Highland Front Styling, Better or Worse?

[GregD60]

Are there any published numbers to see if one is more aerodynamic than the other? Was some sacrifice in efficiency made to change the design, or is the change in design the byproduct of improved aero?

When the new model 3 was released, Tesla said it was more aerodynamic, and they stated a number for its Cd. I don't remember what the number was off the top of my head, but the difference is fairly small compared to the original Model 3.

 

[Quamera]

At least in the old model, the side vents don't go to radiators, rather it goes to free air to the side of the car (if you take a look, the vent goes through and passes the air to the two sides of the car). This makes the frontal area effectively smaller and directs air around the tires.

The extra drag would be minimal but any air passing through a vent with 360 degrees of surface then negotiating the turbulence around the wheel will cause some extra drag compared to air that is directed around the vehicle. There maybe reasons to have vents like aesthetics or brake cooling but everything else being equal the model without the vents will have a lower drag than the one with them.

 

[stopcrazypp]

The extra drag would be minimal but any air passing through a vent with 360 degrees of surface then negotiating the turbulence around the wheel will cause some extra drag compared to air that is directed around the vehicle. There maybe reasons to have vents like aesthetics or brake cooling but everything else being equal the model without the vents will have a lower drag than the one with them.

Nope, incorrect. The design is called an air curtain. Although it looks similar to a vent for brake cooling, it does not direct air to the brakes. Instead it directs air past the tires to improve the aerodynamics.

Here's a discussion.
Purpose of front bumper side air vents?
Here's a reference that discusses how it reduces drag:
https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/what-is-an-air-curtain-on-a-car

The vents on cars used for aesthetics are ones that are fake (it's just black plastic stuck on bumper, no air can actually get past it). These type of passthrough ones actually serve an aerodynamic purpose.

That said, I haven't seen an up close view of the new Performance vents so can't confirm it uses a similar design, which is why I specifically mentioned the old one instead (I have one myself, so I've looked at how the air flows through it when I did DIY PPF).