3 standard or performance

[zimm17]

I searched and couldn't find a comparison between the base 3 and the performance (they're all LR vs PP). With the price reduction it's a $10k bump to double the power and get AWD. What else is different? I can't find a list.

If it was for me, I'd get a performance all day. However, this will be my wife's commuter and grocery getter. I'm sure I'll drive it too, but not sure if it's worth 1/4 more money, probably higher insurance, etc. Commute will be 20 miles each way and we'll have a full size truck for road trips/family duties so range really isn't a factor.

 

[1965Falcon]

This article is a fairly good comparison: 2023 Tesla Model 3 Review, Pricing, and Specs

If range isn't an issue, then is AWD a consideration? It doesn't sound like performance would be factor unless the wife wants to get those groceries really really fast. Maybe ask her if she will be the daily driver?

 

[zimm17]

Yes she'll be the daily driver. I have a wrangler rubicon she could take if it snows. So AWD really isn't a need either. Again, if this was MY ride, I'd be all over the performance. But I'm seeing it as $10,000 I can put towards my own truck I want to buy. But I'm little worried about kicking myself down the road thinking, "boy I should have got the performance model".

 

[Alan_F]

Yes she'll be the daily driver. I have a wrangler rubicon she could take if it snows. So AWD really isn't a need either. Again, if this was MY ride, I'd be all over the performance. But I'm seeing it as $10,000 I can put towards my own truck I want to buy. But I'm little worried about kicking myself down the road thinking, "boy I should have got the performance model".

I've had a Model 3 SR+ (previous version of the RWD) since December 2019. IIRC, the LR 3 was $9K more at the time. I also have a 2021 LR Y.

The Model 3 has only been supercharged a couple of times over the last 3 years as the Y gets used for most longer trips.I've never been limited by the RWD or shorter range. I'm very glad that I didn't spend the extra money.

Even if I did need to take a longer trip in the SR+, superchargers are plentiful along all the routes I travel. A road trip with the shorter range car would take a bit longer, but would I spend $9K to save 30 minutes or an hour once or twice a year? No way.

Your situation sounds a bit like mine in that you have another car for road trips and when you might need AWD. More range is always better -all else being equal - but the price is definitely not equal. Paying for range you'll almost never use may not be worth it if you can put the money to good use elsewhere.

YMMV, but I also consider the big wheels and low profile tires on the performance models to be a downgrade. If they offered the LR AWD and performance models for the same price, I'd take the LR for the more sensible tires and wheels.

 

[Apprunner]

I searched and couldn't find a comparison between the base 3 and the performance (they're all LR vs PP). With the price reduction it's a $10k bump to double the power and get AWD. What else is different? I can't find a list.

If it was for me, I'd get a performance all day. However, this will be my wife's commuter and grocery getter. I'm sure I'll drive it too, but not sure if it's worth 1/4 more money, probably higher insurance, etc. Commute will be 20 miles each way and we'll have a full size truck for road trips/family duties so range really isn't a factor.

Biggest difference is battery chemistry if performance isn't a factor. Standard has LFP which can be charged to 100% without impact. The NMC battery in the Performance has to be babied a bit more. LFP also lasts longer and is less volatile so technically a bit safer.

 

[zimm17]

Biggest difference is battery chemistry if performance isn't a factor. Standard has LFP which can be charged to 100% without impact. The NMC battery in the Performance has to be babied a bit more. LFP also lasts longer and is less volatile so technically a bit safer.

Well that's a big bonus for the standard! I'm the type of person who likes to charge EVERYTHING to 100%. Sounds like that's the winner for us. Even if I had the performance, my wife would freak out if I tried to accelerate fast. She's very anti-acceleration. Right now I'm in Japan (heading to US this summer) and she gets mad when I try to "drag race" our 52HP Suzuki Kei car.

 

[comanchepilot]

What about range? The standard model has 270 miles of range - which if you day to day charge to 75% is 202 miles or so. With a 50 mile cushion you'll go 150 miles or o between charges - so take the average miles driven per day and divide 150 by that number nd thats how often she will charge - figure it'll be twice as often as buying gas but I'm assuming you'll charge at home.

So - how do you intend to charge? Do you have an existing 30 amp outlet? Or intend to use superchargers? All that is relevat to the decision.

I ended up with a Performance - because I wanted performnce. . .

