My kiddo turned six less than a month ago, so he was ripe to visit Disneyland. As we needed a car, I happened to notice one of the cheaper rentals was a Tesla Model 3. Intrigued with the prospect of not having to pay for the highly taxed California fuel, I thought it was a win-win.
In fact, both my wife and I rented Tesla Model 3s—no, this wasn’t some strange his-and-her rental as much as having different travel schedules on the upcoming Sunday, as I was slated to judge a class at the San Marino Motor Classic, and she didn’t want to stick around and take a late flight.
Luckily, our check-in attendant told us how to use the key (really, a card) and the shifter (not unusual these days) because, after all, they needed to be reinvented by some brave somebody who probably is not from Detroit. She also deflated my hope about refueling, saying I needed to return the Model 3 with at least a 70-percent charge or I would incur a fee of $30 or so.
A seasoned enthusiast knows that once the seat is adjusted and the seat belt inserted, it’s time to adjust the mirrors. Noting the minimalist interior layout and lack of buttons for anything, I went into the menu of the large center display and was able to find instructions on how to adjust the mirrors, with all selections—including left and right mirrors—requiring tedious input.
When I exited the facility, I was curious where my wife was—it seemed she didn’t know how to get the car moving and had to call our Tesla friend to guide her.
Once we were both on our way headed to Santa Clarita, my wife called me and asked, “How do I adjust the mirrors?” and “Why is this car is such a POS?” Her steering wheel was peeling, and she felt the whole car rattled. I explained to her that some people drive rentals like they hate it, yet her feeling of uncertainty from a rental was unacceptable. We let it slide.
After a 45-minute ride, here were my initial thoughts: thrust was impressive and seamless, but my rental was about as rickety as my wife’s. There was under 60,000 miles on mine, so I was not impressed by the Model 3’s integrity. Ditto the screen—I prefer knobs and buttons for many functions buried in menus, and there’s pretty much nothing of the former on this Tesla. Also, for such a minimalist vehicle, I was surprised by the lack of a heads-up display. Visibility was impressive.
Yet what impressed me the most was this feature on the screen that showed my position on the road, along with the position of surrounding cars. It was a small-yet-easy-to-see portion of the screen, somewhat like a sidebar to the navigational map. However, after chatting with my boss, he showed me on his own Model 3 that he could enlarge it to take up the whole screen.
After working at the car show, I stopped by Mercado Buenos Aires to pick up baked goods for my dad, then drove around looking for a Supercharger. All I had to do was press an icon on the screen and it showed me the local Supercharger stations. Alas, the one I went to on Washington near Culver City was nonexistent, though I did see a private parking garage with chargers. Unsure what was proper, I subsequently drove closer to the airport, getting off at the Slauson exit. During this time, I called our Tesla friend, who told me Tesla leased the space, and I would have been allowed in the private garage. True? Too late now!
When I arrived at the Supercharger, I was at 35 percent. I hope there’s room for me because I have a plane to catch! I plugged it in, then asked a neighboring Tesla owner what I needed to do. She told me the one I was at wasn’t working, so I moved closer to her, plugged in, and waited. She said it was running slow, which was true because I waited a nerve-wracking 45 minutes to achieve a 75 percent charge. As the airport was 10 minutes away, I thought I could return the car with at least 70 percent—luckily, that was correct.
Tesla owners swear by them, which I always find intriguing considering several quality issues they tolerate and ignore. I’m intrigued by the fuel savings over my wife’s suburban assault vehicle, as we already pay $X.00 for fuel, which is likely more than a Model Y payment would be (including the cost to charge at my house). And how much would my insurance increase? But, man, range anxiety is real! Sure, I wasn’t running out of charge—I just needed to have the charge at 70 percent without missing my flight—but having to find a Supercharger for the first time, combined with not knowing the ins and outs of charging and charging times, was stressful. Thankfully, I had Pre-TSA, so that allowed me to enter the airport and slide into the terminal with no issues despite carrying luggage and a light sabre.
I still desire a utility vehicle that features a manual transmission, but I could really appreciate the display showing surrounding cars. It’s a safety feature that I can’t say I have seen in another vehicle, though my experience with EVs is small.