2022 Model 3 RWD Review (graduating from a Camry)

2022 Tesla Model 3 RWD review – graduating from a Camry

Ordered and took delivery on a 2022 Tesla Model 3 RWD back when wait times were ungodly. There are a million of these reviews on here, so I’ll try to give a perspective not often discussed.

My prior car: think mid-2010s Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, etc. It was a basic model, cloth seats, no collision avoidance/techy safety features. No apple carplay. Just a backup camera.

This whole review is from that perspective. If you have a fast or techy car to begin with, most of below probably won’t be useful. All comparisons will be against my old, basic, extremely unremarkable sedan. So if that’s your current daily driver, read on…

Pros:

• The Tesla is ****ing fast. Snaps your head back. Acceleration hasn’t gotten old, even a year+ in. To this day I still get that stupid grin. And remember, this is just the RWD.
  • FWIW, the acceleration feels more intense if I slowly apply the gas pedal as I gain speed, rather than slamming to the floor @ the start
  • My god the instant torque is nice
• I feel more in control of the Tesla vs. my old sedan. The instant torque means I can easily “time” my turns, overtaking, etc. Feels cerebral in dynamic situations
• One pedal driving with regen is really nice, especially in traffic. Took a few months to get it smooth, though. Lots of little nuances with hills, driveways, tight merges, etc. that I never thought about with a gas car. Lots of microscopic adjustments with your right foot on the pedal, although it eventually becomes subconscious. Makes it a little more interesting to drive.
• Fun to take on curvy roads
• “Phone as your key” is convenient af
• Frunk + trunk + “under” trunk (where the spare would normally be) = lots of storage space
• Included sentry mode, multi-camera dash cam, and USB drive for video storage = peace of mind
• Autopilot is clutch for long, boring drives.
• It’s saved me from a few accidents. I drive in SoCal, where you could be going 80 in the middle lane, have a car still tailgate you, and then suddenly overtake you on the left lane… just as you’re switching to that same lane. Don’t know why I didn’t see him switch lanes, that’s on me. In any case, my Tesla’s collision avoidance system took over to literally swerve away from the car trying to overtake me, and back into my original lane. Autopilot was off the whole time.
• Minimalist aesthetic is super nice
• Infotainment system is solid. Plenty to do while you’re supercharging, or better yet, while waiting for the “your table is ready” text from the restaurant. Gf appreciates that.
• Sound system is solid. Tuned and EQed well, plenty of bass, and very satisfying to listen to. Sounds best thru a mainstream streaming app (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.).
• Creature comforts are great. AC, heated seats, heated steering wheel. Being able to activate all of this remotely as you’re walking back to your car? ****ing incredible. Gf loves having a pre-heated seat on a cold night.
• Maintenance is minimal. No tire rotations needed yet. Refilled wiper fluid twice which was easy.

Cons: note, most of these are moreso "personal preference" than objective criticism

• As of October 2023, autopilot WILL **** up as you use it. Will obviously get better in the future, and HAS gotten way better in the year I’ve owned my car. All that means is, don’t get complacent. As long as you’re still watching the road, you’ll be fine, even when it messes up.
• It’s only a con if you’re a dumbass like me and didn’t research ahead of time:
  • NO SPARE TIRE.
  • NO JACK.
  • Ran over a nail, tire started bleeding air fast. Limped home. Buddy had a portable tire inflator, used that to keep the tire inflated while I waited for mobile service to arrive. Royal PITA, had to top off air pressure every few hours, as I wanted to keep the weight of the car away from the rim itself. Couldn’t get a hold of a jack/jack stands in time. Now I keep a jack at home + Tesla tire repair kit in my trunk. Will probably get jack stands or a “donut” spare tire eventually. Open to critiques/comments here. I am NOT a maintenance guru lol.
• Not ideal for long road trips, TO ME AT LEAST. LA to SD is fine, LA to SLO is fine. I'm talking LA to SF or father. It’s OK when you’re rested and not cranky. But.. when you feel “over it” and just want to blast out a 4-6 hour stretch of driving with minimal stops? Not happening with current battery range. You’re supercharging every 1.5-2 hours
  • NOTE: plenty of folks don’t mind the “stop every 2 hours” cadence, YMMV.
• Con with EVs in general: going up mountain slopes bleeds battery pretty quickly. Need to be mindful of range.
• If you drive more than 50 miles a day, you need level II charging at your home, or at least overnight access to a “regular” outlet. Otherwise, charging could become annoying.

