New Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor Performance review

[AVANTI R5]

ge-topping Tesla Model 3 Performance sports saloon offers M3-beating performance and best-in-class tech





Verdict
5
Among a of sea of legends, the Tesla Model 3 stacks up as one of America’s greatest cars. Like them, it’s not quite perfect, but it offers something exciting and enticing – notably tech and performance - that you can’t get anywhere else. With a realistic range around the 300-mile mark, it proves that living with an EV is perfectly do-able, too – you’ll get a similar range to that of ICE rivals.
Never mind the Cheshire Cat, the Tesla Model 3 – in Dual Motor Performance spec – will put a smile on your face wider than the USA itself. So there we go: job done, review over.

Of course, there’s much more to a sports saloon than that, so how does this Model 3 stack up against, let’s call them more established, competitors wearing M, RS and AMG badges

We’re well used to Teslas in Europe these days, but the Model 3 is smaller, cuter and arguably better resolved – certainly proportionally. The sleek headlights on the stubby bonnet look like stickers, while the short overhangs front and rear add a pertness to the design that we’ve not seen from a Tesla before.

You unlock the car using a slim credit card-style piece of plastic waved against the B-pillar – or more likely with your phone, which works just like Tesla’s normal key by opening and closing the car as you approach.

You have to access the flush door handles yourself – they don’t pop out for you on the Model 3 – and then you swing open the doors to reveal an interior that’s other-worldly.

Let’s start in the back – you can wait for the best bit… Space is pretty similar to that in a 3 Series, so knee room isn’t too generous, but okay. There’s the added bonus of a flat floor with no transmission hump, but it’s comfy enough, the view out is good and the doors open wide enough to get in and out comfortably.

You’ve got a choice of front or rear boots – we can’t help but call the front boot a ‘froot’ – with a combined 425-litres of space. Access to the back is a bit letterbox-style, but the rear seats split and fold.

Then there’s the front. Slide into the rather comfy seats – our car had premium seating – and the optional all-white interior shows how well minimalism can work in a car.



The dash is dominated by a screen, of course – in this case a slim 15-inch monitor that sits landscape style. And when we say it controls everything, we mean everything – the only controls in front of you are a steering wheel, pedals and stalks (now bespoke, not Mercedes hand-me-downs) for the drive selector and wipers. Even the doors are opened via a push button.

Across the slim, white dash is a single wide air vent. Air flow is controlled via the screen, too, and you even open the glovebox by prodding a virtual button on the display.

There are clever charging points for your phone, plus deep-lidded storage and cup holders all between the seats. It’s a triumph of realising what you do and don’t need in your car, making the inside clean, comfortable and spacious. And as architect Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “Space is the breath of art.”

You may think that having everything on the screen could be problematic, and although Tesla has put the more important driver information as close to the driver as possible, you do have to look further away from the road to check your speed than you would usually. A head-up display would be a nice touch.

Otherwise, it all quickly becomes intuitive and you soon learn to use the two (yes, just two) buttons on the steering wheel to control the audio or standard autonomous tech to good effect.

On board Google navigation on the big screen works well, while the Performance model gets a standard sound system upgrade that’s pretty punchy.



Much has been mentioned about Tesla quality, but we were impressed with the quality of our test car and with that of two other Model 3 cars we met by chance on our test around the hills and highways near Tesla’s Freemont factory.

Whether the car is built by Americans in baseball caps and T-shirts in a ‘tent’ in the factory parking lot or bearded artisans wearing thick leather aprons in a mountainside chalet, quality is perfectly good enough. Audi good? No. But not far off and we had no extraneous squeaks or rattles.

Of the many options in the menus in the touchscreen, we decided to opt for Sport rather than Chill in the drive mode, and set off to enjoy the sort of instant acceleration that makes any internal combustion-engined car feel tardy.

Tesla says this sportiest Model 3 will get from 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds – in reality it feels slightly quicker than that and not far off what the quickest Model S will do.

But what’s most enjoyable is that the slightest tickle of the throttle from any speed – especially standstill – will shove you back into your seat with a ferocity to rival the fiercest rollercoaster, with a fun factor to match. You’ll never tire of it and will look for every opportunity to do it.

