TheRFMan
Member
As of two years ago, the motor configuration was different between the LR and the P, according to Engineering Explained, which he claimed made the P more instantaneously responsive. It's been a while since I watched it, and I don't remember the details. And I don't know it's still true today.
He made a 20-minute YouTube video about it.
It's not so much that the rear motor is different, it's that the front motor is a totally different technology. His original Tesla was a mid range RWD version, which like all 3s, has a permanent magnet switched reluctance rear motor. The front motor of the AWD versions is an induction motor. According to this video, the response of the induction motor is snappier. He would have come to the same conclusion with a LR AWD as with the Performance.