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Model 3 P delivery report and first impressions - Rocklin, CA

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What I love about all of this is that the Performance 3 seems to come really close to P85D performance... while that car sold new for over $120K not long ago. Tesla is carrying out their plan, bringing just as much car to people for far, far less $ than before. Keep this up and the performance per $ will exceed everything on the road.
 
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Congrats @commasign !!

I remember when you and I (along with a handful of others) were eagerly awaiting our P85D deliveries almost 4 years ago, this must feel as exciting...

I’m curious, once you get enough miles in, what you think of the handling of your new toy compared to your P85DL+ given we have the stiffer “plus” suspensions from yesteryears, before they softened them across the board.

I still love how flat my P85DL+ corners and wouldn’t give it up for the world, even for my friend’s “faster-off-the-line but rockier” P100D...

But if this new beast of M3P (or whatever its acronym is these days) also corners flat I might have to give it some serious thought!

Looking forward to your driving dynamics impressions. TIA!
 
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The car looks great; congratulations!

We are waiting for the exact same color combo, albeit non-P version of the car. So thanks for the photos and comments about the white strip on the dash and door panels. Good to know. Also very interesting about the seats feeling softer than the black ones in the RWD version. I find the black seats to be very comfortable, so this would be an added bonus.

Wrt protecting the seats from kids (we have an 8 year old, so this is my only concern about the white interior), we're going to apply Pinnacle Black Label Leather and Vinyl Coating to the seats. I don't have any experience with the product, but I figured it's worth a shot.
 
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Looking forward to your driving dynamics impressions. TIA!

Can’t believe it’s been almost 4 years since the P85D black hole! In my very limited experience, the 3P corners really well. No roll. Feels planted. As for comparing to the P85D, I think the P85D suspension is firmer and transmits the road better (but harsher). However, it’s confusing because the dash is so low on the 3 that it exaggerates the ride position (I.e. mind plays tricks on you when the car feels higher than it actually is, in terms of how you think it will handle corners and bumps). That combined with the 1000 pounds weight difference and different tires makes it difficult to compare the two. Will have to drive both more. I like both at this point. ;)
 
Can’t believe it’s been almost 4 years since the P85D black hole! In my very limited experience, the 3P corners really well. No roll. Feels planted. As for comparing to the P85D, I think the P85D suspension is firmer and transmits the road better (but harsher). However, it’s confusing because the dash is so low on the 3 that it exaggerates the ride position (I.e. mind plays tricks on you when the car feels higher than it actually is, in terms of how you think it will handle corners and bumps). That combined with the 1000 pounds weight difference and different tires makes it difficult to compare the two. Will have to drive both more. I like both at this point. ;)

Time flies, doesn't it!?

Thank you for your early feedback. I'm scheduled to test drive the 3P next weekend but not sure I'll get to take it up the hills, so any experience you have and can share would be highly appreciated!!

Congrats again and enjoy the new beast :D
 
Background and Timeline:

Existing owner, 2013 Model S P85 (sold), 2014 Model S P85D, 2016 Model X 90D
Also, plenty of experience with Model 3 already as sister and brother-in-law have a VIN 5000's 2018 Model 3 LR RWD and I exercise my rights as eldest sibling and Tesla superfan to drive it whenever I want ;)
3/31/2016 line waiter with reservation made at 2:30pm PST (didn't realize there would be so many people so I just showed up at 10am and had to wait 4 hours)
First Production invite 12/16/2017
AWD/P invite and order confirmed 6/27/2018 (didn't technically get an invite, just found out on the forums)
Edit button disappeared 7/21/2018 and applied for Tesla arranged loan
Loan approved and reconfirmation of info online 7/22/2018
Phone call to schedule delivery 7/23/2018
Delivery today 7/26/2018

Delivery Experience:

Online payment only became available approximately 3.5 hours prior to scheduled delivery
Arrived at store a few minutes early and was greeted promptly and handed off to delivery specialist
Loan documents signed within 5 minutes
Contract computer still acting up and spitting out contracts with lots of blanks, but they seem to be making due
Orientation of the Model 3 for my wife in the showroom car, approximately 20 minutes
Our Model 3 was still being detailed but was brought out quickly and then delivery specialist finished my wife's orientation in the actual car, approximately 10 more minutes
We did a thorough inspection and found a few minor defects
Left the lot just over an hour after arriving
All the staff were super friendly, delivery specialist was honest and upfront about the timeline and the fact that the car wasn't ready right when we arrived and that their contract system was acting up
The store was very busy; multiple other people taking delivery at same time and a ton of foot traffic with lots of people crowding around the showroom cars
Our 3 was apparently the first one with white interior and the first P variant they've delivered

