Rented a Model 3 and it was NOT good

[sborsch]

Was back in my hometown (Minneapolis) this past week and my wife and I rented a Tesla Model 3 (M3) from Hertz at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport. During this experience, we both said that we couldn’t wait to get back to drive our Mach-e!

Besides being filthy (inside and out so we had them go clean it) I was absolutely stunned by what a poor performer this M3 rental was at 49k miles.

The ride was very harsh, even though tire tread was fine as was tire inflation. Had thought a used M3 might be good to recommend to my son (he drives a 2013 Prius with 48k miles on it) but won’t do so any longer. Especially since it felt like we were driving a low-to-the-ground, not comfortable go-cart.

A quick Google search on Tesla Model 3 ride quality shows that we were not alone in our assessment.

I’ve driven a Tesla Model Y and can see why many are concerned the Mach-e is priced too high. I‘d beg to differ as the minimalistic Tesla interiors is NOT a strength in my opinion. The Mach-e balances screen with tactile controls so well. The Mach-e is better designed (though less aerodynamic and thus less efficient) and this experience just reinforced how much I love my Mach-e.

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[Jppumper]

I rented a 2023 Ford Mustang Convertible here in Florida when my MME had to have some minor body work done. It had Texas tags and was a real POS. I have driven many cars in my 50+ years of driving and my first car was a '66 Mustang 2+2. This rental was clean but seemed like it had been to hell and back. It seemed totally worn out. The dash technology was prehistoric compared to my MME. Also, my older body does not do well getting in and out of a regular Mustang. BTW, I believe that most rentals are beat to hell. Maybe if you drove a new Tesla?

 

[Logal727]

I rented a 2023 Ford Mustang Convertible here in Florida when my MME had to have some minor body work done. It had Texas tags and was a real POS. I have driven many cars in my 50+ years of driving and my first car was a '66 Mustang 2+2. This rental was clean but seemed like it had been to hell and back. It seemed totally worn out. The dash technology was prehistoric compared to my MME. Also, my older body does not do well getting in and out of a regular Mustang. BTW, I believe that most rentals are beat to hell. Maybe if you drove a new Tesla?

oh no, what happened to your MME? Also, The best vehicle I could get out of Autonation when I had to leave mine was a Nissan versa lol.

 

[JeffGo]

I rented a Model 3 in San Diego a few months back. It was nearly new, only about 200 miles. It was OK in general but definitely different (weird). I think a display directly in front is important - at least to me. I would never buy a Tesla product.

 

[stealthytolkien]

Not a great comparison. Firstly you’re comparing a small and short sedan to a higher midsize SUV. Secondly, you’re comparing a rental vehicle (that too with Hertz) with a personal vehicle.

My Model 3 when I sold it was 1. Pristine inside out 2. Free from defects 3. Drove smooth. 4. Had about 5% battery degradation, 5. 45000 miles.

Model 3 is much lower (I’m 6’3” so it was getting harder and harder for me to get in and out) and heavy (bumpy on speed bumps also not great on my back). The suspension is indeed a little harsh but not as bad as you think.

I agree that a decently made car should hold up even if it’s a rental but I’d want to see a MME w/ 50k miles exclusively used as a rental with Hertz and then compare it with the 3 lol. I think the MME would be in the same state if not slightly worse.

I own a GTPE now but I’ll say that despite the lack of some desired features, model 3 is the best small sedan I’ve driven. The fun factor is through the roof. It looks incredible unlike Y, drives like a sporty muscle car and gets 275 miles of real world range. Model Y is a shapeless penguin and drives like one. Compared to how incredibly Model 3 handles, Y behaves like an oversized box with that body roll, heavy suspension, and just overall feels boring.

The Model 3 (2021 or newer) AWD LR is IMO a fantastic car for younger ones if you can find a used one for $25k. The Model Y has almost killed the 3 and they both killed the S. Tesla is essentially a Model Y company now and a bit of X, so you’ll likely find a 3 super cheap.

 

[Deleted member 16048]

I agree with you Steve. (And Hello from Minneapolis!) I rented a Tesla from Hertz in Orlando and really thought it was a cheap car. It felt cheap, felt like the drive was cheap. The only thing I liked was the acceleration since it reminded me of my MME.

You can have a low car, but not feel like you're sitting on the ground. I'm 6'1" and getting in and out of the M3 was really hard. Almost as bad as my girlfriend's Honda Civic. Overall I am glad I didn't buy one of those.

The cleanliness issue would be.a Hertz issue though. A rental car should not be dirty like that when you receive it so that's just poor service on Hertz side.

 

[Jppumper]

oh no, what happened to your MME? Also, The best vehicle I could get out of Autonation when I had to leave mine was a Nissan versa lol.

