I’ve driven more than 1,000 miles in Teslas — and I’ll never buy one

[admin]

I've spent a long time behind the wheel of Teslas, and its really made me dislike the cars

I’ve driven more than 1,000 miles in Teslas — and I’ll never buy one : Read more

 

[Morw]

You mention noise pollution. That low speed Tesla siren warble is annoying in the neighborhood. Sounds like a bombing warning siren at first thought and you can hear it blocks away. Normal cars are much quieter in this residential area. Much. Quieter.

 

[fhqwhgus]

I have a Model Y. The stereo is nice. The safety features are great. It's fun to drive, for sure.

But I'll probably never buy another one and discourage anyone from buying Tesla's as well because these things are just so cheaply made!

I haven't been plagued by the same release issues as other first-run Model Y owners. I paid for black paint, which does not have a clear coat. This car gets scratches from everything. I literally scratched the paint with a cardboard box. For a car that's made to be "off road" (which Tesla sells the idea will an "off road" mode,) it's not meant to hold up against real world wear and tear whatsoever. Oh, and the side panels of the vehicle are molded white plastic. My apartment is gated, the gates recently malfunctioned and hit the side of my car, scraped the paint completely off a small section of the door and it's just white plastic under the cheap (but expensive) paint.

However, I did have a catastrophic failure with the HVAC and it had to be replaced within 2 years of owning my Y. It was covered by warranty, but it shows how shoddy the parts are. Without the warranty, I wouldn't own this thing. Tesla is on par with Apple as far as marketing and trying to be innovative, but still using the cheapest and the most cheaply-made parts.

I don't mind the screen, myself, but it's clear that the software engineers don't actively drive the vehicles. The placement of important information is not good. They keep changing the layout, and it's not better.

Also the defrost doesn't work as well as it should. Which is actually somewhat understandable since these cars can't function correctly in ice and snow, real winter conditions.

I'm actually looking at Lucid Air as a company. Tesla's senior engineer left the company so years back and created the Lucid company. They're still as expense as the early Teslas, but when I'm ready to trade in my current vehicle, I'll be interested in seeing the differences between the cars in person...

 

[alankchan]

I've had a Model 3 since 2018 and I've not had any problems with it. In fact, Tesla replaced lots of stuff for free like the updated multimedia system board and rear camera harness as part of a recall with its mobile service. You wouldn't get that unless you're an actual owner. Updates over the air and not having to go into a dealer for repairs. They come to you. You can't beat the mobile service.

What a luddite. I love the proximity lock. I never have to think about it. I just walk up to the car and get in. If you really want to bother locking and unlocking your car, I can through the app but why? The only one that I'd really change is the frunk. There should be a way to open it without opening the app but I get it, safety.

And yeah, no binnacle is a cost cutting measure. Buy the Model S if you want a binnacle. Oh right, probably can't afford it anyway.

Why is Tom's guide reviewing cars? This person is clearly not a car reviewer. They seem to have a very limited experience with cars. Mostly low-end models. Tesla's are not unique in having rimless windows. Most luxury and convertible vehicles have them like Audi Q8, Audi TT, Mercedes-Benz CLA, Porsche 996 and more. Even some more pedestrian cars like the Volkswagen CC, Mini Cooper, Subaru WRX. Nothing new or overengineered. It's just an aesthetic choice. It's supposed to be luxurious.

Clearly, convenience and "luxury" features are not something this nerd is ever going to be interested in. Sounds like someone is bitter that they're poor and is waiting for the low-end 2024 Tesla model. Well, more likely 2025 given Elon's track record. Or 2026 because Twitter is tanking Elon's game. Give it time, young one. The cost will come down. Nevermind, you'll just have to be very, very patient. Elon is in a death spiral.

 

[Aaron Hall]

It took 8 paragraphs to get to the point. There is an old newspaper saying, "don't bury the lead." Perhaps future articles could begin with the main point and elaborate from there.

 

[S Al]

I've owned a Model S since 2014 and I could NOT agree more with the article though the author took his sweet time getting to the point.

As I was looking to replace my Model S, it was great to see the developments being made in FSD but in practical use it wasn't as impressive as I hoped. On the other hand EVERY single other update to the vehicle was seemingly done not to make life easier for the driver, but to either cut cost or go the "minimalist" route... (I guess I too embraced the minimalist route when I moved into my first apartment and all I had was a mattress).

