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Turo Test Drive

8K views 32 replies 18 participants last post by  Michael Russo 
#1 · (Edited)
Finally saw a 3 on Turo last week, and rented it this past Saturday. The price was a little steep at $250, but I figured that if my alternative was to buy a car I had not yet driven, it was money well spent. 24 hours and 250 miles later, here are my impressions.

Overall, I loved the car. It's easily the most responsive production car I've ever driven, practically bordering on precognition of any steering, accelerator, or brake input. The steering is a bit heavy (not sure what steering mode I was in) but very sharp. By the time the accelerator touches the floorboard, you're going 30+. I've owned cars that pulled 0-60 just as fast, and I've done a few laps in a Lamborghini through a local service, but nothing else I've driven could turn intention into motion as startlingly quickly as this car, with the possible exception of a Formula Renault. At one point I zipped around a lazy driver so quickly that it felt like for one millisecond the car existed at the start point, the end point, and all points between simultaneously. The ride is a bit stiff, but my wife and I agreed that it's similar to my daily driver Prius C. Plus it's infinitely quieter inside.

The seats are comfortable, and it feels fairly roomy. At 6'1", I was able to adjust a front seat to my liking, then crawl in behind it just fine, though maybe not for a road trip. I picked up a friend of mine, who is 6'9", and he fit in front with about a fist worth of space between the top of his hair and the glass. He doesn't fit at all in 90% of sedans, so I consider that a big win. We absentmindedly neglected to put him in the back. Sorry for that.

Operating the touchscreen is easy to learn, if not entirely intuitive. Voice control works well for radio and navigation. Autopilot works nicely, though I did wish it kept more to the center of the lane. Occasionally, it will go right to the edge, which is not very comforting. That will likely improve. The audio system is very crisp and clear.

The first 100 miles of driving consumed 114 miles of range. Not bad considering I was not babying the car. Weather was clear, and 60-70 degrees. I bought a used Model S UMC in preparation for my upcoming 3, so I charged back up during dinner. The older UMC can charge at 40A, or ~9.2kW, which gave me a charge rate of 36mph. I did not try the Gen 2 UMC, but I know it tops out at 32A, which would have been ~7.4kW, and likely charged around 29mph. On average I was consuming 260Wh per mile. I charged the car to 100% overnight to avoid any fuel charges upon return. With the car charged to full, regenerative braking is limited, which increased consumption to about 320Wh per mile. I note the change in consumption because I had not seen that data anywhere else.

There were two notable things I did not like. First off, the armrest in the door continues back into the B pillar, which is fine, but there is no cushion on that portion. So even at 6'1", which I don't consider to be extremely tall, my elbow was resting on this rock hard plastic. Second, the car is reading speed limit signs all the time, but for some reason, it doesn't do anything useful with that information. For example, if you're on autopilot in a 65 zone, and the speed limit drops to 55, the screen will show that the speed limit is now 55, but the car is still going 70 or whatever you had it set at before the limit changed. That seems like a huge oversight to me. I was under the impression that it was an 'X miles over the speed limit' type of deal. Maybe that will come in a future update. Far too much is being made of the speedometer position on the touchscreen. It's not really much further out of your FOV than a normal speedo. IMHO, this is just journalists with nothing to say trying to find something to say.

In any case, I'm very glad I took the opportunity to rent one, and I think I'll probably take that approach on car buying forever. A 30 minute test drive only tells you so much. I learned a lot and made some fairly firm decisions. At first I wanted to get whatever fully-loaded version will eventually be available, but now I'm 90% sure the LR AWD will be plenty fast for me without Ludicrous, which is likely to be a $15-20K feature.. Still a little on the fence with PUP. I am not a fan of leather, and would rather not have the extra high-slung weight of the glass roof, but the audio system is really outstanding, I like the folding mirrors, and we still have no idea what the center console will look like in the non PUP.

