I should mention too that I'm retired so I don't use the car to commute, not that I ever drove to work anyway. In NYC you don't drive to an office in Manhattan unless you are crazy.
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2021 Model 3 SR+ vs LR Purchase...Check My Assumptions & Conclusions Please
- Thread starter Jeremy3292
- Start date
In So. Cal, we basically drive everywhere, as public transportation is very inconvenient. Even Nor. Cal is much better in this regard, and back where you are its another level, lol. Im a born and raised native Southern Californian. First time I went to NY on a work trip a long time ago, I was seriously shocked that people could actually get places efficiently on public transportation.
I went to Japan (Tokyo) on vacation in 2012 for a couple of weeks, and that was seriously amazing on a lot of levels, but public transportation was certainly one of them.
I went to Japan (Tokyo) on vacation in 2012 for a couple of weeks, and that was seriously amazing on a lot of levels, but public transportation was certainly one of them.
I have a LR while one of my brother-in-laws has a SR+ and the other has one of the rare Model Y SR+ that Tesla made for a few weeks. Anyway, both of my BILs complain about the range of their SR+ vehicles here in SoCal, but particularly the one with the Y SR+ (and, to be fair, he frequently commutes over 150 miles per day). I think the LR is the way to go if you will ever be road tripping in the car. Road trips are doable in the SR+, but you will have to stop quite frequently and always be on the hunt for chargers. You may also make less use of features like Sentry Mode because they eat battery.
Things in the SR+'s favor:
Things in the SR+'s favor:
- The interior is basically the same as the LR (minus the sound system, though there are 3rd party solutions to that problem, or so I hear)
- They are significantly cheaper, I assume insurance is also slightly cheaper (FYI, Tesla insurance rates can be quite high...get some quotes before buying)
- They weigh less and RWD generally has a more sporty feel
- They are slightly more efficient than the LR model so your charging costs will be very slightly lower
you clearly spent some time putting these together. thank you for that!Here are some threads, but there are more (many more) if you search for "SR vs LR" or search terms like that.
SR+ vs LR AWD, buying advice
Hi folks, new here! I would really appreciate some advice to help me making the best choice. Here the reasons why I'm so undecided between these two: - around 15000km per year, 5-6 long trips x year (around 600km) - really like skiing so I was wondering if RW could be safe driving in the snow...teslamotorsclub.com
Sr+ w/FSD vs Lr- FSD
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Model 3: SR+ w/ FSD vs LR
So been saving for a while and it’s finally time to purchase my first Tesla. Basically I can comfortably purchase a SR+ with FSD or a LR without FSD (just the basic autopilot)... But both makes it a little tight. Although still doable. If you had to choose one of the two options which would...Help Me Decide SR+ vs MR VS LR RWD
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Posted this on reddit. Thought I’d get some feedback from here as well. Long time lurker here. I’ve been struggling with going with the SR or splurging and getting the LR. Thought I’d ask the question here to get some of your thoughts. I’m a day one reservation holder and will definitely get...M3 SR+ or LR AWD
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I'm still waiting on paperwork before I can trade in my current car for a Model 3. In a "money not an issue" scenario of course I'd go for long range. But my family wants to travel, and since the Model Y doesn't look like it's going to be the replacement for our Tiguan I thought it would, I've...How much do you value SR+ to LR (AWD) range upgrade?
I have been debating for a while whether I actually "Need" the LR model vs SR+. In my mind the SR+ represented a good value and the $9K upgrade cost to LR AWD seemed hard to justify. However, when I thought about how nice it would be to go to the mountains for skiing and not be as effected by...Performance vs Long Range vs SR+ (still undecided...)
Hello all, I thought I'd post a new thread on this topic even though the question has been asked many times. My dilemma: after waiting 4 months from order date to being allocated a hidden VIN I have had way too much time to toss up between the P3D+ I have on order vs the "more sensible" LR...
