I've had 4 different Prius models: 2001, 2004, 2009, (see my pict) and still have the 2012 PIP. I also had a 2015 Leaf and still have a 2018 M3. The M3 is far beyond the others. Mike
We were a 2, Gen 2 Prius household. I did own a Model 3 for a time and currently own an electric Mini Cooper. I made a mistake and wish I had not traded in the Model 3 The efficiency of the Model 3 is just crazy! I loved that about it. The handling is also top notch and safety is increadible. Operating costs can be incredibly low, but this depends a lot on your cost of electricity. If you are paying the national average (about $0.14/kWh) or better, it is heavily in favor of the Model 3. Some areas have very expensive electricity which cuts into or eliminates the fuel cost advantage. In my case, I find so many advantages to driving electric, I would be driving it even if electricity costs twice what gas did. The convenience of having a full ‘tank’ every morning is phenomenal. Never realized how much I would enjoy that. The built in ‘sentry mode’ is really nice. I was quite surprised how much I miss it. Two years ago it came in very handy when dealing with insurance. My wife got in a fender bender. Showed the video to our insurance company and they cleared here of any fault instantly. The only reason I prefer my Mini is I like the smaller size. I am really hoping Tesla will be announcing a smaller vehicle next Wednesday on ‘Investor Day’
My Model 3 Std Rng Plus gross weight is 4,524 lbs. This means the tires must be load rated at a minimum 1,131 libs (4,524 / 4.) My past tire brands based on 'rumors' of low rolling resistance: Sumitomo Bridgestone ECOPIA (recently discontinued) Measure tire temperature over a 10 mile, steady speed to compare tire rolling resistance (and alignment.) The OEM tires are: Michelin Primacy MXM4 235/45R18 98W XL Overall Diameter: 26.3" Revolutions Per Mile: 790 (*** Use this number for actual diameter!) Rated ~35,000 miles, replaced early Rear, power drive tires, wear out first Front tires must fit under king pin which limits the slower turning. larger tire diameter Noise absorbing, foam liner marginal noise reduction increases tire cost limits tire repair and makes more expensive OEM 'field' kit goop risks the tire pressure sensor Get a simple, after market, tire pressure pump and sticky string patch kit. PRACTICE on worn out tire before doing it in the cold, wet, dark and stormy night. Rolling resistance in the USA is advertising b*llsh*t. The EU requires some metrics but often for tires we can not match (they change the names.) As a general rule of thumb, tires with higher wear ratings are going to have lower rolling resistance. So this is my practice: Must meet load requirement, 1,131lbs Must meet or come close to 790 revs/mile Lower revs/mile, larger diameter, should be first mounted on a front wheel to confirm no king pin interference. Do a drive test over speed bumps. Narrower tread width than 235 mm, reduces cross section aerodynamic drag Do not rotate tires so rear pair wears out first. Then replace a pair at a time to stretch out costs. Test one new tire in front wheel and test drive before replacing rear tires. Consider replacing worn tire, rear rims with lighter weight ones with hub caps for highway speed. Put older front wheel pair on the rear and newer rims and tires on the front. When rear tires wear out, replace with front tires and rims. Always newest tires and rims on the front. Inspect annually for abnormal tire wear and have alignment checked (parking bumpers are evil!) Economics, longer lasting tires will be cheaper per mile than shorter lasting tires. Do one pair at a time and don't worry about "mixed' brands or slightly different sizes. Retire OEM rim(s) to a set of snow tires if so inclined. Cold weather performance is poor so snow tire effects fade into the slush. Only drive wheels need snow grip but do all four if so motivated. Bob Wilson
My wife and I test drove the base model 3 today in the light snow. It was much better than anticipated. I can see why people love them. Some of the feeling is by coming from a 2008 Prius we have had since new. I suspect that a new Corolla would have some of the same wow feel, just being so many generations newer. The fit and finish were much better than I had been expecting. It of course had wonderful driving characteristics. It felt much more like a sports sedan than our Prius. Getting used to the monitor for all the information won't take that long, I suspect. My wife remarked that it was much more car-like than Nintendo-like as she was expecting. My big question (well not big, but would be annoying) is about navigation. No Android auto in the car. Google navigation is free with our phones and I suspect superior to whatever Tesla-only system it must be using. What do people do for navigation when dealing with traffic, accidents, rerouting, etc.? If you pay an extra $10 a month you can get "live traffic updates." Seems inferior to our free google navigation. Bob or others, how do you deal with traffic and navigation?
