Disclaimer: While I love offroad driving, I know next to nothing about rally.
I usually see rally cars as these tight little flicky things with gobs of power. While Model 3 certainly goes fast in a straight line, it's a heavy turner. Our '09 Honda Fit feels better around a corner at speed than the LR AWD Model 3 (but of course, the Fit being a FWD 4cyl econobox, Tesla wins the race anyways). The weight is in a good low spot, but it's still 4100lbs.
I highly suspect a decent rally car (e.g. mentioned WRX STI) will beat a rally-modified Model 3 on a relatively complex and technical course. If it's a simpler run with a lot of straights, the Model 3 might make up enough time. This is of course assuming a skilled driver for both vehicles.
There's also the problem that the Model 3 doesn't have limited slip diffs, and uses brakes instead. I recall some people have pointed out that all the traction control in Track Mode can eat through pads at an alarming rate.
I usually see rally cars as these tight little flicky things with gobs of power. While Model 3 certainly goes fast in a straight line, it's a heavy turner. Our '09 Honda Fit feels better around a corner at speed than the LR AWD Model 3 (but of course, the Fit being a FWD 4cyl econobox, Tesla wins the race anyways). The weight is in a good low spot, but it's still 4100lbs.
I highly suspect a decent rally car (e.g. mentioned WRX STI) will beat a rally-modified Model 3 on a relatively complex and technical course. If it's a simpler run with a lot of straights, the Model 3 might make up enough time. This is of course assuming a skilled driver for both vehicles.
There's also the problem that the Model 3 doesn't have limited slip diffs, and uses brakes instead. I recall some people have pointed out that all the traction control in Track Mode can eat through pads at an alarming rate.
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