Test drove the Model 3 SR in Cyber yesterday.

Coming off petrol engines with nil prior driving experience or expectations with EV's, its a pleasant surprise.

Cars heavy but feels planted, the acceleration in the SR to me personally is more than enough for urban driving.
Still able to tapau most daily drive cars with ease.

The missing signal stalk - got used to it in a couple of minutes, and by the end of the drive, did not need to look down to get the signals or wipers turned on.
Auto pilot is scary, but as long as paying attention, the car did well, even with the roads being wet and faded lane and shoulder markers on the road.
Regen was - interesting, and I get how people say you can go on and on without touching the brakes ever!

The silence in the cabin is impressive. The double paned glass makes a world of difference.
Turning radius, body roll, steering feel, all are good, and theres a confidence in throwing the car into corners.

The SR audio is decent enough - if not blasting music excessively loud. But then again, I'm no audiophile.

Caveat - having your own charger is a must. Would not consider this if relying on public charging infrastructure.

According to the TA who rode along with me, waiting period for deliveries is expected to change as more markets get this updated model from Jan onwards.
And interestingly claimed that the complimentary wallbox still has units available despite the promo ending on 31 October.
Wonder if anyone else can verify this? Or an attempt at getting me to book the car there and then la

The only thing I am having trouble wrapping my head around is getting away from the mindset of being able to repair mechanical issues.

Pretty much sold on the car, but only looking to book towards the end of Q1, and take delivery in Q2 2024.
Curious to see if the BYD Seal launches before that and at what price point.

Overall for the price point of the SR, comparing to any other car within a 200k budget, to me its a no brainer.
Personally have no need for the additional motor, enhanced audio and an NMC battery pack which cannot be regularly charged to a 100% for a difference of 29k.


Don't see any other new ICE car being comparable in terms of value.

This post has been edited by joshgm_119: Nov 24 2023, 08:39 AM

Haha, I expect it would be a pleasant surprise since you've already booked it.

I'm coming from an FC as well, and size wise i actually feel the 3 is a little bit smaller, but the way it cocoons around the occupants gives it a cozy feel vs a cramped one.

Ah, thats a bummer if the Seal is going to start at 225k, similar to the #1, its not even a comparison.

Intentionally avoided the LR, because i knew if i plonked myself in it, i might just fall for that!

Looking forward to hearing from you once you get your hands on your new ride.

I expect its the glass roof that does that.

Definitely agree with the steering, the 3 has hit the size/thickness spot on.
Had heard the same comments on a ridiculous turning radius, but when making the u-turns on the test drive route, did it easily!

Smart is spamming me with invitations to test drive as well. Do share your thoughts in comparison to the LR once you have gotten a chance to drive it.

True, the LR is a very compelling package.
But for my use case with almost no long journeys, 99% home charging, and another car in a few years, 29k stashed elsewhere makes more sense.
In the end a very personal choice based on lifestyles, but do enjoy your ride!
Looking forward to pics once you've got your hands on it.

The regen was strong enough on the SR for me to just tap on the brakes once in the 30 minute drive, and that too from habit, not because it was needed.
Also only if you see yourself frequently supercharging to take advantage of the peak charging speed.
For a use case where charging is on home charger, that to me makes no difference.

I would say if you can, make an appointment.
The couple who walked in after me were asked to hang around and wait for awhile until the ones with appointments were sorted.
Super quick, made my appointment just one day before.

If you're on facebook, i'd recommend joining the local Tesla group. Members there have shared insurance quotes and should give you a better idea.
Also, roof is glass, so seeing future owners getting windshield cover of 10k, which bumps up your premium a further RM1,500

Roughly seeing people are paying 4.5-5k on insurance with 55% NCD on an SR.
But that's with all the add ons, windshield, perils etc. Which I am definitely paying for.

Also, premiums tend to fluctuate based on your own profile/claim history.. so also got a variable there.

