Tesla Model 3

The ability to fast charge at Tesla's Supercharging venues will come with a cost. The Autopilot advanced safety system is optional. Further, the car will include the hardware for driver-assist features, which could be activated later as an extra-cost option, as demonstrated with the Model S, through over-the-air software upgrades.

Some critical details such as charge times, power outputs and battery capacity remain unknown. The base model will have a 50 kWh battery and the uplevel one a 75 kWh battery.  

At a March 2016 press event, the Tesla crew offered journalists a chance to take a brief ride in the new Model 3. We rode shotgun as VP of Engineering Doug Field took us for a spin in the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive version. With four people on board and the accelerator pedal kissing the floorboard, our car rocketed to 60 mph, with the smooth, quiet, hurtling rush of power that is a characteristic of electric cars. Tesla claims this feat can be performed in just over five seconds. 

We were surprised at how much of a departure the Model 3's cabin is from other Teslas. Like its bigger siblings, the Model 3's dashboard is dominated by a large screen, but mounted horizontally rather than vertically, as with the Model S. The spare, stark layout of the Model 3's cabin makes the touch screen look tacked on, rather than neatly integrated.

Here, the screen represents the bulk of the Model 3's instrumentation and controls. Oddly, there's no instrument cluster right in front of the driver. Instead, there's a small display of speed at the upper left-hand corner. The bulk of the screen is taken up by a moving map, with stereo and climate controls occupying a strip at the bottom. There is nothing but windshield and a view of the road ahead. The dashboard itself is barren, with a thin decorative strip, giving the Model 3 an austere look. 

Tesla has designed the cabin to order to maximize interior space. The front seats are positioned further forward than those of the Model S, though the distance from the windshield doesn't feel much different from most mainstream cars. The rear window is a giant pane of glass that extends up and over the occupants' heads clear to the middle of the car, yielding enough headroom for six footers to sit comfortably. Rear legroom is good, although not especially generous. The Model 3's front windshield doesn't wrap into the roof as it does on the Model X, but a large sunroof gives the illusion that the car's top is made almost entirely of glass. There are no sunshades to be found; instead a UV coating shields passengers from the sun's rays. We'll be interested to see if this is enough to keep rear occupants from getting too hot on sunny days. Unlike the Model S, the 3 doesn't benefit from a hatchback design. It has a conventional trunk of a sedan. 

It was difficult to evaluate the handling from the passenger's seat, but we were driven through a makeshift slalom course that revealed the Model 3's flat cornering stance. With the battery and motors mounted so low, the Model 3 has an extraordinarily low center of gravity, as seen with all Tesla models.