Whilst sitting behind the driver's wheel of the MY you could almost swear that you're in the M3, the differences between the two are quite pronounced to the point of which they both have very different personalities and are very successful at serving different functions.
I took delivery my SR+ in mid November 2021, and have since driven 10,000kms. Most trips have been around Sydney, and it's taken me and the family to Canberra (twice) and Melbourne. In that time I've gotten to know the Model 3 SR+ very well, and so when I took delivery of my Model Y RWD yesterday the differences almost immediately started to become apparent.
Lets start with the one that has been the biggest surprise, which is the MY's ride. It has definitely had its ride softened compared to the demonstrator MY RWD that I test drove in June 2022. Even on 19" wheels it is noticeably more comfortable than my SR+ on 18" wheels. The MY has the ability to soak up the initial road imperfection, and is much better than an SR+ on either a pothole or a speed hump. For me it's at the sweet spot of a comfortable ride but with enough firmness in it to make it fun.
Handling however is where you cannot escape the laws of physics, and I was caught a little surprised throwing the MY into a fast sweeper with the kind of vigour that the M3 encourages. The higher centre of gravity with the softer ride send an clear message on early turn in that it's not going to deliver the M3's handling heroics, but for a family sized SUV it acquits itself very, very well. Where the M3 confidently sits flat on its Michelins and attacks a corner, the initial weight transfer of the MY's high centre of gravity reminds you that this a car for carting the kids around, not for go karting.
The weight and heft of the MY is another thing that becomes immediately apparent. You feel it when looking for a sudden change of direction, which happens a fraction slower than an M3. You feel it with the regen taking longer to slow the mass of the MY down. The size of the MY is most apparent in the back seat where it feels like a car from the class above to the M3, similar to the way the 5 series is bigger to 3 series.
Continuing the theme of size, the MY is an M3 with +20% size, but with 80% of the performance. I noticed that I was happy to drive the MY in traffic on Standard, whereas I always commute in the M3 in Chill in order to take the edge off the Unicorn's thump. The MY is certainly slower than my M3, but it never felt slow. For a family car that can do everything a young family requires, it also delivers enough instant performance to deliver a smile. For the trade off in ride and handling which hits the sweet spot for me, Telsa have also given the MY RWD plenty of performance, but not enough that it overwhelms the package.
I'm no audiophile, but even I could tell the difference between the MY's premium sound system compared to the M3's, which up until this point I was more than happy with. Put simply, it sounds superb. Speaking of sounds, the MY has a noticeably louder motor whine than the M3. The "REEEEEEE" sounds great when you're asking it to give you everything, and I can only speculate that it's an unexpected bonus of not having a parcel shelf. "REEEEEEEE"
So two very similar cars, with two very different purposes. The M3 remains a sport sedan in the classic BMW 3 series mould, the driver's choice for a focused drive. The MY is more of an all rounder, from the moment that you easily slide into the drivers seat and realise that it doesn't need Easy Entry enable. It's compromises are around comfort and giving you maximum flexibility. The MY is just easy to live with. If you could only have one Tesla to serve all purposes and give you maximum lifestyle flexibility, the MY would be it. I'm fortunate to have both the M3 and MY, and I can see myself choosing to drive either on different days as they deliver two different answers to different sets of requirements.
I took delivery my SR+ in mid November 2021, and have since driven 10,000kms. Most trips have been around Sydney, and it's taken me and the family to Canberra (twice) and Melbourne. In that time I've gotten to know the Model 3 SR+ very well, and so when I took delivery of my Model Y RWD yesterday the differences almost immediately started to become apparent.
Lets start with the one that has been the biggest surprise, which is the MY's ride. It has definitely had its ride softened compared to the demonstrator MY RWD that I test drove in June 2022. Even on 19" wheels it is noticeably more comfortable than my SR+ on 18" wheels. The MY has the ability to soak up the initial road imperfection, and is much better than an SR+ on either a pothole or a speed hump. For me it's at the sweet spot of a comfortable ride but with enough firmness in it to make it fun.
Handling however is where you cannot escape the laws of physics, and I was caught a little surprised throwing the MY into a fast sweeper with the kind of vigour that the M3 encourages. The higher centre of gravity with the softer ride send an clear message on early turn in that it's not going to deliver the M3's handling heroics, but for a family sized SUV it acquits itself very, very well. Where the M3 confidently sits flat on its Michelins and attacks a corner, the initial weight transfer of the MY's high centre of gravity reminds you that this a car for carting the kids around, not for go karting.
The weight and heft of the MY is another thing that becomes immediately apparent. You feel it when looking for a sudden change of direction, which happens a fraction slower than an M3. You feel it with the regen taking longer to slow the mass of the MY down. The size of the MY is most apparent in the back seat where it feels like a car from the class above to the M3, similar to the way the 5 series is bigger to 3 series.
Continuing the theme of size, the MY is an M3 with +20% size, but with 80% of the performance. I noticed that I was happy to drive the MY in traffic on Standard, whereas I always commute in the M3 in Chill in order to take the edge off the Unicorn's thump. The MY is certainly slower than my M3, but it never felt slow. For a family car that can do everything a young family requires, it also delivers enough instant performance to deliver a smile. For the trade off in ride and handling which hits the sweet spot for me, Telsa have also given the MY RWD plenty of performance, but not enough that it overwhelms the package.
I'm no audiophile, but even I could tell the difference between the MY's premium sound system compared to the M3's, which up until this point I was more than happy with. Put simply, it sounds superb. Speaking of sounds, the MY has a noticeably louder motor whine than the M3. The "REEEEEEE" sounds great when you're asking it to give you everything, and I can only speculate that it's an unexpected bonus of not having a parcel shelf. "REEEEEEEE"
So two very similar cars, with two very different purposes. The M3 remains a sport sedan in the classic BMW 3 series mould, the driver's choice for a focused drive. The MY is more of an all rounder, from the moment that you easily slide into the drivers seat and realise that it doesn't need Easy Entry enable. It's compromises are around comfort and giving you maximum flexibility. The MY is just easy to live with. If you could only have one Tesla to serve all purposes and give you maximum lifestyle flexibility, the MY would be it. I'm fortunate to have both the M3 and MY, and I can see myself choosing to drive either on different days as they deliver two different answers to different sets of requirements.
