Tesla Week: Model 3 Test Drives, No.1 In Norway, Model X Rants Raves, Mars Roadster

Credit: Brooke Crothers

Tesla Model 3.

More Model 3 test-drive reviews continue to trickle in while Tesla achieved No.1 automaker status in at least one country. Also: YouTube reviews are a curious mix of pans and praise.

[For the week ending Sunday December 24, 2017]

Top item: that of course is the instagram of a midnight cherry Roadsterbeing prepared for "a billion year elliptic Mars orbit" -- as reported widely ( i.e., by anyone with a Twitter or WordPress account and with nothing better to do on a very-slow-news Friday). "Test flights of new rockets usually contain mass simulators in the form of concrete or steel blocks," the caption said. "That seemed extremely boring."

More Semi orders:  "UPS reserves 125 Tesla semi-trucks, largest public pre-order yet" -- Reuters, December 19, 2017.

Model 3 test drive: From the InsideEVs test drive:

First, I’d like to comment on the build quality, as there’s been a lot of chatter in the online forums and groups about misaligned exterior body panels. I have to say the car wasn’t perfect.

Some of the exterior panels weren’t as perfectly aligned as I’d like them to be. However, while there were some slight imperfections, overall it was more than acceptable in my opinion.

--"Exclusive: InsideEVs Tesla Model 3 Test Drive Review", InsideEVs

The reviewer also mentioned that he had to shut the driver's side door "a little harder than I would like to" to get it to close properly. Another complaint was that Tesla may have taken minimalism too far with the single screen, forcing the driver to glance to the right and interact a bit too much with one screen. And things like wiper controls, which are not all (only some controls are) on the stalk and require the center screen.

There was plenty of praise too (e.g., handling and acceleration) and the reviewer ended with this: "Overall, I’m impressed with the Model 3...I’m still very much looking forward to eventually taking delivery of my own Model 3."

Teslas are (were) the most popular cars in Norway in December, according to Electrek.

The rush in deliveries is making Tesla the most popular automaker in the country this month with Model X and Model S both holding the first and second position for most popular car models in December – even ahead of the VW Golf, which has long been a top seller in Norway.

"Tesla breaks new records in Norway, becomes most popular automaker in the country this month," Electrek, December 19, 2017

Model 3 battery guarantee is new to the Model 3 and apparently compares favorably with Model S and X (at least at the moment). Guarantee is up to 100,000 miles on the standard battery and up to 120,000 miles on the long-range battery, reports InsideEVs.  "The battery retention portion of the warranty differs from that of the Model S and X. Neither of those Tesla carry a retention guarantee," InsideEVs writes.

Credit: Tesla

Tesla reviews on YouTube: love-hate but love prevails: Tesla Model S and X (and increasingly Model 3) reviews are way too numerous to count on YouTube. I've watched a lot of Model S and X reviews (and sat through, in their entirety, the ones I've found to be thoughtful/reliable).

My point: the sheer number of YouTube reviews is testimony to the enthusiasm out there and why Tesla will likely succeed despite the constant drumbeat of criticism and the daily Telsa-is-on-the-brink-of-a-meltdown media stories and/or tediously-repetitive Tesla-is-toast financial blogs.

Most reviews -- even some that seem hopelessly critical at first -- almost always end by saying something to the effect: "I really love this car." Which always comes as kind of a shock to me after listening to a litany of complaints. (Here's one example: after taking issue with a fairly long list of things, he ends by saying "it's probably my favorite car...I've ever had.")

And I'll add one personal anecdote. I was walking through a neighborhood (where there is a high density of Teslas) in northwest Los Angeles this week and passed a guy opening up his X's falcon doors. I asked: "How do you like the Model X?" His response was a 60-second distillation of the all of the Model X YouTube videos I had ever seen. He mentioned that he didn't like the suspension very much and that the Falcon doors had needed maintenance. But his closing remark was "Oh, I love it, man."

Of course, Tesla must eventually get a better handle on quality control. It's still an infant compared to the lifespan of its major German, American, and Japanese competitors. We can only trust that it will grow up quickly. What Musk said in May of 2016 is still true.

The Model S and X I think are generally regarded by very critical judges as technologically the most advanced cars in the world. And so I think they've done well in that respect.

The key thing we need to achieve in the future is to also be the leader in manufacturing.

Elon Musk, Tesla earnings conference call, May 15, 2016

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Credit: Brooke Crothers

Tesla Model 3.

