AzScorpion
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- First Name
- Dave
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2019
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- Location
- Back Home In AZ!
- Vehicle(s)
- 2023 Ford Ranger Tremor
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- Retired...Full Time Slacker
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- #1
So we were out up in Tucson and I broke down and drove a Tesla Model 3 Premium RWD. All I can say is Wow! I've only driven hybrids and have always heard how much power and torque Evs have and they're not kidding.
First I have to say the dealer experience is one of the best I've ever had. The salesman Kevin was super laid back and very informative about all the features the car has. They don't work on commission so there was never any pressure to buy. The one on their showroom was the exact one I was looking at and speced out online so it was nice to see it there. After showing me all the features he asked if I'd like to try one which of course I did. He went outside around the back and turned it on and came back and we sat at the table and he took out his phone and opened the app. You could see the overhead view of the car and he put the dot in front of the front door and the car drove itself over to the front and parked. Crazy!
After adjusting the mirrors and seat he set it up to self drive us to a park about 4 miles away. I have to say it was really strange just sitting there while the car drove and did everything for you. Changing lanes, signaling, right on red and then even parking itself at the park. I'm still amazed what that car can do.
Now the fun part. I took control of it and he took me down a long straightaway and said "put it to the floor". I've never had a car put me back in the seat like this one did! Even my 400hp Z28 couldn't come close to it. There's no lag at all and anytime you hit the pedal there's instant power and torque. It has one pedal driving which was a little hard to get use to because as soon as you let up on it it'll slow down fast. At highway speeds it's much more gradual but still fast braking. We got back to the dealer and he told us to take it out and have fun. Errr, you don't have to tell me twice!
We took it for a good hour long ride all over Tucson on main roads, back roads and highway driving. Everything is on the touch screen which at first was strange but it's pretty easy to navigate because all the essential things are on the screen like a quick guide. Plus you can just use voice commands and never touch anything. I drove way out almost into Oro Valley and then just hit Home (which is the dealer) and then hit Self Drive. I'm really amazed at how smooth and accurate this thing is and how precise it turns and moves through traffic in Self Drive mode.
I gotta say it was super comfortable inside, great field of view because the A pillars are stretched way out and I love the cooled seats. The screen is huge but I honestly did think it was distracting and what's nice is you can stretch out the map to see the whole street view. The cameras are insane and IIRC there's 6 or 8 of them giving you a crystal clear view all around the car. Putting it in P-D -R is strange because there's no shifter. You press and slide the car on the left side of the screen and it goes into R then you slide it up to D. You can also do this on the overhead control where the interior lights are by just pressing the buttons there. Once parked you just exit the car and it auto shuts down. Everything is controlled by the app and they give you a key card for your wallet which will give you access to the car and controls.
This model has a 363 mile range and with the upgraded 19" tires & wheels it drops to 343 which is still better than I thought it would get. He showed me how to program a trip (we did the Grand Canyon) and there you'll see all the Superchargers along the route and the suggested ones to stop at. It tells you how many miles it'll take to get there and how much battery life is left when there. You can also set the battery life higher (or lower) and more charges will come up if you don't want to go down to say 15% charge.
I have to say I now have to take back everything I've said about EVs over the years but they have come a long way in the last several years. Price is about $10,000 more than the Camry I looked at but this one has every option you can imagine and the Camry only had a few. The premium paint was $2,000 extra and the 19" wheels were another $1,500 bringing it to $46,000 plus tax, registration and fees.
The rear seat even has a touch screen with separate controls.
The trunk is pretty roomy and the seats fold almost flat.
I told him I'd order one today if he would throw this guy in for free. lol
First I have to say the dealer experience is one of the best I've ever had. The salesman Kevin was super laid back and very informative about all the features the car has. They don't work on commission so there was never any pressure to buy. The one on their showroom was the exact one I was looking at and speced out online so it was nice to see it there. After showing me all the features he asked if I'd like to try one which of course I did. He went outside around the back and turned it on and came back and we sat at the table and he took out his phone and opened the app. You could see the overhead view of the car and he put the dot in front of the front door and the car drove itself over to the front and parked. Crazy!
After adjusting the mirrors and seat he set it up to self drive us to a park about 4 miles away. I have to say it was really strange just sitting there while the car drove and did everything for you. Changing lanes, signaling, right on red and then even parking itself at the park. I'm still amazed what that car can do.
Now the fun part. I took control of it and he took me down a long straightaway and said "put it to the floor". I've never had a car put me back in the seat like this one did! Even my 400hp Z28 couldn't come close to it. There's no lag at all and anytime you hit the pedal there's instant power and torque. It has one pedal driving which was a little hard to get use to because as soon as you let up on it it'll slow down fast. At highway speeds it's much more gradual but still fast braking. We got back to the dealer and he told us to take it out and have fun. Errr, you don't have to tell me twice!
We took it for a good hour long ride all over Tucson on main roads, back roads and highway driving. Everything is on the touch screen which at first was strange but it's pretty easy to navigate because all the essential things are on the screen like a quick guide. Plus you can just use voice commands and never touch anything. I drove way out almost into Oro Valley and then just hit Home (which is the dealer) and then hit Self Drive. I'm really amazed at how smooth and accurate this thing is and how precise it turns and moves through traffic in Self Drive mode.
I gotta say it was super comfortable inside, great field of view because the A pillars are stretched way out and I love the cooled seats. The screen is huge but I honestly did think it was distracting and what's nice is you can stretch out the map to see the whole street view. The cameras are insane and IIRC there's 6 or 8 of them giving you a crystal clear view all around the car. Putting it in P-D -R is strange because there's no shifter. You press and slide the car on the left side of the screen and it goes into R then you slide it up to D. You can also do this on the overhead control where the interior lights are by just pressing the buttons there. Once parked you just exit the car and it auto shuts down. Everything is controlled by the app and they give you a key card for your wallet which will give you access to the car and controls.
This model has a 363 mile range and with the upgraded 19" tires & wheels it drops to 343 which is still better than I thought it would get. He showed me how to program a trip (we did the Grand Canyon) and there you'll see all the Superchargers along the route and the suggested ones to stop at. It tells you how many miles it'll take to get there and how much battery life is left when there. You can also set the battery life higher (or lower) and more charges will come up if you don't want to go down to say 15% charge.
I have to say I now have to take back everything I've said about EVs over the years but they have come a long way in the last several years. Price is about $10,000 more than the Camry I looked at but this one has every option you can imagine and the Camry only had a few. The premium paint was $2,000 extra and the 19" wheels were another $1,500 bringing it to $46,000 plus tax, registration and fees.
The rear seat even has a touch screen with separate controls.
The trunk is pretty roomy and the seats fold almost flat.
I told him I'd order one today if he would throw this guy in for free. lol
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