Changed Order from 3P+ to SR+, Am I Crazy?

[mswlogo]

Let’s use a picture! Let’s see where you are at and where I am at.

If this doesn’t sell a 3P, nothing will.

Yes, we BOTH make the exit (eventually and at different times LOL). Difference is I do it in style.


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I’m relaxed when I get home or to work after listening to tunes instead competing for lane position.

In fact, I wish my commute was longer, it’s way to short. No cars or traffic lights either. Pretty blissful. But to short.

I’ll sometimes go the long way or travel at odd times to avoid traffic. I’m almost never in traffic of any kind.

I’m not in line to get on the ramp. I’m the only person on the ramp.

 

[MXWing]

I’m relaxed when I get home or to work after listening to tunes instead competing for lane position.

In fact, I wish my commute was longer, it’s way to short. No cars or traffic lights either. Pretty blissful. But to short.

I’ll sometimes go the long way or travel at odd times to avoid traffic. I’m almost never in traffic of any kind.

I’m not in line to get on the ramp. I’m the only person on the ramp.

You are blessed. You haven't been to hell till you are here at peak traffic time. This isn't even early morning or late afternoon.

 

[Fernand]

I've had occasions at stoplights to do the old knight's move - one lane over and one car up - in a fraction of a second. Or two lanes over, any variation, on the freeway. It comes in handy occasionally. But if you can't do that in a single motor Model 3, @MXWing, your skills are lagging.

And I've get better use for my nervous system than playing car-tiddlewinks during commutes like on your photo. I just run in NOA and let Nicki the Tesla do the grunt work - while I listen to music, supervise and enjoy the ride. Now THAT's worth a little money, since I use it all the time.

And, dollars to minutes, to return to the OP's concerns, if you can really spend as much time per drive in madcap acceleration as I spend in NOA mode, check your blood pressure, 'cause you're headed for either a stroke, a coronary - or a crash. And an ankle bracelet ;-)

You need to spend some time on say the Milan to Rome freeway in Italy. They do drive the way you enjoy driving. A lot of the guys seem to test 0-60 at every stoplight. The only problem is tow trucks removing the wrecks end up slowing things down, and it's a pain. Seriously. Getting back to the bovine California conveyor belt freeways is a relief, and without all the bravado and accidents you actually get from point A to Point B faster.
.

 

[jb007gd]

The snob in me didn't even consider a Standard for the longest time, but I really rarely travel more than 100 miles a day, its the comparative performance that will eat away at me. The punch of the P is something I enjoy, but practically speaking, the standard will save me tires and tickets and electricity. . . but I know me enough to know I'll be jealous when I see red calipers or the little wing . . .

I bought the red brake caliper covers for my P3D- and absolutely love the way they look. I think they were $220 out the door. Super easy to install.

 

[SomeRandomNPC]

The SR+ has to be the most practical car one could buy today. Even in northern Canada, I have not for one second regretted not buying the LR demo car that cost 10k more (been -10C the past week and have barely seen a range hit).

Love my SR+, but there is definitely a winter range hit. I´m around Montréal... with an SR+. It´s around -10C now, and I saw range going down from +5C already. As soon as it gets even slightly cold, I start seeing snowflakes limiting the regen, and it´s usually over 200 wh/km where in the summer it can be as low as 150 wh/km. I almost need to charge everyday, whereas in summer I could go three days without plugging in. It´s a good 25% ... and when you pre-heat, you better be plugged in.

I took road trips to Toronto and Ottawa, and that was the only time I wondered about an LR... I think my bladder range might be more LR than SR+, but I never waited for the car at SC stops, I always ate and the car was done before I was. I haven´t done a road trip since they upped the max charging rate on the SR+.

 

[SomeRandomNPC]

oh, and in a couple of snow storms so far, the SR+ (RWD) is great in snow... weight distribution and traction control are great things.