Super minor nitpicks: these don’t distract from my enjoyment of the car, but worth pointing out to others

• Internal parts creak a bit when you accelerate aggressively or go over uneven terrain
• Windshield wiper fluid, when deployed, bleeds onto passenger windows. Not sure if fixed in the Model 3 refresh, but other cars seem to divert that excess fluid away from reaching the side windows somehow. My old car did at least
• Car’s collision warning system beeps like a ************ when pulling close to a drive-thru window or a parking garage gate. This is background noise to me, but I know that could annoy the hell out of others

Personally observed charging speeds:

• Supercharging is fast, simple, easy, works as advertised. Works even faster if your battery has enough time to pre-condition
• “Level 2” charging: if you charge overnight, you’ll probably wake up to a 100% charge or close to it
• Regular outlet: 20% charge every 12 hours.. ish?

Unsolicited advice:

• Get all-weather floor mats + all-weather rear trunk mats. You’ll thank me later
• Keep a mobile charger in your car
• Get some kind of portable tire pump that plugs into your car’s 12V outlet. The Tesla one is great, I use that one personally

"Tesla Model 3" by Seluryar is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Admin note: Image added for Blog Feed thumbnail

 

[doug]

A small 12V tire pump has saved me more than once. I have something similar to this (which I got for around 30 bucks) and keep it in my frunk along with some jack pucks. I've had a couple slow leaks occur from running over a screw or whatever. The pump allows me to keep the pressure up until I'm able to get to a tire repair shop. I stay away from the "slime" style tire sealants (which I assume is in the Tesla kit) since I think those can ruin the TPMS sensor. When I get to the tire shop, I make sure they use the pucks so they jack the car properly.

 

[shahryaran]

2022 Tesla Model 3 RWD review – graduating from a Camry

Ordered and took delivery on a 2022 Tesla Model 3 RWD back when wait times were ungodly. There are a million of these reviews on here, so I’ll try to give a perspective not often discussed.

My prior car: think mid-2010s Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, etc. It was a basic model, cloth seats, no collision avoidance/techy safety features. No apple carplay. Just a backup camera.

This whole review is from that perspective. If you have a fast or techy car to begin with, most of below probably won’t be useful. All comparisons will be against my old, basic, extremely unremarkable sedan. So if that’s your current daily driver, read on…

Pros:

• The Tesla is ****ing fast. Snaps your head back. Acceleration hasn’t gotten old, even a year+ in. To this day I still get that stupid grin. And remember, this is just the RWD.
  • FWIW, the acceleration feels more intense if I slowly apply the gas pedal as I gain speed, rather than slamming to the floor @ the start
  • My god the instant torque is nice
• I feel more in control of the Tesla vs. my old sedan. The instant torque means I can easily “time” my turns, overtaking, etc. Feels cerebral in dynamic situations
• One pedal driving with regen is really nice, especially in traffic. Took a few months to get it smooth, though. Lots of little nuances with hills, driveways, tight merges, etc. that I never thought about with a gas car. Lots of microscopic adjustments with your right foot on the pedal, although it eventually becomes subconscious. Makes it a little more interesting to drive.
• Fun to take on curvy roads
• “Phone as your key” is convenient af
• Frunk + trunk + “under” trunk (where the spare would normally be) = lots of storage space
• Included sentry mode, multi-camera dash cam, and USB drive for video storage = peace of mind
• Autopilot is clutch for long, boring drives.
• It’s saved me from a few accidents. I drive in SoCal, where you could be going 80 in the middle lane, have a car still tailgate you, and then suddenly overtake you on the left lane… just as you’re switching to that same lane. Don’t know why I didn’t see him switch lanes, that’s on me. In any case, my Tesla’s collision avoidance system took over to literally swerve away from the car trying to overtake me, and back into my original lane. Autopilot was off the whole time.
• Minimalist aesthetic is super nice
• Infotainment system is solid. Plenty to do while you’re supercharging, or better yet, while waiting for the “your table is ready” text from the restaurant. Gf appreciates that.
• Sound system is solid. Tuned and EQed well, plenty of bass, and very satisfying to listen to. Sounds best thru a mainstream streaming app (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.).
• Creature comforts are great. AC, heated seats, heated steering wheel. Being able to activate all of this remotely as you’re walking back to your car? ****ing incredible. Gf loves having a pre-heated seat on a cold night.
• Maintenance is minimal. No tire rotations needed yet. Refilled wiper fluid twice which was easy.

