Tesla Model 3

Design & Quality

Tesla has always been a leader not just in EV range or tech but also in design, which is reflected in every car it makes. On those lines, Model 3’s interior is a classic case of minimalist luxury, with its typical design, quality materials, which feel premium, nicely blended with advanced technology to which gives the cabin a futuristic appeal. The soft-touch surfaces, synthetic leather upholstery, and customizable ambient lighting are typical Tesla innovations, which definitely differentiates the car, and now learned or adopted by its rivals. Not only the luxury or tech, but the cabin feels upmarket, and the fit and finish are great, which showcase Tesla’s focus on build quality. When you’re at the cockpit, what is unmistakable is the 15.4-inch touchscreen, which is undoubtedly Tesla’s biggest innovation, when the car first came, now seems quite ubiquitous. It is paired with an 8-inch rear touchscreen for passenger convenience. So, you feel the absence of traditional stalks and minimal physical buttons makes the cabin a lot different from many traditional cars, but you get used to it and feel the new normal. With a quiet cabin, abundant storage, and ergonomic seating, the Model 3 delivers a refined experience.

Front Seat

The Model 3’s front seats give you a nice commanding driving position with a superb view of the road and the surrounding area, and you feel confident while driving. The driver’s seat features 12-way power adjustments with lumbar support, ensuring personalised comfort for long drives. The heated and ventilated front seats provide relief from the Kingdom’s extreme heat, while the synthetic leather upholstery feels premium and durable. We liked the steering yoke or traditional wheel offers for its accurate control, though the stalk-free turn signal buttons at times felt a little unintuitive. The seats’ supportive design reduces fatigue, making the Model 3 quite well-equipped for a daily commute.

Electronic Parking Brake

The Model 3 features an electronic parking brake (EPB), seamlessly integrated into the touchscreen interface, freeing up cabin space and enhancing convenience. Interestingly, it is nicely integrated with hill-start assist, and the EPB is quite smooth.

Rear Seat

The Model 3’s second row has sufficient legroom and headroom for three average-sized adults, making it suitable for small families or professionals. The bench seat comes with a fold-down armrest and heated seats, with an 8-inch rear touchscreen for climate and infotainment access to the passenger. The flat floor improves overall space in the cabin, and ISOFIX anchors serve a nice feature to families with young children. As a five-seater, the Model 3 emphasises rear passenger comfort over additional rows, and feels a lot spacious and sleek tech-first approach.

AC Vents

The Model 3’s dual-zone climate control system delivers powerful cooling through hidden front vents and rear air vents, quite capable of handling Saudi Arabia’s intense heat. Accessed by the 15.4-inch touchscreen, the air conditioning allows precise adjustments, ensuring consistent comfort across the cabin.

Storage Options

Like any sedan of its size, the Model 3’s cabin is designed for practicality, with a deep centre console, door-mounted cubbies, and an in-dash shelf for phones, keys, or wallets. The spacious glove compartment and rear armrest cup holders add convenience, while the minimalist design keeps the interior clutter-free.

Bottle Holder

Each door panel features a 1-litre bottle holder, and additional cup holders in the rear armrest enhance passenger convenience, perfectly integrated into the cabin’s sleek design without compromising aesthetics.

Armrest

The padded centre armrest is just fine, a feature for comfort to the driver and front passenger whenever they need it, which is also used as a storage compartment for small items. Its ergonomic design supports a relaxed driving posture with easy access to the touch screen. The rear armrest, with cup holders, helps passengers at the rear with holding cups but allows relaxation, adding to their comfort and convenience.

Charging Options

The Model 3 is equipped with multiple USB-C ports, a wireless charging pad, and a 12V socket, ensuring seamless connectivity for smartphones and tablets. The wireless charging pad, located in the centre console, reduces cable clutter, maintaining the cabin’s minimalist aesthetic.

Boot Space

The Model 3 has 425 litres of cargo space in the rear trunk, and since it is an EV, you can use the front trunk as well, with an additional space of 100 litres. A total of 525 litres is quite sufficient for a sedan of its size, and serves the owners well.  Folding the second row creates a flat load area, increasing the capacity to around 1,200 litres whenever you need, especially for a family shifting or trips or equipment. The power trunk and low liftover height improve access. Compared to rivals like the BMW i4 or Hyundai Ioniq 6, we find the Model 3’s boot just fine, quite practical.

The Model 3 is an example of modern, futuristic elegance, with aerodynamic efficiency, sporty stance has always been the car’s main attraction globally, and this also has its impact on Saudi roads, where most of the head turns for a glance at this sedan. The 4,720 mm in length, 1,933 mm in width, and 1,441 mm in height look quite appropriate for this sedan, as the imposing road presence makes it just beautiful on the road, with the most striking being compact agility and a commanding stance. It gets an all-glass panoramic roof that extends from the front to the rear, gives an expansive view of the sky and a spacious, airy and fresh cabin feel. Overall, the typical Tesla sleek styling, sharp flowing design, and curves make the Model 3 a quite gorgeous-looking sedan. 

