2022 Model 3 rumours and opinions - should I collect my M3 in November or wait a couple of months?

[Glassdome]

More of an opinion thread…

Probably not something people can answer outright, but please do share opinions - I have a Tesla 3 performance on order and received confirmation that I can pick it up in late November, however, I have asked tesla to hold temporarily. The reason I asked to hold is three-fold:

1. as the new LFP batteries are making their way into the cars and these have less degradation and can charge to 100%
2. around this time last year Tesla implemented some revisions to the model 3 and I don’t want to miss out on any new revisions coming
3. there are rumours of new colour paints coming out when the German factory comes online - we have ordered the blue, but having something more unique would be cool

I know it’s an endless waiting game if I hold out for revisions, but should I have taken the order date for end of November, or am I right to wait until January?

I am in the UK and already have a Long Range AWD Tesla 3, so waiting isn’t the end of the world and it would be a second car for my wife and I.

Any opinions would be massively welcome as I think we can still revert to collecting end of November if we decide to.

Ta,

 

[Candleflame]

LFPs are mostly superior except for cold weather performance but they only get put in SR+ vehicles. I doubt this is related to the weight - i think they just dont allow high current draw, especially when cold.
So this wont affect you.

Model 3 will always get revisions as tesla sees fit - yeah sometimes its big i.e. heated steering wheel or heat pump. But most of the time there is always "something new" around the corner.

If anything the old colours will be unique as they may not be orderable anymore once berlin builds european vehicles with the eu spec colours.

If you have a AWD Model 3 already I'd wait 3-4 more years. The small performance increase of the 3 isnt worth the cost. Also the newer performance 3 batteries dont perform that well in the cold until you have driven for 30-40min. so unless you go on road trips you may not even get to feel the performance.

 

[RCM11]

You bring up valid points to consider. If it’s your second car and isn’t needed by end of November, why not wait it out and see if changes are, in fact, implemented? I read somewhere about new color options, just as you did. That alone may be reason to hold out a bit. I, for one, am looking forward to a return of a proper silver color. The current “silver” option for us 3 and Y owners is not silver at all, but dark gray. A bright silver with the black trim would be a looker!

 

[CricTic]

IIRC, the LFP batteries have a lower energy density (i.e. they are heavier than the prior batteries at similar energy capacity) which is why they are only being used in SR vehicles. Not sure the LFP batteries will make it to LR cars before the larger cells do (at least a year away). Could be wrong, though.

That said, waiting for a Berlin vehicle could have benefits. The first cars out of Beijing had numerous enhancements compared to cars from Fremont, since they just started with newer parts from the beginning. The same could be true for Berlin. Also, the paint shop in Berlin will almost certainly be better than the one in Fremont.

 

[RCM11]

It’s not so much the paint shop in Fremont, but the actual paint formulation. The California regulations require a paint formulation that has a higher water content, IIRC. Those regulations will be different in Texas, Berlin, China, etc…

 

[EVRider-FL]

You asked for opinions, so here’s mine: if you like the current configuration, then take it. You don’t know what if any changes are coming, and there might be changes you don’t like. I don’t know if having an order on hold protects you from price increases, but you should check into that too.

 

[Tam]

1. as the new LFP batteries are making their way into the cars and these have less degradation and can charge to 100%

LFP is heavier, not the first choice for a performance car. That's why Tesla chooses it for low-end, non-performance cars like Standard Range Model 3 and Model Y.

2. around this time last year Tesla implemented some revisions to the model 3 and I don’t want to miss out on any new revisions coming

I have no ideas. 5G? Fast CPU just like the ones in 2021 S and X?

3. there are rumours of new colour paints coming out when the German factory comes online - we have ordered the blue, but having something more unique would be cool

I wouldn't wait just because of the colors

I know it’s an endless waiting game if I hold out for revisions, but should I have taken the order date for end of November, or am I right to wait until January?