I tested and bought the Mercedes EQS and I will tell you I have never been more happy driving. It feels like you are in a private cocoon of silence, the seats are incredibly comfortable.. etc etc. Tesla had an opportunity to embrace the luxury aspect of vehicles but for whatever reason it absolutely abandoned the concept of luxury thinking speed meant everything. It does not. Lucid is a little better but it also didn't come close to the EQS.

I hope Tesla succeeds.. but they are going to have to either crack FSD soon and turn these cars into robotaxis or they are going to have to reverse some of these decisions and especially work on sound isolation and driver comfort.

 

[Kevinloomis]

Great article! I have a model 3 and the author is mostly fair and accurate. I love my tesla, but it's not for everyone. If you love conventional cars, you'll most likely will hate a tesla.

What he calls negatives, I call positives. Both of us are right. A car is a personal experience for each driver.

Finally a negative article which is fair. Well done!

 

[meeplefeet]

I've spent a long time behind the wheel of Teslas, and its really made me dislike the cars

I’ve driven more than 1,000 miles in Teslas — and I’ll never buy one : Read more

Why is it that the articles which complain the loudest about the touchscreen, and having to look away, NEVER seem to mention the voice controls? Did you at least try them, in your 1000 miles of driving experience? Yes, a voice command will not tell you what speed you are going in the event that your display is out (more's the pity, because it could). But a great deal of the display options can easily be set by voice commands (including defog, defrost, temperature, windshield wiper speed, and more) which obviates the need to take your eyes off the road. In fact it baffles me why they have not enabled more voice commands. Your criticisms are quite fair being that their subjectivity is mainly grounded in fact, but by omitting voice controls you've not told whole story with regard to why fewer tactile controls might make sense in this context.

 

[Twobntouch]

Clearly you never drove a Model 3 Performance and felt what 0-60 in 3 seconds feels like. Especially considering there isn’t another car on the road that can do the same that is cheaper than TWO Model 3 performances. Once you test that, you’ll revisit this article and probably delete it. But then again you drive a Leaf so that explains everything.

 

[PopeFrancis]

I drove a tesla for a few months, definitely fun to drive. Honestly all I want is a stereo, bluetooth, aux port, air conditioning and power windows. I like to have dials and buttons. I find the screens to be a distraction.

I just want to drive, I don't need much.

FYI... Currently driving a lexus IS, not as fun to drive as the tesla, but it has dials and buttons lol

 

[Aldrinji]

There seemed to be something fishy about this article so I checked out this authors twitter profile which says “I don’t use twitter any more”. The author seems to have an axe to grind with Elon Musk. It’s irresponsible for any reputable information source to allow a contributor to provide an opinion on a product when they have a personal bias against the people behind it. These people use a platform that is not theirs to attempt to demonetize people and companies they disagree with. Wake up Tom’s Hardware. Your articles need to be independently peer reviewed before they are published.

 

[Robl45]

I had to register just to comment. I’ve had Model S loaners. I can’t wait to get out of them. My 3 controls are so simple to use. Forget the autopilot beats just about anything. I tested VW and I own a Lexus and they aren’t even in the same league

 

[Duke 123456789]

I will probably never buy another gas car again after owning a 2018 model 3. It's been a wonderful 4.5 years.

You can add your own center binical console if you like. But after years of driving the car, I am so use to the center console.

As for the minimalistic looks, I don't want to add any junk inside the car. I keep it minimalistic inside. Everything can be accessible via voice commands.

The author has his opinions. Most Tesla owners over time are so used to the clean design. There's so much pro than con. Only one thing you need. A place to charge at home.