Front

The Model 3’s front fascia is refined and minimalist; the sharp, full-width LED headlights grab attention as they appear futuristic. You noticed that the absence of a traditional grille highlights aerodynamic efficiency, crucial for boosting range in Saudi Arabia’s extreme climate. A lower front splitter gives the car a slight sporty edge, while the smooth, curved hood provides a drag coefficient of just 0.23, which is not just smart design but also ensures energy efficiency and stability at high speeds.

Side

Moving on to the side of the Model 3, the main highlight is the clean, flowing lines and a low, streamlined contour. The door handles are flush, adding to the beauty of the car and also help in reducing drag, while power-folding side mirrors with integrated turn signals, which are standard across all variants, give the sedan a classy touch. The shark-fin antenna and subtle chrome accents keep the car modern, the roof rails are absent, which means Tesla focus on efficiency over cargo space making the Model 3 stand out.

Alloy Wheels

The Model 3 comes in two wheel options that are fine considering they try to balance look and performance. The Long Range RWD and AWD trims get 18-inch Photon Wheels with 235/45R18 tires, known for their excellent efficiency and grip for city and highway driving. The Performance variant has 20-inch Warp Wheels with 235/35R20 tires, improving handling and also looks modern.  The wheels’ aerodynamic design reduces drag and helps the sedan’s range enhancement. 

Rear

The rear of the Model 3 is equally futuristic, modern, where full-width LED tail lights attract attention and give a distinctive light signature. A simple rear spoiler improves aerodynamics, while the clean, minimalist design keeps the car contemporary. Reflectors and a rear fog lamp are stylish, provide greater visibility when you need it the most, and add an extra layer of safety.

Colors

The Model 3 is available in two colours in Saudi Arabia  Red and Blue.

The Model 3 is known for its excellent performance with quick torque and excellent power delivery, largely due to its outstanding electric powertrain and single-speed transmission. The Long Range RWD offers 363 miles of range, while the Performance with speed with 510 hp and a 2.9-second 0-60 mph sprint. Regenerative braking enables one-pedal driving, improving efficiency, while the low centre of gravity makes handling agile.

City Performance

During our drive across a couple of cities in KSA, at different times, we experienced the beauty of the Model 3, its swift, silent acceleration and precise steering, making it ideal for navigating Riyadh’s busy streets. The Long Range RWD’s 5.8-second 0-60 mph time feels lively, while the Performance trim’s 2.9-second sprint delivers thrilling power. We really liked and deeply appreciated the regenerative braking for enhancing efficiency in stop-and-go traffic, with a 145 MPGe city rating. The 360-degree cameras and parking sensors are frequently mentioned as helpful for tight urban parking, and the quiet cabin creates a calm atmosphere amid city noise.

Highway Performance

On highways, too, the Model 3 is fun to drive and has everything that makes you confident, providing stable performance with impeccable power delivery. The Long Range AWD’s 4.2-second 0-60 mph time ensures effortless overtaking, while the Performance trim’s 510 hp offers supercar-like acceleration. The 580-mile range Long Range RWD supports long-distance drives, with access to Tesla’s Supercharger network for quick charging. The suspension helps nicely with comfort and control, though some wind noise may be noticeable at high speeds, but not a big deal. Overall, not just the city but the Model 3 equally feels refined on the highway, no matter what speed you’re cruising.

Ride

The Model 3’s ride quality is soft and easy, with a suspension tuned brilliantly to absorb city potholes and highway imperfections perfectly. The low centre of gravity and frequency-selective damping minimise body roll and provide stability in corners. Our experience with the is notably quiet, thanks to acoustic glass and superior insulation, protecting passengers from road, wind noise and harsh weather. Not Tesla's high-end luxury sedan, the Model 3 comes across as a highly refined vehicle, known for its comfortable ride quality, especially on our roads here in KSA.

Handling

In terms of handling, the Model 3 gives precision, again owing to the low centre of gravity, responsive steering, and balanced chassis. The Performance variant’s adaptive suspension and Track Mode make cornering agile and suitable for winding roads. The All-Wheel-Drive system gives you brilliant traction on wet or sandy surfaces, and the regenerative braking allows confident control. While not a complete sports sedan, the Model 3’s nimble, easy to handle and dynamics, and most buyers in Saudi Arabia use it for city driving, will find this Tesla sedan lovely to handle.

The Model 3 is something we enjoyed driving, and during our time with the car, we couldn’t help but admire this EV for its futuristic design, great acceleration, and tech-laden cabin. The 15.4-inch touchscreen and Autopilot, as standout special features you won’t find in other cars, are typical Tesla attributes that give your drive a different meaning.. The electric powertrain, with an excellent figure of power, performance and range, is just class-apart, making it a perfect car across all driving conditions, be it city or highway. The AWD system provides confident handling on varied Saudi roads, with fun elements, then the large boot makes it practical and multipurpose too. Besides the standalone sedan, what you’re also getting with the Model 3 is Tesla’s Supercharger network and seamless over-the-air updates. Tesla is a pioneer, and does outstandingly, and so this sedan clearly is a beast, and thankfully available for KSA buyers, and along the way, boosts the EV credibility of our market in a big way.

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