Anyone regretted getting a Performance M3?

[Black306]

Utilitarians buy an LR.

Enthusiasts buy a Performance.

I'd buy a Model 3 Plaid if it were available.

 

[PITA]

Utilitarians buy an LR.

Enthusiasts buy a Performance.

I'd buy a Model 3 Plaid if it were available.

Imagine a Model 3 Plaid...

Wide arches, carbon trim, sports seats, roll cage as standard so it's drag strip qualified...

0-60mph in 2 seconds.
0-100mph in 5.5 seconds
Top Speed 189mph restricted

400 mile range and costs £85,000

 

[PITA]

tl;dw - Get a Model S Performance...

I'm saving for the Model S Plaid

 

[DayTrippin]

Utilitarians buy an LR.

Enthusiasts buy a Performance.

I'd buy a Model 3 Plaid if it were available.

I would count myself as an enthusiast but the value proposition just wasn't there for the performance model as built. The boost splits the performance nicely and the ride quality on the smaller wheels is better on the busted up tarmac and streets with trams on them we have to frequently drive in. Factor in longer range, along with cold weather the booster LR looks more appealing for a daily driver.

Now if the came out with a Plaid version of the 3, I'd definitely be interested. Maybe they could finally get the suspension right. Have cooled seat and some other touches that aren't bolt ons. Maybe make it a bit more bespoke. Give us some unique color options, bigger/better battery pack. Something to differentiate the car more from the base model other than acceleration and a spoiler.

 

[Black306]

I would count myself as an enthusiast but the value proposition just wasn't there for the performance model as built. The boost splits the performance nicely and the ride quality on the smaller wheels is better on the busted up tarmac and streets with trams on them we have to frequently drive in. Factor in longer range, along with cold weather the booster LR looks more appealing for a daily driver.

Now if the came out with a Plaid version of the 3, I'd definitely be interested. Maybe they could finally get the suspension right. Have cooled seat and some other touches that aren't bolt ons. Maybe make it a bit more bespoke. Give us some unique color options, bigger/better battery pack. Something to differentiate the car more from the base model other than acceleration and a spoiler.

IMO, utilitarian/enthusiast isn’t a measure of good and bad; it’s a personal measure of considerations. There are also varying degrees; it’s not only polar opposites; there can be borderline cases. Ultimately, one side wins out. People that pick an LR consider things like utility and value more. People that pick a Performance are enthusiasts that value the, sometimes minimal or marginal, added features and benefits. Or are self-indulgent wieners … with too much bloody money! (Bonus points if you know where that’s from; no google cheating! )

For my Mustang and Model 3, I’m definitely on the enthusiast side; I’ll pay for the top tier spec. When I was considering an S, I wasn’t considering anything other than a P90D or P100D.

For my Ford Fiesta and previous Focus, although I am a car enthusiast and would love a Fiesta ST or Focus SVT, I’m borderline but my utilitarian side won out and I got SE trims. Similar with a Cybertruck; although a tri/quad (whatever comes out) would be cool, utilitarian side won out and ordered a dual motor.

 

[RoadSoda]

I Upgraded from a 2018 M3LR and so far don't regret it. I use it as my daily driver currently but am going to being doing autox with it this season (main reason why I upgraded)

 

[opieor]

I'd only replace my Model 3 Performance with a Model 3/S/X Plaid (appreciate there is no Model 3 Plaid yet, but I can dream).

 

[Rooster6655]

that did include a govt grant of 3.5k though to be fair

Yes however when it was removed it meant the LR increased in price and they then reduced the LR price at their own cost

 

[Xdama]

Utilitarians buy an LR.

Enthusiasts buy a Performance.

I'd buy a Model 3 Plaid if it were available.

That’ll be why then I certainly don’t class myself as an enthusiast lol. It was just the quickest way to get myself in an EV with decent range at a reasonable lease cost.

 

[bangtidy]

No regrets with my 2019 P … but if I I was buying again now, after almost 3 years of owning a P, I’d be getting a LR.

Ditto here. The P's harsh ride can be a bit of a pain in the neck sometimes so if the LR's is better that would probably swing it for me next time round.

Is the LR's range that much better if you drive them the same? I only do 60 miles a day with the occasional long trip so range hasn't ever been a problem.

When I took my lease out (4 years, 45k miles) I don't think the monthly cost difference was that big so the P seemed like a no brainer at the time really.

 

[M1tch]

I absolutely love mine. Had it since December and although I’ve had big, loud, powerful cars before, nothing has ever had this much attention. From other colleagues with suped up chav-mobiles to high end luxury car owners to old ladies in car parks! It’s something g new and special.

The performance is psychotic and it handles quite well for a car of this weight. If it were written off tomorrow I would likely buy the same again.

Currently overseas with work and have a 4.0l petrol Nissan Pathfinder - I can’t wait to get back home!

 

[meavydev]

I've got a 2019 M3P after upgrading to get it before the LR I had on order, as it was in the early batch deliveries in August.
It helped that they reduced the price of the full P after fiddling around with P- down to around £50K.
However I run with 18" T-Sportline and CrossClimate tyres as I can't risk 20" on the potholes and country lanes in Devon.
So would I get a P now?
Definitely not, as I don't use the performance on narrow lanes and I would actually prefer more range. The extra 10% battery remaining on a 200 mile trip to Devon would be more useful to me... so much so I have considered swapping for a new LR

 

[Jason71]

Yes however when it was removed it meant the LR increased in price and they then reduced the LR price at their own cost

temporarily maybe but the LR today costs about 3.5K more than I paid in 2019 so it did not last.
my point though was though that comparing a P- price in 2019 to an LR price today is not very fair since the P- price includes the grant and the LR price does not. At the time the P- was available the LR was about £46.5K so based on your supplied prices for the P- it was about 1.5-2K more than an LR. Ironically about what acceleration boost costs today. I might have got one but they discontinued them before I ordered.

