We Finally Got a Model 3 Highland! - Initial Thoughts

I've had my 2024 Model 3 LR for almost 6 weeks now, and it is GREAT! Build quality is very very good. The suspension and handling is excellent! Vented seats are definitely a plus here in the Phoenix area. Had an older M3 Performance as a rental car last week, and the new version is so much quieter and more comfortable. BIG thumbs up to the Tesla team, and thumbs up to Gjeebs for your continued content!

Been living with mine (RWD) for about a month now, and so far its been great. Great daily car, no issues or worries ever.

The joke about talking with other people while in the car together was so greatly placed 👌🏼

Improvements all around. We are thrilled with our 2023 MYLR and will most likely sell another family ICE vehicle and add a M3 with this LFP battery and RWD. The efficiency is going to be a huge improvement. Also Cooled seats in AZ are a must! If you ever want to use another Tesla for a comparison in a future video. let me know. Dan in Goodyear.

Only thing I don't care for on the refresh is the steering wheel stitching on the back of the wheel, where you tend to feel it any time your hands aren't at 9 and 3. Also the turn signals feel incredibly vague and unsatisfying to use.

Very good Model 3 Highland info Mr Handsome. Laughed at the Fanta bit. Can't wait till you land your Model 3 Performance.

Great video Gjeebs. My Audi e-tron was totaled two weeks ago, and I got one of these to replace it. It is insanely nice. So much nicer than the previous version, and particularly than the Model Y. It drives steering and suspension wise like an E46 3 series but feels way quicker than the 330i due to the instant torque. When I test drove it, I thought I was test driving the AWD because it feels so damn quick. I was shocked to hear it was the RWD. Between the price and the 100% charging of the LFP, I opted for this model. We’ll see how it holds up over time. For now, I’m very impressed.

Two questions, hope I can get honest answers: 1. How do you compare cabin noise to other vehicles such as mach-e, ionic, mercedes,bmw ev offerings. 2. How do you compare the suspension to those vehicles? I like your videos, I think you are an unbiased and cool reviewer. My thoughts on the new vehicle are as follows. In terms of design, I don't see a big difference. Cooled seats is a welcome addition and the build quality is improvement is also good. That being said, I think removing stalks is plain stupid. Especially swiping for drive/reverse. This is an example of changing something that works very well with something that doesn't. I am really tired of this type of penny-pinching. The rear seat screen? It may be a nice touch but why not a gauge cluster or hud instead. I always liked Tesla's simple cabin but this is once again going towards an unnecessary addition rather than a simple/functional one. Of course, at this moment I would have only gone for the performance especially if one qualifies for tax credit that vehicle is around 45k and honestly if I purchased an lr before the m3p reveal it would have sucked. Then this happens with Tesla a lot. Cheers bud.

The AMD-based MCUs were added to the M3 and MY at the start of 2022. From what I've seen, MOST 2022 vehicles should have it, but I have seen vehicles manufactured in January 2022 (you can see the manufacture month/year on the door plate) that still had Atom-based MCUs. One of the reasons why I upgraded from the Model 3 to the Model S was that the Atom-based MCU was just getting really, really bad. We'd sometimes watch videos in the car while waiting, and you really couldn't touch a YouTube video after it started playing or it would start suffering from video/audio desync issues. In regard to the MCU, I would be curious to see if the Highland has the same Bluetooth limit as the refreshed Model S. On the Model S, you can only have two Bluetooth devices connected at a time, and that includes your phone. So, if you wanted to hook up some controllers via Bluetooth and play a game, you'd have to disconnect your phone. (The car will also tell you that.) Although, from some digging that I've been doing, it looks like headphones in the rear are separate as they're handled by the USB module in the center console. With the taillights, I've always been under the impression that you cannot put your lights entirely on a movable rear component. The reason being is that if someone were to carry a larger object requiring the trunk to be elevated but secured (i.e., tied down), the lights are no longer visible by traffic behind the vehicle. This is why you see some cars have moved the turn signals to the rear bumper as they no longer have to worry about the hatch. As for the lack of stalks, for simple maneuvers, you can get used to it, but I will scream to the high heavens that you will never, ever convince me that they are better than stalks for more complex maneuvers. Essentially, if there is a point at which your wheel is turned and you need to signal, it is often a pain to find the button. There are times where I know that I will be doing this and I try to get my finger in place before I turned, but sheesh... it's so frustrating doing all of that when a simple flick of the finger on a stalk works perfectly fine. What's worse is that tinkerers found that the Model S (and possibly the new Model 3) uses Model 3 components, and you can just attach Model 3 stalks to the steering column. Unfortunately, the control module ignores the commands, so they had to convert stalk commands to steering wheel commands (e.g. stalk turn signal commands to steering wheel signal button commands).

You’re really gonna love the Performance version Gjeebs. A true M3 killer. Look forward to that review.

Very nice upgrades! I have a few questions though. I'm looking at either a used 2021 Model 3 long rangeor a brand new 2024 Model 3 Standard. Which would you recommend? Also, here in AZ, does the heat pump make a noticeable difference over the non heat pump models? Thanks Gjeebs!

Really like a lot of these improvements. Front and back ends look better, like the seat cooling, rear display, LFP battery, etc. Still not a fan of the stalk delete.

Just ordered this exact same model - color and all - and pick it up on Friday. Can’t wait to get rid of a second ice car to complement my current model Y. Tesla is a fantastic American car company. I used to buy German cars, but not anymore. I love the minimalist design and the excellent reliability of a Tesla. it’s crazy you can lease one right now for $299 per month.

Great information! Thanks. Side note--> Every time I watch one of your videos, I can't help but think, if peeps had 'personality twins', yours would surely be Ryan Reynolds.

where did you get the sunshades for the glass roof of the new model 3?

You are such a Tesla fanboy and I love it. Great job on the video.

I just got a MYLR in December as my first Tesla and I’m hoping Tesla does the same refresh on the Y. It will be a no brainer of an upgrade. Great review!

I have a 2022 Model 3 RWD and really love it. I've searched for and watched many Model 3 refresh videos so I booked a demo drive for myself. Wife and I demo'd a 2024 Dual Motor Long Range. Fit, finish and the noise isolation in the cabin was much better. That being said, it was very vanilla. Like an improved Camry, it was very nice. Just not sporty or unique. I prefer the sporty feel of our "Legacy" RWD Model 3. Good video.

Good video. Can’t wait for Perf review. Just next tune maybe use painters tape to cover license plate. One less thing to edit

I don’t know if you’ve already talked about it in a different video but was hoping for more discussion of the actual experience not having the stalks for turn signals, etc. Are the buttons clicky? Haptic? Is changing to drive and reverse on the screen annoying?