I took my first Tesla Model 3 test drive this week and all I wanted to do was make the all-electric car fart.
The interior of the Model 3 electric sedan is impressive, with its extreme minimal design. In the front, you've got the steering wheel with two knobs next to the horn, a gear selector and indicator control, and then the pièce de résistance: the tablet.
The Tesla 15-inch tablet looks and feels like a giant iPad nestled in between the front seats. This is where everything lives: your speedometer, climate control, mapping, the Autopilot semi-autonomous driving system, the radio and other music options, even the button to open the glovebox. At one point I saw a lightning bolt on the screen and had the sudden urge to click it. Without thinking I opened the charging port on the left side of the car. Luckily a "close" button was easy enough to find.
The tablet is also where the elusive Easter egg "drawer" is housed. Play with fun add-ons like Atari video games, a drawing board, holiday app, and romance mode, which features a crackling fireplace, sensual music, and blasting heaters. There's also a Whoopee cushion icon. This was the app I was after.
After getting a rundown on how the car works and what all the different buttons on the touchscreen controlled, I reached for the Tesla icon on the home screen. From there I knew I could slide open the hidden tricks and games, including the newest app: Emissions Testing Mode, aka "fart mode."
Sure enough, I could control which seats in the ironically emissions-free vehicle gave out a loud, noxious toot. Impressively, the farting noises really did sound like they were coming from the front passenger seat or the back seat. There's a drop-down menu of fart sound options, all named for inside jokes and nods to other Tesla CEO Elon Musk ventures and interests.
One of the seven fart options, Ludicrous (named for the all-out setting on some Tesla vehicles that can send the car practically flying), was the best. That emission option was perfectly juicy, but realistic -- all while still staying in the humorous realm. It never got too disgusting. And (for now) it's an odor-free experience, so it's more than tolerable. If you can't decide which fart you like best, there's an option for random gassing.
You can also set the farts to go off every time you use the turn signal, which is peak ridiculousness.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Tesla's Easter eggs are what give the car a bit more personality. Even if a fart button seems juvenile, you have to crack a smile at the silliness and admit it's a fun feature. Completely unnecessary, but a little something extra to discover, enjoy, and perhaps unleash on your unknowing friends.
Emissions testing mode is only one of the tongue-in-cheek gems scattered through the car's "interface." You can set "Navigate on Autopilot"—the semi-autonomous feature that allows your vehicle to overtake slower cars on the road—from "mild" to "Mad Max."
Not as funny as fart mode. But maybe a little more useful.