 

[jmcmill]

You are blessed. You haven't been to hell till you are here at peak traffic time. This isn't even early morning or late afternoon.

That looks like a Sunday morning to me.

 

[Jffurlan]

Love my SR+, but there is definitely a winter range hit. I´m around Montréal... with an SR+. It´s around -10C now, and I saw range going down from +5C already. As soon as it gets even slightly cold, I start seeing snowflakes limiting the regen, and it´s usually over 200 wh/km where in the summer it can be as low as 150 wh/km. I almost need to charge everyday, whereas in summer I could go three days without plugging in. It´s a good 25% ... and when you pre-heat, you better be plugged in.

I took road trips to Toronto and Ottawa, and that was the only time I wondered about an LR... I think my bladder range might be more LR than SR+, but I never waited for the car at SC stops, I always ate and the car was done before I was. I haven´t done a road trip since they upped the max charging rate on the SR+.

We definitely must have different commutes because I’ve yet to see a snowflake on the battery despite being parked outdoors all day at work. Yesterday was -14 and my vampire drain throughout the day was no worse than summer. Regen is almost always limited in an SR+, and it definitely is worse in the winter.

If I have the heat on you definitely will use more energy, but through preheating the car while plugged in I’m still averaging 130wh/km over the life of the car (up from 125wh/km before Oct). My commute usually is around 140 while it was sub 120 in the summer.

Feel free to PM me as to not derail this thread but unless my car/commute is an anomaly I’ve been incredibly impressed with the winter performance of my SR+.

 

[MichaelP90DL]

And an ankle bracelet ;-)

Now that's an idea. I wonder if anyone sells fake "ankle bracelets." It would be cool to wear one to an upcoming Christmas party.

 

[Fernand]

Can someone pls clarify, because from some of the comments here it sounds like a Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus is a low rent POS.

But isn't it pretty much what we got in late 2018 as a "medium range" single motor real wheel drive? Now, I didn't - and don't - consider a $50k car a low rent purchase, and it happens to be a fantastic, powerful and fast sports sedan, with a state of the art AI automation system. What am I missing? Has the SR+ lost torque? In what mind-set does adding another motor, "ludicrous" style software, and some (pretty minimal) eye candy suddenly turn the standard range plus, by comparison, into like a strippy Fiesta?
.

 

[OCR1]

Can someone pls clarify, because from some of the comments here it sounds like a Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus is a low rent POS.

But isn't it pretty much what we got in late 2018 as a "medium range" single motor real wheel drive? Now, I didn't - and don't - consider a $50k car a low rent purchase, and it happens to be a fantastic, powerful and fast sports sedan, with a state of the art AI automation system. What am I missing? Has the SR+ lost torque? In what mind-set does adding another motor, "ludicrous" style software, and some (pretty minimal) eye candy suddenly turn the standard range plus, by comparison, into like a strippy Fiesta?
.

Of course not. The SR+ is a great car. My friend has the SR (non-plus) and absolutely loves it. It’s extremely fast, unless of course you compare it to the Performance model. But that’s like comparing a Honda Accord to a BMW M3. Silly.

The biggest frustration with the current lineup is that for people in warm weather climates like California, the AWD is overkill. We don’t need the extra traction control and the extra .5 seconds 0-60 time is not very significant. The previously available LR RWD was the perfect car for us until Tesla discontinued it. So now you either have to accept the shorter range of the SR+ or go all the way up to the AWD at a pretty significant jump in price. But for most users who drive less than 100 miles per day, live in warm weather climates and charge at home, the SR+ is a great car.

 

[jmcmill]

Of course not. The SR+ is a great car. My friend has the SR (non-plus) and absolutely loves it. It’s extremely fast, unless of course you compare it to the Performance model. But that’s like comparing a Honda Accord to a BMW M3. Silly.