Fun isn’t just about acceleration, though, as the Model 3’s rivals prove. They have a delicious dexterity that the neigh sayers will claim only internal combustion engine-cars can have due to an EV’s battery weight.

Sure enough, the Model 3 feels different; heavy even. Yet it grips well, turns in sharply and has very little body roll. You can feel the extra weight of the car – it must weigh over 1,800kg – pull the car down into the road, but it’ll stick steadfastly to its line with a different, but no less enjoyable feel to what you might be used to.


The steering isn’t quite as alert or tactile as that of a BMW M3, but it’s accurate enough, while sudden changes of direction don’t leave you rueing that sizeable battery pack sitting in the chassis.

True, it’s not quite as delicate to drive as an M3 or C63 can be – in spite of their power. It’s different – and you only need to flex your right foot to get the biggest grin back on your face.

We’re still about a year away from first Model 3 deliveries in the UK, but if you fancy one, then £1,000 deposits are still being taken with UK deliveries expected some time next year – probably the latter half.

The Model 3 comes in limited flavours: standard and long range – with a choice of rear or all-wheel drive – plus this Performance version with only the 4x4 option.
Performance also drops the ride height slightly and tweaks the motors to up the power from the 75kWh battery to around 450bhp. The range jumps up to a claimed 310 miles (and we did our best to dent that, but it appears pretty realistic), while you get a few cosmetic boosts, including the cute, carbon-fibre rear spoiler.

This model doesn’t come cheap – but then neither do its rivals. In the US the base price is $64,000. The premium interior upgrade is included in that price, but you’ll have to pay extra for every paint colour except for black, the wonderful white interior costs $1,500, while the ‘enhanced auto pilot’ (which is better than anything anyone else can currently offer) costs $5,000. If you want to ensure full-self driving capability in the future, that’ll be another $3,000. Our car topped out at $71,000 - Tesla has certainly learnt a trick or two about options from its rivals.

When it arrives in the UK, we’d expect prices to be pretty much pound for dollar – maybe a little less. It would be nice if a base price was around £60,000, which would still look pretty good up against its ‘old tech’ rivals.

Key specs
Model: Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor Performance
Price: £60,000 (est)
Power: dual electric motor, four-wheel drive
0-60mph: 3.5 seconds
Top speed: 155mph
Range: 310 miles
Equipment: 15” touchscreen, level 2 autonomous driving, premium audio system, on-board wifi

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[elirentz]

I'm waiting to see actual timed track comparisons. Will the model 3 beat an M3 around a track like Elon claimed?

My guess is it won't or we'd be seeing more track tests.

Not that it really matters in the end, but I want to see if Elon was making another empty promise.

[AVANTI R5]

Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD Gets 12 Miles More Range, Tiny Price Bump

Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD: range up 4%, price up just 1%

Tesla started November 2019 with a small change in the Tesla Model 3 offer in the U.S. as the Long Range AWD got more range at a slightly higher price.

Let's start with the range. It's now 322 miles (518 km) EPA, a full 12 miles (19 km) or 3.9% more than before.

It's almost on par with the discontinued Long Range RWD version, which at some point had an estimated range of 325 miles (523 km).

The price increased by $500 or 1% from $47,990 to $48,490. It's not a bad deal considering that recently acceleration also improved a little bit: 0-60 mph (96 km/h) time - 4.4 seconds (from 4.5 seconds previously).

As the Standard Range Plus also got slightly more range and h igher price in October, one might think that it's now time for the Performance version. The price went up by $1,000 two weeks ago, and it would be nice to see a range improvement too. However, Performance versions of the Tesla cars are usually getting a lower range than the non-Performance AWD counterparts, so we are not expecting it.

The Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD changes:

Price: from $47,990 to $48,490 (up by $500 or 1%)
Range: from 310 miles (499 km) to 322 miles (518 km) (up by 12 miles/19 km or 3.9%)
external_image

Tesla Model 3 offer in the U.S. as of November 1, 2019

Standard Range RWD (not listed, price from summer): $34,725
($35,400 MSRP + $1,200 DST - $1,875 federal tax credit)
Standard Range Plus RWD:$38,815
($39,490 MSRP + $1,200 DST - $1,875 federal tax credit)
Long Range AWD: $47,815
($48,490 MSRP + $1,200 DST - $1,875 federal tax credit)
Performance LR AWD: $56,315
($56,990 MSRP + $1,200 DST - $1,875 federal tax credit)

[AVANTI R5]

I saw Elirentz comment from 2018 about Ring time etc...Thought of this article/info from cars.com this week.

