That demand brought production pressures that nearly crushed the young company. Musk called the next two years “production hell.” The company put up a tent in its Fremont, California, factory parking lot to meet demand. Thousands of 3s had to be repaired due to paint shop glitches. Vehicles suffered gaffes like panel gaps the size of the Rio Grande, bumpers that fell off, and screens that went black.

And yet.

The car was futuristic. Unlike anything we’d seen. Blistering acceleration, constant over-the-air updates like Navigate on Autopilot, bespoke charging network, online, no-haggle ordering. Buyers not only coveted the 3, its popularity spawned an even more popular Model Y SUV version. The 3 is the best-selling luxury car in the market, and the 12 th best-selling vehicle in America.

Assuming you could put up with that Voldemort mug. I ordered my cars in black to diminish the nose.

Merging onto Big Beaver, I stomped the throttle and the entry-level 3,891-pound, rear-wheel-drive model darted forward. Ahhh, sweet electric torque.

It was noticeably livelier than the porky 5,200-pound Chevy Blazer EV I recently drove. In addition to the quieter cabin, the suspension upgrades make Model 3 feel tighter next to my 2019 Performance model. The all-wheel-drive Performance version of the Highland will arrive later — when it does, I’ll take it on track to see if the tighter steering translates to better corner-carving.

I’m a fan of the 3’s iPhone-simple horizontal interior anchored by a jumbotron screen. The ‘24 Highland brings upscale updates like a thinner screen bezel, heated/cooled seats and square-bottom steering wheel so I can more easily slide my long legs into the seat. The interior has been reskinned with trendy cloth inserts (replacing last gen’s wood accents) and a more organized center console that includes two standard wireless charging ports. Most noticeable is ambient lighting that circles the cabin and can be adjusted to the color of your choice.

Other hardware updates include crisper cameras, which help for backing into parking spaces (unless you just let the car park for you), and 17 speakers for better sound quality.

The user interface is the same, and I navigated the screen and its familiar controls.

At a Michigan turn on Big Beaver, I reached for the turn stalk, grabbing at thin air. Oh, yes — where are those turn signal buttons? Actuating adaptive cruise control was easier, as I punched the right scroll wheel with my thumb.

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