Official Tesla Model 3 thread

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finman100 said:
don't like it? don't buy it. move on. gets old real fast. sorry if there is Tesla short on these forums.

Oh please! The two previous posts made objective comments.

One only shorts a stock when its shareholders typically make rational investment buy/sell decisions, e.g. give fundamental analysis at least some weight - remember those lemmings with their tulips. Serious doubt few if any on this forum even considers shorting TSLA or worst yet - buying TSLA PUTS.
 
edatoakrun said:
Back on topic:

Someone explain this to me, please.

You have all that prime real estate, right in front of the driver, available to place controls and information displays.
And instead of utilizing that surface, you leave it blank, and try to move the same data and operations through a tiny square on the right.
My take is it lowers the dash line and simplifies the interface. I don't think it's a recent decision since the interior of the release candidates seems to be pretty much what we saw over a year ago at the reveal.
Single display, center mount. Lower cost and geared to the nascent self-driving features, not to auto-cross enthusiasts.

The binnacle-free, lowered dash with the floating screen is probably what the designers always envisioned as the signature feature of the interior. Polarizing? Maybe but I infrequently check the LEAF instrument cluster while driving. I did a test with my phone, running a speedo app, attached to the left dash vent about where the speed on the Model 3 will be displayed. No issue at all for me.
I do hope the HVAC functions and defrost work well. If so, I'm happy, and wish I could do away with the center console as well; another useless relic.

But best to ignore me, I also like the Falcon Wing Doors.
 
sparky said:
The binnacle-free, lowered dash with the floating screen is probably what the designers always envisioned as the signature feature of the interior. Polarizing? Maybe but I infrequently check the LEAF instrument cluster while driving. I did a test with my phone, running a speedo app, attached to the left dash vent about where the speed on the Model 3 will be displayed. No issue at all for me.

There are other cars that don't have binnacles (the Toyota Yaris for example) and instead have centered displays.

2009_toyota_yaris_dashboard.jpg


I have heard that it doesn't take long to get used to that...and I've heard similar comments that they don't really check the dash much anyway. I'm a bit skeptical of that--I feel that I am frequently checking my speed and bubble display (and appreciate the fact that the speedo display is high up). But we'll see.

sparky said:
I do hope the HVAC functions and defrost work well. If so, I'm happy, and wish I could do away with the center console as well; another useless relic.

In my opinion, we are far too eager to get rid of actual knobs and dials. Even the LEAF's push button controls for temp up & down are somewhat of a pain. And don't get me started on the very pushbutton oriented console of my wife's Volt--which to me seems basically like a "fixed" touch screen...everything is a pushbutton.

Granted, maybe the UI will vastly superior. But I really miss a good old fashioned knob or volume control to quickly allow me to make an adjustment without having to wait for a UI to boot up or get to the right screen.
 
lpickup said:
But I really miss a good old fashioned knob or volume control to quickly allow me to make an adjustment without having to wait for a UI to boot up or get to the right screen.

Right, who really likes having to scroll and become distracted to find a function requiring simple tweaking, e.g. fan speed or temp?
 
lpickup said:
There are other cars that don't have binnacles (the Toyota Yaris for example) and instead have centered displays...

2009_toyota_yaris_dashboard.jpg

I'm sure TSLA wants to have its ~$60k (likely 2017 average sales price) 3's dash design compared to that of a ~$12k 2009 Yaris, of which at ~60 seconds you can hear:

"most people seem to hate this..."


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm903I04-aA
 
What does one typically look at an instrument cluster for?
RPMs? (Yeah, doesn't apply)
Speed? (Yes, unless I have traffic adapting cruise-control, then I'm only worried about steering. Especially if I set a "5mph over the limit" maximum on my adaptive cruise-control.)

And... Maybe to let me know my turn signals are still on? What cardinal direction I'm traveling? And the outside temperature?
Needing that info is so infrequent, it's no big deal to look at a center screen instead of directly above the steering wheel.

