Encounter with Tesla Model 3 and its use in daily life

The Tesla Model 3 has been here for a month now.

I have become accustomed to its operation and can drive it without any discomfort at all. I am impressed by the convenience of the Tesla from time to time.
Just getting into the car and stepping on the brake pedal automatically determines D or R without the need to shift gears, and when shopping at a convenience store, you can lock the car while leaving the air conditioner on.

There are too many others to mention, but they are really useful.

I know of no other car that is so convenient and comfortable for daily use. It is a car that has been well thought out and designed from the ground up without any preconceived notions of what a car should be.

Such is the case with Tesla,How does it feel to go long distance touring with this? Is it fun to begin with? Or is it boring? Will you regret that you got a Porsche after all?To confirm such questions, I set off on a holiday to Okayama's wide-area farm road (commonly known as the Ascension Highway).

Autopilot Performance Evaluation

I leave home in the morning with a charge capacity of 80%. My Model 3 is a long range model, so in terms of battery type (NMC battery)It is recommended to operate with a charge of up to 80% on a daily basis, so they are routinely charged to 80%.

It is about 160 km to Okayama. The car is on the Sanyo Expressway with Autopilot active.

This is the first time I have used Autopilot in earnest, but it is much easier to use than I had imagined. I had the impression from watching YouTube videos of Japanese car enthusiasts that it was not highly rated, but in fact, that is not the case.

It always drives with a constant quality, regardless of the type of road, weather, curves, tunnels, etc., and regardless of GPS accuracy. It is more like steering the car as an extension of the "Lane Keep Assist" function like other companies,As the name suggests, it is an "autopilot," which senses the car's own driving intentions.

It also quickly senses the behavior of a car diagonally in front of it, and it decelerates and handles any interruptions quite smoothly.

It is necessary to keep a hand on the steering wheel, but it is not as stiff and demanding as other companies,Simply hook one hand on the steering wheel at about 4:00 to 5:00 or 7:00 to 8:00 and apply the weight of your hand to the steering wheel to the point where there is no play in the steering wheel.Conversely, those who hold the steering wheel firmly with both hands are more likely to receive warnings because the torque to the steering wheel tends to be uniform from side to side.

So, in my case, I rest my elbow on the elbow rest on the door and lightly grip the steering wheel around 4 or 5 o'clock with my right thumb and index finger. Of course, depending on the road environment, there are no instructions to let go of the steering wheel or to hold the steering wheel, so I can keep driving in the same comfortable position. It is really easy. At least, I think the Tesla is superior to the Active Distance Assist Distronic of the Mercedes GLB I used to drive.

Tesla's standard (NACS) can do up to 250Kw in this compact size and does not require certification, just plug it in. Japan's CHAdeMO, on the other hand, has very thick and heavy cables, and the certification process is complicated.

So, while making extensive use of Autopilot, we first headed for the Tesla Supercharger (SC) in Okayama City. Although we still had batteries, we decided to charge them at this time to fully enjoy the wide-area farm road and for the return trip.

This supercharger is located near the center of downtown and appears to be using part of the site of an hourly parking garage.

Here the battery, which had been 47%, is recharged. In the meantime, I had lunch in the neighborhood and by the time I returned, it was at 90%.
In this case, the remaining capacity was high, so the charging speed was not fast, which means that it took about 30 minutes to recharge the battery.

Driving a Tesla on the Oku-Kibi Highway

From here, head north toward the famous Oku-Kibi Highway.

On the way there, we also run through the Kibi-Kogen Highway near Okayama Airport.Normally, in my case, the Tesla is driven in Comfort mode, but I switch it to "Standard" mode and the steering wheel to "Sport".

The response of the accelerator pedal changes so drastically that it is hard to believe that this is the same car, and it becomes a completely different car. The change is incomparable to that of Porsche's Sport Plus mode.

Just by putting power into the gas pedal, the car moves forward with a strong G force. It does not matter whether you are driving up a hill or on level ground. Only an electric car can match the degree of acceleration, acceleration, and speed to such a degree. No V8 or V12 can match this superb response.

The car runs along a wide farm road with continuous ups and downs, quietly and peacefully savoring the feeling of acceleration like the second gear of a GT3.

Cornering accuracy is also excellent.The Model 3 has fairly little play in steering response and super neutral steer. So it really feels good.

However, the suspension damping is not that of a sports car, so the limit range is not like that of a Porsche. However, the softness of the car pushes the tires firmly against the road surface in any situation, so it will not break down easily. Also,The tires, at 18 inches, are Michelin e-Primacy, so the grip is a little less than impressive.However, while this is not a problem for normal driving, a little caution is required when taking tight corners at a slightly faster speed and higher G-force.

We turned onto the Oku-Kibi Highway and met up with a Porsche friend of mine, who was also driving a 992 Turbo S Cabriolet, although he was also driving a Model 3,The first words out of his mouth were "Faster than Turbo S! The first thing that came out of his mouth was, "It's faster than Turbo S!

It is certainly fast. The acceleration from the start of a corner is a clear winner for the Model 3.

Of course, once speeds reach the high speed range, the Tesla cannot match the acceleration of the Turbo S at all, but up to that point, the Tesla's acceleration and response are overwhelmingly better.

Before and after that, though, I enjoyed the Oku-Kibi Highway alone,On the way there, I found myself feeling carsick from the sheer acceleration.
It was like playing a racing game with VR goggles on, and even though the car was quiet and peaceful, the intense acceleration Gs started up so many times, and so instantly, that it felt like my brain was bugged, and I felt like it was from the discrepancy between my visual and auditory senses and the acceleration Gs.

It was better after running for a while, but I thought it might be more fun to run in "Comfort" for a long time.

Tesla and Porsche: different ways to enjoy touring

At dusk, we again took the Sanyo Expressway and headed for home.

I thought about it a lot in the car on the way home, and I think that touring in a Tesla is quite different from touring in a Porsche in terms of the sweet spot of fun and enjoyment.

In my case, the main focus of Porsche touring is to enjoy winding and fast roads, and I feel that the best part of touring is to enjoy the sound of the Porsche, the power of the engine, and the handling that only a Porsche can provide. On the other hand, I often don't enjoy the road and highways to get there.

On the other hand, touring in a Tesla is a pleasure, including on the highway and on the ordinary roads that lead to winding roads. The planning and event of charging with the supercharger can also be enjoyed as part of the trip. The winding roads are also enjoyable, but they are too fast and require some getting used to.

Thus, it is safe to say that the same touring can be enjoyed in different ways.
Touring in a Tesla seems to be more like touring on a motorcycle.

Motorcycle touring is fun on any road except traffic jams, and the acceleration and other factors are similar, with the common point being that tight corners are not as fast as in a car. They also have less range, so some planning for gasoline refueling is necessary. This is similar to the recharging plan for Tesla's Supercharger, and I think it applies to the fact that the journey is more enjoyable when there are a few difficulties and hurdles.

I will try to do some long-distance touring in a Tesla from time to time.
At the very least, it is not the kind of car that you would not enjoy touring in or would not want to go in.
Touring is fun enough in the case of the Tesla. However, I felt that the car is better described as a "traveler" rather than a "touring" car.