 

[Mandotech]

I've spent a long time behind the wheel of Teslas, and its really made me dislike the cars

I’ve driven more than 1,000 miles in Teslas — and I’ll never buy one : Read more

I too have driven more than a 1000 miles (1018 to be exact) in my Tesla and also think that the things you mention as being things you dislike, like many others I feel those things aren't really a big deal or even something that I even thought of as an issue. The key fob at $175? If it was a cost buried into the vehicles drive off total, it wouldn't even be an issue. The card key? Not a big deal. It gives me two options to get into my vehicle and both work fine. The turn signal softness? I think you're really reaching for things on that one. It's a turn signal lever for Christ's sake. It works. If you deem it so soft that you can't tell when it's on, I'm not sure what to say about that. This hasn't once crossed my mind as an issue. Being able to hear others music? Has it ever dawned on you that there's no engine sound so of course you're going to hear more things roadside and around your vehicle. And as far as the scant nature of buttons and dials in the vehicle, I'll be honest and say that initially, I thought it would be a problem. But as i've driven the car more and more, I realize how little I actually look for things like the speedometer. Albeit I've primarily used our Tesla for city driving, but even when I drove on the highway, I drive with the flow of traffic, so not once have I even thought that a speedometer sitting in my line of view was a feature I missed. Maybe I'd think differently if I'm constantly ahead of the pack exceeding the speedimit and hoping the highway patrol doesn't catch me. At first, I agree that I felt the screen was going to be more of an annoyance for two reasons. The first being the climate controls and the second wiper settings. But I later found shortcuts were available to change the wiper speed and make the most common climate control settings. All other settings I rarely need to access with driving and even if I did, the voice response controls are light years ahead of my $70,000 lexus. In my Lexus, I don't even bother trying. In the Tesla, it simply works for most of the things you'd expect to be able to control by voice. The bottom line is, a Tesla isn't for everyone, nor will it ever please everyone. I bought my Tesla because I wanted an EV, in-city commuter car and for that purpose, the Model 3 rear wheel drive was the best available, at the lowest cost. (never once was self driving a deciding or desireable feature). Soon the low cost factor should change, but I love our Tesla and don't expect to be trading it in anytime soon.

 

[KeithLa]

Interesting, three months into my Model Y Performance, this reviewer's primary complaints are all with Tesla design features I'd been concerned about before purchasing, but have come to increasingly appreciate the more I drive the car, namely phone key, door buttons, touchscreen info and controls, and AutoPilot.

I can't fathom what's preferable about manually locking and unlocking every time you approach and leave your car? Clearly this writer likes keyless entry, per their mention of the separately available fob. But why carry a fob when a mobile phone achieves the same thing, even more securely than RFID? (Ask millions of Toyota, Hyundai, and Kia owners about this, right?)

This review also omits a wonderful convenience of Phone Key: Driver profiles, which configure ALL driving, comfort and entertainment preferences automatically and instantly, not just seat and mirror positions. If this writer was the sole driver of their review Teslas, then they wouldn't appreciate this.

Every time I exit my Tesla, I wonder why cars haven't had door exit buttons all along. It seems like a trivial thing, but the small distance the door pops open nicely reduces physical effort to push it all the way open, to an extent I have to think it's an accessibility benefit for older and physically limited people.

As for the "minimalist" controls and touchscreen, I've come to love it, for a reason I didn't appreciate until I started daily driving the car. The genius of Tesla's unique design is that the only info and controls you need at any given time are contextually in view and reachable, 90 percent of the time. It's actually easier, not harder, to view and access what you need while driving, because everything that isn't relevant isn't cluttering the dash.

As for speedometer being just to the right instead of dead center view, my brain adapted to that within a couple days. As a regular driver of non Teslas as well, I can report my brain just knows from context where to look for speedometer. It's simply not "a thing" , and every Tesla owner I know says the exact same thing. Only non-owning reviewers seem concerned with this.

Overall, this writer's opinions about safety implications of the touchscreen are their own conjecture, and don't jive with my driving experience or those of other Tesla owners I know.

As for Car Play and Android Auto, having used both in rental cars on small and medium sized screens, I can't figure how anyone views them as comparable or preferable to Tesla's integrated infotainment. No cable or Bluetooth to connect, no source to select, a nice big bright screen, infotainment and driving controls seamlessly combined vs separate, etc. I can't imagine how anyone who can afford a new car these days, EV or otherwise, would grouse at $10/month for connectivity that just works instantly and always.

Lastly I also find the ride of my 2022 MYP to be remarkably quiet, with even subtlety pleasing motor sounds. Perhaps their cars didn't have the double pane window yet?

