We rented a Tesla Model 3 from a new owner: Call it spartan, high-tech and compelling

Marco della Cava | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption What it's like to drive Tesla's new Model 3 See and hear what it's like to hit the streets in the Tesla Model 3.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Will the Model 3 make or break Tesla?

That greatly depends on how compelling the smaller, entry-level electric sedan is. The $35,000-and-up Model 3 is in short supply — and Tesla isn't yet providing any for review — so USA TODAY sought to answer this question by renting one for the day on peer-to-peer car rental service Turo.

Our take: The car could be a winner for Tesla if it manages to produce a lot more of the buttoned-down example we rented from a new owner last week. There are other all-electric options out there roughly in this price range, including the Chevy Bolt and the BMW i3, but neither car is fundamentally as elegant as Tesla’s new foray into the mass market.

But good luck getting your hands on one. Production has been delayed by well-publicized snags. The company has delivered around 2,000 to some 400,000 deposit-holders, and Tesla only features this model in two of its stores.

CEO Elon Musk will need to ramp up these deliveries to turn Tesla into a mainstream manufacturer, living up to the $57 billion market valuation that's hinged on vows to produce a half-million Model 3s annually.

The new black sedan we rented was bought by Grayson Giovine, owner of Bay Area college test-prep company Zenith Tutoring, who already has a three-year-old black Tesla Model S in the driveway and recently gifted his first Model S to his parents back east.

“Teslas are some of the best cars out there, so I wanted to see what they were up to next,” says Giovine, who rents out all his cars (his Model 3 costs around $150 per day) as a “hobby that also defrays the cost of ownership.”

Giovine’s Model 3 is less than a month old and already has 1,700 miles on the odometer — only 10 miles of those put on by him. “It’s a popular rental,” he says with a smile.

Other than seeing the Model 3 for 15 minutes during the vehicle’s launch last summer, this is the first time we’ve been able to log some quality time with this vehicle. So let’s get right to it.

The exterior

From across a street, it is difficult to immediately tell a Model 3 and a Model S apart. In fact, one of Giovine’s neighbors stopped by to ask why he owned two Model S sedans.

That’s a compliment to Tesla’s designers, as echoing the dimensions of a popular vehicle on a smaller model doesn’t always turn out well. For example, the Mercedes CLS is terrific looking; the Mercedes CLA looks off.

Tesla Model 3 offers more than meets the eye Look closer. That's not any old roof on the new Tesla Model 3, and wait until you pop the hood and trunk.

Overall, the Model 3 is slightly less refined than its Model S sibling (a theme that will be echoed inside), but that’s to be expected at around half the price (Model 3 starts at $35,000, but after the Premium Package and a larger 310-mile battery Giovine’s tab was more than $50,000).

The nose of this car lacks the menace and snarling black mouth of the S, and its front air dam is less aggressive. The rear of the car is equally stark. But pop larger wheels and tires on the Model 3 and perhaps lower its stance a bit and all would be forgiven. The bones of a handsome if small sedan are there.

The Model 3’s best view arguably is from overhead, where acres of glass arc from just behind the trunk lid to end of the front windshield. It’s a brilliant stroke that pays dividends once you’re inside the car.

The interior

The Model 3’s interior is an ode to simplicity. There are two small scrolling dots on the steering wheels that you can use once you’re inside a particular menu, but other than the buttons that unlock the doors and roll down the windows, all functions are controlled by one centrally and horizontally mounted screen.

Basic actions such as turning on defrost and heating the seats are one-touch affairs, but other actions such as turning on Autopilot or tweaking the steering setting require toggling through the menu. One questionable move is making the glove box open via the touch-pad. Cool but maybe overkill.

See Telsa's Model 3's striking interior The most unusual thing about the inside of the Tesla Model 3 is its minimalism.

While controlling the Model 3 through a screen is relatively intuitive in this gadget-filled age, the reality is that you may wind up asking the passenger to perform some of the functions just so you can keep your eyes on the road. If you're driving solo, stop lights will be your friend.

Rear seat passengers under 6-feet will be comfortable, although our over-6-foot photographer found himself a bit cramped. Three will fit in the back, but not with the same level of comfort Model S passengers enjoy.

The black leather seating seems well-stitched and durable (though a year of wear could tell another story), and there was no buckling of the faux-suede Alcantara on the pillars and headliner (though there’s some online buzz now about Tesla swapping in a cloth material for the Alcantara).

Between the front two seats is an arm rest, a dual cup holder, a large storage well covered by a plastic top and a convenient tilted tray where two smartphones can charge side by side. The Model 3 offers low-frills luxury; the real reason you’re here is for the drive.

The drive

This car is, in a word, fast. Sure, it’s no Ludicrous Mode-equipped Tesla Model S, but that might as well be called Arrest Me Mode. Instead, the Model 3 offers what we’ll call Goldilocks Mode. It’s just the right blend of blast-off power from a dead stop that, even with the accelerator mashed to the floor, never crosses the line over to terrifying.

What truly stands out is the car’s regenerative braking. In most instances, simply lifting off the throttle results in the Model 3 immediately slowing down, often to the point where you never need to step on the brake pedal. (In fact, Giovine says that’s the only thing he tells renters to watch out for.)

Another high point is both the steering wheel itself — thick in the tradition of a nice aftermarket Momo wheel — and the steering feel, which has three adjustable settings. There is nothing worse for a driver than spongy communication with the road, and the Model 3 offers the sort of feel normally reserved for cars closer to Model S prices.

This engine-less car is very quiet. That means you hear more than you might in a standard automobile, including a repeated rumble coming from the driver’s side front suspension as well as a whistling sound around where the windshield meets the roof of the car.

It’s hard to tell in just one day whether these are merely fleeting new-car sounds or dreaded fit-and-finish issues that could cause further delays to the rollout of this critical-to-Tesla model.

In the end, a day spent with a Model 3 leaves one itching for one more day. So the race is on. Tesla needs to get as many of these sedans out with as few issues as possible before its rivals figure out how to out-Model 3 the Model 3.

WHAT STANDS OUT

Braking: The regenerative brakes almost make the brake pedal redundant.

Visibility: Not only forward and all around, but also up through massive roof glass.

The dash: Basically, there isn't one, all info is on a central digital screen.

TESLA MODEL 3

What? The company's first entry-level sedan.

When? Order now but you may be waiting until 2019 for delivery.

Where? Made in Fremont, Calif.

What makes it go? Batteries.

How thirsty? 220 miles, or for a $9,000 upgrade 310 miles of range.

How big? 15 feet long, 7 feet wide.

How much? Starts at $35,000, with big options that include a $5,000 Premium Package (heated and adjustable seats, premium audio, tinted glass, etc) and $5,000 Enhanced Autopilot (match speed to traffic, automatically change lanes etc.)

Overall: The first truly compelling, midpriced electric sedan.

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