If you have any doubts about whether first production is for you, the Turo route is an excellent way to gain clarity. I'm still waiting on a couple answers, but I feel a lot more informed after driving it for a day. Plus it was just fun as hell. I highly recommend it.
 
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#4 ·
I agree. Great review and I loved your movies. I'm totally showing my age when I talk about "my special purpose" and the kids look at me like I have 5 heads.

@Alighieri256 I do believe there is a way to set the AP to maintain a fixed speed above the posted speed for the Model 3. I know my X will make speed adjustments in different speed zones. Also, the material isn't leather in case you're anti-leather for ethical reasons. Tesla has gone vegan so its a synthetic leather-like material that is supposed to be softer, more durable, and more resistant to stains than leather.

Great review!

Edit: @Sandy beat me to the leather...
 
#3 ·
Finally saw a 3 on Turo last week, and rented it this past Saturday. The price was a little steep at $250, but I figured that if my alternative was to buy a car I had not yet driven, it was money well spent. 24 hours and 250 miles later, here are my impressions.

Overall, I loved the car. It's easily the most responsive production car I've ever driven, practically bordering on precognition of any steering, accelerator, or brake input. The steering is a bit heavy (not sure what steering mode I was in) but very sharp. By the time the accelerator touches the floorboard, you're going 30+. I've owned cars that pulled 0-60 just as fast, and I've done a few laps in a Lamborghini through a local service, but nothing else I've driven could turn intention into motion as startlingly quickly as this car, with the possible exception of a Formula Renault. At one point I zipped around a lazy driver so quickly that it felt like for one millisecond the car existed at the start point, the end point, and all points between simultaneously. The ride is a bit stiff, but my wife and I agreed that it's similar to my daily driver Prius C. Plus it's infinitely quieter inside.

The seats are comfortable, and it feels fairly roomy. At 6'1", I was able to adjust a front seat to my liking, then crawl in behind it just fine, though maybe not for a road trip. I picked up a friend of mine, who is 6'9", and he fit in front with about a fist worth of space between the top of his hair and the glass. He doesn't fit at all in 90% of sedans, so I consider that a big win. We absentmindedly neglected to put him in the back. Sorry for that.

Operating the touchscreen is easy to learn, if not entirely intuitive. Voice control works well for radio and navigation. Autopilot works nicely, though I did wish it kept more to the center of the lane. Occasionally, it will go right to the edge, which is not very comforting. That will likely improve. The audio system is very crisp and clear.

The first 100 miles of driving consumed 114 miles of range. Not bad considering I was not babying the car. Weather was clear, and 60-70 degrees. I bought a used Model S UMC in preparation for my upcoming 3, so I charged back up during dinner. The older UMC can charge at 40A, or ~9.2kW, which gave me a charge rate of 36mph. I did not try the Gen 2 UMC, but I know it tops out at 32A, which would have been ~7.4kW, and likely charged around 29mph. On average I was consuming 260W per mile. I charged the car to 100% overnight to avoid any fuel charges upon return. With the car charged to full, regenerative braking is limited, which increased consumption to about 320W per mile. I note the change in consumption because I had not seen that data anywhere else.

There were two notable things I did not like. First off, the armrest in the door continues back into the B pillar, which is fine, but there is no cushion on that portion. So even at 6'1", which I don't consider to be extremely tall, my elbow was resting on this rock hard plastic. Second, the car is reading speed limit signs all the time, but for some reason, it doesn't do anything useful with that information. For example, if you're on autopilot in a 65 zone, and the speed limit drops to 55, the screen will show that the speed limit is now 55, but the car is still going 70 or whatever you had it set at before the limit changed. That seems like a huge oversight to me. I was under the impression that it was an 'X miles over the speed limit' type of deal. Maybe that will come in a future update. Far too much is being made of the speedometer position on the touchscreen. It's not really much further out of your FOV than a normal speedo. IMHO, this is just journalists with nothing to say trying to find something to say.