The biggest frustration with the current lineup is that for people in warm weather climates like California, the AWD is overkill. We don’t need the extra traction control and the extra .5 seconds 0-60 time is not very significant. The previously available LR RWD was the perfect car for us until Tesla discontinued it. So now you either have to accept the shorter range of the SR+ or go all the way up to the AWD at a pretty significant jump in price. But for most users who drive less than 100 miles per day, live in warm weather climates and charge at home, the SR+ is a great car.

I believe the 0-60 time difference is 0.9 according to Tesla's website right now (SR+ = 5.3 / LR AWD = 4.4)

 

[MXWing]

Can someone pls clarify, because from some of the comments here it sounds like a Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus is a low rent POS.

But isn't it pretty much what we got in late 2018 as a "medium range" single motor real wheel drive? Now, I didn't - and don't - consider a $50k car a low rent purchase, and it happens to be a fantastic, powerful and fast sports sedan, with a state of the art AI automation system. What am I missing? Has the SR+ lost torque? In what mind-set does adding another motor, "ludicrous" style software, and some (pretty minimal) eye candy suddenly turn the standard range plus, by comparison, into like a strippy Fiesta?
.

I can usually take both sides of a debate.
Irritated after 4 days of SR ownership.

Dollar for dollar any version of the 3 is the best car on the planet.

No 3 owner should make any complaints given how much car they get for their money. First Model S over 100K can’t compete with the 3SR.

 

[lencap]

My 2018 LR RWD Model 3 was delivered in mid November last year, 16k miles ago. The AWD version wasn’t available when I placed my order and I second guessed myself when it became available. After driving my car for a year I think the TWD LR is the sweet spot - a good balance of range and features. There may have been 2-3 days since I’ve owned the car that AWD would possibly be useful (NC gets some snow/ice), but after driving several AWD cars I FAR prefer the RWD feel. Overall I think the OP will enjoy it too. That’s one point for the SR - very enjoyable steering feel with RWD, combined with better efficiency.

if the SR+ was available I may have bought that instead. Living in a mid sized city there is a Supercharger pretty close to my home, and plenty of them on the routes I take most often - my range anxiety at purchase is totally gone after 16k miles without ever coming close to being worried about running out of juice. That’s two points for the SR - range anxiety in CA is likely to disappear given the large number of Tesla chargers, and now the likelihood of many of them upgraded to 250KW capacity. Even if the SR charges a bit slower than other versions, with faster charging most Superchargers will get faster turnover, reducing wait times if you do need to charge.

‘Let’s talk price - my LR RWD didn’t come with autopilot when I bought it. The list price was $49k, plus $1500 for the 19” wheels. I was fortunate to get the autopilot for $2000 when Tesla was a bit strapped for cash. I wouldn’t have ordered for the original $5,000. That feature is now standard in the SR+. Yes, I got a good tax credit, but even considering that the 2019 LR AWD similarly equipped is still less expensive than my RWD version. That’s three points for the SR - it has almost everything my car has and its over $10k less than my 2018 car was.

My point? Any model 3 is a great car, but if the OP believes that the SR+ meets his needs, he has a better built, likely version 3 motherboard car that is a far better value than anything else he could buy. If he wants to get an adrenaline rush from the performance M3, rent one from a Turo and use the money saved for a 529 plan for the kids.

Final thought - I’ve owned lots of “performance” cars over the years. Many were fun, some exceptional. But looking back on it now (I’m a senior citizen - very senior) if had to do it again I’d resist the siren song of performance that is rarely used and would invest the difference. YMMV.

