# Teslas really are not great cars **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 30, 2025, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339 "2025-03-30T09:18:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 31
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339/601 "2026-09-03T15:49:41Z")
> [@Capn\_Carl](#): > > Bullitt, I like the names. What year is your M3P? Does it have the turn signal stalk? It’s a ‘26, and yes it has the stalk. The stalk takes a little getting used to. Reasons: When changing lanes or turning, the signal self-cancels. A nice feature but that takes a little getting used to. Sometimes on multi-lane highways I want to move 2 lanes over, not just 1. And sometimes the signal cancels after only 1 lane, and other times it doesn’t cancel until I’ve reached the second lane. I’m still trying to figure out how and why it does that. Because the stalk always returns to its neutral position (there’s no way to position it / “lock” it so that the turn signal stays on), it’s a little confusing when cancelling the turn signal. To cancel, you push the stalk in the same direction again. If this was the only car I ever drove then these quirks wouldn’t be so bad. But my car is a Subaru Outback (‘24) so going back and forth between cars can be a little puzzling, with the different stalk behaviors. Okay @Capn_Carl that’s likely _ **WAY** _ more info than you needed or wanted! M3P: I like that abbreviation. I might steal that, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Capn\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339/602 "2026-09-03T15:53:23Z")
I think there’s some outdated info here regarding the Model 3 Performance trim. Prior to 2024, the Performance model had a sharper suspension tune, bigger brakes, and the software allowed ~50hp that wasn’t accessible in the Long Range Model. It would out accelerate the competing sport sedans from BMW, Audi, and Cadillac, but really needed aftermarket mods for track days. The 2024 changed all that. The Performance model is more differentiated from other Model 3s. The brakes, suspension linkage, shocks, staggered wheels/tires, and front seats all give the car a sharper feel than the previous M3P. The rear motor can deliver more power and deliver peak power at higher speeds than before, and in US-spec cars the battery is from a different supplier and has a higher max discharge rate (more hp). The result is a car that can compete with the best sport sedans on the market. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339/603 "2026-09-03T15:55:01Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > If this is correct, then I conclude that anyone driving a BMW so that the tires run true according to factory specs should be in jail. > > We live in a real world populated by other cars and drivers and their families, pedestrians, and pets, not a race track. Keep right, except to pass. Don’t camp in the left lanes. Don’t be a Road Boulder. Use your mirrors. Be aware of traffic behind you. You’re not the only one on the road. There are others too. ---
**Author:** ![Capn\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339/604 "2026-09-03T16:00:09Z")
No, that’s not too much. Great input. Yeah the lane change takes some getting used to. Which may ever happen since you’re alternating cars. I’m envious of the turn signal stalk. My ‘24 is stalk-less and I hate that. Finding the correct signal button on the steering wheel is frustrating. I blame Elon. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339/605 "2026-09-03T16:04:18Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > There are others too. Leave your sister alone! Did you pee before we left? ---
**Author:** ![Capn\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339/606 "2026-09-03T16:06:22Z")
Yes, I have stalk envy. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339/607 "2026-09-03T17:16:57Z")
Color me confused. Ref turn signal behavior, I wonder what era your other car(s) have been from? My last 3 (non-Tesla) cars dating back to 2006 build, so two decades, have self-canceling lane change turn signals. Move the stalk in the desired direction against spring pressure, but not enough to catch the latch. Let go, the stalk spring-returns to neutral and the signals flash 3, 5, or 7 times depending on how you have that setting set in some menu. I have mine set to 3 flashes, and if I need to change two lanes back-to-back, I hit it a second time after the third flash to get 3 more. If you move the stalk far enough to catch the mechanical latch, then it works just like they did on a 1960s car: flash continuously until you manually return the stalk to neutral, or first turn the steering wheel then return it to neutral, which will trip the latch and the spring returns the stalk to neutral. IIRC every rental car I’ve used in a couple decades is similar. Or they don’t have lane-change signals at all, and it’s all manual like a 1960s car. I’ve rented American, Japanese, and Euro cars and they’re all about the same. How does the Tesla differ from that? ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339/608 "2026-09-03T17:51:41Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Move the stalk in the desired direction against spring pressure, but not enough to catch the latch. Let go, the stalk spring-returns to neutral and the signals flash 3, 5, or 7 times depending on how you have that setting set in some menu. Hehe, tell me you’re a BMW (or MINI) driver without saying you’re a BMW (or MINI) driver. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > IIRC every rental car I’ve used in a couple decades is similar. Or they don’t have lane-change signals at all, and it’s all manual like a 1960s car. I’ve rented American, Japanese, and Euro cars and they’re all about the same. Ford’s solution used to be that the signal would begin before you hit the detente. If you were just changing lanes you’d only press it until it started flashing. I haven’t driven a Ford in years. Don’t know what they do now. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > How does the Tesla differ from that? My understanding is that the stalk has no detente or catch. It always returns to the center and decides when to turn off the turn signal itself. A Tesla driver would have to confirm that, though. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339/609 "2026-09-03T17:57:48Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Hehe, tell me you’re a BMW (or MINI) driver without saying you’re a BMW (or MINI) driver There are other manufacturers who have that feature ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339/610 "2026-09-03T17:59:19Z")
