The Tesla Model 3 is the car that spearheaded the EV revolution. The Model S and X made EVs desirable, while the Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe showed they could be regular everyday transport. But the Model 3 opened the mainstream car market like nothing that went before. The Model Y has subsequently usurped the Model 3, however, which has only had the minor 2021 refresh since its 2017 launch. Now we have the much-anticipated Highland update. It’s a much bigger change, but is it enough to bring the Model 3 back into the spotlight? I put the new car through its paces.
Tesla Model 3 Highland: Sleeker Looks, Interior Upgrades
The most obvious change with Highland is the simplification of the front end. The narrower headlights and sharper snout modernize the front and prevent the car from looking frog-like head on. The headlights have been matrix LEDs for a few years, but Tesla still hasn’t implemented similar technology to Volkswagen that dips only the portion of the beam that will blind oncoming traffic. This is now legal in the USA, so it’s a surprise Tesla hasn’t rolled out its own version.
Highland is the most major update of the Tesla Model 3 since it was launched.
The rear lighting cluster has also been redesigned, although this is not so obvious as the new front. Where the lights used to be aportioned across the tailgate and rear, they now reside entirely on the tailgate, so lift as this is raised. However, this produces a sharp corner around head height, where before the edge was a bit higher. The new rear is an improvement in appearance though. The default 18in wheels have been redesigned, with covers that you might be less inclined to remove. There are also two new colors – Ultra Red and Stealth Grey. The red of the car I borrowed is particularly eye-catching. The new colors will vary with production location, however. Currently, UK cars are made in China. Different paint choices will be available from Germany and the US when Highland begins supply from these factories.
The interior improvements are mostly subtle, except for the lighting strip that wraps around the top of the dashboard and across the doors. The color of this can easily be changed via the menu. The seats are the same, with an identical choice of standard black or premium white options. However, the accompanying trim has lost the questionable dashboard wood veneer in both versions now. The materials still aren’t up with the likes of BMW or Mercedes, but this is a comfortable and modern interior – if you like minimalism. With the air conditioning entirely controlled via the infotainment screen, there are no obvious vents or manual controls to clutter up the dashboard, for example.
The Highland is even cleaner and more minimalist than before.
However, the most noticeable change once you start driving is how Tesla has continued its pursuit of minimalism beyond removing the dashboard instrumentation. Like the new Model S Plaid, the Tesla Model 3 Highland lacks steering wheel stalks. But I’ll get to that a bit later. You don’t get the option of a yoke (for now), and the steering wheel is basically the same as the Plaid non-yoke, but with a slightly different button layout.
The rear 8in screen provides loads of functionality for back seat passengers.
A more welcome addition in the rear is an 8in LCD panel, another idea borrowed from the new Model S. This brings lots of cool functions to back seat passengers. For a start, they now have control over their own air conditioning. They can also turn their own heated seats off and on. There’s even an option to slide the front passenger seat all the way forward so the one behind it has more room. Funkiest of all, rear passengers have their own access to infotainment, so they can control music and radio playback. They can also stream video from Netflix, Disney+, Twitch and YouTube, although this might be a recipe for motion sickness with a screen down at knee level.
The Model 3 has loads of rear luggage space, but unfortunately it’s not a hatchback.
Apart from the redesigned rear, the rear luggage space is the same as ever. The Model 3 is still not a hatchback – Tesla saved that for the Model Y. This reduces the usefulness of the huge cargo space the Model 3 has on offer, with 594 liters including the large compartment beneath the floor (more than any family hatchback) and 88 liters in the frunk as well. Drop the rear seats down and you get 1,140 liters. Estate cars / station wagons have fallen out of fashion in favor of SUVs, but a version of the Model 3 in this format would be very interesting, albeit unlikely.
Tesla Model 3 Highland: Driving and Range
So far, only Rear-Wheel Drive and Long Range versions of the Highland Model 3 have been released. The driving experience in general is not that different from other Model 3 Long Range versions I’ve driven. The Long Range car has 394hp, and can hit 60mph in 4.2 seconds. Presumably, Acceleration Boost will be an option, enabling 0.5 seconds to be shaved off this time, but I haven’t had confirmation from Tesla yet about its availability. The RWD car has 257hp and can accelerate to 60mph in 5.8 seconds, which is still quick but more in line with fast internal combustion vehicles.
The Long Range car delivers its performance without the immediacy of the Model 3 Performance. There’s a slight delay to the throttle response when you hit the accelerator pedal, before the immense torque kicks in. This might be preferable if you’re transporting your family around, but the Performance still reigns supreme for driving thrills. There is no official word yet about a Highland-based Tesla Model 3 Performance, although rumors abound, some even claiming it could be tri-motor.