I have a theory that in order to make the autopilot features affordable, they'll make it more of a subscription or rent to own scenario. (Pay $50/mo, once you hit $XXXX paid, your monthly fee is ended.) So when your vehicle is taking care of the speed, the majority of the steering, what do you really need to look at an instrument pod for?

That said, the instrument cluster could be a series of poop emojis that rotate on dials showing my speed, temperature, etc, and I wouldn't care because I wouldn't be looking at them. I'm getting a Model 3 because:

Autopilot- both current and future functionality.
Range- Besides the Bolt, the only sub $40k car with 200+ mile range.
No Dealerships- I hate dealerships, I always have. I loathe to step into them, and I will find joy in not having to give one money.
Tesla's corporate vision- Sustainable transport, I'm not subsidizing some company that makes gas guzzling Armadas, Escalades, or Navigators.
Performance: The Leaf is peppy to me, the Bolt and the M3 are roughly twice as quick! Oh yeah!
Exterior styling: It looks nice. I like my Leaf, but I do think it's ugly. I think the Bolt looks like a cheap econobox as well.
Responsible sourcing: https://electrek.co/2017/05/31/tesla-source-conflict-minerals-battery/

I could go on..
Disclaimer: I own TSLA stock.
 
Isn't one of the main reasons for having the center display and nothing in front of the driver so that Tesla can more easily build cars that go to different countries without having to "switch" the instrument cluster?
 
edatoakrun said:
I'm sure TSLA wants to have its ~$60k (likely 2017 average sales price)
Perhaps your point would be made better if you didn't exaggerate quite so much. Maybe your point is that you believe there will be so few deliveries in 2017 and they will all be fully optioned, but then so what...the's base price is $35,000 and if you want, you can buy one for $35,000 (you may just have to wait).

edatoakrun said:
3's dash design compared to that of a ~$12k 2009 Yaris

Yeah, because a 15" touch screen display directly compares to a traditional instrument cluster.

Look...I agree that if anything, the center display and lack of a traditional binnacle will be a drawback for some. But I think you are really stretching the argument that it is directly comparable to a Yaris.
 
Randy said:
Isn't one of the main reasons for having the center display and nothing in front of the driver so that Tesla can more easily build cars that go to different countries without having to "switch" the instrument cluster?

While I don't doubt that there are some cost savings, I can't imagine that they would be significant compared to moving the entire steering wheel, accelerator, brakes, and driver side window controls over to the other side of the car.
 
I'm not a fan of center-mounted displays, although the Mini's always had one (you could order an optional instrument package to get standard ones on at least some of the BMW generations). I expect I could get used to it, but why should I have to, when the traditional arrangement works so well? One thing's for sure, as long as I can buy a car that has actual physical controls for HVAC and radio etc., I will choose it rather than one with a touchscreen that requires me to look away from the road and takes far more time to use.

I've got nothing against high-tech per se, as long as it improves on what preceded it - touch screens don't, when used by a driver while driving. If someone can design voice-activated controls that are as quick and easy to use as a physical control, I'd have no problem with that, but the second a control requires me to look away from the road and re-focus on some non-intuitive control that requires far more mental cycles to process than a simple twist/push/slide knob, I'm not interested. At least, not until I'm in a car that has autonomous driving capability I trust, and we're still several years away from that.
 
lpickup said:
Look...I agree that if anything, the center display and lack of a traditional binnacle will be a drawback for some. But I think you are really stretching the argument that it is directly comparable to a Yaris.
Exactly! Thank you!

On Telsa's other models, the LCD display behind the steering wheel not only has the speedometer but also other important status, like the current AutoPilot status (lane detection, other cars, etc). Test drive an S to see how useful this is. Losing access to that valuable information is what concerns me about the 3.
 
The next time you're driving, try to be aware of how often you check your speedometer. Today I drove the 12 miles from Bloomfield to Canandaigua and after I got there I realized I had not once looked at the speedo. And I think that might be fairly typical…typically we drive with the flow of traffic. On the interstates I always set the cruise control about 5 mph above the speed limit. I almost never look at the speedometer. This whole "speedo in the center' thing is an overblown concern.
 
