Well said. A true enthusiast would not limit themself to an EV only yet alone a single manufacturer.
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M3P - Who switched from a (true) sports car?
- Thread starter drew4392
- Start date
^^^^exactly right.
It’s odd to me that the EV is as political as it is at least in terms of just driving the car. There are benefits to EV, and still things only ICE can do. The Tesla has a totally different driving feel them any car I have owned.
Will I only have an EV for the rest of my life? I doubt it, but we’ll see how the relationship goes for a while, especially with gas $4 per gallon where I live. I still want a used Panamera Turbo E hybrid, but I’m not sure I’ll want to pay for one with the current car crisis that isn’t ending any time soon.
It’s odd to me that the EV is as political as it is at least in terms of just driving the car. There are benefits to EV, and still things only ICE can do. The Tesla has a totally different driving feel them any car I have owned.
Will I only have an EV for the rest of my life? I doubt it, but we’ll see how the relationship goes for a while, especially with gas $4 per gallon where I live. I still want a used Panamera Turbo E hybrid, but I’m not sure I’ll want to pay for one with the current car crisis that isn’t ending any time soon.
Oh man, the thread I've been waiting for. I just read through all 26 pages and I am almost in complete agreeance with a lot of what was being said.
I have always had fun cars, by choice as the motorhead in me just enjoys tinkering. In no proper order at all;
E90 335i N54 VTT Turbos (530WHP)
- My first real adventure into a 'fast' car as I had owned a few LS1's and Foxbodies prior to this, the interior to me was great and it was extremely comfortable. I thoroughly enjoyed this car, the Model 3 feels similar except not as quiet in the cabin. 60-130 In this car was right around 6.1 seconds via dragy.
C63 AMG N/A Full Bolt on (500WHP) - After I sold the BMW I bought this car almost sight unseen, it was the last year of the big V8 and was the P31 package so it had carbon fiber trims, the flat bottom steering wheel with alcantara and the limited slip differential. This car was so raw to drive and the noise it made was hard to replicate in anything else. Towards the end it started to have some of the typical issues that they run into with the cam chain's stretching so I sold it.
C6 Z06 - Cam & E85 (570WHP) - This was my favorite car, the interior sucked and it was was a little bit loud on the inside but you didn't have to downshift to pull away at almost any speed similar to the M3. Even with 570WHP it felt as fast as the Hellcat. Kids will change what you drive unfortunately.
Charger Hellcat - HPP Package (830WHP) - I bought this when it first came out in 2017, my first child on the way so I convinced my better half this was the safest and proper use to haul a kid around in. Fast forward six months and I had done a intake, pulley, tune, catless and lowered it. This made it bouncy even in comfort mode as the adaptive suspension just wasn't all that good to begin with. Prior to me lowering it, if I went over a bump the rear end was come down kind of hard almost like if you had a car full of passengers but this was unloaded with just me in the seat. The interior felt like Dodge was more focused on the powertrain so they used what was in the parts bin for knobs and handles.
In comparison to those cars, my M3P does quite a bit better a few things in the middle and definitely somethings worse. I could be crazy, but switching to a Model S P100D/Plaid would obviously correct some of what I'm about to say.
The interior noise is prevalent, tiny squeaks, rattles and the noise of the frameless windows on the rubber when it's cold. The air getting stuck in the a-pillar making a whooshing sound. The BMW was from 2010, the Corvette was from 2008 and the C63 was from 2012 and I can't think of any rattles/squeaks that stuck out to me the way these do even at their age from when I purchased them private party, it is simple enough to ask the Service Center to fix them but these cars should not of even left QC this way at all.
The infotainment system on the Tesla is excellent, I can't find anything that I don't like here and it does this better than any previous cars.
Exiting the M3P is tough, I'm not too tall at 6FT but I feel like my dress shoes are hitting the door panel. Doesn't seem like we have a good amount of usable room up front.
Acceleration and street characteristics are what I say an absolutely perfect blend between what I have always been after, sure everything I owned previously in comparison would make the M3P look stupid from 50+ MPH but how often do you get into an impromptu race on the highway? I did a few times for sure but I don't feel that the risk of hitting someone at terminal velocity was worth the fun. That's where the M3P comes in, from a dead stop you don't have to worry about pulling a Mustang and finding a crowd - it just goes straight, quickly! It's so practical of a powerband.