The Week in Tesla News: Model S Rocks the ’Ring, Model 3 Aces Crash Tests, Dog Mode Defended

https://www.cars.com/articles/the-we...fended-410252/

[AVANTI R5]

Boy talk about coming long way.. 322 miles AWD, 4.4 seconds. With electric anyone can get off the line match claimed zero to sixty. Starting to see more Tesla cars in my area (North East PA, but out in the country), I don’t how the service warranty crap goes, guess the come out or it flat-bedded to nearest facility. Anyway, at 322 I’m in.. I’m good at 30 really, just that once twice a month 200 mile round trips.

[AVANTI R5]

Neeeed5

Can The Tesla Roadster Really Be Faster Than Expected Or Is This News Just Damage Control

Given all of Musk’s claims in the past, it’s got a lot to live up to for sure



0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds. 0-100 mph in 4.2 seconds. A quarter-mile run in 8.8 seconds and a top speed in excess of 250 mph. All with a car that can go over 620 miles on a single charge. These were Elon Musk’s claims about the second-generation Tesla Roadster two years ago. If you’re still impressed, don’t be because, apparently, the production version will blow to smithereens the prototype. Or so says its designer.

The Tesla Roadster will be "the ultimate vehicle"

Can the Tesla Roadster Really Be Faster Than Expected or Is This News Just Damage Control for Missed Targets?
- image 746102
Forget about the Bugatti Chiron. Forget about the Koenigsegg Jesko or the Pininfarina Battista or just about any other hybrid, electric, or gas-guzzling hypercar because we’ll all have to turn our heads back around to the front when the second-generation Tesla Roadster finally arrives... sometime in the future.

All right, so we don't know when it will be ready but Tesla wants us to believe it's worth waiting for the 2+2 electric missile for the road.

According to Franz von Holzhausen, ex Mazda and Volkswagen designer who’s penned all Teslas since the Model S, the Roadster is "evolving" and "needs more time," but, on the upside, it will be "even better than what we’ve unveiled in every way." He’s referring to the prototype shown two years ago alongside Tesla’s equally futuristic Semi. The American designer made these audacious claims during a ’Ride the Lightning’ podcast but he was tight-lipped when it came to giving away any numbers.

Can the Tesla Roadster Really Be Faster Than Expected or Is This News Just Damage Control for Missed Targets?
- image 745803
What we know is that the Roadster will feature the ’Plaid’ drivetrain with the triple electric motor setup, one in the front and two in the rear, allowing for all-wheel drive and torque vectoring mid-corner. We’ve already seen bits of what a Plaid-equipped Model S can do around the Nordschleife so you can only imagine what a Roadster’s capable of. After all, it’s not every day that we can talk about a car with a 200-kWh (720 MJ) battery that features one of the most amazing optional extras in the entire automotive industry: 10 cold gas thrusters that are said to slash the 0-60 mph time from 2.1 seconds to 1.9 seconds. Now, given von Holzhausen’s bold statements, we expect even more. But how much more is even possible?

2020 Tesla Roadster performance numbers
0-to-60 mph 1.9 seconds
0-to-100 mph 4.2 seconds
Quarter mile 8.9 seconds
Top speed 250+ mph
Range per charge 620 miles
Battery pack 200 kWh
Electric motors 3 (one in front, two in rear)
Torque 10,000 Nm
With 7,2000 pound-feet of torque sent to the wheels (in prototype form that is), Tesla thinks a lot is possible. "It’s an amazing machine. That car is like no other," Tesla’s Chief Designer also underlined.

"It showcases the ability of what an electric vehicle can do."

Let’s hope all this isn’t just dust in the wind and that the $200,000 MSRP won’t change but don’t bet your life on it just yet.

