Tesla have just announced an upgraded Model 3, which is available to order now from €42,990, with deliveries to start in January 2024.
The current model has been on sale for the last six years and in that time, over two million cars have been sold.
Updated cars come with new lighting at the front and rear tail lights that now integrate with the tailgate to improve the fit.
Interior
Inside, there’s a new interior to improve both refinement and comfort. The cabin is now cocooned around the driver and new materials, including aluminium and textiles are used.
All new front and rear seats are ventilated in the front, with seat heating for all seats and that’s standard on all models.
A redesigned centre console is trimmed in aluminium and comes with dual wireless phone charging pads. USB-C charging ports can provide up to 65 watts of power to charge even laptops.
The centre display now features a thinner bezel to offer more screen area and it also controls the newly available interior ambient lighting.
Rear seat passengers also get an 8” touchscreen to control their own climate, ventilation and entertainment with more features due to be added via over the air updates.
Acoustic glass is fitted all around and with improved suspension bushing, seals and sound-deadening material, Tesla claim a 30% wind noise, 20% road noise and 30% ambient noise isolation improvement.
The audio system now comprises of 17 speakers, dual subwoofers and dual amplifiers for the Long Range model. Even the Rear Wheel Drive 3 gets nine speakers and both include native support for Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal.
The newly optimised aerodynamics improve drag for reduced wind noise and greater range. The wheels, 18” and 19”, have also been redesigned to reduce aerodynamic drag and the overall result is an impressive 0.219.
Driving
The driving experience has also been enhanced with automated processes helping with the process of driving off in particular. There’s no need to manually unlock the car and engaging the power and releasing the handbrake is all done automatically once you sit in the seat and put on your seatbelt.
Then, you simply press the brake pedal and select drive or reverse from the screen. A Beta Autoshift Out of Park system is also available which will select Drive or Reverse depending on what the car determines.
Steering wheel controls replace stalks, with indicators for example, now controlled with a thumb-switch on the wheel. Turn signals automatically cancel when the car detects that a manoeuvre is complete.
Range and Performance
There are two new colours available also, with Ultra Red replacing Red Multi-Coat and Stealth Grey replacing Midnight Silver Metallic.
The standard model has a claimed range of 554km on standard 18” wheels, with cars fitted with 19” alloys having around 40km less range. A 0-100km/h time of 6.1 seconds is achievable.
The long range model, which sells from €50,990, has a range of up to 678km and a 0-100km/h time of 4.4 seconds. Both models have a top speed limited to 201km/h.
