Photo: Tesla Inc.
Elon Musk's way of launching the Model 3 gave birth to unprecedented situations: the public knowing what the car would look like more than a year ahead of its release and being able to offer feedback before the design stage was completely over.
Not that Musk paid too much attention anyway since the modifications on the Model 3 from its prototype phase back in March 2016 are almost non-existent. There were some issues with the trunk opening being too small, but Musk vouched you could fit a bicycle through there, and the voices seemed to die out.
One controversy had never died, and it has a few people up in flames even after Tesla employees deliveries have started. We're talking about the absence of an instrument cluster, of course, and how that might affect the driving experience.
The Model 3 opts for an airy cabin with just the single landscape-oriented display in the center, as you probably know at this point. Most people, ourselves included, believed (hoped) the EV would get a head-up display system to substitute for the conventional dials and make the interior feel "spaceship-like," as Musk had described it.
Some believed it would happen even after Musk explicitly said there wouldn't be any HUD in the 3, probably imagining he was just trying to keep one ace up his sleeve for the final presentation. That turned out to be a classic case of denial and wishful thinking.
The truth is, though, that the problem can be fixed by investing no more than $16. It's true, the solution has nothing to do with Tesla, but if having to look slightly to the right for speed readings and other information is the only thing holding you back from buying a Model 3, then not going through with the purchase means there's actually something else you're not admitting to.
Let's face it, countless third-party devices can turn your mobile phone into a decent head-up display (we're not here to advertise one specific product, so Google is your friend) - not to mention a simple phone mount can serve the same purpose minus the fancy see-through glass - and they are much more inexpensive than what Tesla would have charged you for one. They may not be as smoothly integrated, sure, but clinging to this design decision as the sole reason why the Model 3 is broken is just nonsense.
Don't worry, giving up on this one doesn't mean there aren't still plenty of things to be mad at Tesla for. Things like the very slow production rate for the Model 3, the still awful Autopilot 2 or the deceiving low price of the new EV.
One controversy had never died, and it has a few people up in flames even after Tesla employees deliveries have started. We're talking about the absence of an instrument cluster, of course, and how that might affect the driving experience.
The Model 3 opts for an airy cabin with just the single landscape-oriented display in the center, as you probably know at this point. Most people, ourselves included, believed (hoped) the EV would get a head-up display system to substitute for the conventional dials and make the interior feel "spaceship-like," as Musk had described it.
Some believed it would happen even after Musk explicitly said there wouldn't be any HUD in the 3, probably imagining he was just trying to keep one ace up his sleeve for the final presentation. That turned out to be a classic case of denial and wishful thinking.
The truth is, though, that the problem can be fixed by investing no more than $16. It's true, the solution has nothing to do with Tesla, but if having to look slightly to the right for speed readings and other information is the only thing holding you back from buying a Model 3, then not going through with the purchase means there's actually something else you're not admitting to.
Let's face it, countless third-party devices can turn your mobile phone into a decent head-up display (we're not here to advertise one specific product, so Google is your friend) - not to mention a simple phone mount can serve the same purpose minus the fancy see-through glass - and they are much more inexpensive than what Tesla would have charged you for one. They may not be as smoothly integrated, sure, but clinging to this design decision as the sole reason why the Model 3 is broken is just nonsense.
Don't worry, giving up on this one doesn't mean there aren't still plenty of things to be mad at Tesla for. Things like the very slow production rate for the Model 3, the still awful Autopilot 2 or the deceiving low price of the new EV.
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