Tesla Model 3 General Discussion

[Heldenzeit]

I like the large greenhouse, as it's the opposite of the usual current trend of having tiny windows and high sides. As others have stated, it really needs a faux grille. It looks unfinished as it is now.

 

[AudiMan2011]

Front end is a bit polarising but I quite like it.

 

[Northstar]

I like the exterior even without a faux grill, although I do think one would make it look better.

The interior on the other hand seems terrible. If they were to add a small info panel infront of the steering wheel just big enough for a digital readout and make the screen smaller it would make it much better while maintaining the minimalist look.

 

[eran0004]

I think the front looks good, but I think the rear would look better with a hatchback design.

I don't like the big screen in the center. I think it's sad to turn a car into an app, I want some switches and dials.

This is beautiful:

This is dull:

 

[Robin]

Everyone is complainting on how ugly the Model 3 is but Tesla made $115 million in pre-order deposits on it.

That's because Tesla is turning into a cult like Apple. Some people will buy anything they release and I'm willing to bet a vast majority of the pre orders are from existing Tesla owners.... who also own key chains, hats and never stop banging on about how amazing their car is.

 

[CodeRedR51]

That's because Tesla is turning into a cult like Apple. Some people will buy anything they release and I'm willing to bet a vast majority of the pre orders are from existing Tesla owners.... who also own key chains, hats and never stop banging on about how amazing their car is.

I was scrolling through Instagram last night for #model3 and most people posting screen captures of their confirmation screens were not current owners. Not saying that's the majority, but it may not be as clear cut as people think.

 

[homeforsummer]

I like the large greenhouse

I like a large greenhouse, but in terms of proportions it doesn't really work with that shape. Perhaps we've just got so used to seeing small DLOs, but it just looks weird here.

This is beautiful:
This is dull:

While I agree, from a functionality standpoint, beauty or boredom are largely irrelevant. I've not looked in too much depth at the Model 3's specs but I saw someone mentioned a head-up display before. If that's the case, then classic dials and that big screen are doing different jobs.

In my experience with HUDs, they render traditional dials completely obsolete - you can get all the information you need, whether that's speed, revs or satnav and audio information, from the display projected onto the windscreen. HUDs are excellent, and would absolutely justify doing away with any gauge pod in front of the driver.

From a personal perspective, I still love dials like those in the Alpine. But I'm also entirely happy for beautiful Alpine dials to remain in beautiful Alpines, and for modern cars to seek modern solutions.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

From a personal perspective, I still love dials like those in the Alpine. But I'm also entirely happy for beautiful Alpine dials to remain in beautiful Alpines, and for modern cars to seek modern solutions.

I couldn't agree more. I see the BMW I3 as a phenomenal example of this in terms of interior. It's part Zaha Hadid, part Tron and utterly contemporary. Contemporary absolutely does not have to mean blank-white. That's actually rather more 1920s from a design standpoint. 'Less is more' was spoken by Mies Van Der Rohe in 1946! We should be well beyond that phase by now.

I see the model 3 (overall) as an uncomfortable compromise of design. They could make it any shape they want, but they continue to make it mostly normal looking. That gets weird when you start subverting that 'normal' by skewing the proportions and removing familiar features. This is why I posted Neo without his mouth. The Tesla 3 has somehow dipped a little lower into the uncanny valley where it's very similar to a normal car....but off just enough for you to subconsciously notice.

If the model S is "real person" than the model 3 is approaching Cubo girl.

 

[wingman1659]

Well the interior will change. Just look at the Model X. They threw in a big screen that looked like an afterthought, much like how the 3's looks. But in production it looks much more integral to the interior.

 

[Nessy]

I really like the blank front and I quite like the interior, though @Omnis is right, that screen is just waiting for some knee-cap interaction.

Greenhouse is way too big, and egg shaped for my liking, just looks off. It's almost as if it's like a computer mouse, with the bonnet being the clicky button thing.

 

[homeforsummer]

I couldn't agree more. I see the BMW I3 as a phenomenal example of this in terms of interior. It's part Zaha Hadid, part Tron and utterly contemporary. Contemporary absolutely does not have to mean blank-white. That's actually rather more 1920s from a design standpoint. 'Less is more' was spoken by Mies Van Der Rohe in 1946! We should be well beyond that phase by now.

Indeed.

There are plenty of "nice" interiors on the market at the moment but very few that actually excite me from a design perspective.

The i3's does (the i8's does not, though it comes under the "nice" category). I'm a big fan of the interior in the Citroen C4 Cactus, because they've tried something new (installing the passenger airbag in the roof is a neat way of reducing dashboard bulk) and it's far more attractive and comfortable than you'd credit of a car available so inexpensively. The Audi TT works well (TT interior always have) but even then it's arguably too "traditional" in its layout. Ditto the MX-5, though traditional is probably part of the brief with that car.

Most are bland. Functionally little different to say, the 1970s, when people largely started putting vents and dials and audio systems in the same places. Decent ergonomically, but modern technology makes most of those ergonomic points redundant.

Struggling to think of any modern, production automotive interiors, beyond those mentioned, that break any new ground. Even money is no guarantee. A Pagani interior is beautiful but still unremarkable in its layout. A Rolls-Royce is opulent, but hardly inventive.

Tesla has been disruptive in so many different areas - sales, ethos, performance, network - that it's a real shame they aren't doing anything different in terms of design.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Indeed.

There are plenty of "nice" interiors on the market at the moment but very few that actually excite me from a design perspective.

