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Nissan Leaf to M3 Transition Guy Needs Moral and Emotional Support and Advice on LR vs SP

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I am new to the forum (obviously!) and my first electric car was a second-hand 2014 Nissan Leaf S which I originally bought on a whim for short trips. My 'other' car is a Dodge Ram 4x4 Turbo Diesel lifted long bed. What totally surprised me is that I totally fell in love with my little Leaf and I still look forward to driving it! I love the quiet drive, the acceleration (I can do 0-10 really fast!) and the sound system! But I'm ready for an upgrade and I placed an order for an M3 (the standard plus) yesterday. But now I'm wondering if I should 'upgrade' to the LR before I get my VIN number. The last time I bought a new car was in 2004 when I bought my Dodge Ram. Given that I tend to keep cars for a really long time, should that bias me towards an LR? Sorry, I know that this topic has been discussed at length but I am looking for some emotional validation now that I have committed $40 or $50k+ ! Sound is important to me but I'm guessing that the standard plus has better sound than I have ever had in a car (maybe?). I seldom drive long distances but I also like power because it makes me feel happy! Thank you for any input!
 
SR+ owner, get the LR Dual Motor.


Base SR+ sound system is lacking. LR premium sound system is amazing.


SR+ loses HP every 25% so it feels slightly slower while already being the "slowest" Tesla. LR does the same but has dual motors and is a full second quicker than the SR+ plus you can buy the acceleration boost to make it even quicker so HP loss as battery depletes won't be as slow.


And more range is always better than less range.


And two motors are better than one.


You will have more fun driving the dual motor than the single motor.


Source: Me after I drive my Dad's Performance 3. Makes my SR+ feel incompetent


SR+ is fine if you never set foot in a dual motor. But once you have, you will want the dual motors
 
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I am new to the forum (obviously!) and my first electric car was a second-hand 2014 Nissan Leaf S which I originally bought on a whim for short trips. My 'other' car is a Dodge Ram 4x4 Turbo Diesel lifted long bed. What totally surprised me is that I totally fell in love with my little Leaf and I still look forward to driving it! I love the quiet drive, the acceleration (I can do 0-10 really fast!) and the sound system! But I'm ready for an upgrade and I placed an order for an M3 (the standard plus) yesterday. But now I'm wondering if I should 'upgrade' to the LR before I get my VIN number. The last time I bought a new car was in 2004 when I bought my Dodge Ram. Given that I tend to keep cars for a really long time, should that bias me towards an LR? Sorry, I know that this topic has been discussed at length but I am looking for some emotional validation now that I have committed $40 or $50k+ ! Sound is important to me but I'm guessing that the standard plus has better sound than I have ever had in a car (maybe?). I seldom drive long distances but I also like power because it makes me feel happy! Thank you for any input!

The SR+ will be faster than anything you are used to (even the "slow" teslas are fast). I would vote for the LR /AWD even though its more money, for a couple reasons.

1. You mention you keep cars a long time, and have proven that to yourself. The more range you start with, the more relative range you will have "later" as the batteries inevitably degrade.

2. The LR can be upgraded with a over the air update to make it even faster than it already is, and its already faster than most "regular" cars.

3. You mention sound is important, and the stock sound system in the LR is better than the one in the SR+. "how much" is a relative term, but "most" people are really happy with the stock system in a LR/ AWD, while the reported experience is decidedly more mixed for the SR+.

They both are likely better than you have had, but if you are going to keep something as long as you plan to keep it, you might as well start as close to the "bleeding edge" as you can afford to.
 
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I am new to the forum (obviously!) and my first electric car was a second-hand 2014 Nissan Leaf S which I originally bought on a whim for short trips. My 'other' car is a Dodge Ram 4x4 Turbo Diesel lifted long bed. What totally surprised me is that I totally fell in love with my little Leaf and I still look forward to driving it! I love the quiet drive, the acceleration (I can do 0-10 really fast!) and the sound system! But I'm ready for an upgrade and I placed an order for an M3 (the standard plus) yesterday. But now I'm wondering if I should 'upgrade' to the LR before I get my VIN number. The last time I bought a new car was in 2004 when I bought my Dodge Ram. Given that I tend to keep cars for a really long time, should that bias me towards an LR? Sorry, I know that this topic has been discussed at length but I am looking for some emotional validation now that I have committed $40 or $50k+ ! Sound is important to me but I'm guessing that the standard plus has better sound than I have ever had in a car (maybe?). I seldom drive long distances but I also like power because it makes me feel happy! Thank you for any input!
welcome to the forum!
you're doing almost the same thing I did. I had a new 2014 LEAF and traded it for my Model 3 back in 2018
I also tend to keep cars until the wheels fall off, so value after 3 years is irrelevant.
I went LR just because of the insane degradation on my LEAF battery which went from 114 miles when new to 70 miles. Having the extra range on runs is a huge help. For instance, the extra range means I can drive somewhere, camp in the car with AC and drive home, or drive somewhere and not need to charge before heading home.
Starting with 300+ means range is never (or rarely) an issue.
My car started out with 310miles and after 45k miles and 2.7 years is fluctuating between 290-295. The estimator in the newer firmware changes based on how much pre-conditioning I use or how much camp/dog mode is used.
Bascially the LR will give you more range for longer and will stay useful longer - worth every penny extra.
 