 

[Bluemoon3]

+1 for what lencap said.
I ended up ordering an SR and have a baby on the way. With childcare prices in Marin and a scientist salary, I chose the SR over a used LR, or even SR+ after weighing the overall package and the money saved. With my 8wk waiting time to mull over the details, I've come to realize some advantages of the SR in addition to the $10k+ in savings:

1. battery is a top end capped SR+ battery. you can charge to 90% or more and not worry about degradation. day to day, you're getting SR+ usability. most of my friends with model3's limit charging to 80% or something for everything but road trips. If you have an ICE vehicle for excursions into the unknown (second car is a subaru for us), you're good. If not, even road trips between towns/cities are not a big deal with the SR now getting the bump to 170kWh supercharging speeds. The supercharger network is a real nice safety net.
2. RWD as stated before. the AWD tugs a bit at the wheel. yes it's faster with a stopwatch, but the feel of the RWD is a bit lighter, more communicative IMO. In some cases you may get less understeer too. to each their own. some like the clawing front end grip of an AWD, and if you're an aggressive driver in rain or any driving in snow, AWD is obviously a huge help. But not essential if you have the right tires.
3. 400lb weight loss vs any LR setup. 3600lbs +/- with instant RWD torque, 50/50 weight distribution... throw some Pilot 4S's on there and I'm willing to bet an SR will canyon carve real nicely vs a LR AWD. The AWD models are all pushing over 4000lbs which is fairly portly. Modern cars are hiding weight quite well, but if you like spirited driving, you're going to notice 400lbs less weight!
4. connectivity features can now be added! I thought these were all just premium interior perks when I ordered, but now you can add them and gain features like the web browser for TeslaWaze, Spotify integration, etc. you're basically missing the immersive sound and subwoofer, the marginally-effective LED fog lights, and rear heated seats (which according to a recent Elon tweet might be available to activate as an option soon??).

I think you made a good call. you can always upgrade later on if you determine it's worth more money for you, but if you had started with the LR I can't imagine many folks would downgrade once it's in your driveway. It's probably better to have your own experience with the car and go from there.

My 2018 LR RWD Model 3 was delivered in mid November last year, 16k miles ago. The AWD version wasn’t available when I placed my order and I second guessed myself when it became available. After driving my car for a year I think the TWD LR is the sweet spot - a good balance of range and features. There may have been 2-3 days since I’ve owned the car that AWD would possibly be useful (NC gets some snow/ice), but after driving several AWD cars I FAR prefer the RWD feel. Overall I think the OP will enjoy it too. That’s one point for the SR - very enjoyable steering feel with RWD, combined with better efficiency.

if the SR+ was available I may have bought that instead. Living in a mid sized city there is a Supercharger pretty close to my home, and plenty of them on the routes I take most often - my range anxiety at purchase is totally gone after 16k miles without ever coming close to being worried about running out of juice. That’s two points for the SR - range anxiety in CA is likely to disappear given the large number of Tesla chargers, and now the likelihood of many of them upgraded to 250KW capacity. Even if the SR charges a bit slower than other versions, with faster charging most Superchargers will get faster turnover, reducing wait times if you do need to charge.

‘Let’s talk price - my LR RWD didn’t come with autopilot when I bought it. The list price was $49k, plus $1500 for the 19” wheels. I was fortunate to get the autopilot for $2000 when Tesla was a bit strapped for cash. I wouldn’t have ordered for the original $5,000. That feature is now standard in the SR+. Yes, I got a good tax credit, but even considering that the 2019 LR AWD similarly equipped is still less expensive than my RWD version. That’s three points for the SR - it has almost everything my car has and its over $10k less than my 2018 car was.

My point? Any model 3 is a great car, but if the OP believes that the SR+ meets his needs, he has a better built, likely version 3 motherboard car that is a far better value than anything else he could buy. If he wants to get an adrenaline rush from the performance M3, rent one from a Turo and use the money saved for a 529 plan for the kids.

Final thought - I’ve owned lots of “performance” cars over the years. Many were fun, some exceptional. But looking back on it now (I’m a senior citizen - very senior) if had to do it again I’d resist the siren song of performance that is rarely used and would invest the difference. YMMV.

 

[Bluemoon3]

just realized you are getting an SR+ not an SR-.... ignore the capped battery thing. you got access to the full pack! AND autopilot. ghost ride the whip?

