MotorTrend Testing Director
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MotorTranscript
00:00I'm about to test a Tesla Model 3 long range dual motor.
00:14It's a car we know well, a car that probably needs no introduction.
00:17This version is made in China, and of course we're testing it here so that we're comparing
00:22apples to apples.
00:26And let's give it a launch.
00:28Here we go.
00:29Three, two, one.
00:32Smooth and seamless.
00:33Torque builds right around 30, 40 miles an hour.
00:36Four seconds to 60.
00:38Woo.
00:39Noisy.
00:40Those brakes feel like they've gotten some use out of them.
00:42Let's do a couple brake stops from 60.
00:49Let's do one or two from 100.
00:58Brakes are too hot.
01:00Braking performance reduced.
01:01The brakes are really Tesla's Achilles when it comes to driving dynamics.
01:05I did two stops from 60 miles per hour and then one stop from 100 miles per hour and
01:10I'm getting this warning that braking performance is reduced.
01:13And now I'm supposed to go do a figure eight.
01:15How am I supposed to do a figure eight when the brakes are too hot?
01:17We'll cool them down a little bit here.
01:19You know, I can tell you already I'm going to get one lap.
01:23Why Tesla?
01:24Why?
01:25There's a problem that needs to be solved.
01:26All right, here we go.
01:27All right, there it is.
01:28Brake warning.
01:29Did I get my brake warning?
01:30Yeah.
01:31Brake's too hot.
01:32We got two figure eights in before the brakes got too hot.
01:43I suspect they're also trying to get the car to rotate using those brakes.
01:47It's not very convincing as a sports sedan.
01:51Model 3 has a lot in it that makes it feel sporty initially and on the street.
01:56Really quick steering, very immediate reactions.
02:00Sometimes that's to the detriment.
02:01They can feel a little nervous or busy on the highway.
02:04And then you drive them kind of at the limit and they start to fall apart a little bit.
02:09They're just not very balanced dynamically.
02:12There's not a lot of substance behind that initial feel.
02:14All right, let's try one more.
02:16A lot of understeer.
02:18Brake warning again.
02:20So we'll finish that lap.
02:22Okay.
02:23Well, that's what a Tesla does.
02:24About 25.7 second figure eight lap.
02:27It's okay.
02:28It's not great.
02:29Wish they could do a little more development.
02:30This is the updated Model 3 that came out for 2024, sometimes called Model 3 Highland.
02:36It's quite a big improvement over the car that came before it.
02:38That doesn't mean that they're done here.
02:40I just wish they would make the brakes do what they're supposed to do, which is stand
02:44up to repeated stops.
02:45Whether that's on the highway, whether that's around a track, whether that's in an autocross,
02:49it's a major weak point for a car that's supposed to have some sporty dynamics in its DNA.