I would decide on my needs. If you don't need it now, you can wait.

I am in the UK and already have a Long Range AWD Tesla 3, so waiting isn’t the end of the world and it would be a second car for my wife and I.

That doesn't sound like an urgency so for your case, waiting is reasonable.

 

[BMWM3Man]

Get it now.

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

If you want something new and different with all the latest/greatest everything, try to get a Y from Germany. I have no idea if/when they'll start exporting outside of Europe (maybe you should have thought about that before voting for Brexit), but it promises to be the next quantum leap if you can get one.

 

[Boourns]

If you wait for the next update you’ll wait forever. I know it’s tempting to wait for the LFP battery but (1) you don’t know when or if it’s coming and (2) you are almost certainly overestimating the day to day difference it would make, even if it was released the day after you took delivery. The car as it is today is amazing.

Get it. Love it. Don’t worry.

 

[jaz4uk1]

BMW refresh every 3 years and major every 6 ish years. So it really does not matter unless its a major.
I would get a outing model if its a good deal, knowing the new will have little or no discount for a few years and it really does not effect the PX value.

The 21 is really a refresh as the M3 still looks the same unless your in the know. The black trim though and the new aero I really like. Heat pump should be a saving but its adding weight on the overall miles / kw.

So as everyone is saying just get it and start saving and enjoy it.

 

[tm1v2]

My 2c:

Think of it this way - what's missing now that you really want, and do you think Tesla is likely to implement it?

Similarly, what does the 3 have now that you really like, but Tesla might actually take away or make worse based on their product history so far?

Weigh those likelihoods and risks. For me:

• Seats: I really wish the M3P had serious sport sedan seats, like OE Recaros, but I've seen nothing from Tesla that makes me think they'll do special seats like that for the M3P anytime soon. So I didn't hold out for it.
• Damping/suspension: I wish the 3 & Y stock damping / suspension was better, but I don't see Tesla prioritizing this any time soon either. Except maybe by adding an air springs and/or active damper option, but I don't want that in an M3P (well active dampers *maybe*, but definitely not air springs). So I chose to go aftermarket for new dampers (coilovers) instead of holding out for Tesla to do better.
• Speed: I expect Tesla will give the M3P a speed boost within the next 1-2 years, possibly quite soon. They have a clear history of adding more speed over and over, and with the new MSLR much faster than the M3P, there is room to move up the M3P pace. But...I don't really care. M3P is already blazing quick, heck I'd be totally happy with "just" M3LR acceleration (I bought M3P mainly for track mode, and also the brakes.) So I don't care to wait for this.
• Range: We're still at the point where more range is useful, so this could be reason to hold out. I think the next/first *big* jump for the 3 will be the move to the new structural battery cell though, and that looks a ways out for the 3. I needed a car soon, and the current range is already better than I'm used to with my 2013 S P85.
• Driving interface: I think there's a decent chance Tesla will make some or all of the MS/MX changes in removing the stalks, moving to capacitive buttons, and moving to a yoke. It's *possible* they could do it much better in the 3/Y, e.g. if they keep the 3/Y fast steering ratio and make the yoke smaller, it could come out much better than the S/X version. But I think there's real risk here of butchering the 3 as a driver's car.
• Track mode: This was a big selling point of the M3P for me, and it's unique the EV competition so far. It's certainly possible Tesla will come out with an even better Track Mode, which may or may not be an OTA update for older cars, but it also seems possible they'll decide Track Mode is too much liability at some point and remove or neuter it as part of a refresh. (I don't think that's super likely, but it could happen.)
• Steering ratio: I really like the super quick steering ratio in the 3. Hopefully Tesla will keep this, but if they make it slower, I'd be looking at how to retrofit the older rack, or buy used (but used car pricing is ridiculous these days).
• Infotainment: I'm sure Tesla will keep making newer and better systems here. Not a huge deal to me. Android Automotive would be awesome but I don't see Tesla switching to that.
• Quad motors: I'd love quad electric motors, not for more power, but for perfect per-wheel traction control, without the need for brake-based vectoring or range-sapping limited slip diffs. But I think we're years away from quad or even tri motors trickling down to anything in the 3's price range. When it comes someday, that might be when I upgrade. =)

I hope this helps! The list above is obviously just my own preferences, yours may vary and lead to a different conclusion about waiting vs buying now. E.g. if you live life a quarter mile at a time, history shows that the longer you hold out, the quicker your Tesla will be.

