The Tesla Model 3 once again offers a rear-wheel drive version that starts at 35,000 euros
Tesla needs to sell cars. It seems silly to say this about a brand that obviously sells cars. But Tesla is different because its CEO warned a few days ago that the company was in the process of pivoting. With sales that suffer in all markets for a perfect cocktail created by the Elon Musk’s political movements, the lack of a Tesla Model 2 that expands the range and a product that is not renewedthe market is punishing them harshly. The company also appears to have lost its financial advantage. It wasn’t that long ago that I could play with the price of the car, eat a good chunk of profit margins that were huge and continue to be competitive for pure price. Now, with rivals launching models on the market at a good pace, this game becomes more complicated. What’s left for Tesla? Lower their already minimalist cars to create a pure and simple mobility object. But, above all, try to rely on where they have the best results. The new Tesla Model 3, the rear-wheel drive model, is a good example of this. Why does an electric car have less autonomy than advertised? Tesla Model 3 RWD technical sheet TESLA MODEL 3 RWD Measurements and weight 4,720 mm long, 1,850 mm wide and 1,440 mm high. 2,890 mm wheelbase. 1,772 kg. Trunk 682 liters to the roof of the trunk (Tesla does not specify if it includes the double bottom of the rear trunk). bodywork five-seater sedan Maximum speed Maximum speed of 201 km/h Acceleration (0 to 100 km/h) 6.2 seconds WLTP range 534km WLTP consumption 13.0 kWh/100 km DGT environmental badge Zero emissions. DRIVING AIDS Autopilot system with adaptive cruise control with Stop&Go function, lane keeping, blind spot sensor, emergency braking, front and rear cross traffic control. 360ยบ camera and autonomous parking. Operating system Tesla Software not compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Grok AI as a voice assistant. MULTIMEDIA SCREEN 15.8-inch central screen. OTHERS Wireless charging for mobile phone, two USB-C sockets. Specifically developed Spotify, Disney+, Steam, Youtube, Netflix applications. PRICE From 35,000 euros with a brand discount and without government aid The right changes, the usual advantage What changes in the new Tesla Model 3 RWD? Rather little. On the outside the changes are practically imperceptible. They just stop at some black logos (which were already coming in the last deliveries) and some very closed wheels to increase the car’s autonomy. Rims that give a greater feeling of quality than the hubcaps of the Tesla Model Y although they are very similar. Inside, wireless mobile charging is eliminated and the imitation leather seats have been replaced by cloth seats. I am one of those who prefers change, the current ones are good (without being spectacular) and I have the feeling that the fabric is going to age better than the previous seats. Of course, this is still mere intuition. The seat controls for electric control have also disappeared. You have to go to the screen but since you can save your personal profile with your mobile phone, which still acts as a key, it shouldn’t be a problem. And, if you look for them, all the controls are on the screen except for the turn signals, where Tesla collected cable to return the lever behind the steering wheel. Software continues to be the best ally in this case. The menus are clear, simple and it’s easy to remember where what is. The problem as always is having to touch the screen for functions that are better operated by hand. To improve the experience, Tesla has added Grok AI as a voice assistant. In its latest update, this chatbot with artificial intelligence is available in beta phase and that leaves us at the moment with a somewhat strange situation because it continues to coexist with Tesla’s voice assistant. To put it somewhat simply, Grok cannot handle the “material” functions of the car. That is to say. You can’t ask Grok to roll down the window or change the air conditioning. The assistant notifies us that it cannot do this function and tells us how we can ask the Tesla voice assistant for it. It’s a shame because the latter requires more precise orders and less natural language. Grok feels like an almost obligatory update in a car that forgets about physical controls. The promise of a voice assistant with artificial intelligence that learns from what you tell it is almost essential to manage the car’s functions with a much more natural and less robotic language. What we can ask Grok for is a route, change it on the fly or tell him to find places to eat, sleep or buy some clothes while we’re on the go. This does seem useful to me. For example, in our case we asked him to take us on a route to Berlin but to find us a five-star hotel in Paris to stop and rest. In a few seconds we had the route made and the hotel selected. For a practical as well as fun point of view, the assistant can be used with two female voices and two male voices, each with its own name, and different personalities. From the pure assistant to the conspiracy, passing through a “language teacher”, the doctor, the narrator, the therapist and the “meditation” mode. The information provided with each of them is different and adjusts to their personalities, so if we want more truthful information we should go to the assistant. However, you have to be careful because Grok pointed out to me, for example, that you can only enter the city of Madrid if you have a Zero Emissions sticker, which is not true. Of course, the fact that it lacks restrictions can be funny, like when she told us that an electric car “will never equal a gasoline car”, that her favorite car was a Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 or that she totally disagreed with Elon Musk’s … Read more