 

[MrT3]

Utilitarians buy an LR.

Enthusiasts buy a Performance.

Easier to be an enthusiast in the US, where you pay a $8k premium. In the UK that is a $13.5k premium.

 

[Xdama]

When I took my lease out (4 years, 45k miles) I don't think the monthly cost difference was that big so the P seemed like a no brainer at the time really.

Lease costs in Nov last year were over £100 a month more for the P on a business lease. That and running on big wheels with elastic bands for tyres put me off the P. I prefer comfort over 1 sec 0-60 time, I do more longer trips than short ones.

 

[JustJohn]

No regrets at all. It's been nothing but fun to drive.

 

[DayTrippin]

Ditto here. The P's harsh ride can be a bit of a pain in the neck sometimes so if the LR's is better that would probably swing it for me next time round.

Is the LR's range that much better if you drive them the same? I only do 60 miles a day with the occasional long trip so range hasn't ever been a problem.

When I took my lease out (4 years, 45k miles) I don't think the monthly cost difference was that big so the P seemed like a no brainer at the time really.

Yes, LR's range will always be better when running on the smaller wheels. The bigger tyres are the hit with respect to energy consumption. Invest even more in the P by buying smaller wheels, and you can get the same efficiency as the LR. Maybe someone would buy your old wheels for their LR to make it look like a P.

That is why I originally wanted the stealth version that didn't have PUP. One it looked stealthy and two, I don't see much value in their other upgrades. So if I bought a P, I'd toss the wheels first thing and go with something lighter and smaller thereby increasing the cost delta even more depending on what I got out of the factory wheels. Not to mention if I left the factory wheels on, my wife would kerb the snot out of them.

I love how they look but too many compromises (heavy, easy to damage, etc.) for me along with too many bad roads.

At the end of the day they are basically the same car when you factor out the additional acceleration 0-30 when you boost the LR. You can buy everything you need other than that initial boost to turn your LR into a P if you so desire. Of course I am excluding the track mode but how often would 99% of the drivers ever use it. I had a friend buy a P and didn't even know it had it until I showed him.

They are both a blast to drive and you would have to spend a lot more for an ICE car to have as much fun or to get near the performance.

 

[Xdama]

Yes, LR's range will always be better when running on the smaller wheels. The bigger tyres are the hit with respect to energy consumption. Invest even more in the P by buying smaller wheels, and you can get the same efficiency as the LR. Maybe someone would buy your old wheels for their LR to make it look like a P.

That is why I originally wanted the stealth version that didn't have PUP. One it looked stealthy and two, I don't see much value in their other upgrades. So if I bought a P, I'd toss the wheels first thing and go with something lighter and smaller thereby increasing the cost delta even more depending on what I got out of the factory wheels. Not to mention if I left the factory wheels on, my wife would kerb the snot out of them.

I love how they look but too many compromises (heavy, easy to damage, etc.) for me along with too many bad roads.

At the end of the day they are basically the same car when you factor out the additional acceleration 0-30 when you boost the LR. You can buy everything you need other than that initial boost to turn your LR into a P if you so desire. Of course I am excluding the track mode but how often would 99% of the drivers ever use it. I had a friend buy a P and didn't even know it had it until I showed him.

They are both a blast to drive and you would have to spend a lot more for an ICE car to have as much fun or to get near the performance.

Thankfully my wife hate’s driving the M3, prefers her Kona E lol. I still had Alloygators fitted on my LR though as they wheels protrude beyond the tyres.
I did notice when on a long bend after a set of lights it had less grip than my old 3lt BMW rwd though, even in chill mode. An Audi driver fancied his chances off the line, I was expecting a bit more grip tbh. Probably just stock tyres are low rolling resistance but it did surprise me.

 

[spooksman]

When I got my M3P in early 2020 there was not actually that much difference per month over my 4 year lease to have the Performance over the LR

I was unashamedly swayed by the looks of the M3P - I saw a blue Performance on the M6 and just said "I want one". I loved (still do) the wheels, the red calipers, the whole shebang. Form over function no doubt, but I'm shallow.

I totally love driving the car, I find the ride just fine, and the handling better than my old Merc - I am very comfortable with my choice.

However, as I'm not a big fan of the new Performance wheels, and with the big difference in price now, I'd probably make a different decision today.

 

[AMP_it_up]

But that doesn't tell the whole story...

That initial Performance accelleration power dump helps you with initial overtaking accelleration. It goes like a stabbed rat.

Getting a cars length ahead immediately IS AN OVERTAKE.

Every time, it's a faster car... especially from a standing start to get onto roundabouts, traffic light lane merging, crossing junctions, merging from Give Way markers, slip roads, urban to National Speed Limit changes... etc

Doesn't matter if a LR can catch up... I'm already ahead !

You have to remember in the UK, the National Speed Limit is 70mph... the Model 3 Performance dominates this speed range.

I definitely agree with this. I recently test drove a 2022 3LR back to back with my 2019 3P and the 3P felt significantly quicker and gave me that light headed feeling on full power whereas the 3LR didn't. Also the YLR felt significantly slower again than the 3LR.