The Verge's Nilay Takes Tesla Model 3 for a Spin

We're here in New York City, in front of our office, with a special guest - Ashley Carman, a gadget reporter from Circuit Breaker. Ashley has reviewed a bunch of cars for us, including a BMW 5 Series, a Rolls Royce, and even a Hyundai. Now, she's about to embark on a series of challenges in this Tesla Model 3, which Nilay has lent us for the night.

Nilay explains that this is the fully loaded version of the Model 3, with extended range, and gets 310 miles on a full charge. The car starts at $35,000, but this model, with all the options, including red paint and fancy wheels, costs around $60,000. Ashley has never been in a Tesla before, so this is a new experience for her.

Nilay gives Ashley a challenge: turn on some music, very basic, people do it in cars all the time. Ashley agrees and starts playing Fiona Apple's music, which Nilay says is "dramatic" for some reason. Next, she asks Ashley to change the direction of the air vents. Ashley finds the temperature control panel and discovers that there are two jets that blow air, which interact with each other depending on where you move them. When you adjust the panel, it blows faster or slower and directs the air towards where you're going. "This is just not how I think about vents," Ashley says.

After playing some music, Nilay asks Ashley to lock the doors. However, there are no physical locks on the Tesla Model 3 - instead, Ashley has to go back to a car menu called "locks" and find the door locking feature. It's located in a surprising place: up at the top of the screen, where the map interface is also displayed. Ashley finds the door locking button by mistake, which makes her laugh.

As they continue their adventure, Ashley and Nilay take a closer look at the map interface. They discover that it says "Google" in the corner, with Google Maps on the screen, but navigation actually works quite well. When asked if this appeals to her as a gadget reporter, Ashley is more positive than skeptical about the display. "This really just feels like an iPad prototype," she says. "I actually really like this display." She had been super skeptical when Tesla announced the Model 3, even writing a Hot Take about it.

