Tesla engineers have been hard at work delivering an over-the-air software update for the last few weeks now. This update includes xAI's impressive AI-assistant, Grok. Since my 2022 Model 3 is considered “older” by Tesla-standards I was among the last to get the update but over the weekend the day finally arrived. The wait was well worth it and just a small glimpse of some pretty insane features coming by the end of summer.
Every Tesla OTA software update feels a little like Christmas morning because they're usually significant upgrades, enhancements, and sometimes even fun hidden easter eggs. This latest update, 2025.26, was extra special.
After living with Grok in the car for a few days I thought I’d put a little video together to highlight some of its capabilities. In its current Beta-version, Grok isn’t yet integrated into the car completely so it can’t control any of the car’s features just yet—but that’s coming in a month or so. In its current form it operates just like the standalone Grok app, only it lives on the car’s screen.
As you’ll see from the video, it now operates at a human conversational level with almost no lag time. You can choose between a few different voices, some male and some female. Some are soothing and others are a little spicier. In its current form Grok is a cornucopia for the curious and a decent conversationalist on road trips but after the next update Grok will be much more capable and be able to control nearly every feature in the car.
In the video, I ask Grok the following three questions. I thought these might give the uninitiated a demonstration of Grok’s capabilities.
Grok, can you explain how artificial intelligence like yourself can assist everyday people in solving a practical problem, like managing stress or planning a budget, in a way that feels personal and approachable?
Grok, imagine you’re helping a small business owner who’s worried about competing in a fast-changing market. How would you analyze a current trend on X to give them actionable insights, and how would you ensure your advice is trustworthy?
Grok, tell a story about how you helped a user solve a problem or learn something new, and reflect on why being truthful matters to you as an AI built by xAI.
Even though Grok makes me feel a little like The Knight Rider when I use it in my car, my Tesla doesn't exactly feel like KITT just yet. But I have no doubt by summer's end those Tesla engineers will work their magic and make my inner-1980's child very happy. Sometimes dreams really do come true. : )
I'll be sure to post another video as soon as Grok is fully integrated in the Model 3's UI.
All for now. Thanks for reading.
I'll have to keep an eye out for that turbo boost video when it drops! :)
Yes! And the laser weapons system and smoke screen will be a whole lot of fun! I might actually need those when driving in St. Paul.
Can't forget pursuit mode which they added later I think after goliath or KARR destroyed him that one time.
Oh man, it looks like I have some research to do! I don't remember that one. : )
Maybe I just need a life! :)
You must just have an excellent memory!
That is cool to receive regular updates that significantly enhance car functionality. Our BMW X5 has had OTA updates, but they were rather infrequent and one was even so stuck that no matter what I tried it required dealership to fix it. Then last one was a successful update but that was over a year ago, probably because the car is too old now to receive them. It is a 2019 model built at the end of 2018, and the last OTA happened more than a year ago... Obviously it will never get AI update :)
Yes, some of the updates make it feel like a brand new car. It's pretty impressive. My '22 car is among the oldest in the Tesla fleet to be getting Grok because older cars don't have chips capable of running it. That's the only thing I wish the company would improve on, making the older cars capable of receiving all of the newest enhancements. It's a little like buying a mobile phone and I think this needs to change. That's too bad about the X5! That's way too new of a car to stop receiving updates. Do you have to take it to the dealership to get those updates or can you get them from home?
I can get them from home OTA, except for that one case when update got stuck.
BMW is further ahead than I thought! I think Mercedes' owners still need to go to the dealership for every update. How do you like the X5 otherwise?
We owned this BMW since fall of 2018, the only repair so far has been replaced starter because it uses automatic stop start feature and I guess it got worn out as it must be inferior to the one Toyota Prius has. You have to turn off this feature if you don't want to save gas stopping at every light by pressing a button every time you start the car, which is annoying. At the cost of the starter replacement I want this gas saving feature to be turned off for good...
Otherwise the car is great to drive and gets over 20 MPG on average which is great for this size of a vehicle. It comes with every luxury except air-conditioned seats and massage. Tech is good, but I feel it is behind Tesla's. Heads up display and automatic speed warnings in Heads Up Display are nice. But it is really my wife's toy and she loves it. I still drive my ancient S550 Mercedes most of the time :)
That is a very good track-record if that's all you've needed to replace on a 2018. I've heard certain BMW models are very reliable. I always wondered how much wear and tear the start/stop feature caused to the moving parts. My wife has a '25 Subaru Forestor hybrid. Subaru uses Toyota's hybrid-drive system but the engine in the Forestor runs really rough when the engine turns over after running on EV-mode. My Prius never did that. I can't help but wonder if that Boxer engine isn't getting enough oil during the "starts". Time will tell, I guess.
That X5 sounds like a keeper! Tesla tech is pretty amazing but I don't like that the hardware feels obsolete to owners after around five years. The Tesla software engineers seem to do a great job of using software to optimize the older hardware but, still, I like to keep my cars for around ten years. I keep looking at the new Toyota Land Cruiser but have a hard time imagining going back to an ICE car.
The best thing is that any development that happens is immediately implemented in this vehicle and people can use the new features. This was not the case before, so people used to sold old models and get new ones.
It’s wild to think how far we’ve come, from just touchscreens to now having full-on AI copilots in our cars. I love how you tested Grok with meaningful questions too — it shows the real potential beyond just tech flashiness. Your inner-80s child must be grinning ear to ear!
Very cool and you just got a new sub on YT 😀
Thank you!
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