A quick note before we start: this is a first drive, not a full review. I've spent a single session behind the wheel of the Model 3, not the week of living with it that an eevee verdict and score demand. So treat what follows as early impressions, the things that jumped out, with a proper, scored review to come once I've had one for longer.
What stood out first
The software. It's the thing everyone says about a Tesla, and on first acquaintance it's true: the interface is fast and fluid in a way that makes a lot of rival systems feel a generation behind. Maps, routing and the general slickness of moving around the menus are immediately impressive.
The flip side hits just as fast. Almost everything runs through the central screen, and the refreshed car removes the indicator stalks in favour of buttons on the wheel. For someone stepping in for the first time, in Singapore traffic with its constant lane changes and carpark manoeuvring, that's an adjustment. Some people adapt in a day. On a first drive, I was still reaching for a stalk that wasn't there.
The cabin, briefly
First impressions of the interior are positive. It feels well built and genuinely quiet at speed, with materials a clear step up from the older cars I remember. The minimalism is striking, there's very little to look at, and whether that reads as calm or as sparse will come down to taste. I'll reserve judgement on living with it until I've actually lived with it.
On the road
It's quick, it's composed, and it feels planted in a way that makes it easy to place. On a short drive that's about as much as it's fair to say. How it handles a full week of Singapore commuting, charging, heat and the daily details is exactly what a full review needs to answer.
Early verdict
On first acquaintance, the Model 3 does nothing to lose its reputation as the software benchmark, and the refreshed cabin seems to have addressed a lot of the old complaints. The open question is the one only time can answer: whether Tesla's screen-first, stalkless way of doing things becomes second nature or stays a daily irritation. That's what I'll be testing for the full review. Watch this space.