Yeah, my Fit had it as well. That was really just the first place I ran into it a couple of decades ago. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339/611 "2026-09-03T18:04:25Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Move the stalk in the desired direction against spring pressure, but not enough to catch the latch. In my M3P there is no latch. Nothing to catch. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339/612 "2026-09-03T18:09:04Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > My understanding is that the stalk has no detente or catch. It always returns to the center and decides when to turn off the turn signal itself. A Tesla driver would have to confirm that, though. My Yamaha street bike back in college, so late '70s, had smart turn signals. Once exposed to them I thought every other system was stupid. Which back in those days were the old fashioned stalk, latch, and steering wheel return. Some fancy cars then let you hold the stalk up against the latch, but not over it, to signal as long as you held it there. The Yamaha had a spring loaded slide switch for left or right. Once slid and released, the signals would run for (IIRC) 500 feet of travel, AND (IIIRC) 15 seconds. If you were sitting at a red light, they’d stay on indefinitely until after the light had gone green and you’d ridden through the intersection plus a bit. If you were in motion coming up on a turn you’d make without stopping, they’d run until you made the turn. Unless you signalled stupid early. If you signaled for a lane change, they’d run about the right amount for that too, maybe a little long. You could manually cancel them pushing in on the slide switch but I never did. All these 50 year later the signals on every car I’ve encountered are less sophisticated than that. Tesla maybe, probably is, more along the lines of Yamaha’s smart signals. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339/613 "2026-09-03T19:01:06Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > > [@LSLGuy](#): > > > > Move the stalk in the desired direction against spring pressure, but not enough to catch the latch. Let go, the stalk spring-returns to neutral and the signals flash 3, 5, or 7 times depending on how you have that setting set in some menu. > > Hehe, tell me you’re a BMW (or MINI) driver without saying you’re a BMW (or MINI) driver. Huh? I’m a Kia driver, and that’s how mine works, too. I left it at the default 3 flashes. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339/614 "2026-09-03T21:23:00Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > German cars are like a weird religion, the reality is that in the '90s when BMW became “the ultimate driving machine,” they were basically broke with the bulk of the vehicles built on the same basic chassis that had existed since the '70s and powered by a reliable but archaic straight 6. The e30 is the Best Car Ever Made. There. I said it! Close second is the e10. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2026, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339/615 "2026-09-03T21:51:49Z")
Great car. Development _ended_ in 1979, first went on sale in 1982, last model year in the states was 1991. BMW’s financial struggle in a nutshell, a “brand new” sports sedan from the 90s that was developed in the 70s. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339/616 "2026-09-08T00:29:30Z")
My car has the three-blink option for lane changing. And while I have the steering-wheel-rumble-strip off most of the time, it is required for active-cruise+lane-keeping: if I want to change lanes in cruise, I have to signal, to avoid the warning. Fortunately, it is just a vibration: my cousin’s car does no have a vibrator in the wheel, so it uses the steering assist to physically rock the wheel back and forth. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339/617 "2026-09-08T00:48:41Z")
When my car beeped if i crossed what it perceived to be a lane line without signaling, it drove me nuts, and i turned it off. But my new car does the “rumble strip” things and i like it. On the other hand, on my old car, if i want to change lanes, the mirror shows me a blinking light if there’s a car in the way, and i find that handy. But on the new car, in addition to the blocking light, if i turn on the turn signal while there’s still a car in the way, it makes alarmed “don’t do that!” noises. Car, i know there’s not room, yet, but i want to signal in advance so the other drivers know what to expect from me. That beep, beep, beep drives me nuts. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339/618 "2026-09-08T01:53:58Z")
My cousin’s car has sonar to warn of obstacles, and it really does not like backing out of the garage. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339/619 "2026-09-09T14:07:30Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > The 3 Series was interesting - branded as luxury, but the price dangled just low enough to (intentionally or not) attract a certain demographic. #yuppies My first new car was a 1992 BMW 325is. Beautiful vehicle and fun to drive, plus I got a good deal buying it from a military sales program in Germany and shipping it home—but overall it was not a great vehicle. The reliability in particular was crap. Having earlier owned a VW in the ‘80s that basically self-destructed on me—along with all the issues my stepfather had with his Audi—that pretty much permanently turned me off on German vehicles. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339/620 "2026-09-09T15:20:32Z")
I get that. My in-laws were stationed off and on again every three years in Germany, and in the late 80s brought home (to the US) two lovely cars, a Porsche 924 and a 3-series (can’t remember the specifics, but it was a shiny red ragtop). Both of them were absolute clinkers, even though he was doing all the recommended maintenance. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339.md?page=30) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-really-are-not-great-cars/1016339.md?page=32)