Wow, fantastic and valuable responses within an hour! Thank you Mr X, jjrandorin and Twiglett!

You all seem to be inclined towards the LR for very well articulated reasons. Thank you so much for taking the time to pass on your valuable experiences and perspectives - I appreciate it a great deal!

with kind regards
Neil
 
Welcome to the site! I won't try to sway you in one direction over what you've already chosen, but like you I sold a 2018 Leaf SL to buy a M3P, and never looked back!! Honestly, the current owner of my old Leaf has told me he will buy my M3P when I decide to get rid of it!
 
I've have leased 3 Leafs (2015 S, 2018 SV, 2020 SV Plus), just sold my 2020 Model 3 SR+, and have a new Model 3 SR+ on order.

The LR is a superior car compared to the SR+. That's not debatable. But the SR+ provides significantly better value.

If you were a luxury car type, go ahead and spend the 10k and get the LR. It is better all around. But it sounds like you are more if a value type based on keeping your vehicles for a long time. If you really are an audiophile there are options to upgrade the SR+ aftermarket. Check the forums for advice.

Unless you have a very long daily commute, you can't charge at home, you live in an extremely cold climate, or you take frequent long road trips then I don't think you will get much out of the extended range. On a typical road trip you will be ready for a stretch break by the time you are ready for your next supercharger stop.

As for battery degradation, get the LFP battery SR+ and you should be good for years based on anecdotal evidence.

I also am tempted to splash the cash and get the LR, but my practical side won't let me. The value just isn't there for me given the above.
 
The way I look at the range difference is that, on a road trip, you want to keep your battery in the range where it charges the fastest to minimize the time you spend at the Supercharger. The LR has a range of 353 miles. You aren't going to drive 300+ miles between stops but that range allows you to drive a lot farther between stops without having to charge much past 60% where the charging rates starts to drop off.
 
The way I look at the range difference is that, on a road trip, you want to keep your battery in the range where it charges the fastest to minimize the time you spend at the Supercharger. The LR has a range of 353 miles. You aren't going to drive 300+ miles between stops but that range allows you to drive a lot farther between stops without having to charge much past 60% where the charging rates starts to drop off.
Absolutely true. But if you take 2 road trips per year, with 10 super charger stops per trip, and save 5 minutes a charge, over 10 years you've saved about 16 hours of charging time. That's $600 a hour. My billable rate is much lower. I'll wait.

Still, it'd be nice.
 
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I also went from a 2019 Leaf SL to a 2021 M3P. Here's a few things I noticed the Leaf does better:

Blind Spot Monitoring - M3P doesn't have a warning light on the side view mirrors to notify you. I didn't rely solely on that to change lanes (nor should anyone) but it was a nice to have feature that was surprisingly unavailable on the Tesla.

Birds Eye View Camera - M3P doesn't have one. My wife really misses this feature. Not so much for me but I admit, it was a nice capability to have.

Front Bumper Camera - M3P doesn't have one. Not so much an issue anymore since the only way my Tesla fits in my garage is in reverse. However, this would be a great feature to have to try to avoid parking blocks and high curbs in short parking stalls.

Don't the wrong idea, the M3P is head over heels a much better car for my needs and I'm ultimately happy with the trade. I also prefer the multimedia interface much more than the Leaf's, particularly the hands-free voice commands when making a call.
 
One thing to keep in mind is that the SR+ comes with the option to get the LFP battery which has a chemistry that is far longer lasting than the NCM chemistry that the LR has. It can also be charged to 100% everyday so have effectively the same range as a LR model in everyday usage. The only way to really know is to test drive both and see if the SR+ meets your needs.
 
Well, I bit the bullet and purchased the LR. They originally gave me a delivery date in November but they messaged me last week and told me it was almost ready! I collected it last night. I will now move to the 'new owners' part of the forums where I can start asking dumb newbie questions! But I know I will get great information there. Thank you all again.
 
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Well, I bit the bullet and purchased the LR. They originally gave me a delivery date in November but they messaged me last week and told me it was almost ready! I collected it last night. I will now move to the 'new owners' part of the forums where I can start asking dumb newbie questions! But I know I will get great information there. Thank you all again.
What was your oder date and initial EDD ?