With all these domestic new energy vehicles struggling like this, why is the Model 3 still selling so well?
What are the attractive features of the Model 3? First of all, I don't think the space is the highlight of this car. In this price range and at this level, there are countless cars that are more comfortable to sit in. Moreover, it's already 2026 now, and the Model 3 still only has heated and ventilated front seats, plus heated rear seats. We won't even mention moving the zero-gravity seats from domestic new energy vehicles here. At least, the seat massage needs to be considered, right?
I still don't understand the design of the screen in the rear seat. It's like sticking a tablet on your knee. It's a fully functional high-definition entertainment screen where you can watch movies and even play games. But its placement is destined to be suitable only for the air conditioning operation screen. Looking at it for a long time will only cause neck pain and eye fatigue. In short, considering the space and configuration, in the same price range and level, few cars are weaker than it.
But in terms of driving experience, there are few cars that are stronger than it. If you like driving, then this car is tailor-made for you. It's the first-class driving experience. The Model 3 or the Model Y, it's said that Tesla is now more comfortable than before, but I think this "comfort" is relative. Maybe it's just a bit softer on the chassis or the sound insulation has become more quiet. Its sports DNA has never changed. Driving it still gives you a tight, sensitive, and resilient feeling.
If you are used to the soft and sluggish style of domestic new energy vehicles, then driving the Model 3 really requires some time to adapt. But after a brief adaptation, you can drive this car very fast. You can keep an eye on the Model 3 on the road. Do you think the chance of driving fast is greater than that of other models? Do you think this is a coincidence?
What points I can't accept
But speaking of this, there are two places that I personally can't accept. If you just switched from an internal combustion engine vehicle to an electric vehicle, these two places will drive you crazy:
One is the sliding screen for shifting gears. In my eyes, this is a typical example of "educating consumers". If you need to shift gears, first you have to step on the brake. The upper left corner of the central control screen will have a virtual shift lever. Moving it up is D gear, moving it down is R gear, and in the middle is P gear. You will curse when you first back into a parking space, but actually, after getting used to it, it's not that difficult to use. It just takes a considerable amount of time to get used to it.
The other is that there are hardly any physical buttons on the car. The most obvious ones are on the steering wheel. Many operations that are taken for granted in internal combustion engine vehicles are not so obvious in the Model 3. You need to scroll through the central control screen to find them, and many regular functions are hidden in secondary menus.
However, the current Model 3 has become much more "friendly". After the model was updated in the second half of last year, the traditional steering wheel lever for turning on/off the lights was restored. In my eyes, the capacitive pressure-sensitive steering light buttons on the steering wheel before were an anti-human design. Why force a change to the habits that drivers have formed for decades? But Tesla is like this. If other brands are respectful of habits, then Tesla is transforming habits.
To sum up, in terms of paper parameters, such as space, configuration, and power, it may not be able to compete with the increasingly competitive domestic new energy vehicles at present. Just like Apple's phones, its hardware specifications, benchmark scores, are often "hurt" by various domestic mobile phones in various evaluations. But if it comes to the usage experience, no domestic phone dares to claim that it is superior to Apple, and no domestic new energy vehicle dares to claim that it is superior to the Model 3.
