction about the future of mobility.
Despite being first, just like any emerging technology, Tesla experienced first adopter issues, mainly being criticized for their exorbitant prices and seemingly subpar build quality. As the years passed though Tesla as a brand has adapted and reworked their lineup, leading them to now be at the top of the EV food chain with improvements across the board.
With a recent entry into the Philippine market, we were curious to see if there’s substance behind the hype that is Tesla.
Tesla Model 3 Exterior
Tesla’s vehicle design has always somewhat been part of the brands “appeal” or “repel”, some find them strange looking (admittedly I used to think so also), while others are drawn to the futuristic cues.
With the recent updates, I have to say that my appreciation has grown particularly for the Model 3 sedan, looking at it from the outside, and you can almost fault the brand for doing nothing design-wise, but it’s a minimalist’s dream come true. I would describe the look a sculpted, there are a few but welcome character lines and bulges all around the exterior to give an impression of “mass”, but the reality is the Model 3 is actually not that big of a sedan to drive.
I like how non-descript looking the Model 3 is, particularly with the standard rim design that looks like a “steelie” but in reality is a full alloy, but designed for aerodynamic efficiency, as is the rest of the Model 3 actually.
The only distinguishing factor for the Tesla Model 3 would be the colors you can choose for the body, on hand are some interesting choices, but our test unit came in red. Should you want anything apart from the standard white though, be prepared to dole out some serious coin, the red color (according to the website) will cost you PHP 146,000.
Interior
The Interior carries the same minimalist motif as the exterior. What you’ll immediately notice is the lack of physical buttons, there aren’t even stalks behind the steering wheel for the indicator lights or the wipers. To use such features you’ll find buttons on the steering wheel themselves (which took me some time to get used to). Also, there isn’t a gear lever or selector; to engage the gears you have to swipe on the upper lefthand side of the infotainment screen.
Addressing the build quality issues has been paramount, and they’ve done this by using softer and more premium-feeling materials, which I have to say do feel nice to the touch. Another thing I like is the purely black interior, while it may look monotonous to me, it provides a very clean look, not assaulting to the eyes, the only main eye stimulant is the massive screen in the middle that houses all vehicle settings and information. It must be noted that in terms of infotainment connection options, there is only Bluetooth since Tesla has their own proprietary software for navigation (therefore no Waze, Google Maps), but the infotainment screen also doubles as a “tablet” type, meaning there are predownloaded apps like Spotify and Apple Music which you can log your account into for easy music streaming.
Tesla has been known to be a gimmick-filled brand, and true to their roots, upon a deep dive into the infotainment screen, I found some rather, let’s say… interesting things you can do. One quite intriguing fact is that the aircon vents of the vehicle are hidden; you can’t physically see them or touch them, to adjust the direction of airflow, one must use the screen to do so. There is also a feature that allows you to play various video games imbedded in the screen, which the passengers can use also since there is a screen in the 2nd row, in fact you can even use a controller for maximum gaming experience, though I tested this feature while parked and waiting for it to fully charge (a good way to pass the time).
Rounding out the “interesting features”, we have the drawing pad (where you draw…), a light show capability, and my favorite a fart feature, the fart feature allows you to elaborately prank the passengers, assigning different fart sounds per seat (there are at least 8 different sounds of farts in the system).
Other interesting interior features include a glass roof, 2 wireless charging pads, and heated and cooled front seats (these pale in comparison to the fart feature, sorry…).
Performance and Safety
It’s important to note that Tesla as a brand likes to give customers the option for some bespoke settings for their car, as such the Model 3 actually comes in 3 power options, the standard rear-wheel drive (our test unit), a long-range AWD, and a range topping performance AWD.
Our rear-wheel drive standard model has a full EV range of 520 km, maximum power output is around 270+hp (exact figures vary) with a 0-100 km/h time of 6.1 seconds all the way to a 201 km/h top-speed; these are more than decent numbers.
Safety is another thing Tesla is pioneering in the form of their AutoPilot system, there are also 3 packages available for this. There is the basic, the enhanced and the full AutoPilot system; the basic is standard across all models, while the other 2 options are purely upgrades to the system. Our test unit came with the enhanced package, something we actually werent able to fully test.
Driving Impressions
Another one of Tesla’s “calling cards” has been extreme speed and acceleration, but not much else apart from that. We’ve all seen the multiple video over the years of Tesla owners seemingly thwarting all types of sports, super, and even hypercars.
