I just jumped onboard the Tesla hype train :)

My first car was a CRX. Not the SI though.

1 Like

Congrats on the new car, that color really suits it. Hope we get to hear an AAR after your first proper drive?
I really hope I can hustle a test drive when they start showing up around these parts, even though I suspect it will end up being way to expensive here.
In the mean time I have a pretty good eye at either a Hyundai Kona Electric or a Kia e-Niro, both come with 64 kWh battery packs and a WLTP range of around 300 miles. But yeah, no supercharger network, and they arenā€™t exactly cheap either, soā€¦

I really donā€™t like that interior, I hope that big display can be removed? Or is that a permanent feature?

This cop (who sounds totally cool) thought it was a computer mounted on the dashā€¦

4 Likes

My first car was an old, hand me down, straight six Camaro (a tank). I drove it for a year or so. For my graduation in 1989, my parents bought me a used Honda CRX for $3600 to take to college. I drove that car for ten years until a lady t-boned me. Her insurance company bought me another one, this time a Honda CRX HF model and I drove that one for fifteen more years and put 350,000 miles on it. So from when I started driving at age 16 until 2013 (26-ish years) the only money I spent on cars was the original $3600 my parents had spent on that first CRX. I loved those 5-speed CRXs. And I sold the one with 350,000 miles on it for $1000 a few years ago. Then I bought my first new car.

Driving a CRX over those decades probably saved me tens of thousands of dollars in fuel costsā€¦it was soooo efficient. And trouble free. The only thing that was ever a problem with that car were that the rubber boots covering the front CV joints were susceptible to road debris lacerations and I probably put five or six CV joints on those cars over the years.

4 Likes

Great cars no doubt and mine was also a 5 speed. For such a underwhelming HP car, it sure was a fun car to drive. Iā€™m currently in the market for a new car and I honestly believe the car market of today is waaaaay less exciting than it was back in the 90ā€™s.

1 Like

The interior is certainly not to everyoneā€™s taste. The white seats and trim are an added option from the standard black. I chose white because it makes the interior brighter and feel more open.

When I first saw the Model 3 in videos and photos I really didnā€™t like the oversized iPad bolted to the dash concept, but when you sit in the car, the screen seems perfectly placed, which is good because almost everything is controlled via the touchscreen.

As I said before, the interior is like no other car out there right now. It seems more like what you would expect to see in a futuristic concept car at a show rather than a production vehicle.

It will be interesting to see how other car manufacturers approach their EV interiors going forward. The current offerings are a bit more conventional.

The CRX has always been my favorite even though I have never owned one. All I have ever wanted to own is a nimble 2-door hatch. I have owned 3 Golfs in a row over the last 20 years. The first and the current are GTIā€™s. The current is a 4-door and thatā€™s the only thing I dislike about the car. Small is best in my opinion. But few of my countrymen agree.

@PaulRix I am wondering if there is any correlation with this thread you have posted about your gorgeous new ride and Elon Muskā€™s departure from the board at Tesla. Coincidence you say. I am not so sure.

1 Like

It really has to be seen, I can honestly say that the interior is outstanding. It does not feel like a iPad bolted thereā€¦ it feels like a command and control center. Tesla raised the bar on what a modern car should be. The big 3 better listen up.

2 Likes

I think @PaulRix actually owns that Global 6000 he flies. :thinking: Heā€™s into astronomy :thinking: I think @PaulRix might beā€¦

ironman

5 Likes

My cover is blown :face_with_raised_eyebrow:ā€¦ :smile:

2 Likes

Aha fair enough, I personally hate touch screen for applications like a car. My phone seems okay but quite often touch screens donā€™t respond very well to my hands. And well, when I need to operate system in a a moving vehicle I want to do it blindly just by fondling a little with the knobs and knowing what feature they have. touch screens are terrible for that. Itā€™s a shame this lesson hasnā€™t been learned from aviation.

1 Like

True, but even aircraft cockpits are getting cleaner, and touchscreens are being used now for functions that used to require switches and knobs. A good example in the GA sector would be the difference between the Garmin GNS400/500 series and the GTN750. Everything is increasingly reliant on a digital user interface.

I would agree if the touch screen wasnā€™t supplemented by steering wheel and voice controls. Not sure if the Tesla does this, but our 2018 Odyssey integrates both extremely well with a large (not compared to the Tesla) centrally mounted MFD, The state of Georgia recently enacted a hands-free policy, essentially making it illegal to have a smartphone in your hand for any purpose while operating a vehicle. In the interest of remaining on the good side of the law, and setting a proper example to my 3 kids, aged 7 and under, Iā€™ve been making full use of voice and steering wheel controls, limiting my interaction with the vehicleā€™s touch screen and phone.

Apple CarPlay rocks for this. I didnā€™t use it prior to the hands-free law, but now finding it essential. Last week Apple integrated Waze into CarPlay, although at this point using the navigation component only AFAIK.

With voice control, I can and do often call up Siri, read or compose text messages, listen to voicemails and make calls, navigate, listen to podcasts and Audible books, and command things like, ā€œplay Metallicaā€. All while keeping eyeballs on the road. I would be surprised if Tesla doesnā€™t do something similar.

1 Like

Fair comment, even sitting still the human finger is ridiculously inaccurateā€¦although you could get away with it in a carā€¦although that annoying thing you get with every touch screen where it doesnā€™t respond after tapping it 4 times!! grrr. Buttons that you can feel without having to take your eyes off the road are a lot better IMO

An application where it would be unusable in certain situations is probably fighter jet - although some do have it I noticed Lockheed make a point of stating the centre display on the new Block 70 F-16 is not a touch screen.

1 Like

The Tesla vehicles do have voice activated controls, which seem to work well with the car sat in the garage. So far it hasnā€™t had any trouble understanding me, despite my British accent (diluted by 10 years of living in Ohio, and 6 years in Texas)ā€¦ :grin:

I really do wish they had adopted Apple Car Play though. I can play music from my phone without any problem, but you donā€™t have the same level of control. The onboard navigation uses Google Maps, and it seems very quick and responsive. If you are going on a long trip, it will route you via Super Charger locations as needed. Pretty neat!

1 Like

Heh, voice recognition technology seems to be woefully confused with my voice so alas, that is not helping either :smile:

Glad it works for you though! Enjoy your new toy, I know I would :wink:

This is what good cops are made of.
+1

Something that just entered my mind after watching that video againā€¦donā€™t police cruisers have a laptop bolted to the dash? :wink:

2 Likes

After staring at the car in my garage all weekend, I finally got to drive it today (the temporary registration came in).

OMG! Itā€™s amazing. I bought the car pretty much on blind faith that it would be awesome. Everyone on the various Tesla forums was saying how great the car is, but until you drive one you really donā€™t completely understand. The car feels welded to the road, it accelerates so quickly, smoothly and with very little noise. Iā€™m going to have to be extremely careful, because it will be very easy to find myself well over the speed limit without even thinking about it. I thought my Mini Cooper S had some ā€œgoā€ to it, but the Tesla makes it feel positively pedestrian.

11 Likes