Tesla Model 3 - Review from the passenger seat

So, my uncle Howard "Biff" Tucker recently purchased a 2017 Tesla Model 3, which is, in a word, amazing.

PROS:
Unbelievable acceleration
Electric powertrain with good range
Attractive, but not mind-blowing, styling
Good materials in the interior
Enough electronic goodies to satisfy any car enthusiast and/or gamer.

CONS:
Deliberately mimimalist interior - Center screen is the only interior feature. Hard to see speed, turn signals, other vital vehicle information
Could use a heads-up display or second, smaller screen placed in front of the driver (like in the Ford Mustang Mach-E).
Rear seat could be bigger (The Model S resolves this).

My Uncle Biff knows I am a car guy, so he was busting to show off his new toy! The first thing I noticed was the crazy acceleration. He pulled out on to the main road and floored it. I was slammed against the seat. Tesla conservatively claims a 0-60 time of 5.1 seconds, but it felt a good second quicker. It reminded me of the launch of the Storm Runner roller coaster at Hersheypark, and could outrun a C5 Corvette off the line. In a YouTube video, it beat a Hellcat off the line, but had a quicker lap time, because Hellcats can't handle for crap. The Model 3's handling is decent, but since this is a sedan, it is not sports-car precise.

The other thing he wanted to show off was the "Toy Box." If you click on the Whoopee Cushion in the Toy Box, the car goes into "Fart Mode," in which you can make a Bronx Cheer emanate from any of the seats, or go off whenever a turn signal is activated (don't worry... It's just the sound and nmot the smell. Needless to say, my two boys, ages 10 and 9, got a huge kick out of this. Also, if you click on the reindeer in the Toy Box, it starts to "snow" in the car, and the radio plays Christmas music. Uncle Biff claims the range is a good 350 miles (keep in mind he lives in Florida, where there are no hills), and can recharge in about 30 minutes with a supercharger, but it can also recharge with a standard wall outlet, which takes several hours.

The next thing he showed off was the Autopilot, which is not only Adaptive Cruise Control, but uses the lines on the road to navigate the car around curves while keeping a reasonable distance from other cars. For safety's sake (and to avoid lawsuits "CYA") the car instructs you to keep your hands on the wheel. If you are near an obstacle, you don't hear a beep, but the wheel vibrates.Unfortunately, We didn't get to test this out on the highway. The backup camera, in addition to being a high-resolution camera with a very clear image, also shows how far away you are from the cars in front of you and to the sides, down to the inch. Parking this car is fascinating.

Overall, this was a real learning experience (this erased any stigma I once had about electric cars), and a fascinating car. And yes, if I had the opportunity, I would definitely buy one.