It was February 2, a date not a lot of Tesla fans out there are going to forget easily because that's when Autoline published its video with Sandy Munro of Munro & Associates in which the benchmarking specialist expressed his dismay at the Model 3's build quality and how Tesla allowed such a vehicle on the market.
The man didn't hold anything back when commenting on his findings, making for probably the most vicious take-down of the electric sedan we've seen so far. Everybody knows the quality of the interior is where Tesla still needs some polishing, but Mr. Munro found more than that: misaligned panels left and right as well as some possible safety issues in case of a crash.
It must have been a difficult watch for those who worship Tesla and are fine with these shortcomings as long as the company stays on track toward its zero-emissions transportation goal, which probably resulted in a few spirited e-mails sent to Sandy Munro. He even jokes at the start of this clip by saying he thought about putting on a mask for the second video, but we doubt it would have been much help even if he had done it.
Now, though, the same pair have gotten together to talk about the way the car drives, and this is where the Model 3 has shone so far in every review, with no exceptions. The agreement is that it's a very responsive car that handles great and makes you feel in control.
After explaining the rough treatment in the previous video and flashing a stack of papers before our eyes that was supposed to be the company's very detailed report on which the pyre burning was based, the two get into the car and Mr. Munro starts talking.
Like others, he's not too crazy about the central-mounted display, but he does have praise for the HVAC system - a feature unique to the Model 3 - and the minimalist design. He also notes the suspension system and the transmission which, in his words, are not the kind of things you would expect on a vehicle that size and that affordable.
To sum it up, they're still waiting for the results of the instrumented test, but the overwhelming impression from everyone who drove it is that it should score pretty high on drive and ride. Or, as Mr. Munro put it, "pretty impressive." Well, that shows Tesla might have gotten the most important part right, and maybe later builds will actually feature better panel alignment as well.
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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