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How does Model 3 RWD handle vs other sport cars?

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I own a Miata ND, Tesla M3 SR+ and M3 Performance. The Miata is the most fun car to drive on the street. At 2300lbs it is so toss-able, it feels like a go-kart. Low on torque but the newer ND2 is rev happy and fun to wind out.

The SR+ handles better than the Performance. Without the front motor the SR+ handles more like a mid-engine car and you can feel the difference. The Performance handles well but at 4250lbs, even with all the instant torque, it is a piggy. The big issue for most enthusiasts is the lack of playfulness of the chassis. You have to resort to these aftermarket party boxes to disable the nannies and since there is so much dependency on software tuning and compatibility it kinda spoils the fun.
Agreed with everything you said 👍
And good on you for actually owning all of these cars to give a fair comparison.

Danny
 
The SR+ handles better than the Performance. Without the front motor the SR+ handles more like a mid-engine car and you can feel the difference. The Performance handles well but at 4250lbs, even with all the instant torque, it is a piggy.
The Performance is not 4250lbs, more like 4050lbs.
The motor/axles don't save that much weight, the bulk of the difference is the smaller battery. I very much doubt you'd feel the difference in weight distribution.
About 450lbs of the difference between the P and SR+ is no small change, but to feel that you'd definitely need quality rubber.

P.S. I think ND RF is a travesty, but I'm considering picking up a proper convertible ND2 as a replacement for the S2000 I'm getting bored with.
 
The Performance is not 4250lbs, more like 4050lbs.
The motor/axles don't save that much weight, the bulk of the difference is the smaller battery. I very much doubt you'd feel the difference in weight distribution.
About 450lbs of the difference between the P and SR+ is no small change, but to feel that you'd definitely need quality rubber.

P.S. I think ND RF is a travesty, but I'm considering picking up a proper convertible ND2 as a replacement for the S2000 I'm getting bored with.
Correct, about 4,050 curb weight, about 4,250 with me in it. ;) When I drive the SR+ and Performance back to back I can feel the difference of the weight on the nose in the turns. The extra power of the M3P still makes it feel lighter than it is. The pull off the corner is the highlight of the M3P for me.
 
ND2 ? I thought the current 2021 MX5 was still ND? What is your view ( raptor5244 ) on the MX5 RF ?

Dan
Yeah, technically it is still an ND. They refer to the 2019 mid-cycle refresh as the ND2 now since they improved the motor and some other stuff. They added about 26hp but more importantly they changed the cam profile so it makes more power at the top of the rev range, now 7500rpm redline. They also went to a dual mass flywheel and other refinements to the manual transmission.

To me the RF looks very nice from the side profile but I don't care for it as much from the rear angles. The Miata for me is the fun/toy car so I prefer the simple soft top (less weight and complexity) vs. the hard top and it costs about $3k less. There is also less wind buffeting noise with the soft top and since I drive top down 99% of the time the soft top provides for a more open convertible experience. The hard top feels more open than say a targa top but you still get the large buttress pieces behind you. There is also not much difference in road noise between the two. If it was a daily driver I can see some more of the benefits of the hardtop (dealing with weather, etc.) but you have to make a lot of compromises to have a Miata as your daily driver. I think of a Miata more like an alternative to a motorcycle.
 
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