2024 Tesla Model 3: Eight things missing

When the refreshed 2024 Tesla Model 3 arrives in Australia early next year it will bring several significant updates to justify its price hikes, including substantially improved suspension and more technology like an 8.0-inch rear screen that can stream video and allow those in the back to control the infotainment system.

But Australia’s top-selling mid-size car has also received some clever and mostly subtle cost-cutting measures that in some instances see the popular EV head backwards – or at least sideways.

Here are some of the little things that have been removed or gone backwards in the facelifted Tesla Model 3 – and a few things that have been added with the important model update, codenamed Project Highland.

OK, so this isn’t news to Tesla drivers in America (and some other countries) and the removal of parking sensors has long been discussed for Australia. But the new Model 3 is the first Tesla to do without them locally – or at least be offered as an option.

There would be a handy manufacturing saving from getting rid of the circular ultrasonic sensors mounted front and rear (although at the same time it removes a long running gripe – paint quality issues around the sensors).

Instead, Tesla now relies on what it calls Tesla Vision, which uses cameras (two forward-facing at the top of the windscreen, as well as two on each side of the car and one on the rear) to judge distance.

Our experience with it suggests it’s not particularly accurate, even if it does a better job of warning about gutters and other things that could damage the wheels. We had it regularly changing the distance of a fixed object in front of the car by 10-20 per cent, even though the car was stationary. Here’s hoping a future software update could improve the accuracy.

The Model 3 previously used three forward-facing cameras to look out for other road users and obstacles. Tesla won’t say exactly what has changed, although there are now only two cameras at the top of the screen. We’re assuming the two that are there have a higher resolution than the ones they replace, so they should do a better job of looking out for things.

The Tesla Model 3 and Model Y have long had five seat heaters, covering every derriere in the car. It was always a good talking point over other cars that had seat heaters only for the outboard rear seats. But… now Tesla has deleted that middle seat heater on the Model 3.

The Model 3 previously had four USB-C charging ports – two up front and two in the rear. One of those front USB ports has now been deleted, which means there’s only one charge port up front. It’s unlikely to be missed given there are twin wireless charging pads and two easily accessible USB-C ports in the rear. Besides, the new USB-C ports can provide up to 65W of power – well up on the 15W limit of the previous car.

The move to more comfort-focused tyres with the Model 3 has taken its toll on outright grip. To be fair, the Model 3 was coming from a high base, but owners of the previous car may miss some of the on-the-limit traction previously offered by the standard 18-inch Michelin e-Primacy rubber. In both the wet and dry the new tyres let go a fraction sooner, although the excellent traction control system sorts things out swiftly.

If you thought the Model 3 had a minimalist interior then it’s gone more that way with the removal of the stalks on either side of the steering wheel. Getting used to the virtual slider drive mode selector that appears on the right-hand side of the main screen is surprisingly easy. Having indicator buttons on the steering wheel is less intuitive, in part because both of them are on the left (one above the other) rather than one on each side of the wheel. And if you are mid-corner and want to activate an indicator then it can be a challenge to locate and press the button.

Tesla has in some ways made plastic wheel covers cool(ish) again. The Model 3’s 18-inch wheels are alloy but they’re covered in plastic covers to reduce aerodynamic drag, in turn improving range. The new model gets new wheel covers as well as new alloy wheels. Clip off the covers and it reveals the charcoal-covered alloys, but it also exposes the silver wheel studs – something that’s in desperate need of covering up. Fortunately there’s no shortage of options online (Tesla even offers its own), where many kits are available for less than $50.

They were arguably more about aesthetics than functionality, but the fog lights that once graced the front bumper (on Rear-Wheel Drive variants they were blanks with no lights within) are gone. Even the Model 3 Long Range variant does without fog lights now.

Tesla stopped providing its mobile charging cable – the UMC, or Universal Mobile Connector – late in 2022, and now asks people to pay $550 for them or to install a home wallbox charger. Nothing has changed with the latest Model 3, although we figured it was worth reminding people that they’ll need to have home charging sorted before taking delivery.

On the whole, the 2024 Tesla Model 3 is a decent improvement. And there are some smaller things that have gone unnoticed that are worth mentioning.

An ongoing source of frustration for Model 3 and Model Y drivers has been the propensity for the thin slice of floor mat that covers the driver’s left foot rest to flap around. While it’s always had a small corner of Velcro to help keep it in place, it never really worked and that long strip of carpet had a knack of flopping down across the pedals. With the updated model there’s now a larger and repositioned Velcro strip that does a terrific job of keeping the floor mat in place. Hopefully it’ll keep doing it for many years to come.

While the Model 3 was certified to tow overseas, since 2019 Tesla has told owners not to tow locally. But the updated Model 3 now has a 750kg towing capacity, meaning very small caravans, boats and trailers can now be dragged around. It’s a small win, but handy for those who want to occasionally take a tinny to the boat ramp or a box trailer to the tip.

The addition of customisable ambient lighting around the upper part of the cabin of the new Model 3 is a nice touch. But the Model 3 also now picks up footwell ambient lighting to match the Model Y. As with the Model Y, however, it’s a fixed white hue so you can’t get it to match the ambient glow elsewhere.

Since the arrival of LFP battery chemistry with Chinese-made Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive variants late in 2021, Tesla opted against a charge limit setting within the main infotainment screen. Sure, you could still set the upper charge limit for Long Range and Performance models (as per Model Y) to allow the NMC battery chemistry to be predominantly charged to its recommended 80 per cent limit. For whatever reason Tesla has now added the upper charge limit functionality to the Rear-Wheel Drive with LFP batteries.

Exiting a Model 3 still involves pushing a button. And if the electronics give up then there’s long been a manual lever to open the doors up front. That functionality has now been added to the rear doors; remove a small cover in the base of the door pockets and it reveals a yellow pull tag that will manually open the back doors.

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