It's a Day of Unfortunate Headlines for Tesla

Consumer Reports isn't recommending Model 3, and more
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 21, 2018 5:30 PM CDT
Citing 'Big Flaws,' Consumer Reports Won't Recommend Tesla Model 3
In this April 15, 2018, file photo unsold 2018 Model 3 Long Range versions sit on a Tesla dealer's lot in the south Denver suburb of Littleton, Colo.   (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Long emergency stopping distances, difficult-to-use controls, and a harsh ride stopped Tesla's Model 3 electric car from getting a recommended buy rating from Consumer Reports, the AP reports. While the magazine said the car has exhilarating acceleration and handling, testers found "big flaws" including its 152-foot average stopping distance from 60 miles per hour in emergency braking tests. The magazine said the distance was worse than any modern car it has tested, and is about 7 feet longer than a Ford F-150, a full-size pickup truck that weighs about twice as much as a Model 3.

That was just one of a few unfortunate headlines for Tesla Monday: Forbes reported that the Model 3, which is supposed to range in price from $35,000 to $78,000, may never actually cost just $35,000; a Bloomberg analyst had noted Sunday that a $35,000 Model 3 "will be the rarest of the rare. Perhaps the second most collectible Tesla ever, behind the one floating around in space." Meanwhile, in California, a driver was found dead early Monday after his Tesla Model S veered into a pond in Castro Valley, KTVU reports. It's not clear what caused the accident or whether the car was in Autopilot mode at the time. (More Tesla stories.)

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