Press roundup: Automotive media outlets are digging the Tesla Model 3

With Model 3 deliveries becoming a bit more common, media outlets are finally getting their hands on Tesla's most-anticipated car. Back in July, Motor Trend called it "the most important car of the century" in Model 3's one-and-only published review. Since then, Tesla hasn't been releasing test cars to the press. Automotive journalists (like reservation holders) have been anxiously awaiting an opportunity to step on the gas... uh, I mean accelerator.

Above: Tesla's newest, the Model 3 (Instagram: jhtang_)

At last, a handful of automotive media outlets have landed a coveted Model 3 review. However, some happened courtesy of Model 3 owners who loaned their car to a journalist. What's the general consensus been thus far? Let's take a look at some press for feedback from these car critics...

Edmunds

Director of Vehicle Testing, Dan Edmunds, recently took delivery of the company's car — Edmunds (like Consumer Reports) actually acquires a vehicle for long-term testing. In a straightforward, no-nonsense manner, Edmunds provides an initial review of the Tesla Model 3 in a video format only (see below). Most telling, Edmunds says, "I’m digging this thing... I’m pretty impressed with the Model 3 sedan, so much so that I’m going to hang onto a second reservation that I put in for myself."

Above: Dan Edmunds reviews the Model 3 (Youtube: Edmunds)

Road and Track

Road and Track's Bob Sorokanich seemed to be most enthused by the car's superlative performance: "Out on the road, the Model 3 feels special. There’s an eagerness to the car. Steering, acceleration and chassis are nearly perfectly balanced, no one trait overpowering the others. Outward vision is expansive, the low dash, tall windshield, and minimized A-pillars making it easy to place the car in corners. Through twisty mountain roads, the car feels dynamically cohesive, thoughtfully tuned." 

Jalopnik

Jalopnik's Andrew Collins clearly enjoyed his Model 3 test drive (see below) and especially liked the user interface: "The extremely old-school among us will look at the screen-based control system as novelty. But someone who was practically raised on smartphones would probably have the Model 3’s whole control system mastered before the first time they backed out of the driveway... A lot has been said of making cars into 'smartphones on wheels,' and the Model 3 really comes close."

Above: Jalopnik's Andrew Collins reviews the Model 3 (Youtube: Jalopnik)

The Drive

The Drive's Alex Roy took issue with Model 3's user interface (as it relates to Autopilot) but seemed genuinely impressed — especially with its design: "The Model 3 is a triumph of industrial design... Starting with a clean sheet, Tesla has out-Volvo'ed Volvo, delivering the purest interpretation of Scandinavian design in automotive history. I felt liberated from the tyranny of traditional car dashboards full of knobs and buttons... It's a work of art, a concept car come to life, more revelatory than the Model S, and historically even more important."

Automobile

Automobile's Robert Cumberford actually awarded the Tesla Model 3 'Design of the Year' for 2018. He explains, "We have the impression that the studied simplicity of both interior and exterior will let this car age extremely well, that in 10 years it will still look contemporary and beautifully understated, not old and irrelevant... all told, the Model 3 reminds us of some classic Pininfarina designs of the 1960s: simple and straightforward, perfectly proportioned with minimal extraneous detailing. It has all been done with unmistakably good taste."