Our test car is mounted with the more forgiving 18″ wheels (235/45R18), with more compliant tire walls than the 19″ sports wheels, the only available option (1500$) which this car is not specified with.

Bluntly put, Tesla completely missed the ball when signing off on this chassis settings. Owner forums anecdotally indicate that early customers immediately complained, and Tesla had to correct the course with a new set of springs and dampers which was phased into production mid December 2017. A cost-free retrofit is to be made available to existing owners, but the actual execution status of the retrofit is unclear. One can applaud Tesla for such a prompt reaction, but it is surprising that the company initially settled for such a poor NVH (Noise Vibration Harshness) experience.

I made the mistake not to accustom myself with the location of the basic functions of 15″ touch screen and find myself trapped with a light drizzle that scatters light on the windscreen and no clue where the windshield wiper function is located. Blinkers on the left, drive selector on the right, I find salvation in the windshield washer button. I will discover later that the windshield menu can be accessed through a few lateral swipes of the bottom left widget of the multifunction screen. Conventional buttons and switches can have their charm under certain circumstances.

Our car was on a tight schedule and was delivered with only 110 miles of range. My contigency plan was to use one of the charge stations at my hotel through the night. Sadly, the charge port of Model 3 is not compatible with the ubiquitous type 1 (SAE J1772) charger plugs and i can’t find the adapter in the center console, front or rear trunk. Result: no charge during the night.