M3 vs MY

[hellojoea]

Hi all
First time posting here, and I apologise if this has been asked/answered already.
I have been looking for a long time at getting a M3, the boot size/space is the only thing that has been putting me off. So I have been waiting for most of 2021 for the release of the MY, finally, we're able to order them, but that price is really putting me off! In comparison o the M3, I would be paying another 13k for the MY and all I'm really gaining is the bigger boot. I do have two kids (11 and 9), and a dog, so the boot is very important, but is it 13k important?!
Just wondering if I could get some real world views on the M3, and what its honestly like to live with for a family of 4?
I think 90% of the year it would be fine, but it would be longer journey, trips with the dogs, holidays, particularly holidays abroad where you need space for several suitcases etc.
Would really appreciate any thoughts on this
Thanks in advance

 

[Drew57]

I collected my American Family from Heathrow last Christmas & had told them that only one full size suitcase would fit the boot but there's plenty of room for a carry on bag & other soft bags (as well as a carry on suitcase in the front). They had a lot with them but the Model 3 swallowed it all up quite easily.

After the festivities, they returned with far more than they arrived with including another carry on bag but we did manage to fit it all by putting some of the soft bags between the rear passengers as well as in the space below the boot which normally only houses charging cables.

If needing to carry two or more suitcases for a holiday abroad then one would go in the boot but you would have to try and fit another between the rear passengers. Do-able for a trip to the airport but not practical for a longer journey.

 

[Campi]

I don't think the M3 is an option if you're planning to carry a dog. For the dog, it would be like being put into a coffin. I've have purchased the MY LR because we have a black Labrador (among lots of other reasons).

Watch this YouTube by Thomas at Autogefühl about the MIC MY.

 

[JonB]

I had the same dillema - would prefer the Y but it is too much extra money. Also, slower and less range and not as sleek looking. But for a labrador... I wouldn't put him in the boot of a M3.

 

[eaglesrest]

I feel your pain. We are also looking at the MY and really hoped it would be a no brainer, but the ride reviews, prices and stats, are giving pause for thought.

If it helps, we are also a family of 4 - teenagers and a golden retriever, and we recently took delivery of a M3LR on 18" wheels. Idea being it would be cheaper than a short term lease until the MY was available, due to the great residuals, and we'd get chance to figure if we would like the MY, considering they are so similar.

The good news is we love the M3LR. The ride is OK but I absolutely wouldn't want it to be any firmer for use on our local roads. Motorways are fine, but the MY ride reviews are consistently bad. That's my biggest concern on the Y, but couple that with less range, performance, and a £6K uplift on the M3LR, it's not looking too appealing.

We are taking a 3-week Florida holiday next year, so have tested luggage storage in the M3. Surprisingly, with some jenga, we can get everything in, just! That's 4 large cases, and 4 carry on. We did need to fold one seat.

Ongoing I've just bought the Tesla roof bars, and will be using bike racks, and possibly a roof box, to get some additional functionality.

The dog is going to be an issue and won't work in the M3 with 4 passengers. Our plan is to use a 2nd vehicle for the longer family trips. It's a compromise.

We still have our MY order and will test drive, but I'm expecting it to be a fail, even on 19" wheels, unless Tesla make significant changes to the suspension, add adaptive dampers, or even air suspension. I got an MS loaner recently and the suspension on that was fantastic. Even smoother than my previous X5 (G05) with air suspension.

 

[Alan J]

There is a surprising amount of space in the M3 Boot easily enough for 2-3 big cases and some smaller carry on bags you could also use the lower Boot and Frunk for soft bags. I know it's not the same scenario but my M3 easily swallows my golf clubs and electric Trolley. The restricting factor is the height of the boot opening which is quite narrow, I'd suggest a Test Drive and Pack with typical cases etc. to see if it will work for you. The dog (depending on size) could always sit in the middle of the rear seat with a harness and rug for seat protection.

 

[LoudMusic]

I think the Model Y will hold its value better than the Model 3 because of the added usability that people want. You'll be parking more money in the car but you'll also get a larger percentage back when you sell or trade it later.

 

[OUTATIME1]

I have a Model 3, a 2 year old and a cocker-cross-lab. I went from a Focus to the Model 3 knowing that I was sacrificing having a hatchback and that I would have to live with the dog going in a hammock on the back seat... I had the car for one month before buying a 10 year old Seat Ibiza that we literally only use to take the dog out in. I just couldn't bare the dog being in the back making a mess. That was over a year ago now, and having lived with the car though all four seasons I can say this: With a decent doggy hammock in one of the rear seats, the Model 3 is perfect for karting kid, wife and dog about in during the summer months. For winter you'll wish you hat a big boot or another car to kart the dog about in.

The Model Y ticks all the boxes for me also, but its a hell of a lot of money to get that hatch back. I'd rather an ID4 for the money it would cost.

 

[markgyork]

I think your dog is the dealbreaker here. The Model 3 would work for almost all your use cases but I don't think you could carry two kids, luggage and a dog safely - it's just not designed that way.

Possible workaround....although I have no idea how safe/legal this would be - could you buy a Model 3 with a tow hook and have your dog travel in a trailer? Intuitively that seems as unsafe as shutting them in a tiny boot with no natural light but perhaps other people do this?!

We (family of 4, 2 kids under 3yrs) also went round and round over whether to 'gamble' with a Model 3 or wait until the Model Y was released, and have been really happy with our choice so far. I'd assumed that we'd need to buy the roof bars/roof box (we haven't yet) but it's surprising how much you can fit in the Model 3 when you take all the available storage into account.

