I drove a $57,500 Tesla Model 3 for a week to see if it's practical for everyday driving — here's the verdict (TSLA)

• After driving the Tesla Model 3 several times for short periods, I finally got to spend some quality time with Tesla's newest set of wheels.
• I borrowed a long-range Tesla Model 3, with rear-wheel-drive in Premium trim, to conduct my actual life for a week.
• I was already sort of blown away by the Model 3, but a week with the car wiped out the whole "sort of" part.

I feel as though I've been living with the Tesla Model 3 for years. I attended the unveiling of the car in 2016 and the subsequent launch in 2017. Later, I drove the rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive versions of what's become the most anticipated new car in history.

But I really, really wanted to do what I've done with other Teslas, which is live with the Model 3 for a week. This is the ultimate test of Tesla ownership: Can one of its sexy all-electric future machines — with their sharp looks and neck-snapping speed, their layers of technology and aspirations of full autonomy — handle everyday existence?

The Model S is a lovely luxury sedan, and the Model X is a tech-y, over-the-top SUV. The Model 3, by contrast, was designed to be an entry point to The Tesla Way. For the moment, that means a four-door boasting more than 300 miles of range on a single charge that costs about $50,000, a lot more than the $35,000 base version that Tesla isn't building yet.

Still, a car priced between $50,000 and $60,000 is going to attract plenty of attention — and not incidentally help Tesla and CEO Elon Musk achieve their goal of turning a profit in 2018.

The big question, of course, is: After all the delays endured by the Model 3 as it entered production last year, as well as the drama around Musk and Tesla, how does the car measure up?

And more importantly: If it's an initially impressive effort, what's it like after you've driven it around for a few days, in rain and shine, with a full load of passengers or by yourself?

I was eager to find out. Here's what I learned.

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I journeyed to the Tesla store in Brooklyn's Red Hook neighborhood to fetch the Model 3.

It was a $57,500 Model 3 Long Range in Premium trim, meaning it has a 75-kilowatt-hour battery pack and can travel 310 miles on a single charge. That's a $9,000 upgrade over the base-priced Model 3, a $35,000 vehicle Tesla isn't yet manufacturing.

About $5,000 worth of Premium upgrades, plus another $5,000 for Enhanced Autopilot semi-self-driving systems, and a cool grand for the red multi-coat paint job take the price up into luxury territory.

I got my first look at the Model 3 when it was revealed at the SpaceX headquarters/Tesla's design studio in Los Angeles in 2016.