One of those garage door mishaps. It's my wife's fault, yeah, that's it, lol

 

[Vulnox]

Definitely aware of Tesla build issues and all that, but agree with some of the above that you have to be a little more forgiving when it comes to rentals. We just got back from a trip to Colorado and we had an Explorer Limited from National that only had 11k miles on it. National did a great job on giving us a very clean vehicle, no issues there like OP had, but this Explorer had already been through a lot you could tell and we put it through quite a bit too, putting that 2WD (unfortunately, came from Texas based on the plates) to the limit on some unpaved roads through the mountains.

But that said, it had what sounded like some rod knock, or a loud injector, some significant wind noise from one of the doors, and a very large dent in the bumper. Likely an Explorer that someone was foot to the floor through most of its 11k miles, as it had the pretty gutless base engine unfortunately. I know Ford has had issues with Explorer quality, but even with that in mind it isn't fair for me to judge all Explorers against this one with an unknown history but some signs it has had a harder life than if it was our own personal vehicle.

 

[VegasWeezy]

I'm sure the Model 3 is a nice car and hits the right notes for some people. But for my wife and I, it just wasn't for us. When we were shopping for my wife's next vehicle, we were sure we wanted another EV for her. At different points we had reservations on the VW ID4 and Blazer EV (still do on this one actually), but she wasn't sure what she wanted.

She had leaned toward the Model 3 because she liked the look and the price was good. So we went for a test drive. First thing that struck us was the minimalist interior. I'm sure some people love that, but neither of us did. I love the MME interior and I like to have a good blend of tactile and on screen controls. Second thing that struck us was how low to the ground the car felt. It may only be a 4-6" difference compared to the MME, but it's noticeable and we didn't like that. Finally, once we actually drove it was uninspiring (granted this was the base model, no performance package).

We went there thinking we were possibly going to place an order. Instead we walked away crossing it off the list. The Model Y sits higher, but like many have said it's just too damn ugly and has the same minimalist interior.

My wife ended up with the Audi Q4 e-tron and she loves it. I tried to talk her into a used 22 Premium RWD ER Mach e with 9k miles that I found for around $42k at the time. But she wanted the new Audi.

 

[GreaseMonkey]

Model 3s made in 2022 and later were improved vs earlier models both in ride and quietness. I recently drove a used 2022 M3 performance with 15,000 miles and it drove real nice. The white seats held up well, but the headliner didn’t.

The only issue for me was that the acceleration was sluggish vs my expectations (and 3.1 sec), but I later found out that battery was at 9% SoC. Oh, and the price — $48k vs a brand new one from inventory for $51k? Dumb dealers.

 

[RedStallion]

BTW, I believe that most rentals are beat to hell.

Not my experience. I've been in a lot of rental Hertz cars (company policy) and they all were like new. In fact, the last Lexus I rented was sparkling new with under 1000 miles on it.

 

[Jppumper]

Not my experience. I've been in a lot of rental Hertz cars (company policy) and they all were like new. In fact, the last Lexus I rented was sparkling new with under 1000 miles on it.

Mine came from Enterprize and not many rent a Lexus, IMHO

 

[Mach1E]

To be fair, people treat rental cars like Tender dates.

Years ago I got a rental (low miles too) of a car I already owned.

Had my car I owned driven anything like the rental…… I never would have purchased it.

https://www.carscoops.com/2023/02/y...00k-f8-tributo-like-a-rental-car-on-vacation/

 

[Joanna84]

Model 3s made in 2022 and later were improved vs earlier models both in ride and quietness. I recently drove a used 2022 M3 performance with 15,000 miles and it drove real nice. The white seats held up well, but the headliner didn’t.

The only issue for me was that the acceleration was sluggish vs my expectations (and 3.1 sec), but I later found out that battery was at 9% SoC. Oh, and the price — $48k vs a brand new one from inventory for $51k? Dumb dealers.

Tesla's acceleration in all situations is a real strength. Obviously a M3P will blow the doors off a GT (and a MYP will as well to a lesser extent) but from my experience and the testing I've seen that gap gets even bigger at less than ideal situations i.e. at low SoC, when the batteries aren't warm, when you've been supercharging, etc, the GT turns into a huge dog while the Tesla retains a lot more of its performance.

Probably due to Ford's genesis as an Escape type vehicle rather than a performance car and accompanying lack of cooling ability.

 

[Mach1E]

Tesla's acceleration in all situations is a real strength. Obviously a M3P will blow the doors off a GT (and a MYP will as well to a lesser extent) but from my experience and the testing I've seen that gap gets even bigger at less than ideal situations i.e. at low SoC, when the batteries aren't warm, when you've been supercharging, etc, the GT turns into a huge dog while the Tesla retains a lot more of its performance.

Probably due to Ford's genesis as an Escape type vehicle rather than a performance car and accompanying lack of cooling ability.

You missed the announcement last week- Ford is increasing the power limit on the GT. We shall see how much this narrows the gap.

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