2024 Tesla Model 3 Highland First Drive: Is The Updated Model 3 More Refined?

MotorTrend

MotorTrend editors Kristen Lee and Joe Berry check out the updated 2024 Tesla Model 3 Highland.

Transcript

00:00 We've got two Tesla Model 3 Highlands, so it's time to find out how they are to drive.

00:04 The Model 3 Highland does not have any powertrain updates, meaning its battery and motors remain

00:10 untouched from the old Model 3. Guess everyone was satisfied with them enough that Tesla left

00:14 them alone. But because of the subtle design changes that have resulted in a reduction in drag

00:20 and also because of the new tires with lower rolling resistance, Tesla now claims the Model

00:24 3 Highlands range has actually increased. How does the new Model 3 rear-wheel drive standard range

00:31 handle? Because that is where Tesla have spent the majority of the time in terms of refreshing

00:38 this car mechanically. That one line that Tesla told us about how they really wanted to keep what

00:44 people liked about the car and only improve the things that people didn't like as much about the

00:48 car, that keeps running through my head because I think it's so true. People have always liked the

00:53 way the Model 3 drives and here I have to agree. You know, you've got that instant torque,

00:58 electric car, that's going to be the case, but the steering quick, flat throughout, there's not any

01:05 sort of weird dead space. It's very intuitive steering, it's confidence inspiring and the

01:13 regenerative brakes are very smooth. All of that revised work that they did to the front end,

01:21 to the suspension, the revised dampers, the bushings, all of the extra bonding points between

01:29 the suspension and the chassis, those are all working in tandem along with the wheels, the

01:34 revised brake rotors to provide a far, far more cohesive driving experience and that's not to say

01:41 that the previous Model 3 wasn't a great driving car. It was a very fun driving car. It handled

01:47 remarkably well. It did track a little bit I found, especially when you were pushing it through

01:52 a corner and I'm happy to report as I push it through this corner now, yes a little bit of

01:57 understeer but it's not tracking. They've done a lot of really good work to try and flatten this

02:04 car out, keep it just as dynamic as it was before but add a sense of refinement and that I think is

02:10 the other big keyword when we're talking about Model 3, it's refinement and that is shown at

02:17 every level and in every department. The exterior is refined. You put it next to an old one and all

02:23 of a sudden you can see clearly how all of the little incremental differences, not all of which

02:30 have been made purely for aesthetic reasons let's not forget, a lot of them have been to do with

02:33 range but how they've all come together to create a very, very cohesive design. I would almost say

02:41 that the Model 3 never had a cohesive design. It didn't have its own design language because

02:46 it always felt like a slightly shrunk and warped Model S. Now though I think the Model 3 stands

02:52 alone not only with its own unique design, its own unique perspective on Tesla's design, DNA and

03:01 language, it's also a very refined and grown-up looking Tesla. Not to say that it's less playful

03:09 but it just looks a bit more purposeful on the road. For a lot of people driving an electric car,

03:16 a Tesla, this is the first time they will have experienced one pedal driving.

03:20 It's real nice here and the chassis feels good. It feels pretty balanced in these corners.

03:26 You feel like you can drive this car fast. You know there's that nice low center of gravity

03:31 that kind of keeps you planted through the corner, makes you feel good about doing these things.

03:36 The last Model 3 was very obviously steel sprung. Well this one still is but it's less

03:42 in your face about it. It rides way better now. It doesn't bump as much over uneven pavement.

03:49 Yeah this thing holds corners nice.

03:52 It's good. Man you cannot underestimate the power of low center of gravity.

04:05 This is also has some of the nicer steering out of all the electric cars I've driven.

04:10 Usually steering feels kind of dead or numb off-center. Here it feels

04:15 very linear so the steering is calibrated well. So much of what Tesla has done to this new Model

04:22 3 has not only been about the driver but has been about the passenger. He's improved vastly. This

04:29 acoustic glass, they've done great work to try and make this a quieter, more comfortable,

04:34 more relaxing place to be. Because of the way that hood is newly tapered and it kind of shoots

04:39 the wind over the windshield, it's not as loud in here. So whatever they did worked. It feels like

04:45 not a new car. It feels like an improved car and I think that's exactly what they were going

04:52 towards because the Model 3 objectively pretty good car on its own. There were a few points that

04:57 needed some refinements, a little sanding here and there you know but that's exactly what they did.

05:03 They left the core thing alone and they made some of the pain points better. So color me impressed.

05:08 Speaking of improvements, earlier we told you that the Motor Trend testing team had gotten their

05:14 hands on the new Model 3 Highlands to put them through their paces. Well the results are in

05:18 and it makes for fascinating reading. The all-wheel drive dual motor Highland did a 0-60

05:24 in 4 seconds and the rear-wheel drive single motor did it in 5.6. In braking from 60 miles an hour to

05:32 a dead stop the all-wheel drive car took 114 feet and the rear-wheel drive took 115. But range,

05:40 that's the crucial one. We subjected both cars to the Motor Trend real world range test, driving

05:46 them at 95% of their batteries charged and at a constant 70 miles an hour. The results? The

05:52 standard range Model 3 put down 211 miles. The long range returned 250. And just for fun, we

05:59 tested the old Model 3 long range and it did 258 miles. However, we'll also note the old car was

06:05 using smaller wheels than the new car. So it was a bit like comparing gala apples to honey crisp apples.

06:10 you

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