The Tesla Model 3 is a car that is years ahead of its time. It is one of those cars that we have largely seen in sci-fi movies only. The Model 3 shows us the direction in which the entire automotive industry will be heading towards in the coming future. It was Henry Ford’s Model T that gave an entirely new direction to the automobile industry and now it is Elon Musk’s Model 3 that is an all-out electric car for the masses and is all set to bring in a revolution in electric mobility. This is a brief overview of the Tesla’s ambitious and futuristic Model 3 where we shall sneak into most of the cool specs of the Model 3 and check out why the Model 3 is better than the most of the combustion engine powered vehicles currently in the market.

As per the pricing, the Model 3 places itself in the compact luxury car segment. It comes in 3 different trim levels and by trim levels we mean that it comes in three different powertrain and battery options: The first trim is simply called the Mid-Range Battery in which all the power is sent to the rear wheels, is priced at $34850. The next trim is called the Long-Range Battery and it is priced at $41850 and it comes with a dual motor and power is distributed to all the four wheels. The 3rd trim is called Performance which is priced at $52850 and it is equipped with the same battery and motors that you get in the Long-Range Battery Trim except for the fact that it slightly tuned to offer a slightly sportier driving experience.

The 2017 Tesla Model 3 does a 0-60 mph in an impressive 3.3 seconds, it tops out at 155 mph which is fairly good for any car in this territory and it also hauls up to 310 miles till the battery drains completely. The mid-spec Long Range trim level, on the other hand, does a 0-60 mph in about 4.5 seconds, runs for about 310 miles and maxes out at 145 mph. Lowered suspensions, performance spec brakes, carbon fibre spoiler, 20” wheels and performance pedals account to the staggering performance figures of the Performance trim of the Model 3. The Mid-Range trim, however, is the slowest of the lot and does a 0-60 mph in about 5.6 seconds, goes up to 264 miles on a single charge and has a top speed of 125 mph. The interiors and all the creature comfort and all the tech stuff that’s on offer remain the same across all the trim levels and doesn’t change if you opt for the base spec Model 3 or the top spec Model 3.

On the outside, the Model 3 looks beautiful. The absence of the front grille gives the car a strikingly unusual yet futuristic front fascia which is accompanied by the rather odd-shaped yet cool looking headlights. The car also features a full glass roof which starts with windshield and slopes down like a coupe, to merge with the tail. On the sides as well, the car has got nice smooth lines flowing across its body which as Tesla claims aids the aerodynamics of the car. The Model 3 makes it to the list of cars that feature the least aerodynamic drag in the entire auto industry. Lower aerodynamic drag means that the car faces the least resistance from the blowing air and can only deliver a better range. It is funny that the car doesn’t have any badges that tell you what model or variant it is. It doesn’t even say ‘Tesla’ anywhere on the car and so you do not really know what car you are looking at unless you really know.

Before we get inside the car and talk about the interiors let us talk about the entire process of getting into the car. The Model 3 doesn’t come with any key or any key fob which has a lock and unlock button so that you can get into. Instead, the owner of the car has to get an app from Tesla installed and you only have to place the phone in your pocket. So, as you walk up to your car with the phone in your pocket, the car automatically senses that you are approaching it and the mirrors automatically unfold themselves and let you know that the car is now unlocked and you can pull the lever and get inside it.

The same procedure applies to when it comes to locking the car, you just place the phone in your pocket and walk away and as you move up to a certain distance, the mirrors automatically fold in and the car locks itself automatically. Apart from the phone app, there’s another way of unlocking the car. You get a Tesla card which is roughly the size of your credit card. You walk up to the car, place the card on the B-pillar and the car unlocks itself. Step out, shut the doors, place the card on the B-pillar and the car locks itself again. This is by far the coolest feature we’ve seen on any production car.

Once you open the doors, the first thing you notice is the classy frameless doors. One step in and find yourself in the lap of soft, quilted leather seats. The next thing you notice is how minimalistic the interiors are. The steering has got two trackballs placed on the steering wheel. The steering column has two stalks coming out of it, one for the turn signals and wipers and the other for drive mode selection. On the centre however, you will be surprised to see the absence of any physical buttons and you’ll find a large 15” touch screen display which has everything integrated into it right from the driver information display and the navigation to the climate control and infotainment settings.

The screen quality is by far the best we’ve seen in any car and is super responsive and is just like you’d find in some of the high-end smartphones. The dashboard is clean and there’s only one long strip of the air-con vent which circulates air in the entire cabin. Obviously, being an EV, there’s no engine clatter and the cabin nicely insulated and the only noise you can hear on the inside is when someone behind you honks at you really hard. The interiors of the Model 3 are certainly a place you would want to be in.

The Model 3 banks on practicality as well and features a good amount of luggage space as well. You get decent amount cargo space at the rear and you also can open the trunk at the front or the frunk, as they call it these days and store whatever you want. Full marks in this area as well.

When the Model 3 was first unveiled back in 2016, Tesla received a total booking of about 325000. The crowd went crazy to buy this car and by August 2017, Tesla had additionally taken 455000 bookings. People literally were sleeping outside the dealerships to book their car in advance and could only expect the car to be delivered by the end of 2019. The first limited production Model 3 rolled out on July 7, 2017, and by the end of July 2017, there were only 30 Model 3s on the road.

However, eventually Tesla sped up its production process and by July 2018, it was producing about 5000 Model 3s a week. The Model 3 by the end of 2018 became the top-selling electric car in the United States and is still going strong. The car basically does everything right and there’s absolutely nothing you can complain about. The Model 3 gives us a glimpse of the future. It shows us what cars in the future will be like. It shows us the technological revolution we shall soon witness. It certainly shows us that the future is going to be very bright.