Note, I find this type of response a lot more polite than other forums where people simply say "use search" even though I realize it amounts to the same thing, in the end.
rpiotro
Active Member
For me it was the $10,000 and 604 lbs. A relatively light weight, rear drive sport sedan can be a lot of fun.
Some of the weight savings from the battery pack maybe disappearing on future M3 SR+. It is rumoured that future SR vehicles will be using LFP batteries (already the case in Europe) that is nominally 165 kg heavier than corresponding capacity Nickel Cobalt batteries. The weight increase will be offset by the ability to charge to 100% without long term impact to battery life and more consistent power delivery across charge range due to flatter voltage curve.
I just completed a a 1650 km (990 mile) trip across a day and half between Waterloo ON and Moncton NB along the trans-canada highway in my 2021 M3 SR+. The average SC stop distance was between 150-240 km (90-140 mi) with a charge time of 15-20 mins (8 SC charge stops for approx 2 hrs total). I expect a LR version would be able to do same trip with 5-6 charge stops with 1.5 hrs total. So if you expect to do many long trips in excess of 800 km, I would expect some significant charge stop time savings. LR will also give you the option to skip certain SC stations that are known to have long lines which is typically not an option with SR+.
IMO, it ultimately boils down to how you value/need:
1) the additional range for long trips and how often you take them
2) the increased DC charging rate
3) the additional acceleration/traction of AWD. Note that the difference in acceleration is mostly when starting from a standstill. If the vehicle is already at speed, the acceleration difference is much less.
4) niceties of the AWD version, which are limited to carpeted floor mats, footwell lights, upgraded sound, rear heated seats (you have to pay $300 extra on the SR+) and fog lights
Only you can answer if the above is worth the additional $11,000* difference. Notice the asterisk, which assumes the initial $10,000 price difference + $1000 difference in taxes/fees. The difference is actually higher if you're financing the car because you're financing $11,000 more, but you may recoup some of that if/when you sell the vehicle. I've noticed that the SR+ seems to have the lowest rate of depreciation, since the AWD versions tend to prop up their resale value.
Carpeted floor mats I consider wasteful since all weather mats provide superior coverage for less $$$. Footwell lights I can live without, although they do add some nighttime ambiance. Fog lights can be easily retrofitted and are mostly decoration since the brightness/beam pattern of the headlights is already very good. Upgraded sound is subjective as it is highly dependent on the type of music, quality of the source, the listening levels you're accustomed to, and the number of hours you're spending in the vehicle. Understand that any moving car is a terrible soundstage for true audiophile listening - reverberation from the huge glass area, road/wind noise, and background noise from adjacent traffic.
1) the additional range for long trips and how often you take them
2) the increased DC charging rate
3) the additional acceleration/traction of AWD. Note that the difference in acceleration is mostly when starting from a standstill. If the vehicle is already at speed, the acceleration difference is much less.
4) niceties of the AWD version, which are limited to carpeted floor mats, footwell lights, upgraded sound, rear heated seats (you have to pay $300 extra on the SR+) and fog lights
Only you can answer if the above is worth the additional $11,000* difference. Notice the asterisk, which assumes the initial $10,000 price difference + $1000 difference in taxes/fees. The difference is actually higher if you're financing the car because you're financing $11,000 more, but you may recoup some of that if/when you sell the vehicle. I've noticed that the SR+ seems to have the lowest rate of depreciation, since the AWD versions tend to prop up their resale value.
Carpeted floor mats I consider wasteful since all weather mats provide superior coverage for less $$$. Footwell lights I can live without, although they do add some nighttime ambiance. Fog lights can be easily retrofitted and are mostly decoration since the brightness/beam pattern of the headlights is already very good. Upgraded sound is subjective as it is highly dependent on the type of music, quality of the source, the listening levels you're accustomed to, and the number of hours you're spending in the vehicle. Understand that any moving car is a terrible soundstage for true audiophile listening - reverberation from the huge glass area, road/wind noise, and background noise from adjacent traffic.
