Tesla FSD Supervised Review: Smart, Scary, and Still Learning

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) has officially rolled out in Australia, the first right-hand-drive market to get the tech. I took a Model 3 for a spin—well, more of a glide—and let the software strut its stuff. Mostly.

Let’s be clear: FSD (Supervised) is not autonomous. It’s a glorified co-pilot with a superiority complex. You’re still in charge, but the car will sulk if you grip the wheel too tightly or dare to brake mid-manoeuvre. It’s like driving with a passive-aggressive ghost.

The system is available outright for $10,100 AUD or via subscription at $149/month. Tesla promises a 30-day trial, though details are still foggier than a Wollongong winter morning.

My trip began with a demo and a dash of scepticism. The Model 3 behaved like a debutante at finishing school—graceful, polite, and slightly smug. It stopped at lights, threaded through Sydney’s snarls, and even avoided tolls like a tight-fisted pensioner. That last bit wasn’t my doing, mind you. The “avoid tolls” setting was sneakily enabled, rerouting me through the scenic school-zone gauntlet had I not sorted it out. After a ludicrous side trip we were back on the freeway.

Ten minutes into the M1 sprint, the Tesla tried to exit onto the old highway. I vetoed the move with several unsuccessful indicator presses and a wheel jerk, only to discover that reactivating FSD required a secret handshake: both hands on the wheel, a ress of the right ball, a press-and-hold of the blue on-screen button, and a silent prayer. Once appeased, the car resumed its duties—braking, steering, and indicating like a distracted Uber driver.

(VIDEO REVIEW TO FOLLOW)

Above: This Week’s VIDEO Review – Reviewing the 2025 Ford Transit Custom Sport LWB Dual Cab

#FordTransitCustom, #TransitSportLWB, #VanLifeAustralia, #DieselVanReview, #2025FordTransit, #DualCabVan, #VanCamping, #FordTransitReview, #TransitCustomTrail, #ETransitCustom, #TransitCustomPHEV, #ElectricVanAustralia, #VanLife #GayCarBoys

ABOVE: Tesla Model 3 and Model Y get FSD – Supervised

Then came the moment. A right-hand turn at a traffic light with a red arrow. The main light went green, and the Model 3 bolted like a scalded cat. We turned against the red. I froze. The oncoming traffic didn’t. Thankfully, they showed mercy. But it was the very scenario I’d feared: the car made a call, and I didn’t flinch in time.

Later, the tunnels were sublime. The Model 3 glided like a vacuum-tube shuttle (a social reference for the older folk), though the navigation map and status window had a minor domestic—one recalculating, the other forging ahead. It sorted itself out eventually, like most couples.

On the M1, I aimed for the Brooklyn Bridge and the Old Pacific Highway’s delicious bends. The Tesla disagreed. It indicated to exit. I counter-indicated. It re-indicated. I overruled. The car sulked. Again.

Then came the ensemble moment: a dawdling Audi Q3 doing 65 in a 110 zone, holding up traffic like it was auditioning for a slow parade. Behind it, a truck loomed—one of those long-haul bruisers with a chrome grille and a horn that sounded like it was trying to summon the dead. The driver, clearly unimpressed, began a symphony of Colonel Bogey hoots, each blast a not-so-subtle commentary on the Q3’s pace and possibly its owner’s anatomy. The Tesla, ever the diplomat, held its lane and let the drama unfold. I considered overtaking, but the timing was off and the exit was near. FSD, sensing the tension but refusing to engage in the pettiness of human road politics, peeled off quietly, leaving the Q3 and the truck to continue their passive-aggressive pas de deux.

We slowed and made our way round the roundabout. FSD does not signal on roundabouts, apparently. After pausing at the T intersection, we turned on to the old road and back towards town. After crossing the newly painted Peats Ferry Bridge, we ascended through magnificent sandstone cuttings from the 1930s. The bends are notorious as demonstrated by a new memorial to a fallen biker who died a few days earlier.

The tighter the bends, the more senior the Model 3 became, taking some of the 70kph corners at 40. Don’t get me wrong—I was glad of the caution. Close to one of the bends we came upon an ancient man in Lycra wheezing up the hill, pedalling for all he was worth. The FSD simply signalled, changed lanes and passed safely then returned to the outside lane. I was quite impressed. We arrived at the roadside eatery and I was surprised that the car signalled and entered the property, but without properly marked spaces, its attempt at parking was rudimentary and needed fine tuning.

The return trip was against the clock. This time no such trouble with tolls, but there was a kerfuffle with directions. For some reason the Model 3 diverted to Sydney’s inner west en route to the airport-side location of Tesla’s OZ HQ. We crossed the ANZAC Bridge, entered the M4 tunnel, exited the M4 tunnel, went round the block, re-entered the M4 in the opposite direction to be spat out onto Gardeners Road at the desired destination. The odd side trip added 15 minutes to the trip.

Final thoughts?

FSD (Supervised) is brilliant, infuriating, and oddly endearing. You can override it with indicators or steering pressure, but it’ll make you work for it. Too much wheel pressure and it demands a voice report like a tattletale. It’s not quite HAL 9000, but it’s definitely the cat that’s plotting your demise while purring on your lap.

One last tip: if you’re going to use FSD most of the time don’t bother buying performance as well. The FSD is calm and cool, and drives like nanna.

#TeslaFSD, #Model3Australia, #SelfDrivingReview, #TeslaSupervised, #AutonomousDriving, #EVTech, #SydneyDriveTest, #TeslaAustralia, #FSD2025, #TechReview

Tesla Stories

• 2025 Tesla Model Y Juniper First Drive – Tesla Nails the Makeover with Knobs On
• Tesla’s Self-Driving Dreams Hit a Redlight in China
• Tesla 2025 Model Y Price and Detail Revealed
• Tesla Class Action re Phantom Braking, Battery, Autopilot Claims
• Why I’m Selling the Tesla Model 3 for a Polestar 4
• Tesla’s Cybercab Takes Centre Stage at Petersen Automotive Museum
• 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance – What’s New for 2024
• My 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance First Drive – WOW – In Pictures
• 2018 Tesla Model S P100D VIDEO Review
• 2018 Tesla Model S P100D Review
• 2017 Tesla Model S P100D video review
• 2017 Tesla Model S P100D Review

SHORT Video Review: Lexus LC500 Convertible Roof operation. Mesmerising. Sorry about the rubbish background

@lexus, #lexuslc500convertible, #alanzurvas, #gaycarboys

#automobile #shorts #audietrongtrs #gaycarboys #alanzurvas ##shorts