In any case, I'm very glad I took the opportunity to rent one, and I think I'll probably take that approach on car buying forever. A 30 minute test drive only tells you so much. I learned a lot and made some fairly firm decisions. At first I wanted to get whatever fully-loaded version will eventually be available, but now I'm 90% sure the LR AWD will be plenty fast for me without Ludicrous, which is likely to be a $15-20K feature.. Still a little on the fence with PUP. I am not a fan of leather, and would rather not have the extra high-slung weight of the glass roof, but the audio system is really outstanding, I like the folding mirrors, and we still have no idea what the center console will look like in the non PUP.

If you have any doubts about whether first production is for you, the Turo route is an excellent way to gain clarity. I'm still waiting on a couple answers, but I feel a lot more informed after driving it for a day. Plus it was just fun as hell. I highly recommend it.
Great review, thanks! One thing to mention is Tesla uses no leather in the Model 3 not even the steering wheel. It's synthetic, easier to clean and should wear significantly less over time.
 
#22 ·
FYI - Someone in Lodi, NJ is renting their white Model 3 on Turo for $187/day, 200mi included. Definitely would consider it if I were going to NJ for a weekend. It's a later production car VIN 43XX delivered only a few weeks ago so it should have the softer shocks.

As I had suggested in the past, if others in the NY/NJ area want to get together to split a rental - maybe a cars/coffee meetup, maybe we could organize something...

https://turo.com/rentals/cars/nj/lodi/tesla-model-3/373458?s=yNawK8Tw
 
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#14 ·
I rented one last weekend on Turo as well. I've been driving EV's since 2013 (Honda Fit EV, RAV4 EV, E-Golf, and now I have a Bolt EV). I also have a day 1 noon reservation for the Model 3 after standing in line in Northern CA at Corte Madera Tesla store. I leased the Bolt for practically nothing back in November when I thought the fed tax credit was going away and have been trying to decide what to do about my reservation for the Model 3. I have to say that I was surprisingly underwhelmed by my weekend with the car. The most disappointing thing to me was how dark the tint was on the glass roof. I was expecting the cabin to feel light and airy, but the tint is so dark that you can't really tell its there at all when you're driving. Also didn't care for how weak the regen was and the fact it can't be driven with one pedal, like the Bolt can.

The autopilot was cool, but didn't really stay in the center of the lane, and I found myself taking over for it quite a bit on the bay area freeways. I don't think I'd get one AP at this point, and the fact it can't do one pedal driving in traffic is a huge negative compared to the Bolt.

I also have to say that the acceleration was NOT constant for me. Sometimes it would throw you back when you hit it, other times it seemed to wind up. That surprised me, as it just felt inconsistent which is not normal for an EV. When you're at speed and hit the accelerator, that's when it always felt great. But accelerating from a standstill was variable and underwhelming.

The last thing that I found interesting and was news to me is that the Model 3 has less legroom than the Bolt for me. With the seat where I need it to be comfortable as the driver, I couldn't fit my rear-facing child seat behind my driver seat. I can easily do it in the Bolt. That was super depressing. I also was expecting the width of the back seats to be wider in the Model 3 than they are in the Bolt, but they're almost exactly equal. So as someone with two car seats, the Bolt actually has the advantage since I can put my seat all the way back and still fit a rear facing child seat behind me in the Bolt.

As much as I loved how the Model 3 handles and drives, the fact that I'd be compromising things like legroom and one pedal driving, not to mention how much I'd miss the heated steering wheel and Android Auto in my Bolt, my weekend with the Model 3 convinced me I will need to wait for the Model Y and just try to enjoy my ugly little Bolt EV till then. I certainly have a much greater appreciation for what Chevy did right with the Bolt now that I've had a chance to drive the Model 3 for a weekend.
 
#15 ·
Also didn't care for how weak the regen was and the fact it can't be driven with one pedal, like the Bolt can.