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Proflig8tor
Member
Drove all versions of the Model 3 before buying mine.
My priority was handling and driving fun. The SR+ had an obviously lighter front end which felt more effortless, compared to the other cars where the front mass was apparent. The regen transfers weight to the front and makes for the nicest front-end "bite" with a little bit of off-power oversteer; very Porsche 911 like. When I drive this car hard, I drive it very hard. However, most of the time I'm maximizing range for fun and average 190 wh/mi around town and about 225 on the highway. Driven like this we rotated the tires once at 10,000 miles and the wear was identical across all four tires (more even than we've seen on any of our other cars). Currently, the car is at 28,000 and there is plenty of tread left while we wait for the new Michelin Pilot Sport EV tires to hit the market. The SR+ is plenty fast enough; faster than Mustang GT's, a Porsche Cayman GT, AMG C43, since you will be across the intersection before they get all their shafts spinning and torque transferred through their gearboxes. Besides "slow car fast" is always more fun than "fast car slow."
Maybe the fast charging and range make a real-world difference, I don't know. It seems efficiency is it's own form of quick charging. We never have a problem charging this car during the reduced rates (free) offered by our utility provider. In contrast a much faster charging Model X P100D we borrowed needed all night and frankly, it felt like riding an elephant compared to the SR+. Of course, what really affects charging speed is how depleted your battery is before you charge. The lower, the better. I now aim to arrive at a SC at around 10 to 15% and leave at 60 to 80%. That last bit above 80% is s l o w.
As for road trips, the seats and autopilot make the SR+ such a great car that it gets more use than our Grumman Tiger that we bought just for family trips. I'd imagine the LR would be even better.
I'm kind of in the market for a Plaid, but want to experience the handling. My friend's Model S P100D is tremendously fun in a straight line, but too heavy to throw around some of the excellent roads we have around us (tail of the Dragon is just north of me). I understand the new Plaid's suspension has been revised with different struts and a completely new rear suspension. Look forward to giving it a try.
Compared to a LR, about all I lust after is the better interior lights of the LR and the improved sound system. A SR+ can buy enhanced productivity, but we can't get the indirect lighting subwoofer or speakers that the LR buyers enjoy. The SR+ sound system is fine for podcasts but pretty terrible if you are at all a sound nerd. Range just hasn't been an issue at all. Electricity is everywhere; campgrounds, etc ....
All the Model 3 cars are going to be a lot of fun to own and drive. I prefer the bookends of the line; the SR+ and the Performance. However, the SR+ on 19's is the goldilocks car for enthusiasts.
My priority was handling and driving fun. The SR+ had an obviously lighter front end which felt more effortless, compared to the other cars where the front mass was apparent. The regen transfers weight to the front and makes for the nicest front-end "bite" with a little bit of off-power oversteer; very Porsche 911 like. When I drive this car hard, I drive it very hard. However, most of the time I'm maximizing range for fun and average 190 wh/mi around town and about 225 on the highway. Driven like this we rotated the tires once at 10,000 miles and the wear was identical across all four tires (more even than we've seen on any of our other cars). Currently, the car is at 28,000 and there is plenty of tread left while we wait for the new Michelin Pilot Sport EV tires to hit the market. The SR+ is plenty fast enough; faster than Mustang GT's, a Porsche Cayman GT, AMG C43, since you will be across the intersection before they get all their shafts spinning and torque transferred through their gearboxes. Besides "slow car fast" is always more fun than "fast car slow."
Maybe the fast charging and range make a real-world difference, I don't know. It seems efficiency is it's own form of quick charging. We never have a problem charging this car during the reduced rates (free) offered by our utility provider. In contrast a much faster charging Model X P100D we borrowed needed all night and frankly, it felt like riding an elephant compared to the SR+. Of course, what really affects charging speed is how depleted your battery is before you charge. The lower, the better. I now aim to arrive at a SC at around 10 to 15% and leave at 60 to 80%. That last bit above 80% is s l o w.
