Beset by bottlenecks that not only slowed its production, but also handed the company its biggest ever quarterly loss, Tesla’s Model 3 sedan has had to deliver on some big promises — beyond those given when it was announced to great fanfare and a staggering amount of preorders. So, now two years later, as the rubber is hitting the road, does the Tesla Model 3 live up to the hype? Slow your roll—literally, Consumer Reports tells anxious auto buyers.
“Our testers also found flaws—big flaws—such as long stopping distances in our emergency braking test and difficult-to-use controls,” writes Consumer Reports’ Patrick Olsen in his Tesla Model 3 review. The braking issues kept Consumer Reports from giving the Model 3 its recommendation. Of the 57 hybrid and electric vehicles Consumer Reports has reviewed, it ranks the Tesla Model 3 sixth, behind the front-running 2018 Toyota Prius.
“The Tesla’s stopping distance of 152 feet from 60 mph was far worse than any contemporary car we’ve tested and about 7 feet longer than the stopping distance of a Ford F-150 full-sized pickup,” writes Olsen.
Issues with braking and difficult to use controls cause the @Tesla #Model3 to fall short of a CR recommendation. https://t.co/f6r2s9oLJy
— Consumer Reports (@ConsumerReports) May 21, 2018