Model 3 Refresh Revealed!

[LoneWolfO6]

Only overseas, can’t release this in the States right before the CT, it would cause a disturbance in the force?!

 

[WHIZZARD OF OZ]

New Model 3 Refresh Model Highlights

Front-end facelift
Range has increased 12%:
SR RWD now 344 miles of range (WLTP)
Long Range now 421 miles (WLTP)
Tesla's lowest Cd yet of .219
Tesla has changed 50% of the parts on the car
Two new colors: Ultra Red and Stealth Gray
Ambient LED lighting in the interior
Main screen is now brighter and more responsive
Rear 8-inch screen
Customizable cabin lighting
Brand new steering wheel
Center console redesigned
Materials inside the car in general have been improved.
Real metal when you touch giving a more premium feel
More sound insulation in the car
30% decrease in wind and ambient noise
25% improvement in impact noise
20% improvement in road noise
Acoustic glass for rear windows
There's an uptick in the hood to let wind go over more quietly
Upgraded suspension with new springs and dampers.
Changed the geometry of the front suspension and changed the way they mount the sub frame to the chassis
New Photon and Nova wheels
The tires are more cushioning

Maybe it's stated, and clear to eagle eyed 'Tesla Spotters' that the rear lights now move with the rear deck lid. VEWY KOOL.
They get around the LAW by using two low mount lights, while the rear brake light remains visible along with the subtle edges of the illuminated tail lights.

 

[LoneWolfO6]

Well you could always get the Neuralink and just have to looks at the drive option on the screen and the car will adjust, lol. Not yet!

 

[Luke42]

Nope no regulation for that. Cars used to have the first auto gear shifters be push buttons. Wasn’t dictated by regulation then. Still isn’t. Look it up. The current model S and X use no stalks only touch screen to shift gears.
Just as reliable as a mechanical piece that serves no other purpose.
J

If I remember automotive lore correctly, push button shifters were considered problematic because they were error-prone.

I haven't driven a stalkless Tesla yet, but this could be a dealbreaker for me.

(I'll test drive one to be sure before I make any big moves.)

my Model Y is missing several important controls on the stalks (like windshield wipers and headlights), and the quick access on the touch screen isn't so quick.

Enough little stuff like this could easily add up to a deal breaker -- especially in a post-2025 auto market, where Ford's Project T3 will be competing with the Cybertruck in a NACS-world.

 

[Luke42]

I, too, wonder why people get all wrapped up about the stalks. Let's look at this objectively. On the road today are cars with physical stalks that are manual shifters (old trucks). Then there are floor or hump mounted manual shifters. Then there are column mounted automatics. Then there are floor or hump mounted automatics. There are cars where "P" is the forward most position. Cars where the "P" is a button on the shifter. Calumn mounted stalks where "P" is at the top. Column mounted where "P" is a button. Manual shifters where "R" is all the way right and down, or all the way right and up, or all the way left and up, or all the way left and down. There are very few constants. And yet, some people still don't look and drive into walls and garage doors and other cars.

But the point is, everyone adapts. If this is your daily driver, you'll have it knocked in a few days of driving and never look back. If it's not your daily driver, you'll do what you do whenever you drive a car that's different than your daily driver. I get the off road implications, but again, you will adapt.

There are very few things that are "Standard" on all cars. Damn Skippy, we can't even agree on what side of the freakin road to drive on! High beam switches used to be on the floor boards. Some cars have "dead pedals", and some don't. Some have the wipers here and some have them there. Some have the key on the right side of the dash, som on the column, some on the left side. some have the lights on a stalk, some on the right side of the dash, some n the left. Sometimes the gas cap is on the right, sometimes on the left, sometimes behind the license plate, sometimes it's up in front of the door. And still, people adapt. And once you adapt, it feels weird to do it any other way.

Relax, you're probably smarter than you are giving yourself credit for...

That's not the question.

The question is: why is the new interface better than the standard interface cars have had for most of the last century?

One you answer that question, then the question you answered (about adaptation) becomes relevant.

I'm adaptable. What I'm not convinced of is that removing the controls I use constantly in my daily driving is better.

Why is the new UI better?

My Model Y is about as far down the road of "let's take away the controls" as I really want to go, because the promise of a car that just knows (for instance) when to turn on the windshield wipers is not fully realized yet -- and Tesla shouldn't have removed that control until the automated replacement was dependable.