As for road trips, the seats and autopilot make the SR+ such a great car that it gets more use than our Grumman Tiger that we bought just for family trips. I'd imagine the LR would be even better.
I'm kind of in the market for a Plaid, but want to experience the handling. My friend's Model S P100D is tremendously fun in a straight line, but too heavy to throw around some of the excellent roads we have around us (tail of the Dragon is just north of me). I understand the new Plaid's suspension has been revised with different struts and a completely new rear suspension. Look forward to giving it a try.
Compared to a LR, about all I lust after is the better interior lights of the LR and the improved sound system. A SR+ can buy enhanced productivity, but we can't get the indirect lighting subwoofer or speakers that the LR buyers enjoy. The SR+ sound system is fine for podcasts but pretty terrible if you are at all a sound nerd. Range just hasn't been an issue at all. Electricity is everywhere; campgrounds, etc ....
All the Model 3 cars are going to be a lot of fun to own and drive. I prefer the bookends of the line; the SR+ and the Performance. However, the SR+ on 19's is the goldilocks car for enthusiasts.
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iamnid
Active Member
We have a Model 3 SR+ and a Model Y LR. The SR+ is a great car. It's plenty fast and WAAAY more efficient than the LR Model Y. I can't really speak to the efficiency of a LR Model 3 but the SR+ gets much closer to the stated range than the Model Y. The interiors are all but identical except for footwell lights and the stereo. In my opinion, and experience, unless you regularly anticipate taking trips where you will have to charge along the way, there's no reason to get the LR (unless you feel you need AWD). Our SR+ regularly commutes 65 miles each way. I'm always amazed at how far one charge will go in the Model 3 SR+ and always disappointed in the range of the Model Y LR.
I'm beginning to think the same. I sometimes get better than stated range on my SR+, although certainly not all the time. I've owned it for 6 months now and the longest trip so far has been 250 or so miles. That is just barely within stated range and I'd never take the chance, but that also means it is just a quick charge. Since we do this trip regularly we have a routine now to stop more than midway through for 20 minutes so we have a decent charge when we get to our destination or home, and we'd stop for that long anyway.
OTOH, I'm going to be driving from Albuquerque to NYC this weekend in my daughter's Camry. I don't think I'd want to do this trip in my SR+. It would be too many stops even if quick. And you know what the issue is? When ya gotta go, ya gotta go. So while you can plan charging stops you can't plan for that and you may end up making even more stops.
A few thought from the UK.
I have a MiC 2021 M3 LR/AWD.
For the driving we do and on the roads/freeways we have it made complete sense. Why?
I value the Premium sound system, it is probably the best "stock" sound system in any car I've owned.
Here in Europe we get a different source package than in the USA, DAB Radio, Spotify, Tunein internet radio: they all work because Cell Phone coverage, which feeds it, is almost universal.
The car rides broken pavement and potholes well, yet it corners and handles well. I had a Mercedes AMG C63 before: a wonderful engine in an indifferent chassis. I can use more of the M3 performance than I could the C63.
It is cheap to run: Gasoline costs us the equivalent of US$ 8,70 per US Gallon.
I have a MiC 2021 M3 LR/AWD.
For the driving we do and on the roads/freeways we have it made complete sense. Why?
I value the Premium sound system, it is probably the best "stock" sound system in any car I've owned.
Here in Europe we get a different source package than in the USA, DAB Radio, Spotify, Tunein internet radio: they all work because Cell Phone coverage, which feeds it, is almost universal.
The car rides broken pavement and potholes well, yet it corners and handles well. I had a Mercedes AMG C63 before: a wonderful engine in an indifferent chassis. I can use more of the M3 performance than I could the C63.
It is cheap to run: Gasoline costs us the equivalent of US$ 8,70 per US Gallon.
