Blue Lightning – My Favorite Things about our Tesla Model 3

In September 2018 my husband and I upgraded my automotive transportation to a 2018 Tesla Model 3. Blue Lightning, as we have named the vehicle, is the second car I have owned, and although the 1999 Pontiac Grand Am I had for 12 years was a decent car for a high-schooler to have back in 2006 – and it was a mostly reliable mode of transportation – it was time for an upgrade. Here are some of my favorite things about our Model 3. Keep in mind this is not a formal review in terms of specifications or other more technical aspects of the vehicle. This is simply a list of some of the things I like the most about it.

It’s Blue

First of all, it’s painted blue, which has always been my favorite color. The exterior paint color is usually one of the less important considerations when it comes to choosing a car, but the Grand Am was red and I wanted to make sure my next car was blue. Our Model 3 meets that requirement; hence its name, Blue Lightning.

It’s 100% Electric

Another requirement I had for my next car was for it to be fully electric. Although hybrid gas-electric vehicles are beneficial for the environment with respect to reducing harmful emissions, I was never interested in owning a hybrid. I was of the mind that my next car must either be fully electrically powered or fully gas-powered. Once I learned about Tesla’s Model S, that was the one I wanted, and later when I learned of the Model 3 (which was designed to be a less expensive, compact version of the Model S), the Model 3 became my electric car of choice. 

The Big Screen

Rather than a set of gauges right behind the steering wheel, a large, capacitive touchscreen that stands off the middle of the dashboard provides indication of the Model 3’s status. The screen shows vehicle speed, the “gear” it’s in, its acceleration mode (“Chill” or “Sport”), a map of where you are and it even has a dynamic virtual model of the car that shows if any doors or storage spaces are open and alerts you if you get too close to another vehicle or a pedestrian. You can also control the temperature, adjust screen brightness, change settings for Quick Controls, Security and Autopilot mode, view energy consumption and remaining battery life, save driver profiles, read the user’s manual, and much more.

Some people I’ve given rides in the Tesla are most stricken by the screen. It’s nice, but would take some getting used to, they say. From my point of view, it is a wonderfully helpful and technologically advanced feature and it took very little time for me to adjust (but perhaps that’s because I read about its features before the car was delivered). It has the added bonus of letting me see all of the car’s information without the steering wheel blocking my view, which has been a slight problem for me in most cars.

Integrated Navigation System

Probably my favorite feature of the touchscreen is its real time navigation system. In the era of smartphones with step-by-step voice instructions and/or Bluetooth connectivity to vehicles manufactured within the last 10 years, this may hold little novelty to some, but please remember I had a Grand Am with no way to connect my phone to the speaker system, except to use an mp3-cassette tape converter in the car’s unreliable cassette player. Sometimes it was difficult to hear any instructions my phone gave while I drove. It is unbelievably convenient and helpful to be able to type the destination into the Model 3’s screen, watch as I approach my next turn or freeway exit without having to hold the device and hear the instructions clearly through the high quality sound system. It’s truly delightful.

Rainbow Road Easter Egg

If you haven’t heard of the Rainbow Road Easter Egg that is included in the Model 3, when you activate it by moving the stalk on the right side of the steering wheel down 4 times, the road in the virtual model of the car turns into a colorful wave that moves down the screen, similar to the way you might see in Guitar Hero. A song also plays with someone playing the cowbell, and someone eventually says, “I gotta have more cowbell!” There’s probably some related joke or meme with which I am unfamiliar, but I love the colorfulness nonetheless.