So, why is taking away the stalks a good idea?

P.S. Can someone point me to an aftermarket mod that will add a real windshield wiper selector-switch to the stalk on my Model Y, after a year of waiting for a magic firmware update that will fix the windshield wipers?

 

[JWass]

That's not the question.

The question is: why is the new interface better than the standard interface cars have had for most of the last century?

One you answer that question, then the question you answered (about adaptation) becomes relevant.

I'm adaptable. What I'm not convinced of is that removing the controls I use constantly in my daily driving is better.

Why is the new UI better?

My Model Y is about as far down the road of "let's take away the controls" as I really want to go, because the promise of a car that just knows (for instance) when to turn on the windshield wipers is not fully realized yet -- and Tesla shouldn't have removed that control until the automated replacement was dependable.

So, why is taking away the stalks a good idea?

P.S. Can someone point me to an aftermarket mod that will add a real windshield wiper selector-switch to the stalk on my Model Y, after a year of waiting for a magic firmware update that will fix the windshield wipers?

Look at it this way. They’re preparing cars for driverless abilities. They built in all the tech for it so that once the software is perfected it’ll be seamless.
Additionally the blinker controls and others are on the steering wheel. Check pictures of the wheel for the latest model S.
If we keep doing the same thing cause it’s what has been done for a century. We wouldn’t have AC, cell phones, computers, and on and on.
Challenge the norm and the UI will catch up. It’s easy to update and improve.
Hence why they did it.

 

[Raebrek]

No shift lever will suck big time off-road in the CT.

You can't rock yourself out of a bog, or use short run ups over obstacles. Quick turn around for reorientation on a climb. Simply: no inertia no climb. Traction control or AI can't compete with that. Anyone who claims any different knows nothing about off reading, and should stay in park on their freeway.

Will be my first mod if there's no fast access to cycle between D and R.

you just use bog mode. Don’t worry, I’ll stay on the road.

 

[PilotPete]

That's not the question.

The question is: why is the new interface better than the standard interface cars have had for most of the last century?


I'm adaptable. What I'm not convinced of is that removing the controls I use constantly in my daily driving is better.

Why is the new UI better?

So, why is taking away the stalks a good idea?

P.S. Can someone point me to an aftermarket mod that will add a real windshield wiper selector-switch to the stalk on my Model Y, after a year of waiting for a magic firmware update that will fix the windshield wipers?

Well, it was MY question. So, it was the question.

The point I was making is, there isn't a "standard" interface for most of the last century. Shifters are in all sorts of places, and with all sorts of formats, and all sorts of controls. And yet, people adapt.

The controls you are using in your daily drive in your Y aren't changing. The controls in the new S/3 are just different. Why is it better? I never said it was, I said it was different, just like all the other differences we have adapted to over the past century. Elon has said the best part is no part. So maybe to him it's better. This could improve reliability and reduce part count and thus cost, and that benefits you, and that could be better. It may not be a significant cost, but like trying to lighten a car, every little bit helps. It's the sum of all the little things that makes a difference.

Maybe it's a horrible idea and Tesla will backtrack in the future. But until you've had it for a little while and used it and gotten used to it, you just don't know. There is an airplane that I fly from time to time. It has a very unique flight control system. When I think of it in my mind (even at this very moment), I can't imagine that I could ever get used to it. It just seems so foreign and awkward to me. But when I get into the plane and fly with it, I don't even notice the difference. The odd control stick feels so "normal" and natural to me, it just works. It's not inherently better or worse. It has advantages, and disadvantages. But it taught me that what I imagine in my mind on how an interface would work and feel, is a long way from how it really works and feels when you use it. This COULD be the same thing.

As for your wiper issue, try looking at this link. These guys make "S3XY" buttons and rotary knobs that appear to be the equivalent to remote function controls for things you want to address without the screen. Might address your problem, might not. It might work with shifting, might not. They might create a remote shifter, who knows. At least worth a look.

https://tsportline.com/collections/s3xy-buttons-knob-tesla-function-controllers

 

[CYBRSMTH]