 

[JBailey895]

Ha, thanks guys, interesting points both for and against the SR. I went into the SC today and changed from a 2019 demo to a 2020 (switched from Blue/white to White/black), for an almost negligible cost, as long as I take delivery by 12/31, which Elon is promising (or at least claiming on the website). That gives them about 2 weeks to build a car I ordered today? Lets see if the magic can happen.
I have a sneaky feeling they are churning out a ton of cars right now for CA, since we're the easy delivery (and at $1200/pop, even for a short trip). I did tell them to let me know if a Stealth shows up (there are a few red ones, but thats not my thing).
I'm generally feeling good about the decision, thought I've always suffered from upgrade-itis, I'll just have to realize that even if I love the car, it'll likely be less of a depreciation on the cheaper cars than the loaded P's, but hey, ya never know.
thanks for the interesting thoughts/flames.

 

[lencap]

Congrats - good choice. As you consider a home charger one thing that you may hear is that you should install a 60 AMP circuit to "future proof" your home charging speed. On the SR it won't make a difference, but for the LR and other models they can accept 48AMP throughput, or a 60 AMP circuit. The cost differential isn't insignificant.

I already had a 40 AMP Clipper Creek HVSE system installed for my Nissan Leaf, and later used it for my BMW i3s. Then I got the Model 3 I was tempted to upgrade, but realized that it isn't really necessary. My M3 charges at 31 miles/hour speed with the 40 AMP circuit (32AMP throughput), and that's typically fine. If I need some added range the Supercharger is pretty close, or if I'm driving a longer distance the SuperChargers are pretty well placed.

You will likely be fine with a 240V wall outlet and using the included Tesla connectors to charge at home. There may be some specific reason you want a different solution, but the wall outlet is usually the most cost effective.

By the way, I'm surprised that the Tesla SC said you'll get a 2020 by yearend - as far as I knew Tesla uses a calendar year for model designation - I didn't think you could get a 2020 in 2019. If you can, great. If not, I'd not worry about it unless you plan to upgrade soon and trade in your SR.

Enjoy the ride, and welcome to the most enjoyable car you've ever had!

 

[JBailey895]

Thanks, my wife already has a LR/RWD, and we have been using our dryer outlet. She only charges about once a week, but she gets the "bigger" side of our 3 car garage, so I will look into having an additional line run to my side of the garage. I believe its a 40 amp circuit, but we shouldn't need to charge on the same night, so I think I'll be OK with a single run, since the breaker panel is on the other side of the house.
Model Year designations for Tesla changed this year to get inline with other manufacturers, 2020s has been hitting the ground for a month or so, btw.
Thanks for the welcome, looking forward to running on sunshine

 

[mswlogo]

Love my SR+, but there is definitely a winter range hit. I´m around Montréal... with an SR+. It´s around -10C now, and I saw range going down from +5C already. As soon as it gets even slightly cold, I start seeing snowflakes limiting the regen, and it´s usually over 200 wh/km where in the summer it can be as low as 150 wh/km. I almost need to charge everyday, whereas in summer I could go three days without plugging in. It´s a good 25% ... and when you pre-heat, you better be plugged in.

I took road trips to Toronto and Ottawa, and that was the only time I wondered about an LR... I think my bladder range might be more LR than SR+, but I never waited for the car at SC stops, I always ate and the car was done before I was. I haven´t done a road trip since they upped the max charging rate on the SR+.

Snowflakes don’t limit regen. The snowflake and limited regen are separate things.

Snowflake is temporary lost capacity of the battery. It will return when the battery warms up. They are both affected by temperature and SOC, but differently.

Limited regen is the battery not able to accept as much regen charging as it normally could. Depending on the driving situation it’s not as harmful as you might think. Limited regen hits hard around town, traffic or in the city. On the highway you hardly lose anything. Because you just coast more. As long as your not hitting the brakes on the highway limited regen cost you nothing.