All in all, I'm enamored with the car and I find myself brushing off anything I felt wasn't up to par because for what it accomplishes I can look past it.
I have always had fun cars, by choice as the motorhead in me just enjoys tinkering. In no proper order at all;
E90 335i N54 VTT Turbos (530WHP)
- My first real adventure into a 'fast' car as I had owned a few LS1's and Foxbodies prior to this, the interior to me was great and it was extremely comfortable. I thoroughly enjoyed this car, the Model 3 feels similar except not as quiet in the cabin. 60-130 In this car was right around 6.1 seconds via dragy.
C63 AMG N/A Full Bolt on (500WHP) - After I sold the BMW I bought this car almost sight unseen, it was the last year of the big V8 and was the P31 package so it had carbon fiber trims, the flat bottom steering wheel with alcantara and the limited slip differential. This car was so raw to drive and the noise it made was hard to replicate in anything else. Towards the end it started to have some of the typical issues that they run into with the cam chain's stretching so I sold it.
C6 Z06 - Cam & E85 (570WHP) - This was my favorite car, the interior sucked and it was was a little bit loud on the inside but you didn't have to downshift to pull away at almost any speed similar to the M3. Even with 570WHP it felt as fast as the Hellcat. Kids will change what you drive unfortunately.
Charger Hellcat - HPP Package (830WHP) - I bought this when it first came out in 2017, my first child on the way so I convinced my better half this was the safest and proper use to haul a kid around in. Fast forward six months and I had done a intake, pulley, tune, catless and lowered it. This made it bouncy even in comfort mode as the adaptive suspension just wasn't all that good to begin with. Prior to me lowering it, if I went over a bump the rear end was come down kind of hard almost like if you had a car full of passengers but this was unloaded with just me in the seat. The interior felt like Dodge was more focused on the powertrain so they used what was in the parts bin for knobs and handles.
In comparison to those cars, my M3P does quite a bit better a few things in the middle and definitely somethings worse. I could be crazy, but switching to a Model S P100D/Plaid would obviously correct some of what I'm about to say.
The interior noise is prevalent, tiny squeaks, rattles and the noise of the frameless windows on the rubber when it's cold. The air getting stuck in the a-pillar making a whooshing sound. The BMW was from 2010, the Corvette was from 2008 and the C63 was from 2012 and I can't think of any rattles/squeaks that stuck out to me the way these do even at their age from when I purchased them private party, it is simple enough to ask the Service Center to fix them but these cars should not of even left QC this way at all.
The infotainment system on the Tesla is excellent, I can't find anything that I don't like here and it does this better than any previous cars.
Exiting the M3P is tough, I'm not too tall at 6FT but I feel like my dress shoes are hitting the door panel. Doesn't seem like we have a good amount of usable room up front.
Acceleration and street characteristics are what I say an absolutely perfect blend between what I have always been after, sure everything I owned previously in comparison would make the M3P look stupid from 50+ MPH but how often do you get into an impromptu race on the highway? I did a few times for sure but I don't feel that the risk of hitting someone at terminal velocity was worth the fun. That's where the M3P comes in, from a dead stop you don't have to worry about pulling a Mustang and finding a crowd - it just goes straight, quickly! It's so practical of a powerband.
All in all, I'm enamored with the car and I find myself brushing off anything I felt wasn't up to par because for what it accomplishes I can look past it.
Nice writeup and review, thanks for sharing. I traded a C7 Grand Sport M7 for a 2019 M3P. Tesla gave me what I paid for it in 2019 on trade but I kind of regret that move as it is worth quite a bit more than the M3P after 2 years. Anyway, the instant torque and response you get from the Model 3 is very satisfying and as you mentioned it makes you feel like a hero since going fast is so effortless. The M3P is the stop light king unless you run into a C8 Corvette with a great launch or a Model S. My wife has a Model 3 SR+, by the way, if you haven't driven one try it out if you get the chance. I feel the handling in the SR+ with only the RWD and smaller battery and ~400lb weight difference enables it to handle noticeably better.