 

[mjrtom]

I too drove many teslas for over 2y and would prob never get 1
I have never owned an iphone, just use them from job assignment
they attract the same type of folks

But your reasons, like the interior, is the least of my concerns

For me, the cost of insurance, the fact that its not made in someplace like Japan where the workmanship is way better than CA or TX

the cost and delay of body repairs (measured in months)

unreliability
no spare tire, and they tend to get flat tires A LOT

the car has to be bulletproof reliable, and they are not
We have 4 made in japan EVs and have only been back to service less than i can count on 1 hand the past dozen years of ownership

no tesla can say that
most teslas arent even single owner for more than 36 months

 

[dosmastrify]

Sir with respect you can cut the fluffed first 15% of this editorial. Get to the actual dislikes.

The lack of QA shouldn't be a mere footnote, critical safety items have been documented as being incorrectly installed. The fear of what else got missed which you didn't catch never crept into your mind? You're more carefree than many in that case.

The safety features of autopilot running in "shadow mode" probably should be a bigger deal than you make them out to be, but I agree full self drive isn't a thing yet.


Can not agree more that the reliance on touchscreens is a terrible idea which needs to die.
No gauge cluster behind the steering wheel would also be a near deal breaker for me too on its own.

 

[OrigamiKami]

There seemed to be something fishy about this article so I checked out this authors twitter profile which says “I don’t use twitter any more”. The author seems to have an axe to grind with Elon Musk. It’s irresponsible for any reputable information source to allow a contributor to provide an opinion on a product when they have a personal bias against the people behind it. These people use a platform that is not theirs to attempt to demonetize people and companies they disagree with. Wake up Tom’s Hardware. Your articles need to be independently peer reviewed before they are published.

I'm not on the side of the author of this article or Tesla but I fail to see what his Twitter profile saying "I'm not on Twitter anymore" has to do with any disdain he may or may not have for Elon Musk. There's no correlation there whatsoever. It just seems you get touchy about anyone saying anything that could be deemed negative about Tesla or Elon. Don't let your personal love affair with Elon cloud your rationality.

 

[OrigamiKami]

Not much to say here Tom, but a lot of your complaints about the vehicle kind of make you sound like an old fart. I own a Model 3 and I'm far from biased as I could switch to another car in a heartbeat but those slight annoyances you have sound a lot like "get off my lawn".
I'll give you the speedometer and the safety issues you mentioned. But the rest of it makes you come off as someone who doesn't like technology, which is ironic in and of itself.
Guess I had more to say than I thought.

 

[OrigamiKami]

I have a Model Y. The stereo is nice. The safety features are great. It's fun to drive, for sure.

But I'll probably never buy another one and discourage anyone from buying Tesla's as well because these things are just so cheaply made!

I haven't been plagued by the same release issues as other first-run Model Y owners. I paid for black paint, which does not have a clear coat. This car gets scratches from everything. I literally scratched the paint with a cardboard box. For a car that's made to be "off road" (which Tesla sells the idea will an "off road" mode,) it's not meant to hold up against real world wear and tear whatsoever. Oh, and the side panels of the vehicle are molded white plastic. My apartment is gated, the gates recently malfunctioned and hit the side of my car, scraped the paint completely off a small section of the door and it's just white plastic under the cheap (but expensive) paint.

However, I did have a catastrophic failure with the HVAC and it had to be replaced within 2 years of owning my Y. It was covered by warranty, but it shows how shoddy the parts are. Without the warranty, I wouldn't own this thing. Tesla is on par with Apple as far as marketing and trying to be innovative, but still using the cheapest and the most cheaply-made parts.

I don't mind the screen, myself, but it's clear that the software engineers don't actively drive the vehicles. The placement of important information is not good. They keep changing the layout, and it's not better.

Also the defrost doesn't work as well as it should. Which is actually somewhat understandable since these cars can't function correctly in ice and snow, real winter conditions.

I'm actually looking at Lucid Air as a company. Tesla's senior engineer left the company so years back and created the Lucid company. They're still as expense as the early Teslas, but when I'm ready to trade in my current vehicle, I'll be interested in seeing the differences between the cars in person...

Have you driven an X or an S? Not to purchase but just a test drive? You'll see why they cost what they cost and why the 3 and Y cost what they do. The model Y has been notoriously disparaged for it's cheapness. It seems as Tesla just threw something together for an affordable consumer SUV. But yeah drive a S or X and let us know if you feel the same.