The i3's does (the i8's does not, though it comes under the "nice" category). I'm a big fan of the interior in the Citroen C4 Cactus, because they've tried something new (installing the passenger airbag in the roof is a neat way of reducing dashboard bulk) and it's far more attractive and comfortable than you'd credit of a car available so inexpensively. The Audi TT works well (TT interior always have) but even then it's arguably too "traditional" in its layout. Ditto the MX-5, though traditional is probably part of the brief with that car.

Most are bland. Functionally little different to say, the 1970s, when people largely started putting vents and dials and audio systems in the same places. Decent ergonomically, but modern technology makes most of those ergonomic points redundant.

Struggling to think of any modern, production automotive interiors, beyond those mentioned, that break any new ground. Even money is no guarantee. A Pagani interior is beautiful but still unremarkable in its layout. A Rolls-Royce is opulent, but hardly inventive.

Tesla has been disruptive in so many different areas - sales, ethos, performance, network - that it's a real shame they aren't doing anything different in terms of design.

This is why I was originally looking forward so much to the Koenigsegg Quant...and why I was so disappointed with each subsequent version of it. It was genuinely different, because it was a a different way of thinking about what a car is.

 

[[Nor]MclarenF1]

I really like what Volvo has done with the interior of the new S/V90.

A good example of minimalistic design without it feeling naked and unfinished.

To me the interior of the Model 3s showed at the reveal looked more like pre-production prototypes. The steering wheel especially just looked like a placeholder wheel. Hopefully the production car will have a wheel with multimedia controls.

 

[Nessy]

The interior reminds me a little bit of the Honda Fcv, what with the screen.

 

[homeforsummer]

I really like what Volvo has done with the interior of the new S/V90.

I like Volvo's latest cabins, but I'd stop short of calling them minimalistic, at least from a design perspective - they're still big, bulky modern car interiors. I've driven a few XC90s and they're also weirdly susceptible to trim level - in bright colours like those pictured, it feels great, but I tried one a few months ago which was mostly black inside and it was pretty oppressive.

 

[[Nor]MclarenF1]

The interior reminds me a little bit of the Honda Fcv, what with the screen.

Looks like Tesla should consider outsourcing the interior designing to Honda.

 

[catamount39]

Outside - Average, not bad but not good at all.
Inside - Disgusting, seen better interiors on 50's Russian cars. Laziest thing ever.

Obviously the only way to make a $35,000 Tesla, was to rip out $50,000 of its interior.

 

[Nessy]

@[Nor]McLarenF1

I actually quite like what Tesla have done. I suppose it is lacking a bit, but I really like the minimalist approach.

 

[[Nor]MclarenF1]

@[Nor]McLarenF1 I actually quite like what Tesla have done. I suppose it is lacking a bit, but I really like the minimalist approach.

Like you, I do like the concept. It just looks unfinished and a bit halfhearted.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Let's not forget that these are early prototypes and Elon has said that things can change before launch.

 

[[Nor]MclarenF1]

Let's not forget that these are early prototypes and Elon has said that things can change before launch.

I think it's easy to forget that this is the very first time we're being showed this car. Just look at how the interior changed in the Model X from the 2012 prototype.

2012

2016

That being said, I actually prefer the 2012 version.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Pre-orders surpassing 200,000. Musks comments about that:

 

[[Nor]MclarenF1]

Pre-orders surpassing 200,000. Musks comments about that:

I was actually just thinking about how they could probably double their production rate and still have problems getting the cars out fast enough. I think they underestimated how big the demand was going to be.

 

[Nessy]

I was actually just thinking about how they could probably double their production rate and still have problems getting the cars out fast enough. I think they underestimated how big the demand was going to be.

I think they've got the space for it. Watched a documentary (on discovery, I think) a while back, they were only using a fraction of the available space.

 

[Robin]

A good example of minimalistic design without it feeling naked and unfinished.

Exactly, as long as there is a variety of depth, layers and differing materials a minimalistic / modern dash can look excellent. The 3's interior is way too clinical and one dimensional but I guess they will take feedback from the concept and refine the design.

 

[[Nor]MclarenF1]

Exactly, as long as there is a variety of depth, layers and differing materials a minimalistic / modern dash can look excellent. The 3's interior is way too clinical and one dimensional but I guess they will take feedback from the concept and refine the design.

I hope they'll embed the display into the dashboard. The floating mount style on the reveal cars looked too intrusive and in your face. Then there's the risk of it breaking off and being thrown around the cabin in a collision.

 

[Robin]

I hope they'll embed the display into the dashboard. The floating mount style on the reveal cars looked too intrusive and in your face. Then there's the risk of it breaking off and being thrown around the cabin in a collision.

And it looks like you could easily bang your knee on the corner of it...

 

[[Nor]MclarenF1]

And it looks like you could easily bang your knee on the corner of it...

Not exactly ideal when you're late for work and get in the car in a hurry. You'll end up with a sore knee and the display lying in the passenger foot well.

 

[catamount39]

Not exactly ideal when you're late for work and get in the car in a hurry. You'll end up with a sore knee and the display lying in the passenger foot well.

Very well could, probably just glued that laptop screen on there.

 

[Robin]

Not exactly ideal when you're late for work and get in the car in a hurry. You'll end up with a sore knee and the display lying in the passenger foot well.

I've had to get in a car from the passenger side a few times in car parks and clamber over the middle... oh boy is that display going to get trashed in the process!