Cosmetic Condition:

Overall good, but the detailing was clearly rushed and incomplete. QC is lacking. Multiple smudges (dirt, left over adhesive, etc.,) here and there on interior and exterior, but nothing requiring more than a little saliva to rub away
Panel alignment is excellent; nothing catches the eye (a big difference from our VIN 5000's car which had noticeable panel gaps, sunken hood, protruding headlight, seal issues, etc.,)
One small half inch by quarter inch paint defect on the corner of one of the front quarter panels along the wheel well, looks like an area that just wasn't painted; was pretty obvious so I'm surprised they didn't notice it
Significant curb rash on one of the wheels
Performance pedals came pre-installed
Spoiler and Dual Motor badge not available, listed on the "due bill", no ETA, they'll call me when those items arrive, and schedule mobile service for install
Apparent scratches on the touch screen, but then my wise wife said it's just the screen protector so we pulled it off and screen was perfect underneath

Initial Impressions:

This is definitely a Performance Tesla with a capital P, right up there with all the Model S and Model X P variants
0-60mph acceleration is not that much different than my P85D Ludicrous
If the P85D Ludicrous is an instant fatal blow to the head, the 3P is a fatal blow to the head where you don't die instantly, but you die a moment or two later ;)
Cabin and road noise is excellent, similar to our S and X
Haven't pushed the suspension yet, but driving home it felt similar to our S and X (in terms of absorbing bumps)
Sound system... spectacular. If the S sound system is an 7/10 and the X sound system is a 10/10, I'd say the 3 sound system is 9.5/10, beat by the X only because the X subwoofer is ever so slightly deeper and cleaner
White seats are super comfortable, definitely softer than anything we've had before
Center console is the same glossy black fingerprint magnet so I went home and immediately put on the white Kenriko wrap (pic below)

That's it for now. Gonna play with the car a week then bring it back for service to repair the paint defect and curb rash, then off to detailer for Xpel wrap and tint. Then spoiler and badge install at some point in the future.

View attachment 320640 View attachment 320641 View attachment 320642
Thanks for this awesome review. Now that you had a little more time in the car. I'm configuring my performance model 3. I really like the look of the performance package Wheels and brakes and it's upgrade potential on performance. However, this will be a family car on the weekends and sometimes for long trips. How are your 20 in Wheels and suspension riding. Is it a reasonable ride quality and noise level? Thank you in advance.
 
I saw your car being delivered at the Rocklin location on Tuesday right off the truck. I knew it was a performance because of the white seats, wheels and red brakes. The only performance I have seen there. Even the employees that I talked to didn’t know there was one being delivered that day. Took a peek inside and saw the pedals were installed from the factory, no spoiler or dual motor badging. I currently have a performance model 3, Black on Black with the performance upgrade package configured. Enjoy, I’m still waiting for a VIN.
 
Random thoughts/comments after 48 hours:

Regen is noticeably stronger than my dual motor S or X. Around the city, my wife and I are coming to a stop way sooner than we’re use to on S and X. I like it. Just will take a little getting use to, but this should spare the brakes even more.

iPhone X phone-as-key is working 100% of the time so far.

Very minor issues discovered... windshield “wiper fluid low” error message. One of the passenger doors takes a little more force to close than we expected. A couple times, got a lot of beeping as we tried to drive off only to realize that the door was still “open”. Probably just related to new seals. Other than that, no other errors or failures.
 
I believe wiper fluid low message is a firmware bug.

Just out of curiosity, what is Mike quoting you for the Xpel wrap job? Been debating on whether I should get one or not on my RWD.

Haven’t gotten quote yet as I have to get the repairs done by Tesla first. Also my total will be quite a bit higher since I’m probably getting the wheels powdercoated along with chrome delete and some interior protection as well.
 
Rocklin now has a M3 red performance test-driver car... Really sharp. We were there yesterday. The first guy we asked about the car wouldn't even open it for us! Said they hadn't even road tested it yet...
Then a second guy came out and opened it for someone else, so we got in, took pictures etc.
Then the first guy comes out and takes someone for a test drive in it! (I was pissed!).

We stayed until he returned and walked right up to him and he quickly says "we just got permission to use the car". Yeah, good save...

Had to be on the list though to take a drive... Loved the white seats so much, we decided we are going to change our order to include the white seats (we ordered LR AWD non-P). Tried to change it there, but we haven't had the edit button since confirming everything shortly after order (7/13/18), and the Tesla guys couldn't figure out how to change it either - so have to wait for them to call on Monday. Hope it doesn't impact our estimated delivery of Sept-Nov.
 
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