Having lived with several Model S loaners as well as a long term test drive (weekend) of a 90D, and I'm pretty good at sussing out car's strengths and weaknesses quickly. Overall I'd take the Model 3, but that's because I plain can't get comfortable in an S. The front headroom just isn't enough for my build (6'2" longer in torso than legs). And the rear seats are too tight for even my kids, headroom wise. Despite it being a bigger car, my wife and kids all agree that the Model 3 is a better fit for us. But we're all tall (my 14 year old is already 5'9").
Putting that aside, here are the pluses and minuses that I see for each.
For the S:
Air suspension lights out better than Model 3 steel suspension. Even the Model S steel suspension is better.
Two displays better use of information, IMO. The traditional gauge cluster means not having to look away for as many things. Also I prefer the extra controls on the steering wheel as well.
Strong performance. Even though my Model 3 is a performance, a P85D or better is faster, even without heating up the battery.
Seats - much better lateral support in the S seats. The 3 / Y seats are an absolute joke regarding lateral support.
Cargo room / hatchback - more usable space and more practical.
Prefer the sleeker looks of the S to the 3.
For the 3:
Newer tech unless you buy a brand new S.
Newer batteries / better charging.
Better visibility out of the car.
Better headroom front and rear.
Better software support if you are buying a newer car with HW3.
Lighter / smaller feeling car. Steering wheel is smaller and the steering ratio is faster than the S. Plus, it actually IS lighter and smaller. Notably smaller. The S is a LONG car.
Track mode in the performance / more trackable car by far.
No known issues with display fluid bubbling.
No known issues with MCU memory chip.
Door pockets, lol.
Better value for the money, IMO.
Very good info above, I agree with everything except comments on headroom. I own a 2018 Model 3 and just test drove a new S yesterday.
Main drawback of the S is that the visibility out the windshield is fine, but not as good as the 3. The headroom in the S is very good, probably better than the 3 if you get the glass roof, for both front and back seats. I agree that headroom in the S is worse if you get the metal roof or sunroof. Another point is that if you sit further back, it's more difficult to reach parts of the screen on the S and you need to lean forward. This is easier on the 3.
Also when you talk about the S seats, you have to specify if you are talking about next-gen leather (2015 to July2017 or earlier) or vegan (Aug2017 or later, and all white seats). I think they feel different. Note that the Model 3 seats seem similar to the vegan S seats, but Model 3 seats actually seemed slightly more comfortable than S seats to me. Lateral side support might be important for some. Also, I wish the vegan seats in the S (both front and back) were longer, with more thigh support.
My favorite part on the Raven S is that the suspension should always be more comfortable on every car. I have heard that pre-Raven the S suspension can be sometimes bumpy and sometimes comfortable, and it's true for both coil and air suspension. Need to test drive the specific car on variety of roads to know.
With the large headroom of the glass roof and the massive space in the hatchback and the more comfortable suspension, the S is overall better than the 3 to me.
My overall recommendation is to get a 2018 S 100D built in May2018 or later with MCU2. Or even better, the Raven from May2019.