Anyway, I drove the M3P for about 2 years and recently traded it for a Camaro ZL1. The M3P is a great all around sedan and does a lot of things really well but I really started to miss the visceral experience of a supercharged V8 so I traded it out while the used market is strong. We drive the SR+ for the daily stuff and the Camaro is more of the weekend toy. Based on the cars you have owned, especially the rawness of C6 Z06 and Hellcat, I am curious if you will feel the same as I did after a while and long for that visceral engaging driving experience again or if the driving characteristics of an EV powertrain will keep you entertained for the foreseeable future.
It should be interesting to see what Dodge comes up with in regards to their eMuscle cars in 2024. I am concerned the focus will be about 0-60mph times, which is great and all but you know moving forward just about any EV will be able to sprint to 60mph in crazy times. I just hope the manufacturers find a way to make these cars fun to drive.
Zcd1
Active Member
So I'm curious - just how many times are you going to post the exact same things about your (ex-) car?
Based on the evidence, the answer appears to be:
"At least one more time, every time anyone posts anything in this thread that says how much they like their car...."
What is your purpose in re-stating the same thing in the same thread over and over??
It’s a good thing they have this ignore feature. It looks like we can both put it to good use.
Zcd1
Active Member
You can ignore me all you want.
I will continue to call you out for trolling this thread every time you do it. Ignore THAT.
I do miss the Hellcat, the ride quality was kind of bad and maybe the Challengers are different in this regard but - if you have passengers in the back of the Charger and you are in normal in the suspension settings, you get what feels like a rear end bounce where it hits the bump-stops.
I do miss the sound of cars, in general.
I think there will always be a percentage of enthusiasts that will long for that visceral feel you can only get from a high performance ICE based vehicle. I hope manufacturers can find way to make EVs more engaging to drive but that doesn't seem to be the case so far. I am sure when Dodge releases their emusclecar it will have the Hellcat exhaust note as an option to play through the sound system.
I'm not sure if it qualifies as a proper or pure sports car but I can definitely confirm it is a competent track car. I'm coming from a Civic Type R. It is pretty much a car that can do it all, daily drive relatively comfortably while still being ballistic on track. Albeit, at a relatively low price point.
The main reason why I'm switching over is that my new job requires quite the commute, and I'm not ready to relocate quite yet. As good as the Type R daily is, an EV will be even better. My father already has a Model 3 LR RWD with some decent modifications, so I already know what I'm getting into. Obviously, the aftermarket and trackside support for Honda will be hard to match but the new challenge is exciting. I'm sure I'll miss the manual and exhaust sound eventually, but I'm sure a P3D is just as fun in different ways (?). Either way, I look forward to the switch! I'll definitely miss some of the friends and connections I've made over on the Honda side.
The main reason why I'm switching over is that my new job requires quite the commute, and I'm not ready to relocate quite yet. As good as the Type R daily is, an EV will be even better. My father already has a Model 3 LR RWD with some decent modifications, so I already know what I'm getting into. Obviously, the aftermarket and trackside support for Honda will be hard to match but the new challenge is exciting. I'm sure I'll miss the manual and exhaust sound eventually, but I'm sure a P3D is just as fun in different ways (?). Either way, I look forward to the switch! I'll definitely miss some of the friends and connections I've made over on the Honda side.
drpheta
Member
With the proper suspension setup, the Model 3 is soooooooooooooo much fun to drive.
It’s a great drag car I’m sure but I can’t picture it being a proven corner carver out of the box. I’d love to be proven wrong.
For reference, the Hellcat Charger delivers .96G on the skid pad vs M3P's .94G, this is primarily a result of the active suspension in the Hellcat. No slouch around a track either with those figures.
drpheta
Member
Those the tested numbers on factory settings? M3P has some crap factory shocks, so .94G is impressive if so.
jackmott
Member
Skidpad numbers are almost entirely a function of tires. Any car no matter how heavy or designed can get good skidpad numbers with a fat sticky tire and a decent alignment. The subtleties of how cars handle transitions, tight slow corners, fast corners, bumpy corners, how the car's balance feels in various corners, how well the car can handle being driven hard for a while (do the tires get overheated and go to crap, etc) is all much more complex and nuanced, and where a big car like a hellcat is not going to do so nice in stock form. Nor does a Tesla model 3.
jackmott
Member
Change the shocks on the M3P to the fanciest ones on earth and skidpad number will still be 0.94G
Put a sticky street tire on them and both cars will do over 1.0G
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