The overall shape of the Model 3 remains unchanged.
The Long Range still handles well and has plenty of engagement. It’s equally at home about town, on a fast country road, or on the highway. The car I drove had the basic 18in wheels, giving it much better ride quality than the 2020 Model 3 Performance I normally drive. There was much less need to slalom round every bump on London’s terrible road surfaces. However, the original Long Range on 18in wheels was more forgiving too.
The biggest drivetrain news is the increase in range. The Long Range car now offers 421 miles WLTP on 18in wheels, or 390 with the 19in upgrade. The RWD car boasts 344 miles with 18in rims and 318 miles with 19in ones. Bear in mind that the original version of the RWD car only offered 254 miles, while the Long Range was rated for 348 miles. During my testing of the Long Range, I managed 3.3 miles per kWh, which is a long way from the WLTP-rated 5 miles per kWh. But that was in cold weather and mostly about town. It still equates to well over 270 miles, and you’d probably get more than 300 miles on a motorway run, possibly a lot more.
With 250kW DC charging available on the Long Range and 170kW on the RWD version, either car will replenish fast at a Tesla Supercharger V3 or V4 installation. You’d have just enough time for a drink and a snack before being back at 80%, with at least another 220 miles available on the Long Range Model 3. That will make it an even better distance champion, capable of eating up the miles with ease and comfort.
Tesla Model 3 Highland: Technology Upgrades Too Far?
Finally, it’s time to address the multiple elephants in the room with Highland. First, there’s the lack of steering wheel stalks. This means you will need to use buttons to trigger indicators. Having driven both the Plaid and the Highland with this “upgrade” now, I can confirm that you do get used to it. But there will still be times when you must look away from the road to ensure you’re pressing the right button, for example when indicating with the wheel turned that you’re about to leave a roundabout at the next exit.
Buttons are also required for flashing the headlights and turning on the windscreen wipers. However, these also change the function of the left-hand dial on the steering wheel, which by default operates media. If you press the lights button, this dial will change the headlights setting. If you press the wipers button, you can vary their speed with the dial. This isn’t a bad system, but none of it is as intuitive as traditional stalks.
The front is the biggest visual change to the Highland Model 3.
Also missing is a stalk for selecting drive. Again, like the new Tesla Model S, you now perform this function with a touch slider on the edge of the LCD panel. You slide up for forward, down for reverse, and there are buttons at the top for park and bottom for neutral. Again, not a terrible system, but not as intuitive as the stalk. Without the latter, you now have to press the right-hand wheel to engage Autopilot, with voice control moved to its own separate steering wheel button.
Speaking of Autopilot and other safety-related functions, we get to the next particularly large elephant – the reliance on cameras. If you look closely at pictures of the Highland you’ll see a sleek finish devoid of the little discs associated with ultrasonic sensors. That’s because this car doesn’t have any. There is no radar either. Highland is supposed to get a new high-resolution radar, but so far it relies entirely on cameras for everything. There have been many complaints about Tesla Vision on the 2021 Model 3 update. I didn’t have problems with Autopilot or accurate assessment of parking distances during my Highland testing, but many owners have with the previous version that relies entirely on cameras.
Highland was supposed to be the first recipient of Hardware Version 4, with much higher resolution cameras, 12 rather than 9 of the latter, faster computing hardware, and HD Radar. But there was no sign that the car I drove had these upgrades, although camera views looked clearer. It had Full Self Driving, but for now this doesn’t include Autopark, Summon or Smart Summon, because Tesla hasn’t gotten these working with cameras only yet.
The Model 3 is the electric sedan to beat once more, despite a few technology niggles.
These are reasons not to buy this car with Enhanced Autopilot or Full Self Driving. But they aren’t reasons not to buy this car at all. In the UK, the RWD version costs £39,990 ($50,800), and in Europe 42,990 Euros. The Long Range is £49,990 ($63,500) in the UK and 51,990 Euros in Europe. No US pricing has been announced yet, but you can bet it will be cheaper. Either way, this is still a competitively priced car compared to EVs with similar capabilities.
For some, the lack of steering wheel stalks will put them off. Previous Tesla owners might also feel the reliance on cameras has led to a step backwards in technology. But this is still an incredibly practical car, with plenty of room for passengers and cargo. It has great driving dynamics, incredible range, and the Tesla Supercharger network to enhance its long-distance capabilities. The Highland update puts the Model 3 back on the map, at least until Tesla brings similar upgrades to the Model Y.