As they finish up their first challenge, Nilay and Ashley are just getting started. They're excited to see how well this car performs in real life, and we can't wait to hear their reactions as they continue to explore the features of the Tesla Model 3.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en(jazzy music)- Hey all, this is Nilay from The Verge.We're here in New York Cityin front of our office.Tesla gave us a Model 3 for the night.So, I'm just gonna cruisearound the city, pick upsome friends, and see what they think.Let's go.This is actually the fullyloaded version, so it'sextended range.It gets 310 miles on a full charge.It's got all the options.So, the car starts at 35k,that's what Tesla says,but this model, all the wayloaded up, red paint, fancywheels, the whole nine,is 60k basically.So, pretty up there.And the first person we're gonna pick upis Ashley Carman, a great gadget reporter,whose been reviewinga lot of cars for us.Here she is.- Okay.- Oh, and Becca's here too.Hey, Becca.- How you doing?- So, Ashley, you are a gadgetreporter on Circuit Breaker.- Yes.- You have done a bunch ofscreen drives for us, you dida BMW 5 Series, you know, Rolls Royce--- Yep.- You did a Hyundai.- Yep.- The Hyundai was nicerthan the Rolls, I think.(laughter)I am gonna ask you to do aseries of challenges in thiscar, because you're lookingaround, there are no buttons,there's no knobs--- I've also never beenin a Tesla before, so--- You've never been in a Tesla before.- So, this is all new to me.- So, if you've been in a ModelS, you'll probably be ableto figure this out pretty easy.Challenge one--- Okay.- I just want you to turnon some music, very basic,people do it in cars all the time.- It's very basic untilyou have cameras on you.(Nilay laughs)Okay, let me see.I'm gonna go with the music note,I'm gonna press the magnifyingglass, I'm gonna puton Fiona Apple--Because that is, for somereason, I think it's the winterit's making me--- Very dramatic choice.I want you to change the directionof the air vents.- Okay, so I see thetemperature here, manual--- There you go.- Is it seriously gonna be this?- Yeah.Isn't that cool?- What?- So, the way this works--- Such a crazy--- There's a jet that blowsup and a jet that blows out,and when you move this around,those two interact and itblows faster or slower andit directs the air towardswhere you're going.- This is just not howI think about vents.- It's just so cool.- Yeah.That's pretty dope.- I want you to lock the doors.- Okay, well, there isno locks, I don't think.(Nilay laughs)I'm gonna go back to thishandy-dandy car menu.I'm in the locks menu,I found the locks menu.- I will tell you thatthis confused the hell outof me earlier.- I don't know, Nilay,I'm in the locks menu.This feels like the place.- You are in the locks menu.It's right here.Beep.- Oh!- That's the door locking.- I didn't even think to look up there.- Well, it's funny becauseit's the main thing you wantto do, so it's up here,it's like it's alwaysat the root level.This map--- Yeah.- Get rid of this.It says Google in the corner.Those are some Google maps.- Yeah, see, this is whatreally stands out to me, becauseif you haven't tried a bunchof cars, you don't realizehow terrible map interfaces are.- Really?So, it's Google Mapson the screen, but thenavigation is actually cool.Ashley, you're a gadget reporter,this is like a $60,000 gadget, does thisappeal to you, is this like a good gadget?- As far as the actualdisplay goes, this really justfeels like an iPad Proto me, and that's nice.I actually really like this display.I was super skeptical,I even wrote like a Hot Takewhen they announced the model,I was like, \"It needs a head'sup display\", because I loveheads up displays.This is around the BMW price rangeand the actual car feels alot cheaper, like this woodpaneling, I do not dig, itfeels, I don't know, andthis side door, it doesn'tfeel like $60,000 to me.- Right.- This feels very, like, utility.- Right.All right, well, thankyou for coming on thisride with me.- Yeah.- I assume you're going partying now.- Yeah, I'm just so ready to tear it up.(Nilay laughs)- All right, so, I've beendriving this car for a whilenow, just picking people up,cruising around the city.It is ridiculously fun to drive.And then the other thingI've noticed is people are,they are drawn to this carlike nothing else.The red paint helps.If you want any other color but black,you have to pay $1000.I recommend buying thered paint for $1000.You know, from the outsidejust looking at it, it's gota lot of that Model S vibe.It's a little bit moreaggressive in its design.Everyone's expectationswhen they get into it arecompletely blown up, becauseyou're expecting to be in acar, and the inside of thisthing looks nothinglike a traditional car.So, a lot of people have beenasking me how this comparesto a Model S, yo, is that Marques?(horn honks)Marques!What's up, buddy?- What's good?- You own a very famousModel S named Apollo.- Yes.- I follow the adventuresof Apollo all the time, andyou spent like three days ina Model 3 recently, right?- Yeah, so we spent alittle time in a Model 3.It compared well in a lot of ways,and it's really familiar.I've driven some othercars that don't comparein like any way to mine.It does a couple thingsbetter than my car, andit does a couple things worse.- Really?- Yeah.- What does it do better?- The UI here, it's a littlefaster, the touch responseis faster.It's also updated andthe maps are a littlebit better.The front trunk opening is a little bitfinicky on Model S's,just everyone's Model S.Model 3 is just, one hand, close, easy.If you get used to the airsuspension on a Model S,then the coils here will feela little too firm.If you get used to zeroto 60 in 2.4 seconds,then this might feel a less than that.- How old is your Model S?- About a year and a half.- Okay, so here's my bigconcern with this display.It's basically a giant tablet.Five or 10 years from now--I mean, you don't hold onfor a phone for five or 10years, you don't hold on to a tablet.Is yours slowing down at all?Do you think that'sgonna make it five years,10 years, as long as you keep a car?- I do view it the same way as you.I did lease my caranticipating it like a pieceof technology and I don'texpect it to last as long as a normal car.So far, in my year and a half,it hasn't slowed down, sothat's good.I'm hoping it doesn't, becausethat's kind of importantthat it keeps up with allthe things I need to do,like unlocking it on the screen.