Greetings -
I bought the M3 LR RWD last year, and I've been very happy with my decision, and continue to be. But if I were in the market for a new M3 today my decision may be different.
When I bought the car last year the full Tax Credit was available, and the SR wasn't. The decision was easy, get the bigger battery, enjoy the tax credit and the upgrade cost would be less painful. The logic was reasonable. Tesla also had not announced the upgrade to V3 of their SuperChargers. Since I drive to visit family, with the LR I could make a round trip to many family members without concern about range. And when I had to drive a greater distance to visit other family members, the LR made the one way trip to them relatively painless.
Now, the SR+ is available for $7K less than the LR. Yes, you get some extra features with the LR Premium, but they may or may not be significant to many owners:
2-way power adjustable front and rear heated seats
Premium audio – 14 speakers, 1 subwoofer, 2 amps, and immersive sound
Satellite-view maps with live traffic visualization and navigation
In-car internet streaming music & media
Internet browser
Location aware automatic garage door opener
The range difference between the SR+ and the LR is listed at 85 miles - that's quite a bit, but for many people the extra range isn't critical. Even better, in a relatively short time the new V3 SuperChargers will roll out and existing chargers will allow full power to each user - no more sharing power between two users. The impact is that charging times will be less, making the range penalty of the SR+ less painful for many, and possibly irrelevant for those who have short daily commutes. Overnight, with a 240V 60AMP circuit the LR may charge a bit faster than the SR+ which seems to be limited to 40AMP top speed charging, but again that may not be critical for many.
Performance doesn't seem to suffer much, 0-60 is 5.3 in the SR+, 5.0 in the LR.
What is more relevant is the $7K price difference. The SR+, standard wheels, no other upgrades, now stickers at $37,500, it only went up $500 after the recent price adjustments. The LR is $44,500, having had a larger price increase. That $7K difference is just under a 19% greater price to move to the LR. That price that may be challenging to justify if you drive short distances most of the time, have a home charger of sufficient size, and want to get into a "well equipped" Tesla for a very reasonable price. The SR+ has more features than I expected at that price - the full glass roof being one of them, along with folding mirrors and some other things as well.
You may have a different opinion, but when people ask me about my car I tell them to take a good look at the SR+, which I think is the best value for most drivers.
I bought the M3 LR RWD last year, and I've been very happy with my decision, and continue to be. But if I were in the market for a new M3 today my decision may be different.
When I bought the car last year the full Tax Credit was available, and the SR wasn't. The decision was easy, get the bigger battery, enjoy the tax credit and the upgrade cost would be less painful. The logic was reasonable. Tesla also had not announced the upgrade to V3 of their SuperChargers. Since I drive to visit family, with the LR I could make a round trip to many family members without concern about range. And when I had to drive a greater distance to visit other family members, the LR made the one way trip to them relatively painless.
Now, the SR+ is available for $7K less than the LR. Yes, you get some extra features with the LR Premium, but they may or may not be significant to many owners:
2-way power adjustable front and rear heated seats
Premium audio – 14 speakers, 1 subwoofer, 2 amps, and immersive sound
Satellite-view maps with live traffic visualization and navigation
In-car internet streaming music & media
Internet browser
Location aware automatic garage door opener
The range difference between the SR+ and the LR is listed at 85 miles - that's quite a bit, but for many people the extra range isn't critical. Even better, in a relatively short time the new V3 SuperChargers will roll out and existing chargers will allow full power to each user - no more sharing power between two users. The impact is that charging times will be less, making the range penalty of the SR+ less painful for many, and possibly irrelevant for those who have short daily commutes. Overnight, with a 240V 60AMP circuit the LR may charge a bit faster than the SR+ which seems to be limited to 40AMP top speed charging, but again that may not be critical for many.
Performance doesn't seem to suffer much, 0-60 is 5.3 in the SR+, 5.0 in the LR.
What is more relevant is the $7K price difference. The SR+, standard wheels, no other upgrades, now stickers at $37,500, it only went up $500 after the recent price adjustments. The LR is $44,500, having had a larger price increase. That $7K difference is just under a 19% greater price to move to the LR. That price that may be challenging to justify if you drive short distances most of the time, have a home charger of sufficient size, and want to get into a "well equipped" Tesla for a very reasonable price. The SR+ has more features than I expected at that price - the full glass roof being one of them, along with folding mirrors and some other things as well.
You may have a different opinion, but when people ask me about my car I tell them to take a good look at the SR+, which I think is the best value for most drivers.