Can the Tesla Roadster Really Be Faster Than Expected or Is This News Just Damage Control for Missed Targets?
- image 746103
We don’t mean to say that improving on the Roadster’s already mind-boggling performance figures is impossible but you got to admit it’s a tall order for anyone, given it’s supposed to crush everything in the hypercar realm. And we don’t use ’crush’ as a hyperbole. Consider the Pininfarina Battista. With 1,900 horsepower and 1696 pound-feet of torque from its Rimac-developed power bank, it will seem like a horse-drawn carriage next to the Roadster that’s supposed to dip below the Battista’s 1.8-second 0-60 mph time with over four times the torque. And it should also blow it out of the water when it comes to a top speed run since the Battista won’t surpass 217 mph, 33 mph slower than the suggested top speed for the Roadster in prototype guise.

Looking across to what ICE-powered cars can muster, it’s laughable. A Jesko needs some 2.5 seconds to hit 60 mph and a Chiron can’t go below 2.4 seconds. Tesla’s very own Model S P100D with Ludicrous mode and the latest updates is said to be capable of a sub-2.3-second 0-60 mph run but even that is about half a second slower than the Roadster.

We don't know exactly how powerful the Roadster will be but all of the cars we've mentioned up until now are genuine powerhouses with as much as 1,600 horsepower on tap, so we guess Tesla aims to surpass that number too.

In hindsight, after seeing how Musk strapped the first-gen Roadster to one of its rockets and sent it into space, we can only conclude that the sky is really the limit for Tesla - and it has to be given how high they’ve set the bar for themselves with all the statements made in the past two years.

[WReXinEfX]

I test drove a Model 3 performance edition with the 20" wheels. It was scary fast, never been in a car that just rockets off the line without any hesitation and just keeps going and no gear shifts. Every sports car even $300k+ cars have to change gears. My body felt like it just ejected out of a launchpad on the highway. Most Teslas I've seen on the road drive like Priuses. But never seen anybody gone fast with it.

I overcooked the turn a little and the tail comes out and then the AWD just sort itself out like the Evo and the car just sort itself out. Amazing. It definitely feels like the car has a lot of traction control, assists, and collision safety system. I got a little too close to the sidewalk and the steering wheel sort of locked itself and the car pull back onto the road.

The Tesla worker told me that if you switch to Track mode it will be less intrusive with the assists.

After my 15min drive, I honestly don't think there's one car quicker on the road for under $60k. It was just electrifying fast.

[juanmedina]

Originally Posted by WReXinEfX

I test drove a Model 3 performance edition with the 20" wheels. It was scary fast, never been in a car that just rockets off the line without any hesitation and just keeps going and no gear shifts. Every sports car even $300k+ cars have to change gears. My body felt like it just ejected out of a launchpad on the highway. Most Teslas I've seen on the road drive like Priuses. But never seen anybody gone fast with it.

I overcooked the turn a little and the tail comes out and then the AWD just sort itself out like the Evo and the car just sort itself out. Amazing. It definitely feels like the car has a lot of traction control, assists, and collision safety system. I got a little too close to the sidewalk and the steering wheel sort of locked itself and the car pull back onto the road.

The Tesla worker told me that if you switch to Track mode it will be less intrusive with the assists.

After my 15min drive, I honestly don't think there's one car quicker on the road for under $60k. It was just electrifying fast.

You can get the same car without the big brakes and spoiler with 18" wheels for $52K . You can spend what you save on some KW coilovers, wheels and tires and some pads and make the handle like a dream.

[godfather2112]

Originally Posted by WReXinEfX

I test drove a Model 3 performance edition with the 20" wheels. It was scary fast, never been in a car that just rockets off the line without any hesitation and just keeps going and no gear shifts. Every sports car even $300k+ cars have to change gears. My body felt like it just ejected out of a launchpad on the highway. Most Teslas I've seen on the road drive like Priuses. But never seen anybody gone fast with it.

I overcooked the turn a little and the tail comes out and then the AWD just sort itself out like the Evo and the car just sort itself out. Amazing. It definitely feels like the car has a lot of traction control, assists, and collision safety system. I got a little too close to the sidewalk and the steering wheel sort of locked itself and the car pull back onto the road.

The Tesla worker told me that if you switch to Track mode it will be less intrusive with the assists.

After my 15min drive, I honestly don't think there's one car quicker on the road for under $60k. It was just electrifying fast.

I'm pretty sure it is the fastest vehicle available under $60k.

[juanmedina]

Originally Posted by godfather2112

I'm pretty sure it is the fastest vehicle available under $60k.

and I just got my 5% power bump yesterday .

