Glendal's Favorite Reviews
It鈥檚 a marketer鈥檚 dream 鈥?the amount of hype behind the all-new Tesla Model 3. And, it has all been achieved with zero marketing spend from Tesla, the company run by billionaire Elon Musk. So, has all the hype been worth it? Today we had the chance to have a brief drive in Tesla鈥檚 most important car around the company鈥檚 factory in Fremont, California. 35,000 - UK pricing is expected to follow shortly. Launched with a single variant capable of driving 220 miles, a longer-range battery can be ordered to increase range to 310 miles. 0-60mph acceleration is rated at 5.6 and 5.1 seconds respectively for the 220 mile and 310 mile versions. Nothing to worry about. Inside the cabin, Tesla has run with a minimalist design that employs a 15-inch colour touchscreen in the centre of the cabin. It鈥檚 an important screen because it controls everything, and we mean everything.
Mirror, steering tilt and telescopic adjustment, infotainment, climate, charging and cargo controls are all actioned using the touchscreen. Even the open, close and direction changes of the air vents run through the central screen. It鈥檚 an incredibly elegant cabin with rough-grained wood adorning the dashboard. Minimalism is key with two distinct storage areas in the centre console, plus a glove box. Keeping with the theme of minimalism, door handles have been switched for door-mounted buttons, while the doors are opened from the outside using a push and pull mechanism 鈥?like in an Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Rear leg room is good, but distinctly smaller than the Model S and X. Rear seat passengers get their own air vents, plus an additional two USB ports. If you carry kids, you鈥檒l be thankful for two child seat anchorage points. The 60/40 split-folding second row also folds flat to increase cargo volume.
Total cargo volume is 423 litres, with a large hold available beneath the boot floor, plus a reasonable sized front boot that Tesla aficionados love referring to as a 鈥榝runk鈥? Thankfully the electric car driving experience remains, despite the cut-price price tag. Our drive was only brief, but we had the chance to get immersed in the experience. Hit the throttle at any speed and you鈥檙e pinned to the seat. Model 3 launches with rear-wheel drive only, but we didn鈥檛 find any traction issues with this level of power. Steering feel is great and can be adjusted through three levels - comfort, standard and sport. There鈥檚 enough feedback in each level to make driving the car easy. The ride is also good, despite the Model 3 not being offered with air suspension. While it took a little while to get used to, the containment of speedometer and trip functions to the centre screen worked well. In the top left corner of the screen, speed and AutoPilot information is displayed and remains static while driving. Tesla expects the Model 3 to achieve a high crash rating, with six airbags up front and two curtain airbags to keep occupants safe. The Model 3 will come with a four-year, 50,000-mile warranty for the vehicle and an eight-year 100,000 mile warranty for battery components. Production of the Tesla Model 3 begins immediately, but whether the company can produce over 500,000 cars per annum remains yet to be seen. So, if you鈥檙e thinking about pre-ordering, get in sooner rather than later. This was only a quick drive of the Tesla Model 3 around Tesla鈥檚 chosen Fremont factory roads. Expect to see a proper drive when we get our hands on the car locally.
For those who love motorsport, a racing car experience is sure to fit the bill. Depending on your budget, your husband can drive anything from a single seater to a real Formula 1 car. The ultimate Valentine gift for the petrol head in your life. If your husband prefers it a little bit dirty, there's a choice of off road experiences. Rallying, a skid pan course or driving a 4 x 4 round a purpose built off road course all point to this experience as being the ideal gift for him. For those with a husband who find it difficult to make up their minds a combination experience will make the ideal gift. Ferrari and rally car, Ferrari and Porsche or Ferrari and single seater are just three of the combination experiences he can choose from. Finally for those who want to be in the movies a stunt or drift driving experience may just be the first step on the ladder. Choose this experience and your husband will be taught tricks of the trade by instructors trained in the US.
So, had quite a bit of seat time recently in a 718 Cayman S (PDK). First off, the 917 sounds like horse s-it. It has the least appealing Porsche sports car sound that I've ever heard, hands-down the worst. I cannot emphasize this enough. Terrible. Sounds like they are desperately trying to emulate a naturally aspirated engine and it fails miserably. Vs. the Alfa 4C absolutely zero contest, the 4C demolishes it, embracing its turbo in all its glory. Hard to compare the 911 vs. 4C vs. Viper, but they all offer an authentic sound that the 718 completely misses the mark on. Second, or perhaps first (given its impact on the feel of the car), the steering feel/feedback. The electric steering of the 917 is again awful in comparison to my 997 (911) which was the last generation with hydraulic steering. Night and day the 917 is inferior. I have driven GT3s of the equivalent generation and I remember them being communicative (not like my car, but still better than this).