 

[comanchepilot]

Well that's a big bonus for the standard! I'm the type of person who likes to charge EVERYTHING to 100%. Sounds like that's the winner for us. Even if I had the performance, my wife would freak out if I tried to accelerate fast. She's very anti-acceleration. Right now I'm in Japan (heading to US this summer) and she gets mad when I try to "drag race" our 52HP Suzuki Kei car.

Even with the LPP battery you should not be charging it to 100% routinely . . . but - if she's anti acceleration you can always pogram the car to 'chill' then it will accelerate like a standard Model 3. If you get the Performance you get the better brakes - the better sound system - the trck mode when you want it -the better range and YOU can giggle like a 5 year old when YOU tromp on it in Sport mode. . . . .

 

[zimm17]

Even with the LPP battery you should not be charging it to 100% routinely . . . but - if she's anti acceleration you can always pogram the car to 'chill' then it will accelerate like a standard Model 3. If you get the Performance you get the better brakes - the better sound system - the trck mode when you want it -the better range and YOU can giggle like a 5 year old when YOU tromp on it in Sport mode. . . . .

See that's the "hidden list" of what I can't find the performance adds. No articles talk about the sound system, bigger brakes, etc. Do tell.

As for charging, we'll charge at home. I'll add a level 2. We still are house shopping, but no matter what we'll have a garage. I need 240 volt outlets anyway for the welder, air compressor, etc.

 

[Knightshade]

See that's the "hidden list" of what I can't find the performance adds. No articles talk about the sound system, bigger brakes, etc. Do tell.

It's not actually hidden, just a little tricky to find....for interior stuff for example:

On the right hand side of the order page- scroll down to Interior -> Feature details, then scroll right to the "interior features" page. It's different for the SR and the LR/P (which are the same here)

Actually, ya know, it IS kinda annoying to compare this way... here I cut and pasted each one together for you.... SR on the left, P/LR on the right.... but the differences are better stereo, floormats included, and LED fog lamps....

There's other differences are all specific to the P (not LR) and are listed on the main order page:
Performance Upgrade


20’’ Überturbine Wheels
Performance Brakes
Carbon fiber spoiler
Aluminum alloy pedals

If you click on feature details it gives more info on each- plus info on track mode which is also exclusive to the P but is software.

Even with the LPP battery you should not be charging it to 100% routinely

Why?

Both all the research I've seen on LFP-- and Teslas owners manual-- suggest the battery will significantly outlast the vehicle even charging to 100% daily.

If you get the Performance you get the better brakes

Unless you track the car they're arguably "worse" brakes in that they'll cost a bit more to replace some day and limit your options if you don't want those pothole magnet 20" wheels-- or at best if you love the 20s they're functionally identical brakes since in street use they stop you the same as the stock ones will.

 

[zimm17]

Thanks for the info. Still makes my decision tougher. Finicky battery that won't live as long, pot hole prone wheels, expensive brakes, much better audio and of course twice as fast and AWD....

 

[Alpha Motoring]

Best answer for you is drive both back to back and that will give you a clear answer on if the premium is worth it.

 

[zimm17]

Best answer for you is drive both back to back and that will give you a clear answer on if the premium is worth it.

Yeah, there's no test driving. I'm in Japan and plan to order the car to be waiting for us when we get to the states. Mailorder!

 

[Knightshade]

Thanks for the info. Still makes my decision tougher. Finicky battery that won't live as long, pot hole prone wheels, expensive brakes, much better audio and of course twice as fast and AWD....

FWIW the battery in the P is likely to last 300-500k miles (significantly older battery tech in the S has hit 300k any number of times)... it's just you want to avoid charging past 80-90% in daily use... (the occasional 100% charge right before a road trip is fine).

The LFPs will last longer still- but if you care that much about the difference between lasting 300-500k vs say 500-800k you are an uncommon vehicle buyer

One other thing is IIRC the RWD supercharges slower than the AWD and P do...(and obviously has less road trip range to start with)--- You mention the truck is for road trips so this probably isn't a huge deal.... but if you frequently go many hundreds of miles in a day the difference might start be be substantial to you.

The brakes honestly you're probably not going to care... with regen braking it should be a long time before you need work on the brakes anyway-- there's a lot of owners well north of 100k miles on the original brakes on their Teslas because you so rarely need to touch the brake pedal.

The better audio you probably do care....but then also you drive a jeep so I expect anything with a sealed cabin is gonna sound good to you

And I personally dislike the 20" wheels on the P and wish they still offered the original P config where 18s were standard and 20s were part of an optional package but that's been gone a while now....potentially you can find a sucker to buy the 20s off of you and get some aftermarket 18s that'll fit over the P brakes, but that can be a pain depending where you live.

