For the driver, it’s the reorganized controls that will make the biggest difference. As in the Tesla Model S, the steering column commodos have been removed. The car now guesses your intended direction of travel and asks you to confirm by pressing the brake pedal, with a slider on the touchscreen acting as a backup. The new three-spoke steering wheel houses haptic buttons to control the lights, indicators, wipers and cruise control. Everything works better than expected, but not as good as a standard rod.

Those seated in the rear benefit from a new 8.0-inch touchscreen with integrated air vents on the rear of the center console, allowing occupants to adjust the ventilation and heated seats and watch movies. films and videos.

From a safety point of view, the doors have now been reinforced to provide better protection in the event of a side impact. As a result, they also close with a more reassuring thud.

Lack of refinement and perceived quality have always been our main complaints with the Tesla Model 3, and while these tweaks don’t propel it beyond the BMWi4 in this regard, Tesla has certainly closed the gap.

Meanwhile, Tesla remains very strong in electric drivetrain technology. Battery capacity and charging speeds remain unchanged at 170 kW for the standard car and 250 kW for the long range.

However, a lower drag coefficient of 0.219 helps improve efficiency, resulting in a claimed range increase of 5-8%. On standard 18-inch wheels, the standard rear-wheel-drive version has a WLTP claim of 344 miles (up from 305), while the Long Range, with its larger battery and dual motors, claims 421 miles (up from 394). Opt for the larger 19-inch items and that drops to 318 miles and 390 miles respectively. These figures are no longer beyond the reach of a North Star 2but you can bet the Tesla’s actual efficiency will be better, making it cheaper to operate.

Electric powertrain performance on both versions remains the same, with the only difference being that the 18-inch tires have a reduced top speed of 125 mph. That means a 0-100 km/h time of 6.1 seconds for the entry-level 245 hp car and 4.4 seconds for the 351 hp long range. The Performance model hasn’t been officially confirmed, but expect it to arrive later.