The name of the game has changed, though, with the introduction of multiple new EV brands, Tesla no longer has the monopoly on EV acceleration and performance; now, it matters too how it handles and how comfortable it is. I’m happy to report that Tesla has taken the brief seriously; the Model 3 is not just a decent drive, but can be on occasion, quite exciting. What surprises me most, though, is the ability of the Model 3 to be both engaging, efficient, and very comfortable.
I remember the first time I got into it to drive, closing the doors felt like sealing a cave, there was immediate silence as if the world outside truly disappeared. This shouldn’t come as a surprise though because they did highlight that they’ve tweaked the interior to be more peaceful than ever, but It’s still something I had to get used to when driving around what is normally an exceedingly noisy Metro Manila.
Talking about overall drivability, I have to commend the brand for making it unique, as mentioned, there isn’t the traditional layout for the buttons or settings. Tesla didn’t just throw out the book of ergonomics; they burned it first. I must say, though, after much confusion (and some curse words), I got used to the Tesla way, and in all honesty, it started to make sense to me. I began to understand the philosophy of putting the relevant buttons on the steering wheel, so your hand is always on the wheel, literally, and only your fingers need to move and press.
Part of the unique driving experience is the drive-feel of the Model 3, in the city it’s easy peasy, despite it being a sizeable sedan, I had no trouble driving it around. I also appreciate that parking is a breeze because it isn’t as wide as it looks, fitting into any parking spot with ease. Where Tesla needs to win some sort of award though is the ride, I’m used to EVs having stiff rockhard rides due to the suspension and the pairing of runflat tires, but the Model 3 was comfortable not for an EV but for any vehicle, through any surface I drove it through it didn’t unsettle the ride to the point of discomfort, it knew how to deal with Philippine roads as if it was designed here.
Dynamically speaking, the patented Tesla acceleration is there even in this base form; it can and will shove you back into your seat if you mash the pedal. I am, however, more impressed by its handling, on the twisty roads of Tanay (Marilaque), the Model 3 coped not just well, but exceedingly so. I was surprised at how engaging and quick the steering is, allowing me to place the Model 3 where I want it through the corners, and the stiffened chassis helped as well. I could tell that a considerable amount of time was put into developing the handling of the Model 3.
Tesla Ecosystem
As a bonus part of this review, Kelvin and I took the Model 3 to one of the brand’s Supercharger facilities, particularly in Shangrila Plaza in Ortigas. One very big perk of buying a Tesla is the ability to have exclusive access to their own chargers; no other brand is allowed or permitted to use a Tesla charging facility. So it’s refreshing to arrive at a charging venue without the anxiety of wondering if there’s space for you or not.
During our full day of driving, we consumed half of the battery, and it took just 30 mins for the Tesla Supercharger to fill it back up again which is impressive, another impressive thing to note is the charging cost, a Tesla owner’s rate at the Supercharger is just PHP 19.000 per kw/h as comapred to ACMobility which charges more than double that amount, based on our (rudimentary) calculations, a full charge for a standard Model 3 is around PHP 1,200++ a truly affordable rate.
You can argue yes it’s cheap to charge but how efficient is the battery? the answer? VERY EFFICIENT. I live 8 km from Kelvin, and when I picked him up for the shoot in morning rush hour traffic, I only consumed 3% of battery life, that’s 3% consumed for a slog of a 1 hour stop and go journey.
Price and Verdict
Once again, due to the customizable nature of Tesla ownership price varies, but the range of SRP goes from PHP 2,109,000 – to the top end of PHP 3,000,000. Which considering the value proposition brought forth by these modern Teslas, is quite competitive, most of it’s competitors cost more and offer just as much.
Yes there are a few issues I have, mainly I think the learning curve to drive it properly might put off most buyers, and the non-adjustable regenerative braking system can also put people off, or that the fully glass roof can cook an egg in the afternoons, but as a whole I really did enjoy the Model 3, I would love to drive it daily. I can think of it like an Apple product, at first it can be confusing or different, but once you get used to it, it makes all the sense in the world, and we’re an Apple crazy species.
Putting aside the brand prejudice (of which there are), the Model 3 is a very, very good EV, something actually worth the price being commanded for it (which is a rarity these days). While the competition has somewhat caught up, Tesla has properly “answered back”.
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