TMC Member pnoble has been loyal to Porsche for 16 years, but the Tesla Model 3 Performance lured him away.
After spending a bit of time with his new ride, pnoble put together a detailed comparison of his Porsche and Tesla experiences. In short – he doesn’t miss the Porsche much.
Here’s the review from pnoble:
I have driven a silver 911 C4S for 16 years, models: 997.1, 997.2, 991.1, 991.2 and two weeks ago I switched to a Tesla 3 Performance. I had wondered what to expect but couldn’t find any posts anywhere on making the change; only YouTube 911/Tesla 3P drag race videos!
So, for anyone considering the move and for Tesla 3 Performance owners wondering if they made the right choice (they did!) or what they might be missing (not a whole lot in IMHO!), here are some initial thoughts.
Firstly my own profile since that obviously colors my perspective: I am strictly an on-road driver. I have never been on a race track. I am a pretty aggressive, disciplined, reasonably responsible driver with a Valentine 1 who never exceeds 100 mph but is often driving over 80 mph on the highway and spends a fair amount of time navigating around my fellow NJ drivers! I have been ticket-free for the past ten years or so. I love to drive. I have never used cruise control, ever.
I loved my 911s for all the obvious reasons. They are beautiful sensual cars, especially from the back, exquisitely made and far, far in excess, at least roadholding performance-wise, of anything I ever put them through. My first and second were stick-shift and there was something wonderful about the experience of moving through the exquisite gear box. When they added a seventh gear I gave up and switched to PDK which was wonderful. I never once used the paddles. I kept my 911 in sports mode, always.
I leased all four cars and persuaded myself I wasn’t actually paying for all the options. Of course, I was! The sumptuous leather interior, the fantastic Burmester sound system, the PASM, the auto leveling, the four wheel steering in the last one…..everything is extra in a Porsche. Everything.
I never got the sports exhaust which, as someone who despises Harley riders assaulting my ears, I thought was totally obnoxious. And not once did I try launch control. I couldn’t imagine sitting at the traffic light gunning my engine to 4,000 RPM with the other foot on the brake. And, honestly, everything about the car was probably a bit obnoxious for anyone looking at mine, especially when I passed them in the right lane at 90. Even driving at 30 mph in our no-sidewalk neighborhood, people walking their dogs would wag their finger at me because although I was not driving fast my car always sounded fast.
Anyhow, the lease was nearly up on my 991.2 and my dealer was asking when I was going to order the 992. With the options I was used to, nothing crazy but this is a 911, the list on it was close to $140K and the lease payment was going to be in the range of $2,200 a month.
And so…..with five clicks (including a double click for the deposit) I ordered and bought a Tesla 3 Performance! (Fun fact: ordering my Apple Watch took ten clicks on their web site!)
So here is my take on the car in comparison to the 911.