4: Tesla Model 3 – A genuine disrupter that’s in many ways quite brilliant

To say that the Model 3 is really quite something is perhaps to undersell it. It does not follow, however, that the ‘something’ that it is, is perfect. It’s not, but it is… something.

In many ways it’s perhaps the most exciting new car of the year. A mid-size electric premium saloon, something that effectively has no direct rival right now, and it’s far better executed than any previous Tesla. Its performance is not in doubt - even the middle-ranking Long Range model (the best of the bunch so far) has straight-line performance to annihilate an AMG, and you can stretch a full charge almost to 500km in real-world conditions.

Its interior is in many ways quite brilliant - everything’s on the touchscreen (a fact that is equally close to innovation and frustration) and the minimalist nature is both refreshing, and a touch too cheap in places.

Even the handling and ride balance is good (not brilliant, perhaps, but superior to both the Model S and Model X). What Tesla needs to do now is fix the glitches; the underperforming heater/demister, the paint and panel gaps. Small things such as these matter every bit as much as the battery and motors…