Isn't the LR AWD actually RWD most of the time unless the extra power is needed and then it is AWD?
Yes
2021 Tesla Model 3 SR+ Fast Charging Analysis: Slower Than 2020
Today we will take a look at the charging results of the entry-level Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus version in Europe.
insideevs.com
2021 Tesla Model 3 LR AWD With 82 kWh Battery: Charging Analysis
Today we will take a look at the most recent fast charging test of the 2021 Tesla Model 3 Long Range version, conducted by Bjørn Nyland at a V3 Supercharger.
insideevs.com
Both cars takes about 20 minutes to reach 65% ish charge at their respective fastest possible supercharger speeds. But the same battery % is more real world range in the LR than the SR.
Regarding the fast charging "advantage" over the SR+, you are never assured the max 250 kW supercharging. Here's that super fast V3 charging with the dual motor after trying 3 different stalls and only 4 cars charging 
This happens somewhat often. Tesla really needs to figure out how to level out the power distribution amongst charging stalls
This happens somewhat often. Tesla really needs to figure out how to level out the power distribution amongst charging stalls
rpiotro
Active Member
This! All of it. Especially the handling. My SR+ only weighs 3616 lbs. I had an Infiniti Q50 hybrid AWD that was 420 lbs. heavier. My son has a model Y (almost 800 lbs. heavier). When he drove my SR+ he said "Yeah, if I didn't have the camper and the dogs... Maybe get a 3 for the wife. The SR+ is definitely the drivers car."
The 0-60 is faster on the LR mostly because of the AWD. The SR+ goes 0-60 in 5.3 (vs my Q50 of 5.1). Still pretty quick and that is limited by traction, (RWD, energy tires) not power. I think with HP summer tires you could get closer to 5.0 The 30- 60 mph is not that different from th LR due to the lower weight.
I am in a position that the SR+ works for me. I am retired so if the weather is really bad I can stay home. Otherwise, they are pretty efficient at plowing the roads around here. The range is adequate for 99% of the time. We have friends in Minneapolis. I can go from Milwaukee to Minneapolis with only two 15 minute stops to top off. At my age those stops would be welcome. Very cold weather would change that equation but my wife has an ICE car so... Or rent one. Or swap with a friends A4 Audi. Or wait for warmer weather.
You need to look at your particular situation and decide if the LR is worth the extra cost and weight. I can't speak for you. I'm only making the case that the SR+ can be enough for most people.
At some point I thought that the better audio would be worth it with the LR on top of everything else but I've even soured on that. I don't like at all what they did with it. The speaker drivers are mediocre, the streaming services are downright bad sounding, the amp is weak, the subwoofer isn't great. They've tuned it so it sounds pleasing to some people, just like Bose does, but will get fatiguing long term. And to make it 100 times worse, you can't easily upgrade it because of how integrated it is.
I realize this may be older, but just for anyone reading I'll state my experience with a 2019 M3P. I would say range you can probably figure cutting down realistically 30%. I live in florida so maybe its slightly better other places because of AC use. I'd say the percent probably a little higher on highway assuming you hitting 85 like most drivers around here. I don't know about the rear tire wear. When I got mine with 7 months and 11000 miles, the rear tires probably were worn twice as much as the fronts. I immediately rotated them.
I guess, as someone that used to install car audio, I don't have any issues with it, its light years better than what used to come in cars and the stage actually comes from the dash. Bass isn't going to win any prizes but its not too bad.
I am torn on upgrading from my model 3 long range to the performance, the only caveat is I love the smoothness of the 18’s with the 45 sidewall. Trying to see if I swap out the 20’s and put a 40 or 45 sidewall tire will I get true range closest to the 334 or 358 ( i know miles won’t change on the screen but as far as Battery range estimation ) . Most say the 315 range is only because of the 20’s but some have said it’s also because of the motors ? Appreciate all of your feedback! Happy holidays 