Battery for the Tesla is covered for 8 years / 160k km under warranty, so that's sorted.
I doubt insurance would ever cover the cost of a battery replacement if it ever came to that.

This post has been edited by joshgm_119: Nov 28 2023, 04:06 AM

Was following this dudes case, turns out it was not just the door panel, but also the speaker harness was missing.

Definitely super important to make sure that everything is checked before driving off.

But on the plus side, Tesla sorted everything out within half a day or so?

Tesla's build quality is known to be notoriously inconsistent.

And this is also not the first time this has happened, same case has happened in the US.

Buyer beware really.

Still looking forward to collect mine nonetheless.

Hahaha, the unexpected side discussion should have answered this.

Good connecting with you bro!

Theoretically.. yes.

There's a lot of conflicting information on this.

For me that isn't really a concern as all battery will degrade over time, there isn't anything conclusive that says the difference in battery chemistry makes a significant difference.
So personally I chose to disregard this factor and see what the other differences between SR and LR are and how they fit my lifestyle.

But plenty of materials to read/watch online if you wanna dig further on battery chemistry.

A bit of getting used to, but after day 1, have not touched my brakes at all.

Normal jam with creeping traffic is okay, but if you stuck behind someone who likes to accelerate and jam brake then you'll find folks cutting in.

Yeah, can still drive like normal, but the moment you lift off the accelerator, its a pretty abrupt slow down, so the car actually slows before you even get to start braking.

But not difficult to get used to it.

I notice a delay for the phone key to detect, and so far I'm too impatient to wait or open the app.

When i grab the door handle, manages to unlock though.

Okay yeah, thats definitely something wrong.
Sounds like its worth reporting to Tesla at the very least.

Good to hear positive feedback.

They've just given me their proposal, and am getting them to do my installation.

First impressions are the same, very professional.

Yep, mine requires the full scope of work though, so the standard installation package for single phase @ 1599.

With free supercharging I foresee myself being at Cyberjaya or Melaka quite often these next few months.
Might bump into you at some point

No intention of using home charging as long as freebies are there.

Once RHB asks me to start paying I'll chase for the ChargEV membership that someone mentioned.

Ah, I have not yet asked my banker, but looking at their network, seems like decent coverage.
If it works well, with supercharging and this membership, can hit a year with barely using home charging.

I expect by this time next year there will be a whole LOT more EV's on the road.

Will do, expecting congestion in Melaka to be a lot more bearable with auto pilot helping. Heh



Would not be 12 hours as you would never let it drop to 0 before plugging in.
All depends how low you can let yourself go before plugging in.

I'd generally plug in between 20-40% to top up. I'm on the standard range that can charge up to 100%

On the long range, you would be topping out at 80% for daily use and going for 100% only when you intend to use it up on a road trip / extended drive.

Tbh, if you were at 0% its likely you'd be looking for a tow truck

But yeah, as a rough approximation, i'd say its in the ballpark.

Hope it helps in making your decision.



My personal opinion would be no, seeing our public infra is still quite lacking and isn't really cheap.
And at the same time the number of EV's on the road is starting to pick up.

Even for me with access to home charging, still got my ICE car sitting on my porch.
But that's just me.

Not to say it can't be done, it definitely can, but whether you have the time and patience to plan out how to make it work.
And endure the possibility of waiting around for charge points to be available if crowded and the possibility that at times some may be not working also.

Good luck in making the decision!

P/S: Asking your condo JMB about charger installation wont hurt

highways generally have sweeping corners and not sharp ones, so it doesnt really slow down.
but having tried on KL roads, yeah, if it senses its approaching a sharper corner and does brake.

basic autopilot here.

Oof yeah, uneven roads and corners, bugger gives me an adrenaline rush with the braking and then accelerating outta the corner.

Feels dangerous, but it stays well within the lane.

Tested up to illegal speeds when theres zero traffic in the middle of the night.

This post has been edited by joshgm_119: Apr 11 2024, 05:39 AM

Yup, would only dare max it on empty roads.

As safe as it is, my heart cannot take it