We Like: Great range, supercharging availability, excellent driving dynamics

We Don't Like: Raised-knee position for rear-seat passengers, interior materials

Speculation and pontification—not to mention about 400,000 preorders. That's the Tesla Model 3 in a nutshell.

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Having the chance to spend some time with the car was akin to interviewing an infamously reclusive celebrity. Would it live up to the paparazzi's stratospheric expectations? In a great many regards, it did.

The Model 3's punchy torque (0-60 mph in 4.8 seconds) and laserlike handling impressed every judge who buckled in—though at the price of decidedly firm ride quality. The 310-mile range (from the up-level battery pack) is killer. However, the $60,000 price of the fully loaded long-range car put Jonny Lieberman in fits over this supposedly affordable EV.

Personal aesthetics aside, the Model 3's design is relentlessly clean and airy (particularly with our car's optional glass roof). Its interior was more polarizing—some enchanted by its Scandinavian austerity, others reckoning it too stark. And long-legged back-seat passengers might question their friend's evangelism for this car.

The divisions grew deeper when it came to Tesla's rethinking of interior controls, where nearly every function requires a visit to its 15-inch iPad-like touchscreen. We'd been forewarned that the screen interface was a work in progress. Nonetheless, "it might be going too far too fast in eliminating tried and true ways to control aspects of the car," Alisa Priddle said.

The Model 3 is a rolling Rorschach test. Change is great; change is strange. Will it ultimately change the automotive landscape? Said Chris Walton: "If this is the future of automobiles, then I'm OK with it."

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2017 Tesla Model 3 (Long Range) POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Rear-motor, RWD ENGINE TYPE 3-phase internal permanent magnet electric motor BATTERY TYPE Liquid-cooled lithium-ion POWER (SAE NET) 271 hp TORQUE (SAE NET) 307 lb-ft WEIGHT TO POWER 14.4 lb/hp TRANSMISSION Single-ratio transaxle AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO 9.0:1 SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR Control arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar STEERING RATIO 10.3:1 TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK 2.0 BRAKES, F; R 12.6-in vented disc; 13.2-in vented disc, ABS WHEELS, F;R 8.5 x 19-in flow-formed aluminum TIRES, F;R 235/40R19 96W (M+S) Continental ProContact RX DIMENSIONS WHEELBASE 113.2 in TRACK, F/R 62.2/62.2 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 184.8 x 72.8 x 56.8 in TURNING CIRCLE 38.1 ft CURB WEIGHT 3,902 lb WEIGHT DIST, F/R 48/52% SEATING CAPACITY 5 HEADROOM, F/R 40.3/37.7 in LEGROOM, F/R 42.7/35.2 in SHOULDER ROOM, F/R 56.3/54.0 in CARGO VOLUME 14.6 cu ft TEST DATA ACCELERATION TO MPH 0-30 2.1 sec 0-40 2.9 0-50 3.7 0-60 4.8 0-70 6.1 0-80 7.7 0-90 9.6 0-100 12.0 PASSING, 45-65 MPH 2.1 QUARTER MILE 13.4 sec @ 104.9 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 119 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.87 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 25.7 sec @ 0.74 g (avg) CONSUMER INFO BASE PRICE $45,000 PRICE AS TESTED $57,500 STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL Yes/Yes AIRBAGS 8: Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, front knee BASIC WARRANTY 4 yrs/50,000 miles POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 8 years/100,000 mile (/120,000 mi w/Long Range Battery) ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 4 yrs/50,000 miles BATTERY CAPACITY 75 kW-hrs REAL MPG, CITY/HWY/COMB 89.7/128.2/103.7 MPGe EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 131/120/126 mpg (est) ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 26/28 kW-hrs/100 miles RECOMMENDED FUEL 110-volt, 220-volt electricity