ADVERTISEMENT What you do get in a new Model 3 is a better ride. The biggest criticism I have of the first generation Model 3 (of which mine was one) is the ride quality. I learned to live with it, but if you have rear passengers who are sitting pretty close to the rear axle, they’ll complain that the bumps make it a bit uncomfortable at times – certainly more than it is sitting in the front. When it comes to range and efficiency, as you will see from the picture down the page, my car was showing a total range when fully charged of 323 miles. That’s impressive for any EV, let alone one that’s three years old and being run through the coldest months of winter. I probably could have achieved close to those 300 miles in reality, if I had wanted to run the battery down close to zero. But only once did I rue running an EV: when I had completed one 250 mile round trip and needed to set straight off on another. What I should’ve done – and could’ve done – is stop off at the Tesla Supercharger not too far from me to top up the battery. A schoolboy error, really, from the need to get home and let the dog out. My only other criticisms of the Tesla Model 3 are minor. The indicators don’t cancel quite as effectively as on some other cars. I still like to have a car with Apple CarPlay in it, which is not an option on a Tesla. Tesla’s own systems can manage the same functions, but phone calls and responding to messages aren’t quite as intuitive. Linking the excellent sound system to my Apple Music account meant I could access all my music and playlists easily, though. Otherwise, Tesla’s Enhanced Autopilot semi-autonomous driving worked better than most other systems I’ve encountered – although you still have to take over control occasionally. And I really enjoyed the Tesla to drive – it feels like a brilliantly engineered car where software, major controls and drive system all work well together. It’s fun to drive! And I absolutely love that deep front windscreen that gives you a real widescreen view out – as it should with an EV without an engine under the bonnet. The app is easy to use and really useful, while the games and videos you can play on the car’s screen add to the fun. We have two other Teslas in the extended Fowler family. You can see how Ralph in the US gets on with Full Self-Driving in the US if you scroll down the page, while my nephew here in the UK has also bought a used Model 3, but from a used car dealer rather than through Tesla’s Certified Pre-Owned scheme. And he’s very, very happy. So would I recommend a used Tesla to you? Based on my experience, yes I would. I’d be inclined to buy through Tesla’s scheme to ensure I got one of the best cars and the best preparation – and the Enhanced Autopilot, too. If you’re thinking of your first step into EV ownership, I reckon a used Tesla Model 3 could well be the perfect introduction to a new world of efficient, lower cost (when it comes to the ‘fuelling’, at least), fun car ownership. Week seven – a second opinion and Tesla preconditioning in the cold weather My wife Victoria doesn’t normally show much interest in the cars I have on our driveway. She’s perfectly happy with her petrol Peugeot 2008 and its heated seats that are on come rain or shine. She has, however, taken something of a liking to the Tesla Model 3. When it first arrived, she couldn’t believe that it was a used car from Tesla’s Certified Pre-Owned scheme, such was the quality and preparation of the car, and the fact that a Tesla still tends to look more contemporary than many newer models with its minimalist interior and high-tech, constantly-upgraded touchscreen. open image in gallery Steve’s wife Victoria has been driving his used Tesla Model 3 and doesn’t want to give it back to him (Steve Fowler) She likes the view out, too, with the deep front windscreen giving an excellent view forwards, and the view out of the back with the panoramic roof flowing into the rear screen being pretty good, too. But it’s the cold weather that’s really seen another Tesla fan join the family, especially the ability to precondition the car before you get into it. The picture below shows the difference between her Peugeot and my Tesla on a cold morning. We were due to leave at roughly the same time and I’d used my app to set a departure time in the Tesla for 7.30am. As you can see, the Tesla was not only clear of ice, but the cabin was toasty with the heated seats and heated steering wheel already both on. Her Peugeot, on the other hand, was going to need a fair bit of de-icer and scraping before she could take a cold journey to work – just ten minutes down the road. You can probably guess what happened next. The Tesla was hers for the day, while I was left with the 2008... Most EVs will have an accompanying app that allows you to pre-heat the cabin, but the Tesla app is one of the best: it’s full of features and easy to use. It’s frequently updated, too, as you can read below when Tesla Summon and an Apple Watch app both appeared in the app. Setting a departure time not only pre-heats the cabin, it also prepares the car for use, pre-heating the electric system so it doesn’t suffer quite as badly in the cold weather – improving the Tesla’s efficiency. Since that day, Victoria has been using the Tesla pretty much on a daily basis – unless I get there first. So, what does she think? open image in gallery Using the Tesla app in the cold will pre-heat the car’s systems for improved efficiency, clear the screen and warm up the cabin, too (Steve Fowler) She loves how easy it is to drive and live with. The touchscreen holds no fear for her and everything just seems to work. There are two minor frustrations regarding the tech for her: the wipers are slow to realise the screen needs clearing, although it’s easy enough with a prod of the left stalk to get the wipers to do an initial sweep. And the indicators don’t self-cancel quite as willingly as on other cars – something I’ve noticed, too. You can end up over-compensating and driving down the road indicating left, right and left again as you try to cancel a signal that should’ve cancelled itself. I’m not sure she’d get on too well with the new Model 3’s complete absence of stalks. Having complained about the ride quality in the back, of the Model 3, Victoria doesn’t seem as bothered about the ride when she’s driving. Other than that, she’s slightly embarrassed that her husband (me!) has a schoolboy sense of humour and has changed the setting that tells you the car has locked by beeping the horn, to one that emits a fart sound. Frankly, the emissions testing function that plays all sorts of ‘bottom burps’ both inside and outside the car has given me a huge amount of pleasure. Strangely, she doesn’t find it so funny. Would Victoria buy a used Tesla? Well, she was keen to enquire how long we had the Model 3 for before it had to go back – the answer, just another week, sadly. Which moved on to discussions about a used Tesla when her Peugeot’s lease expires in the summer. So I’m guessing that means she likes it. Week five – software updates with Tesla Summon and an Apple Watch app There are times when it’s hard to believe that I’m driving a three year-old, secondhand car. But, thanks to the latest software over the air updates that my Tesla Model 3 has received, it’s now more advanced than many new cars I’ve driven recently – and this is the first generation of Model 3, not the latest one. In fact, when I was demonstrating the tech the car has to some friends over on New Year’s Eve (which included the car giving a light show to the tune of Auld Lang Syne) their guess was that the car cost upwards of £60,000 - and they’d just taken delivery of a brand new Peugeot 3008. Of course, my Certified Pre-Owned (used in Tesla-speak) Model 3 cost less than half that at £28,400. Yet thanks to the latest software updates, it has the same tech as a brand new Model 3. open image in gallery