 

[Candleflame]

0 to 60 isnt much faster in the Model S. In fact, unless the tires etc are in good nick the model 3P will still beat the LR S in real life. As evident by a few frustrated threads. Yeah above 60mph the Model S is much faster but who drives at 110mph?

 

[Glassdome]

Awesome responses all. Much appreciated. @Gauss Guzzler I didn’t actually vote for Brexit as I work across the EU - or used to, but appreciate the sentiment. I imagine Berlin will still export to the U.K. as the tariffs are similar to if they came from the US / China - but transportation a heck of a lot less and less carbon impact.

Out of the responses the two bits I’m most holding out for is the colour change and adaptive suspension. I hope both come soon and that would be worth the wait. Batteries I’m less keen on now, since I’ve been educated - and these are unlikely to be in the performance.

I think I’ll wait until January but then holding out may be too much and I’ll go for it.

Thanks all and do keep sharing views if you hear or read anything on this subject. Often the forums are more informed then Tesla themselves. Or what they can share

 

[Glassdome]

It's as tense holding out as it is missing out on new features -

 

[Gasaraki]

LFP will NOT be coming to the Performance or LR in the foreseeable future. Only SR models will get it. Its winter performance is poor. I can't wait to see people posting about that this winter, since last winter, there were less people with the LFP batteries. The cool thing is that you can charge to 100% all the time but also over 200 pounds heavier than the same NMC battery.

I have my popcorn ready.

 

[PaulSu]

LFP will NOT be coming to the Performance or LR in the foreseeable future. Only SR models will get it. Its winter performance is poor. I can't wait to see people posting about that this winter, since last winter, there were less people with the LFP batteries. The cool thing is that you can charge to 100% all the time but also over 200 pounds heavier than the same NMC battery.

I have my popcorn ready.

I just noticed on Tesla's website, they have increased the range of the Model 3 lineup, and there no longer is a Standard Range Plus. The 0-100KM times are also slower for the former SR+.

This was on November 2nd, 2021. Is this a result of using LFP?

These are with 18" Aero were applicable.

Standard Range
146 kilometers

Model 3
438 kilometers

Model 3 Long Range
576 kilometers

Model 3 Performance
507 kilometers

Enjoy your popcorn.

 

[Gasaraki]

I just noticed on Tesla's website, they have increased the range of the Model 3 lineup, and there no longer is a Standard Range Plus. The 0-100KM times are also slower for the former SR+.

This was on November 2nd, 2021. Is this a result of using LFP?

These are with 18" Aero were applicable.

Standard Range
146 kilometers

Model 3
438 kilometers

Model 3 Long Range
576 kilometers

Model 3 Performance
507 kilometers

Enjoy your popcorn.

Yes. They changed the name to just RWD. The LR AWD and Performance is staying the same name. They also bumped the ranges a little. These little range bumps mean nothing. In the real world, no one is getting anywhere near what they are saying. (Unless you drive 55mph everywhere and/or do mostly city driving).

 

[Glassdome]

I am so glad it is not just me that doesn’t see the full range from our tesla - I assumed we were just bad at driving it. Though on a long run we do get pretty close. But everyday driving we get no way near. I have been blaming my wife for accelerating too fast and driving hard… perhaps I won’t say anything

 

[Mr X]

I have a 2019 SR+ with sub ~200 mile range and am keeping it for several more years.



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