Just as we reported yesterday, Tesla was discreetly planning to launch the new Tesla Model 3 Highland refresh on September 1st, and the anticipated car is now launched. Tesla has made the new design-refreshed Model 3 available to order in Europe, the Middle East, Japan, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, and Mainland China.
Unfortunately, the automaker has not yet introduced the newly redesigned Tesla Model 3 to its North American customers. The online ordering pages for the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico have not been updated to show the new Model 3.
Project Highland Model 3 was one of Tesla’s most guarded secrets. The automaker was hiding it in Europe even close to the launch as we posted some videos and pics yesterday.
Project Highland Tesla Model 3 is not just a minor design refresh. The US-based automaker has made significant changes and improvements to the exterior and interior design, increased the vehicle’s range and charging speed, and added new features as well.
Jump to topic:
- Improved Range and Charging Speeds
- Exterior Design and Wheels
- Interior Redesign, Rear Screen, Ambient Lighting
- Performance & Acceleration
Improved Range and Charging Speeds
Tesla is offering 2 variants of the new Model 3 Highland, the base version is a Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) with 513 km (319 miles) of range and a Model 3 Long Range AWD with a 629 km (391 miles) of range. Tesla has not introduced the Performance variant of the Model 3 Highland yet.
According to the new specs the automaker has posted on its European web pages, the Tesla Model 3 Highland AWD comes with a range of 629 km (391 miles) calculated on the WLTP standard. The previous generation Tesla Model 3 has a maximum range of 536 km (333 miles) calculated using the EPA standard.
Normally, electric vehicles tested on Europe’s WLTP cycle score more miles/km of range compared to the EPA estimated range in the United States. However, the new range of around 629 km (391 miles) WLTP is still not going to be as low as the existing 536 km (333 miles) range of the Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD in North America.
The other more interesting spec is the improved charging speed of the new Model 3 Highland. According to the new official specs, the Highland Tesla Model 3 can be charged up to 282 km (~175 miles) in just 15 minutes. This means that the new Tesla Model 3 can be charged around 45% in just 15 minutes.
The base variant of the new Tesla Model 3 Highland refresh can take a maximum power input of 170 kW and the Long Range AWD can take a max of 250 kW power input. However, Tesla specs mention that both variants can be charged up to 282 km (~175 miles) in 15 mins.
Performance
Redesigned Exterior
The most anticipated part of the Project Highland Tesla Model 3 was its interior — and that’s what Tesla has been hiding for so many months. But now it’s officially completely revealed.
Headlights are the main component of the front fascia that Tesa redesigned in the new Tesla Model 3 Highland. The new headlights of the Tesla Model 3 are now more slimmer and sharper in design. the daylight running lights (DRLs) now also expand from the outer side and across the border. These new headlights are now quite similar to Tesla’s flagship Model S luxury sedan.
The front bumper is slightly redesigned to complement the new and longer headlights. This gives the car a more sportier and sharper look compared to the previous one’s chubby feel.
As we can see in the picture just above, Tesla has redesigned the rear lights of the Model 3 Highland. The rear lights of the Model 3 are now even more minimalistic and house the turn signals and brake lights are now integrated into a single curved design. The new lights look much more futuristic which bodes well with Tesla’s overall design language.
Tesla has removed the rear bumper bottom reflectors in the new Model 3 Highland. Instead, the rear matte black plastic diffuser has now grown in height. I personally like the older rear bumper design but again it’s a personal choice — a subjective thing — the eye of the beholder phenomenon.
Tesla has not made any significant changes to the side profile of the Model 3. The side repeaters only have changed to accommodate the new Hardware 4 (HW4) cameras.
The wheels shown in the above Tesla Model 3 Highland images are 19″ Nova wheels. These new Nova wheels are optional and cost an extra 1,700 euros (~1,844 USD).
Made-in-China Tesla Model 3 Highland is available in 1 included and 4 premium colors. Pearl White Multi-Coat (included), Solid Black, Deep Blue Metallic, Stealth Grey, and Ultra Red. The Ultra Red paint option was previously only available on Model S and Model X in the US and Canada. Prices of premium options vary based on country and currency.
Interior Redesign, Rear Screen, Ambient Lighting
Enjoy a completely new interior with a sleek, minimalist design and a premium look and feel. The interior is quieter than ever thanks to all-round acoustic glazing and offers new features such as ambient lighting and ventilated seats.
Tesla, Inc. (TSLA)
Tesla has made compelling changes to the interior of the new Model 3. The first and foremost is the addition of ambient lighting, a sign of modern-era luxury cars. It’s not clear if the ambient lighting changes colors. Tesla has shown red ambient lighting expanding through the front and rear doors to the entire dashboard of the new Model 3 as we can see in the video above.
Another improvement Tesla has made to the new Model 3 Highland is the addition of the rear center display screen. The size of this screen is 8 inches and is standard across all variants. Tesla actually gauged the popularity of the 3rd-party Tesla Model 3 and Model Y rear screens and offered an OEM option. Tesla’s website explains the functions of this additional screen on the website as:
Navigate, stream and play better on the high-resolution 15.4-inch touchscreen – now even brighter. And your rear passengers will benefit from our new 8-inch display for entertainment and rear climate settings.
Tesla also redesigned the door panels of the new Model 3. The dashboard design remains almost the same — flat and with an expansive view of the front. However, the dashboard color accents have changed from the previous generation Model 3 that Tesla launched in 2021. The new steering wheel has a slightly different design and looks much more refined now.
Like the old generation, Tesla is offering two interior color options, ‘Black’ and ‘Black and White’. The Black and White is optional and costs 1,200 euros (~1,300 USD) extra.
Performance & Acceleration
The base version of the new Tesla Model 3 (RWD) goes from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 6.6 seconds. The Long Range AWD Model 3 Highland accelerates from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in just 4.4 seconds.
There is no Performance variant launched yet, so the top-of-the-line acceleration figures have yet to be revealed. And since the new Tesla Model 3 is not yet launched in North America by the automaker, we have not been given the exact 0-60 mph acceleration numbers until now but rather the 0-100 km/h figures which equal to 0-62 mph.
Let us know your thoughts on the new Tesla Model 3 Highland reveal in the comments section below.
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