Cons: note, most of these are moreso "personal preference" than objective criticism

• As of October 2023, autopilot WILL **** up as you use it. Will obviously get better in the future, and HAS gotten way better in the year I’ve owned my car. All that means is, don’t get complacent. As long as you’re still watching the road, you’ll be fine, even when it messes up.
• It’s only a con if you’re a dumbass like me and didn’t research ahead of time:
  • NO SPARE TIRE.
  • NO JACK.
  • Ran over a nail, tire started bleeding air fast. Limped home. Buddy had a portable tire inflator, used that to keep the tire inflated while I waited for mobile service to arrive. Royal PITA, had to top off air pressure every few hours, as I wanted to keep the weight of the car away from the rim itself. Couldn’t get a hold of a jack/jack stands in time. Now I keep a jack at home + Tesla tire repair kit in my trunk. Will probably get jack stands or a “donut” spare tire eventually. Open to critiques/comments here. I am NOT a maintenance guru lol.
• Not ideal for long road trips, TO ME AT LEAST. LA to SD is fine, LA to SLO is fine. I'm talking LA to SF or father. It’s OK when you’re rested and not cranky. But.. when you feel “over it” and just want to blast out a 4-6 hour stretch of driving with minimal stops? Not happening with current battery range. You’re supercharging every 1.5-2 hours
  • NOTE: plenty of folks don’t mind the “stop every 2 hours” cadence, YMMV.
• Con with EVs in general: going up mountain slopes bleeds battery pretty quickly. Need to be mindful of range.
• If you drive more than 50 miles a day, you need level II charging at your home, or at least overnight access to a “regular” outlet. Otherwise, charging could become annoying.

Super minor nitpicks: these don’t distract from my enjoyment of the car, but worth pointing out to others

• Internal parts creak a bit when you accelerate aggressively or go over uneven terrain
• Windshield wiper fluid, when deployed, bleeds onto passenger windows. Not sure if fixed in the Model 3 refresh, but other cars seem to divert that excess fluid away from reaching the side windows somehow. My old car did at least
• Car’s collision warning system beeps like a ************ when pulling close to a drive-thru window or a parking garage gate. This is background noise to me, but I know that could annoy the hell out of others

Personally observed charging speeds:

• Supercharging is fast, simple, easy, works as advertised. Works even faster if your battery has enough time to pre-condition
• “Level 2” charging: if you charge overnight, you’ll probably wake up to a 100% charge or close to it
• Regular outlet: 20% charge every 12 hours.. ish?

Unsolicited advice:

• Get all-weather floor mats + all-weather rear trunk mats. You’ll thank me later
• Keep a mobile charger in your car
• Get some kind of portable tire pump that plugs into your car’s 12V outlet. The Tesla one is great, I use that one personally

View attachment 982665
"Tesla Model 3" by Seluryar is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Admin note: Image added for Blog Feed thumbnail

I would go for a tire plug repair kit and a compact mechanical pump because it's lighter and more reliable

 

[Eric33432]

I would go for a tire plug repair kit and a compact mechanical pump because it's lighter and more reliable

I have had three screws/nails in Red Ryder in the 16 or so months I have had her but a manager at Discount Tire told me that if you repair a tire with those slimy tire plugs, which BTW are very hard to put into a tire that is still mounted on the car, it will void the tire warranty. I installed them into three of the tires and they worked fine, never had the tires repaired at the tire store, and never had to file a warranty claim so no problem so far.

I still keep the tire repair kit in the car, but do not plan on using them unless a tire will not hold air long enough to get to a tire store. I also bought these:

Amazon.com

I am hoping I will never need to use them, but they look easier to install into a tire than the slimy tire plugs. Also, of course, keep a battery operated air compressor in the car.

 

[unhyphy]

• It’s only a con if you’re a dumbass like me and didn’t research ahead of time:
  • NO SPARE TIRE.
  • NO JACK.
  • Ran over a nail, tire started bleeding air fast. Limped home. Buddy had a portable tire inflator, used that to keep the tire inflated while I waited for mobile service to arrive. Royal PITA, had to top off air pressure every few hours, as I wanted to keep the weight of the car away from the rim itself. Couldn’t get a hold of a jack/jack stands in time. Now I keep a jack at home + Tesla tire repair kit in my trunk. Will probably get jack stands or a “donut” spare tire eventually. Open to critiques/comments here. I am NOT a maintenance guru lol.

View attachment 982665
"Tesla Model 3" by Seluryar is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Admin note: Image added for Blog Feed thumbnail

You mentioned a "donut" spare, I would highly recommend a Modern spare if you are taking trips anywhere far from home/civilization. I found one on ebay about 2 months ago. Sure enough 3 weeks later I get an almost instant flat tire (spade bit through the middle of the tire and out the sidewall). A tire repair kit would have done nothing for me. Of course I left the spare at home, but I was only about 15 miles from home and was able to have someone bring it to me. Otherwise I would have been stuck waiting on tesla roadside for a new tire at $450. Luckily, the next day I was able to find an identical used tire on Offerup for $50 and tread depth was within a 32nd of my other tires. I wasn't trying to spend money on 1 new tire knowing I was going to replace all 4 next year anyway. So my Modern spare has already paid for itself!