New Model 3 Refresh Model Highlights

Front-end facelift
Range has increased 12%:
SR RWD now 344 miles of range (WLTP)
Long Range now 421 miles (WLTP)
Tesla's lowest Cd yet of .219
Tesla has changed 50% of the parts on the car
Two new colors: Ultra Red and Stealth Gray
Ambient LED lighting in the interior
Main screen is now brighter and more responsive
Rear 8-inch screen
Customizable cabin lighting
Brand new steering wheel
Center console redesigned
Materials inside the car in general have been improved.
Real metal when you touch giving a more premium feel
More sound insulation in the car
30% decrease in wind and ambient noise
25% improvement in impact noise
20% improvement in road noise
Acoustic glass for rear windows
There's an uptick in the hood to let wind go over more quietly
Upgraded suspension with new springs and dampers.
Changed the geometry of the front suspension and changed the way they mount the sub frame to the chassis
New Photon and Nova wheels
The tires are more cushioning

This is awesome! I really like the ambient interior lighting. This will be in the CT, too, along with the rear screen. This is a great evolution of the Model 3. I can’t wait to see what they do with a smaller, more affordable hatchback.

 

[CYBRSMTH]

Was hoping for next gen motor combo. Otherwise nothing notable I'm afraid.

Maybe we'll get a nice price reduction?

Nope, it will cost the same or a little bit more. What you want is the Gen 3 vehicle, which isn’t even being built yet.

 

[CYBRSMTH]

All I can say is that, respectably, you are wrong on both accounts. Many have complained about the Model S system. Indeed there are people who ended up not buying after driving with it. It’s easy to believe as the lack of physical wiper controls on the Model 3 was already a nuisance.

There is no way an AI can guess with 100% accuracy what you want. There are easy cases like in and out of a parking spot. But then there is towing, 3 point turns, parallel parking (the Tesla AI was always poor at recognising that), reversing out of the way of a danger zone etc. Without being able to read your mind it is not going to be able to predict those. The knowledge that it won’t means you’ll have to constantly double check the screen and many of those shuffling moves are annoying to execute by swiping a screen. That’s the problem with AI systems guessing what you want: they are not predictable from a human POV and thus lead to confusion and non-deterministic interaction (which is why they kind of disappeared from computer UIs).

Any UX book will talk about the importance of tactile feedback for key functions. Especially the kind that should be possible to do without looking. Driving direction is such a function. Tesla is not removing that control for your benefit, but purely to save costs for themselves.

Absolutely. When people say, the best part is no part, that’s from the manufacturer’s perspective, not the customer’s. They save money and make more profit. Apple has done this as well, sometimes to the determinant of the product (single button on mouse, circular mouse design, top-loading CD drive, removal of ports, etc.)


In a vehicle, most people want a combination of tactical buttons that they can use without looking and a touch screen. The best of both worlds, if you will.

 

[CYBRSMTH]

Look at it this way. They’re preparing cars for driverless abilities. They built in all the tech for it so that once the software is perfected it’ll be seamless.
Additionally the blinker controls and others are on the steering wheel. Check pictures of the wheel for the latest model S.
If we keep doing the same thing cause it’s what has been done for a century. We wouldn’t have AC, cell phones, computers, and on and on.
Challenge the norm and the UI will catch up. It’s easy to update and improve.
Hence why they did it.

Companies sometimes change things before there are complete solutions to justify those changes, like FSD. I think they do this to force themselves to innovate more rapidly. Apple does this, too. It doesn’t always work out.

 

[Luke42]

Look at it this way. They’re preparing cars for driverless abilities. They built in all the tech for it so that once the software is perfected it’ll be seamless.
Additionally the blinker controls and others are on the steering wheel. Check pictures of the wheel for the latest model S.
If we keep doing the same thing cause it’s what has been done for a century. We wouldn’t have AC, cell phones, computers, and on and on.
Challenge the norm and the UI will catch up. It’s easy to update and improve.
Hence why they did it.

As a Tesla owner, I'm familiar with this argument - but I don't believe it.

I've rented FSD for a month in my car and I found it to have a long way to go.

It's been nearly a year and the windshield wipers still react incorrectly to self-induced streaks. It's been a year and autopilot still swerves into merge-lanes. Once they fix these problems, FSD will have a snowball's chance.

So, preparing for a fully autonomous future is premature.

So why is taking away the stalks an improvement?

 

[Crissa]

It's required by law to have a physical shifter mechanism.

Capacitive counts as physical.

What law?

-Crissa

 

[flowerlandfilms]

Only overseas, can’t release this in the States right before the CT, it would cause a disturbance in the force?!

Finally something Australia gets before America.
Get rekt.