2023 More Luxurious to Drive Than 2020

[PianoAl]

Our brand new 2023 feels substantially more luxurious to drive than our 2020. I figure it's:

1. Thicker windows reduce noise
2. Tires (Primacy mxm4) are quieter than those on the 2020 (VREDESTEIN QUATRAC PRO XL)
3. 2020 has a roof rack (adds some wind noise)
4. Nice floor mats (they came with the 2020 but I replaced them with rubber mats)
5. New car smell!

Perhaps that info will be useful to those considering whether to buy used or new.

 

[MrFusion4]

i mean isn't that a given for any new car vs old?

 

[Two-rocks]

Tesla's continuous improvement is unique, and there are lots of little things that make is feel better (under hood wind deflector, better center console, heated steering wheel, and so on...). You passenger does not get a lumbar adjustment, however.

 

[Alan_F]

@PianoAl, you may be exactly the right person to give me some advice (although I'd welcome the opinions of other readers too)...

I have a 2020 Model 3 SR+ (Dec 2019 delivery) and a 2021 Model Y LR AWD (March 2021 delivery). The 3 was bought just before the pandemic lockdowns, and the Model Y gets used for all the long road trips, so the Model 3 has only ~12,000 miles as it approaches 3 years old.

With the $3,750 off this month for new Model 3s, I am considering selling it and getting a 2023 RWD, which looks like it will cost ~$5k to $6k after selling the SR+ (if KBB is to be believed for private party values). Since the RWD doesn't look like it will be eligible any part of the IRA tax rebate, the December incentive seems a like a good opportunity to get it cheaper.

As I see it the factors are (in order from most important to least important):

2020 SR+:
- Still has ultrasonic sensors
- Worth a little less, so insurance should be a bit lower
- Has passenger lumbar
- A little lighter and a little quicker (I enjoy the feel of the 3 SR+ over the Y)
- I'm going to add a Stealth tow hitch for a bike rack to either car. When the rear rack is installed the rear USS don't work, but the front sensors still have value


2023 RWD:
- Warranty will extend 3 years past the expiration of my 2020's warranty
- Heated steering wheel
- Heat pump for better winter range
- New comfort suspension (I love the M3 handling overall, but it could be better on rough roads)
- LFP battery allows using more of the range in day-to-day use (charge to 100%)
- New cameras / no side repeater glare at night
- Matrix headlights
- Double pane glass
- CCS compatible (I have the adapter for my Y, will need to pay to upgrade the 2020 for CCS compatibility if I keep it)
- Power trunk
- Faster CPU
- New console

I've scheduled a test drive, but I haven't confirmed yet if they have a RWD with the new suspension available to test, so the test drive may not answer some important questions about how the new car will feel.

We definitely don't need a new car. The biggest draw for me is extending the warranty. I doubt we'll spend > $5,000 in repairs between December 2023 and December 2026 (the three years where the old one will be out of warranty but the new one in warranty), so I don't expect the upgrade to make sense purely from a cost perspective, but improved range, comfort, and quality also factor into the return I would be getting on the investment.

 

[dmurphy]

2020 SR+:
- Worth a little less, so insurance should be a bit lower

Scratch this one from the list …. There isn’t a direct correlation there. It’s based on risk of loss, not value of the vehicle. Surprisingly, the value isn’t the primary factor in that equation! More than once I’ve purchased a new, more expensive vehicle and had the rate go down.

 

[PianoAl]

2020 SR+:
- Still has ultrasonic sensors
Hopefully this won't matter soon.

- Worth a little less, so insurance should be a bit lower
Not true, apparently

- Has passenger lumbar
I have lumbar off. Wife likes it.

- A little lighter and a little quicker (I enjoy the feel of the 3 SR+ over the Y)

I miss the extra accel in Tessie

- I'm going to add a Stealth tow hitch for a bike rack to either car. When the rear rack is installed the rear USS don't work, but the front sensors still have value
Maybe soon irrelevant.