Agreed, navigation could be better: Given a destination, mine shows: fastest route - not always the one I want. optional routes to select in a few seconds - there are gray lines showing alternate routes. The time to choose is too short for my taste. As a work around, I add intermediate 'way points.' You can also use your finger to identify intermediate way points. But you lose the total trip estimated arrival time and distance. Driving off the navigation route, the car remaps the route. This past week, I've been testing a mobil hotspot to access Warz in the browser while driving. Waze gives traffic details but the limited bandwidth makes it slow. Still investigating but my workarounds have not been great ... except for Plugshare. When I want L2 charging or NEMA 14-50, Plugshare shows them. This is great when looking for a motel with free charging. On my recent trip to Arlington, I let the car navigate the Superchargers and it did a good job. The route was faster with fewer Supercharger stops. Bob Wilson
Thanks Bob! I was mostly wondering about normal commuting. I know the routes, but need to know the real time traffic/construction/etc. to adjust my route. Google does that very well on the phone. I don't think Tesla will do that unless you have premium connectivity, right? We are test driving again today and I can check with them.
The Tesla will reroute around delays. You can set the time delta to trigger rerouting. I believe you are correct that it requires the premium connection. When I last purchased, that was free for the first year. Personally, I prefer the Navigation built into the Tesla. Mainly for simplicity’s sake. Straightforward and it works. The time estimates are uncannily good
Except for some sort of hack or 3rd party app, there does not seem to be a way. I read that Tesla sees Google as a competitor so it does not allow integration (same for Apple).
Thanks! There is just 30 days with new cars now. I do like how it integrates your state of charge and plans routes that way for longer trips.
We went back to test drive again today without snow and they confirmed that the basic (included) connectivity includes traffic updates. You just don't get the "live map" feature but it adjusts your route and arrival times based on real time traffic. The tech person also confirmed that using your phone as a hot spot and connecting your car would allow you to use most of the other features too. My wife enjoyed the car enough that she decided that we should buy it. It will be a big change from our 08 Prius. My goal was always to buy more efficient cars with each purchase. Nice that electric cars are (somewhat) more mainstream and (somewhat) affordable.
You book it online. Show up and they give you a card key and a short bit of instruction on how to use the car and they say be back in oh, 30-45 minutes. The rest is all you. It is speed limited to 85 MPH, but otherwise seems to be fully operational. Without the snow today I was able to test its acceleration and handling. Wow on both! Since there are no sales people, it was very much just about information. The no pressure model is the way to go. Dealers should provide information and help you understand things. The showroom had all 3 models and had 4 or 5 of the original roadsters. They sure were pretty, but looked awfully uncomfortable to sit in (they don't let you sit in those). The test drive is worth it to just to see what one is like.
As I recall, sitting in the original Roadster was incredibly comfortable. Now, getting in was a bit tricky, but gravity helped. Unfortunately, gravity refused to help again when I got out. That made getting out extremely uncomfortable
Like the Prius versus earlier ICE vehicles, there are new habits and skills to master. Thirty days later, they will become second nature and you notice more 'pocket change.' <GRINS> Insurance and 'hippy' tax registrations will have a 'sticker' shock. But if you can get Tesla insurance, you'll make out like a bandit. As for the higher registration taxes, make up for it by driving more. The cost per mile will run about 1/3d of your Prius ... so enjoy! Bob Wilson
Thanks! For us, I think it will mostly be the environmental benefits since our electric costs are high (~$0.28 / kwh). Tesla insurance is not available in our state so it did increase our insurance a lot more than our current car or even a new Prius. Our annual taxes are based on the value of the car, so more there too. Although it will cost more, it has other benefits for us. It sure was fun to drive and getting into a warm car with seat heaters is a big upgrade from our gen 2 Prius. Of course many modern cars offer that too, but I suspect that my family will most notice that benefit
My wife and I are in the same situation we each have 2008 Prii. She is looking at a model Y due to the 7 seat need. I'm looking at a M3 but want Full Self driving for sure. If it has it listed on the display screen in the car and we get it third party we get to keep it right? Just want to make sure. Where did you search for Tesla insurance?
I don't know exactly how the full self driving works on a used car. I *think* it comes with the car since the previous owner purchased it. I have read about at least one person who was able to get a killer deal on a used one with FSD because the dealer just priced it based on a used M3 and did not realize that option. With the current incentives a new one can be a better deal than a used one, a bit like the Prime was in the recent past. FSD can be something you turn on for say a month for a summer road trip too.