 

[Rocket_man]

I went through the same decision process, but for me the Performance Model was eliminated due to cost and lower profile wheels (harsher ride, tire cost, risk of damage). And I just don't need the M3 Performance acceleration. So I rented a LR+ (basically equivalent to the current RWD) and an AWD (non Performance) and test drove both for a day. If you have never driven any Tesla, and this is going to be your wife's daily driver, she will have more than enough acceleration in the RWD. The RWD is faster than my Acura TLX V-6 which I think is the Legend in Japan. If you have driven that car it may be about the same minus the upshifts and slight delay off the line. The AWD is really fast. When I test drove it and hit the accelerator 100%, it pulled my hand off the steering wheel. I wasn't ready for it. The things that swayed me to the RWD was the lower cost and insurance and the battery. I like that I can charge it 100% and not worry about it. I normally charge on the weekend in my garage. I'm just doing daily driving to/from work, some shopping, lunch etc. At 100% in the RWD I have about 270 miles. If I had the AWD and charged to 80% I'd have about the same. Sure for road trips I could charge to 100% just before I took off, but I don't expect to road trip much in the car. When I did some theoretical trips in 'A Better Route Planner' and modeled the RWD versus the AWD it barely made a difference of a few minutes. With the RWD I think I miss the better sound system over the AWD. The RWD is better than my TLX but not as good as the AWD. I bought a kit to activate the 4 'dead' speakers but have not installed it yet. Maybe it makes a small difference, but that is the only downside to the RWD. My wife drove the car and the acceleration makes her nervous. She has a lead foot and does enjoy spirited driving.

 

[afadeev]

If it was for me, I'd get a performance all day. However, this will be my wife's commuter and grocery getter. I'm sure I'll drive it too, but not sure if it's worth 1/4 more money, probably higher insurance, etc.

It's up to you.
If you are performance car guy, the decision is obvious.

For what it's worth, we got TM3P, and my wife loves driving it as a grocery getter / kids hauler.

Unless you track the car they're arguably "worse" brakes in that they'll cost a bit more to replace some day and limit your options if you don't want those pothole magnet 20" wheels-- or at best if you love the 20s they're functionally identical brakes since in street use they stop you the same as the stock ones will.

That's not accurate on many counts.
Performance brakes do not require 20" wheels. I run 18" winter tires on my TM3P right now. You can also go with 19's, if you so desire.

For everyday stopping distances, the biggest differentiator are the tires, not the brakes. Performance comes with quality summer tires that will stop you significant sooner than compromise all-seasons on "regular" Model 3's.

Best answer for you is drive both back to back and that will give you a clear answer on if the premium is worth it.

That's it - stop asking strangers for advise on the internet, and go to test drive the cars!

HTH,
a

 

[Darmie]

That's it - stop asking strangers for advise on the internet, and go to test drive the cars!

HTH,
a

We not strangers, we're family here @ TMC

 

[Knightshade]

That's not accurate on many counts.

Except, it is accurate on every count of course.

Performance brakes do not require 20" wheels

Not only did I not claim it required 20s, I specifically cited aftermarket 18s exist that work.

I said it COMES with 20s by default. Because it does.

The only inaccuracy appears to be your reading.

For everyday stopping distances, the biggest differentiator are the tires, not the brakes. Performance comes with quality summer tires that will stop you significant sooner than compromise all-seasons on "regular" Model 3's.

Sure. But that ALSO does not disagree with the accuracy of what I actually said. On the contrary it agrees the brakes won't stop you any quicker- that's basic physics.

You can of course get the same type of tires for the 18s and stop in the same distance (plus have less worries about pot holes damaging your rims) if you take the advice I mention and sell the 20s to a sucker and get aftermarket 18s instead.

 

[mtmra70]

P has track mode....aka "drift mode"

 

[zimm17]

I'm 100% not going to drift the car. I did auto cross and drag race a then-new '04 WRX STI. That was a blast. Maybe if an SCCA Solo event opens up near me, I might borrow the grocery getter to dodge some cones. But power and brakes don't really factor much in solo racing, it's all handling and tires.

I'm leaning toward the standard though. Then I don't have to buy a set of 18's right away. She'll never know the difference with the speakers or brembos. As long as I don't try to take out a 'vette in a stop light drag race, it should get the job done.