 

[Jason71]

M3 is useless for traditional suit cases unless you put them in the back not the boot. You can actually fit 2 cases in the back and still have plenty of room for 2 kids if going to the airport or something. Boot works better for squashy bags
But I agree with others. Dog is the deal breaker.
Your 13K difference is the difference from an M3 Standard to an MY LR I assume so you are gaining more range and performance and 4 wheel drive not just a bigger boot. You may not care about that stuff but it is where most of the money is going

 

[hellojoea]

Thanks for all your thoughts, really appreciate it. It is really as I had expected, but always good to hear some real world feedback from people in similar situations to us.
We are a two car family, so to be honest we could use my wifes car if/when we take the dog out! We are lucky that we live right next to open countryside so very rarely have to take the dog in the car anyway. It's only the odd weekend away that sometimes we take them, but if need be she could go in the footwell in the front or the back, or the middle seat, plenty of options I think.
I was actually more concerned about the trips to the airport. We have a trip to dubai and Florida planned for next year and both will want at least 3 large suitcases, and probably 3 smaller carry on suitcases. Its only 2 trips in the whole year so I dont think its a dealbreaker, but its just something that certainly weighs on my mind when comparing the 3 with the Y.
I have seen these custom made bags that are built to fit the model 3 boot...has anyone used or seen these before - Tesla Model 3 4-door saloon 2017-present travel bags ?
Thanks again everyone

 

[markgyork]

Thanks for all your thoughts, really appreciate it. It is really as I had expected, but always good to hear some real world feedback from people in similar situations to us.
We are a two car family, so to be honest we could use my wifes car if/when we take the dog out! We are lucky that we live right next to open countryside so very rarely have to take the dog in the car anyway. It's only the odd weekend away that sometimes we take them, but if need be she could go in the footwell in the front or the back, or the middle seat, plenty of options I think.
I was actually more concerned about the trips to the airport. We have a trip to dubai and Florida planned for next year and both will want at least 3 large suitcases, and probably 3 smaller carry on suitcases. Its only 2 trips in the whole year so I dont think its a dealbreaker, but its just something that certainly weighs on my mind when comparing the 3 with the Y.
I have seen these custom made bags that are built to fit the model 3 boot...has anyone used or seen these before - Tesla Model 3 4-door saloon 2017-present travel bags ?
Thanks again everyone

I reckon the way to go there is roof box/rack. For less than £1K you'd have everything you needed ready to level up your storage on the odd occasion you'll need it.

Those bags are really cool - not seen them before. I've been thinking about getting one of these frunk bags from Montrose though.

 

[SeanT]

Yes, very similar story here. 2 young kids (6 and 1) and a big dog. Deciding between M3 + keeping our Skoda Superb estate for family trips/holiday etc or biting bullet and going Model Y. To get the fullest benefit of an EV, I want to use it as much as possible - so siding with the Y. Put the order fee in last night on a MYLR in blue. Haven't worked out what the actual finance costs will be for me on it yet... might change my mind when I do

 

[Js1977]

Your 13K difference is the difference from an M3 Standard to an MY LR I assume so you are gaining more range and performance and 4 wheel drive not just a bigger boot. You may not care about that stuff but it is where most of the money is going

So. On that assumption, comparing it to a LR model 3, for 6.5k you get bigger boot, 1" bigger wheels, bigger frunk, smaller battery and a 0.5 0-60 deficit (£1500) so we can call that 7.5k not even going into the battery.

 

[MrT3]

So. On that assumption, comparing it to a LR model 3, for 6.5k you get bigger boot, 1" bigger wheels, bigger frunk, smaller battery and a 0.5 0-60 deficit (£1500) so we can call that 7.5k not even going into the battery.

It's got an expensive HEPA filter

 

[GRiLLA]

Model 3 fits our family of 4 (kids 17 and 13) perfectly well, but getting a dog in at the same time would be out of the question. We have what I guess would be called middle sized cases, these fit 3 across the back of the boot on their side, then loads of other room for carry-ons, an inflatable paddleboard, wellie boots. etc. etc.

 

[Kenners]

The Model 3 is the last thing I have to defend the position of "no we're not getting a dog", this is the reason why I will not trade for a Y. I love dogs but fully understand that getting one will entail me doing everything, proven by the repeated insistence from the rest of the family that I will never have to do anything.

 

[Js1977]

It's got an expensive HEPA filter

At the rate Im going, I might leave that to the next owner

 

[Js1977]

The Model 3 is the last thing I have to defend the position of "no we're not getting a dog", this is the reason why I will not trade for a Y. I love dogs but fully understand that getting one will entail me doing everything, proven by the repeated insistence from the rest of the family that I will never have to do anything.

Same here, I like them and pets in general. However, My heart (and back) hurts thinking of when I took him back home the grave I dug and what annoys me the most is the Mrs said it was expensive to have him cremated when I phoned her from the vets and I then googled and it would of been about £140... After digging that hole (that I nearly fell into when laying him to rest), I would off happily paid double!

The dog was 15 and the cat now outlives at 19. She looks like she could live another 5 years but I dread the day

 

[MaximusE]

I’ve been in Vegas & now LA for the past week and wow, so many Teslas about…..in particular the Model Y, which I must say looks incredible! Marking me seriously envious with my Model 3 at home!

On another note, I’m currently driving a hire car over here and drive 5 hours Vegas to LA. Man I miss autopilot…..how people drive any sort of distance without it doesn’t make sense to me. Elon really has started something HUGE with Tesla…..