2023 RWD:
- Warranty will extend 3 years past the expiration of my 2020's warranty
Depends on how likely you think repairs will be

- Heated steering wheel
This is huge for my old hands

- Heat pump for better winter range
- New comfort suspension (I love the M3 handling overall, but it could be better on rough roads)
- LFP battery allows using more of the range in day-to-day use (charge to 100%)
There's more to this. See the threads on this topic.

- New cameras / no side repeater glare at night

Would be nice. Not a big deal for me.

- Matrix headlights
Is this only a future benefit?

- Double pane glass
Yes, big deal

- CCS compatible (I have the adapter for my Y, will need to pay to upgrade the 2020 for CCS compatibility if I keep it)
Yes, but look at it from the perspective of how much it would cost to upgrade

- Power trunk

I see this as the silliest option to ever be added to a car. I'd actually prefer a manual trunk.

- Faster CPU
- New console
Kinda nice.

HTH!

 

[afadeev]

Our brand new 2023 feels substantially more luxurious to drive than our 2020. I figure it's:

1. Thicker windows reduce noise
2. Tires (Primacy mxm4) are quieter than those on the 2020 (VREDESTEIN QUATRAC PRO XL)
3. 2020 has a roof rack (adds some wind noise)

Your roof rack is skewing your analysis.
Relocated it to the new car, and see which one is nosier and more luxurious then!

 

[3sr+buyer]

Our brand new 2023 feels substantially more luxurious to drive than our 2020. I figure it's:

1. Thicker windows reduce noise
2. Tires (Primacy mxm4) are quieter than those on the 2020 (VREDESTEIN QUATRAC PRO XL)
3. 2020 has a roof rack (adds some wind noise)
4. Nice floor mats (they came with the 2020 but I replaced them with rubber mats)
5. New car smell!

Perhaps that info will be useful to those considering whether to buy used or new.

View attachment 876212

3 out of the 5 things (tires, rack, floor mats) are things that could easily be chosen differently or moved from one car to the other.

 

[Perscitus]

Revised windshield and front door glass have both been proven to do nothing to wind noise and general NVH, including by some who retrofitted both and/or went from 2017/2018 to late 2022 3s.

Consider the new unit effect (fresh bushings, suspension, gaskets/weather stripping, pre-rattle and pre-heat cycled interior, etc) coupled with a few improvements and a lot of cost-cutting changes all around.

Hopefully the upcoming Model 4 aka the more intrusive 3 refresh - actually introduces something beyond than just HW4 and more screens, less stalks, and less sensors and updates the dated exterior (aged well but still a 2014/2015 design).

 

[PianoAl]

Your roof rack is skewing your analysis.
Relocated it to the new car, and see which one is nosier and more luxurious then!

That was my point. One reason is that the roof rack adds noise.

 

[Alan_F]

We found a RWD to test drive today. It didn't have the new suspension and it was on 19" wheels, so not really the best comparison to the latest 2023 on 18s, but unless it was just confirmation bias, we could feel the additional weight of the larger/heavier LFP pack. I wonder if that, plus the general tight/quiet feeling of a new car, is part of the more luxurious feeling. When we got back in our 2020 it felt lighter. We had the steering set to Sport in both, but the steering felt heavier in demo car... again, maybe break-in, maybe some changes to the car over the last 3 years.

Overall, I'm not sure the used car market is hot enough to make a swap worthwhile, but we have the rest of the month to think about it with the $3,750 discount available.

 

[Biscuitman]

Our brand new 2023 feels substantially more luxurious to drive than our 2020. I figure it's:

1. Thicker windows reduce noise
2. Tires (Primacy mxm4) are quieter than those on the 2020 (VREDESTEIN QUATRAC PRO XL)
3. 2020 has a roof rack (adds some wind noise)
4. Nice floor mats (they came with the 2020 but I replaced them with rubber mats)
5. New car smell!

Perhaps that info will be useful to those considering whether to buy used or new.

View attachment 876212

I love my Vredestein Quatrac’s . Are you going to be putting them on your new car when the Michelins go… in a year or two

 

[PianoAl]

I love my Vredestein Quatrac’s . Are you going to be putting them on your new car when the Michelins go… in a year or two

No. Actually I find my Vred's louder than what came on the car. They do stick out and prevent curb rash though!