- I find myself wondering,A, are regular people goingto be able to figure all thisout, and, two, like, honestly,it's a computer and I'm with you.I mean you probably changephones faster than me.I change my phone every 25 minutes.- Right.- And this kind of scares me.I've got to be honest withyou, that it's kind of locked in to this.And you can getover the air updates, butare they gonna swap outprocessors in 10 years?Things like that.Or are they just gonna call them all backand give people new ones?- Yeah, I think it would becool if they actually changedout the computer becauseI know the computer inthe Model S, I thought theywould have updated already,because it's been the samesince the beginning of Model S.(bouncy music)- Compared to Auto Pilot onyour S, do you find this onebetter or worse?What was your response like how it--- Yeah, the actual drivingpart was identical, justhaving all the cars infront of you and sensingeverything around you is the same.But my problem with itis the physical control of Auto Pilot.So, on Model S there's aseparate stock, you double tapdown, and if you want tochange the distance between thecar in front of you, you just rotate it.In this car you have no AutoPilot stock, so you doubletap the drive stock, andthen to adjust the distanceof the car in front of you,you have to go into a menuand hit up and down inthe menu on the screen.- Whoa!- So, you know, you'renot, you're technically notreally driving and you canafford to look off the road,but I feel like they couldhave done way better with that.- Yeah, I feel like theywent, this is a weird phrase,maximally minimum.- Yeah.- There's as little stuffas you can have over here,and sometimes when you'reactually just driving, you wantthose controls around you.- Yeah.Some of these buttons areunassigned, for the mostpart, and they can, as theylearn about how people usethe software, assign them,so I think they can use thatright wheel to controldistance, because now it'sunassigned while you're in Auto Pilot.That would be easy.- So, this car, I was sayingearlier, is almost 60k,because it's all optioned out.- Yeah.- The base model Model Sis, I don't think anybodygets one, but it'sclose to that range too.Would you get this specced upversus getting a Model S atthe base level?- I think at 60 grand, orroughly what this is, I wouldpick an optioned up Model 3.- Really?- Because baseline Model S,you don't get Auto Pilot,right, you have to pay extra.Baseline Model S, youdon't get glass roof.Baseline Model S, youdon't get premium speakers.So, it'll feel similar, butI feel like you'll get abetter experience with anoptioned up Model 3.That's just my opinion.I haven't driven a baseline Model S.I could be proven wrong.But Tesla will always tellyou Model S is a better car.That's just my opinionon if you're gonna dropexactly 60 grand, that'sprobably where I would lean.- All right, man, well, Ihave stolen you and driven youaround in circles too much for the day.I'm gonna let you go.Do you want to plug your channel?- Yo, MTV HD on YouTubeor any other social.I did a Tesla video, it mighthave been this exact same car.- I think it was the exact same car.- It was this exact same car.- I changed it fromAuto Focus to the Verge.- That's amazing.Take it easy.- Thanks, Brother.I've got to get this thingback to the Tesla dealership.Oh, hey Loren.Come on in.Loren, do you want to come with meto the meatpacking district?- I do.- Because I have to getthis car back to Tesla.- You know, I love those clubs.- Who doesn't love a hot club?So, this is Loren Grush--- Hi.- Who you probably know from Space Craft.- I cover the other Elon company.- So when you think aboutElon, right, obviouslySpaceX like really inspires people.- Oh, yeah.You know, it's funny, I saw some commentthe other day that wastalking about just the kind ofsheer difference between howthe two companies are covered.You know, SpaceX has gotits criticism and people wholike to criticize it, butoverall, most people kind ofacknowledge that the companyhas been a big disruptorin like a very old-timey industry.Ironically space iskind of set in old ways.- But I wonder, the way Teslahas covered it, is like,they have competitors.SpaceX doesn't have likeconsumer level competitorsthe way Tesla does.- Yeah, I mean, they have likeone or two major competitors.But in space, havingcompetition is, everyone kind ofsays it's good.The more other companies elevate, it allelevates the industry.It's not, it's definitely not thesame field as cars, by any means.And the difference too,I think, is this is moreto towards the consumer.And SpaceX, you know, not everybodylaunches rockets.- No.- Not everybody needs theirrockets to be launched.So, it's a very different typeof market and maybe that'skind of why things are different.It just sounds like they havea lot of production problems,and that is just not an issue for SpaceX.(Nilay laughing)If anything, they have anabundance of rockets becausethey keep landing them all the time.- So, when you're in this carand you're looking around itdo you see any family tiesbetween all the Elon companies?- Elon loves a streamlined aesthetic.- He's doing something withthese cars that make themlook really different.If you look at all the cars aroundus, they all have grills,they need air intakes fortheir engines.This car doesn't need one,so they just flattenedout the front of the car.They designed it aroundbeing an electric car.- And all my stuff is upin the hood right now.- That's true.That front trunk is actually likepretty useful.So, I'm gonna do something.- Okay.- So, we're on the West Side Highway.I'm just gonna put the hammer down.- What's the hammer?Can you even do that in New York?(Loren screams)Oh, my god.Please don't put that in the video.(squealing)That's like a freakingroller coaster ride.- Yeah, I mean, thiscar has a ton of torque.- I like speed,it's just unexpected.- Yeah.- And it's also a car.Like, I don't like cars.- You don't like cars?- Well, I do likecars if I'm in control.- I see.Do you want to drive?- No.- You sure?- Maybe.- Do it.It's not my car.So, very basic stuff--- Yeah, what do I do?- First, your mirrors.Phil, Phil, come back.Stop!- What's wrong?- Nothing's wrong, I don't think.- Put the hazards on.Put the hazards on!- I don't know how.- Go around us!- You guys, we need the key card!- It's in the car with you.- Oh.Okay.We're good. We're good.Put your foot on the brake.And then now you're in drive.- Okay.Sorry.- I didn't knowwhere the key card was.(laughing)- Oh, that's fun.- Do you see what I'm saying?\n"