More Model 3 test-drive reviews continue to trickle in while Tesla achieved No.1 automaker status in at least one country. Also: YouTube reviews are a curious mix of pans and praise.

[For the week ending Sunday December 24, 2017]

Top item: that of course is the instagram of a midnight cherry Roadsterbeing prepared for "a billion year elliptic Mars orbit" -- as reported widely ( i.e., by anyone with a Twitter or WordPress account and with nothing better to do on a very-slow-news Friday). "Test flights of new rockets usually contain mass simulators in the form of concrete or steel blocks," the caption said. "That seemed extremely boring."

More Semi orders:  "UPS reserves 125 Tesla semi-trucks, largest public pre-order yet" -- Reuters, December 19, 2017.

Model 3 test drive: From the InsideEVs test drive:

First, I’d like to comment on the build quality, as there’s been a lot of chatter in the online forums and groups about misaligned exterior body panels. I have to say the car wasn’t perfect.

Some of the exterior panels weren’t as perfectly aligned as I’d like them to be. However, while there were some slight imperfections, overall it was more than acceptable in my opinion.

--"Exclusive: InsideEVs Tesla Model 3 Test Drive Review", InsideEVs

The reviewer also mentioned that he had to shut the driver's side door "a little harder than I would like to" to get it to close properly. Another complaint was that Tesla may have taken minimalism too far with the single screen, forcing the driver to glance to the right and interact a bit too much with one screen. And things like wiper controls, which are not all (only some controls are) on the stalk and require the center screen.

There was plenty of praise too (e.g., handling and acceleration) and the reviewer ended with this: "Overall, I’m impressed with the Model 3...I’m still very much looking forward to eventually taking delivery of my own Model 3."

Teslas are (were) the most popular cars in Norway in December, according to Electrek.

The rush in deliveries is making Tesla the most popular automaker in the country this month with Model X and Model S both holding the first and second position for most popular car models in December – even ahead of the VW Golf, which has long been a top seller in Norway.

"Tesla breaks new records in Norway, becomes most popular automaker in the country this month," Electrek, December 19, 2017

Model 3 battery guarantee is new to the Model 3 and apparently compares favorably with Model S and X (at least at the moment). Guarantee is up to 100,000 miles on the standard battery and up to 120,000 miles on the long-range battery, reports InsideEVs.  "The battery retention portion of the warranty differs from that of the Model S and X. Neither of those Tesla carry a retention guarantee," InsideEVs writes.

Credit: Tesla

Tesla reviews on YouTube: love-hate but love prevails: Tesla Model S and X (and increasingly Model 3) reviews are way too numerous to count on YouTube. I've watched a lot of Model S and X reviews (and sat through, in their entirety, the ones I've found to be thoughtful/reliable).

My point: the sheer number of YouTube reviews is testimony to the enthusiasm out there and why Tesla will likely succeed despite the constant drumbeat of criticism and the daily Telsa-is-on-the-brink-of-a-meltdown media stories and/or tediously-repetitive Tesla-is-toast financial blogs.

Most reviews -- even some that seem hopelessly critical at first -- almost always end by saying something to the effect: "I really love this car." Which always comes as kind of a shock to me after listening to a litany of complaints. (Here's one example: after taking issue with a fairly long list of things, he ends by saying "it's probably my favorite car...I've ever had.")

And I'll add one personal anecdote. I was walking through a neighborhood (where there is a high density of Teslas) in northwest Los Angeles this week and passed a guy opening up his X's falcon doors. I asked: "How do you like the Model X?" His response was a 60-second distillation of the all of the Model X YouTube videos I had ever seen. He mentioned that he didn't like the suspension very much and that the Falcon doors had needed maintenance. But his closing remark was "Oh, I love it, man."

Of course, Tesla must eventually get a better handle on quality control. It's still an infant compared to the lifespan of its major German, American, and Japanese competitors. We can only trust that it will grow up quickly. What Musk said in May of 2016 is still true.

The Model S and X I think are generally regarded by very critical judges as technologically the most advanced cars in the world. And so I think they've done well in that respect.

The key thing we need to achieve in the future is to also be the leader in manufacturing.

Elon Musk, Tesla earnings conference call, May 15, 2016

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Read Again https://www.forbes.com/sites/brookecrothers/2017/12/24/tesla-week-more-model-3-test-drives-no-1-in-norway-mars-roadster-rants-and-raves/

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