[WReXinEfX]

I'm talking to the Tesla salesman and they just sold a used P3 for $55k with 7k on it. They get used one every 1-2 weeks and he said the used Dual Motor non-Performance models can be bought for $47k used. I might shoot for the DM for just $45kish. The loan is only 3.9% which is really good.

[juanmedina]

Originally Posted by WReXinEfX

I'm talking to the Tesla salesman and they just sold a used P3 for $55k with 7k on it. They get used one every 1-2 weeks and he said the used Dual Motor non-Performance models can be bought for $47k used. I might shoot for the DM for just $45kish. The loan is only 3.9% which is really good.

If you have any questions or need a referral code let me know

[arghx7]

got my 5% power bump on my non performance long range AWD. It snowed here so the road wasn't good for hard acceleration. I'll test it in the next day or two.

The long range AWD is already very fast with very hard acceleration. The Performance is literally painful. When I got a ride in one at Tesla store I wasn't ready for the stop light launch, and my neck was hurting afterward. My buddy traded in his Camaro SS 1LE for a Model 3 Performance.

[WReXinEfX]

Originally Posted by arghx7

got my 5% power bump on my non performance long range AWD. It snowed here so the road wasn't good for hard acceleration. I'll test it in the next day or two.

The long range AWD is already very fast with very hard acceleration. The Performance is literally painful. When I got a ride in one at Tesla store I wasn't ready for the stop light launch, and my neck was hurting afterward. My buddy traded in his Camaro SS 1LE for a Model 3 Performance.

The P3 is scary fast, I think my kidneys were pressed against my back. You're not supposed to step on it like ICE since the torque delivery was just insane.

The handling was something that surprised me, there was no understeer as it was just so flat it makes boxer engine feel like a yaht. The closest like I said was like having AYC and ACD on the Evo but without a stiff suspension. P3 didn't feel that stiff and it's able to ride like rails on turns.

I may try to get a test drive of Model S P90D and see how that compares with P3.

[Pre]

Originally Posted by WReXinEfX

I test drove a Model 3 performance edition with the 20" wheels. It was scary fast, never been in a car that just rockets off the line without any hesitation and just keeps going and no gear shifts. Every sports car even $300k+ cars have to change gears. My body felt like it just ejected out of a launchpad on the highway. Most Teslas I've seen on the road drive like Priuses. But never seen anybody gone fast with it.

Congrats. This is exactly how a modern literbike/superbike feels under WFO through the gears. You have to get used to it and master it or it will kill you. The only car besides a MP4-12c I have driven that could accelerate like my bikes was a Model S P90D. I'm used to it on my bikes with 20 years experience in the saddle. I'm not used to that in a car. It felt mind bending WFO from a roll at 20-25 mph. I thought I'd handle it easily with all the track time and my felony rides in the country but no. My first mod in that damn Model 3 Performance model would be a hard mount for my V1 so I don't end up in jail. Thankfully I don't have the temptation with the Ford Pinto version in my garage (2013 Leaf). It's going to be fun watching Tesla's truck come out and see what it can do in terms of acceleration, payload and towing.

[WReXinEfX]

I just took delivery last week of used Model 3 LRDM with 10k mi on it with 19" wheels for $47k including the FSD. I know a lot of folks said the FSD is not worth it but I figure it may come in handy in my 50mi round trip commute later on. There was another used one for $43k without the FSD. So I figured adding $4k with FSD is not a bad deal.

So far I can't think of any reason to go for the Performance Model. The performance, handling, and ride felt just like it without the extra $10k bump.

The car is so fast I can't think of needing anymore performance as is. On the open highway it can go from 50-90 like in under 2 secs, the handling is amazing. If you make lane changes at over 80mph+ the car is perfectly flat and no body roll/.

If anyone is shopping for a STI, don't bother with it. You can have a Model 3 that has no turbo lag, no body roll, no constant gas fill ups, and from what I read of other owners, hardly any car maintenance to perform.

[arghx7]

I'm very happy with my long range AWD non performance, but you do notice the additional low end torque on the performance model. The non performance blows the STi away though, I agree, and you don't feel the weight too much due to the low center of gravity. It weighs as much as my challenger but feels completely different partly because it doesn't have a big V8 boat anchor under the hood.