 

[ODWms]

I have had three screws/nails in Red Ryder in the 16 or so months I have had her but a manager at Discount Tire told me that if you repair a tire with those slimy tire plugs, which BTW are very hard to put into a tire that is still mounted on the car, it will void the tire warranty. I installed them into three of the tires and they worked fine, never had the tires repaired at the tire store, and never had to file a warranty claim so no problem so far.

I still keep the tire repair kit in the car, but do not plan on using them unless a tire will not hold air long enough to get to a tire store. I also bought these:

Amazon.com

I am hoping I will never need to use them, but they look easier to install into a tire than the slimy tire plugs. Also, of course, keep a battery operated air compressor in the car.

Easy enough for me. I’ve been using plugs in my cars over 4 decades — most times while tire is on the car — with zero problems, and I’m on my way! Sure beats waiting for hours for a tow.

 

[EatsShoots]

Easy enough for me. I’ve been using plugs in my cars over 4 decades — most times while tire is on the car — with zero problems, and I’m on my way! Sure beats waiting for hours for a tow.

I've done a few plugs and they are easy and work super well, though obviously not into the side wall. I gotta get a fresh kit for my car, and I already have a pump. Not having a spare kinda sucks!

 

[Eric33432]

For some reason, I have had four nails/screws in Red Ryder's tires in the last 16 months I have owned her. More problems than in the last 20 years!

In all cases, the leaks caused by the nail or screw was such that I could pump up the tire and drive the car and fix it later when I had the time for that. I installed the plugs because it was quicker than going to the tire store and waiting whilst they took the tire off and fixed it, and the tire plugs never failed and I never had them repaired at a tire store. So I agree, they work well.

For this old guy they were pretty hard to install due to the angle I had to be at to install them. For the last nail, that was in one of my brand new set of Pirelli tires, I pumped it up and took it to Discount Tire after I was told using the tire plugs would void the warranty. Not sure if that is true for all tires, or all tire stores, but that is what they told me.

 

[Richard__G]

You mentioned a "donut" spare, I would highly recommend a Modern spare if you are taking trips anywhere far from home/civilization. I found one on ebay about 2 months ago. Sure enough 3 weeks later I get an almost instant flat tire (spade bit through the middle of the tire and out the sidewall). A tire repair kit would have done nothing for me. Of course I left the spare at home, but I was only about 15 miles from home and was able to have someone bring it to me. Otherwise I would have been stuck waiting on tesla roadside for a new tire at $450. Luckily, the next day I was able to find an identical used tire on Offerup for $50 and tread depth was within a 32nd of my other tires. I wasn't trying to spend money on 1 new tire knowing I was going to replace all 4 next year anyway. So my Modern spare has already paid for itself!

Hi,
You mention a full spare. I assume you mean with a rim? I have a Y on order and am still trying to figure things out. So, I have questions of course:

1. $50 for a spare tire & rim? That seems pretty amazing.
2. I've changed plenty of tires in the past, but not in a very long time. What's needed to do so?
   - lugnut wrench of some sort?
   - what sort of jack?
   - Jackpad? Those are new to me but seem essential for Teslas

TIA!
Richard

 

[unhyphy]

Hi,
You mention a full spare. I assume you mean with a rim? I have a Y on order and am still trying to figure things out. So, I have questions of course:

1. $50 for a spare tire & rim? That seems pretty amazing.
2. I've changed plenty of tires in the past, but not in a very long time. What's needed to do so?
   - lugnut wrench of some sort?
   - what sort of jack?
   - Jackpad? Those are new to me but seem essential for Teslas

TIA!
Richard

$50 for a used tire. I had it mounted on my rim for $20 at a local tire shop.

The modern spare kit comes with everything needed to change a flat. (jack, wrench, wheel w/tire) There are numerous reviews on Youtube,

 

[Richard__G]

$50 for a used tire. I had it mounted on my rim for $20 at a local tire shop.

The modern spare kit comes with everything needed to change a flat. (jack, wrench, wheel w/tire) There are numerous reviews on Youtube,

Thanks for the info. I'm sure I can look this up, so excuse me for being lazy, but are 19" model Y rims easy to some by? Anything I should know?

- Richard