I also have to say that the acceleration was NOT constant for me. Sometimes it would throw you back when you hit it, other times it seemed to wind up. That surprised me, as it just felt inconsistent which is not normal for an EV. When you're at speed and hit the accelerator, that's when it always felt great. But accelerating from a standstill was variable and underwhelming.
I'm a little surprised by your comment on the regen. I haven't driven a Bolt, but while I was getting used to the 3, I was irritated by how much it dove when I let off the accelerator. Took some getting used to. Also, in most cases, I drove with one pedal all except for that last maybe 1-2 MPH because it was set to creep. Did you attempt adjust the regen at all? Maybe it's just a difference of what we each drove immediately before the 3. My Prius C has regen, which I also use almost exclusively of the friction brakes, but the 3 dives much harder.

I didn't have the same experience with the acceleration either. Were you doing pulls back to back to where the battery might have gotten hot? Not offering an excuse to the car, just curious if that's something to look out for.
 
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#17 ·
When I test drove the Bolt I was very impressed by its ability to come to a complete (smooth) stop without the use of the brake pedal (or the paddle behind the wheel). When test driving the Model S I found its low speed regen to be slightly stronger than my Leaf but not as nice as the Bolt (I still had to use the brakes to come to a complete stop). Tesla should be able to fix this with an OTA though, right?
They should offer 3 settings: low, standard, and “one pedal mode”
 
#21 ·
Interesting! I've never driven EV cars before and my Turo experience with Model 3 was first time. I actually was irritated by how strong regen braking was and had to change it to "low" mode. Perhaps I'll get used to using one pedal.
So far I've been using all 3 on my cars.
I also noticed how dark the tint was on the roof and did not notice car had glass roof at all.
 
#24 ·
Wish I could find one around that price. Lowest now is $168. It's getting close to worth pulling the trigger for a day!
 
#25 ·
Ok.. I gave in. Rented one for a day coming up this week.
I'm sure this will only make the waiting worse, but at least I'll know the car better!
 
#27 ·
So what I can say so far.... The wait is going to be so much worse now! EAP in traffic is pretty amazing.
 
#28 ·
I’m traveling to Palm Springs in April and would love to rent a model 3 for a day while I’m there. I see deliveries to Palm Springs, but don’t see any listings on Turo. Are there other, similar sites that would be worth checking?

I’m coming from British Columbia, Canada (no Turo here due to insurance and government regulations - no uber either) so I haven’t used it before. Now that deliveries seem to be starting for Canada I would love to be able to drive a 3 before putting down the money.
 
#29 ·
I'm traveling to Palm Springs in April and would love to rent a model 3 for a day while I'm there. I see deliveries to Palm Springs, but don't see any listings on Turo. Are there other, similar sites that would be worth checking?

I'm coming from British Columbia, Canada (no Turo here due to insurance and government regulations - no uber either) so I haven't used it before. Now that deliveries seem to be starting for Canada I would love to be able to drive a 3 before putting down the money.
Yeah, looks like Palm Springs is kinda barren at the moment. I see one in San Bernardino, and there are several in LA if you're willing to drive.
 
#32 ·
Parents are visiting in late April. I'm toying with the idea of renting one on the day they arrive and surprising them at the airport, mostly because it would be fun, but also to see how long it would take them to realize that they shouldn't have canceled their reservation. ;)

Only issue is that the one Turo Model 3 around here is in high demand, and is located WICKED FAH from my house, so just driving the loop to the airport, to my house and back to its owner would use up most of the allotted miles. But we'll see. :)
 
#33 ·
Parents are visiting in late April. I'm toying with the idea of renting one on the day they arrive and surprising them at the airport, mostly because it would be fun, but also to see how long it would take them to realize that they shouldn't have canceled their reservation. ;)

Only issue is that the one Turo Model 3 around here is in high demand, and is located WICKED FAH from my house, so just driving the loop to the airport, to my house and back to its owner would use up most of the allotted miles. But we'll see. :)
This is not an issue... a challenge..., at worst?! :D
 
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