It's not just the speedo, it's the whole group of instruments in the same place, straight ahead of me, which can all be accessed by a single quick scan. Even better would be a HUD focused at infinity, but those remain too expensive for the mass market.

For much the same reason, I'm not a big fan of purely digital presentations for info that usually doesn't need that sort of precision - analog presentation (needles on dials, tapes etc.) which all line up when in the normal range are generally preferred, which is why aircraft HUDs generally offer both presentations (heading, altitude, speed etc.) simultaneously, with the digital ones smaller for those rare occasions when you need that level of accuracy. It takes more mental processing cycles to read a digital number than it does an analog position relative to an index mark.
 
GRA said:
...Even better would be a HUD focused at infinity, but those remain too expensive for the mass market...
Not for long.

Reportedly the ICEV version coming next month, and available next year as a BEV:

edatoakrun said:
Hyundai Kona Electric

A lot of new ICEV Kona images and news out today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfufKBDErxo&feature=youtu.be

Gallery:

http://www.carscoops.com/2017/05/exclusive-new-2018-hyundai-kona.html

Hyundai Kona: more detail shown ahead of June debut

....the Kona will get a head-up display - a first for Hyundai - with class leading display quality, the brand claims. A Hyundai spokesman was unable to confirm whether the system would be standard somewhere in the range or an optional extra, but it's likely that it'll feature only on higher-end models...
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/hyundai-kona-more-detail-shown-ahead-june-debut
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=24027&hilit=kona

HUD Also in I-PACE, likely to be priced close to the 3 (when the Tesla is equipped with larger "75 kWh" battery back, and when available later, AWD).

Jaguar I-PACE BESUV available 2018

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=22545&start=20
 
I'm one of those who actually loves to drive a car. My commute is short, so that's a non-issue. But I love to get behind the wheel and venture out into the Finger Lakes, or the Adirondacks, and enjoy the open road.

Of the upcoming sub-$40k long range EVs, the Model 3 is built to be the most enjoyable to drive. Compared to all the rest of the crop, the Model 3 is low-slung (hugs the road), wide (grips the corners), RWD, and powerful. It is also good looking, which is just a bonus I guess. And yet, the interior is designed for autopilot. Letting a machine drive is the antithesis of building a fun car which connects the driver to the road. And it's that juxtaposition which irks me the most about the Model 3's interior design.

Why build a Sports Sedan and then design it to drive itself?
 
GetOffYourGas said:
...

Why build a Sports Sedan and then design it to drive itself?

First of all, you don't have to engage autopilot when you drive, so it should be a non issue for you. Secondly, it does not drive itself, it has an advanced driver assistance system. On a long boring trip where you are not out for the joy of the drive, the assistance is nice to have.
 
The Model 3 has no center consul because the philosophy in the design of this car is to move completely away from the direct need for these controls and data, the move is to go full self driving or HEAVILY assisted. This is why there is no center instrumentation and the move will merge to less and less. This is the direction of these vehicles, moving the market in this direction in form and function. Voice will also take a more predominant role. If you don't like this then the 3 may not be for you now. The new S will also be a very different car. Many people think the 3 is the latest tech over the S but it is not, there are more changes coming but it all is under the primary vail of driverless vehicles.
 
palmermd said:
GetOffYourGas said:
...

Why build a Sports Sedan and then design it to drive itself?
...it does not drive itself, it has an advanced driver assistance system...
As its latest disingenuous claim for "autopilot" equipped BEVs, it look's like TSLA may be floating:
Tesla Model S, 3 Comparison Sheet Now With Pricing Information

"Full Self-Driving Capability"
http://insideevs.com/tesla-model-s-3-comparison-sheet-now-pricing-information/

When BEVS are fully autonomous, whether that is five years in the future or fifteen, they will of course not look anything like any Tesla model produced to date, or that will be in the next few years.
 
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