Performance Trim or Not?

[Mark Johnson]

I am about to place my order for a M3 Performance, but only really going for that as the LR is not an option.

I was considering the Performance Trim too, purely for resale value, I won't ever use track mode, and not keen on lowered suspension (speed bumps!!).

But is a Performance Model pointless without the performance trim?

 

[RjbT3]

I don't think it is pointless without it. I also don't think it will affect resale value all that much, perhaps by the initial £4k cost of adding it (the tyres are more expensive). There will be plenty of people looking for a used M3 without 20" low profile tyres due to poor roads in the UK and the risk of kerbing etc.

Second-hand owners often get new wheels to go with their purchase when they don't like the wheels. You could save some money and add some aftermarket 19" wheels and a spoiler (easy to fir apparently) and forget about the track mode, lowered suspension and brake callipers.

 

[ACarneiro]

Only reason I wanted the Performance Model was for the acceleration.
Having the acceleration with better range from the 18” aero wheels, and not have to worry about destroyed alloys from the shitty UK roads seems absolutely perfect.
I changed my P+ order to a P-

 

[RjbT3]

Only reason I wanted the Performance Model was for the acceleration.
Having the acceleration with better range from the 18” aero wheels, and not have to worry about destroyed alloys from the shitty UK roads seems absolutely perfect.
I changed my P+ order to a P-

Perfect!

 

[davidmc]

I do like the stealth P-

People who fancy a race may pull up against you (and who know about Tesla's) will be looking for the tell tail signs of red calipers and a spoiler and think your in a SR+ that goes 0-60 in just over 5s!

Also tires should be cheaper on the 18's after all the fun you have in your burn outs!!!

 

[interbear]

In my opinion the fully loaded Performance version is only really necessary if you fancy using your M3 for track days OR you particularly want/like the look of the 20 inch wheels, spoiler and red calipers.

Like the OP I was also planning to go for the LR AWD until that option was removed. I eventually opted for the P- (P Lite, P Stealth, whatever ) as I’m not interested in track days, the extra performance isn’t needed (the P- is already super rapid for me), I value the additional range of the 18 inch aero wheels over the design of the 20 inch wheels and I think that the comfort on the 18s will be better on UK roads. Looks wise I was slightly unsure on the Aeros but I saw them on a M3 in the Netherlands this week and they look far better than in the photos, so I’m no longer concerned about that. One other reason for opting for the P- is not to spend an extra few thousand quid on the upgrade of course.

 

[-DB-]

You'll pay the same insurance for P- as P+ as no insurers currently distiguish between the 2 models.

 

[RjbT3]

and I think that the comfort on the 18s will be better on UK roads. Looks wise I was slightly unsure on the Aeros but I saw them on a M3 in the Netherlands this week and they look far better than in the photos,

Comfort and road noise was the main reason I didn't go for the 19" but I feel like I am regretting that now. Good to hear you think the Aeo look better in real life.

I would definitely not go for the 20". My memory of popping tyre after tyre on low profile wheels on a previous Mercedes, not to mention having to replace 2 wheels and tyres at one point, just for hitting a bad pothole, puts me right off.

 

[interbear]

Comfort and road noise was the main reason I didn't go for the 19" but I feel like I am regretting that now. Good to hear you think the Aeo look better in real life.

I would definitely not go for the 20". My memory of popping tyre after tyre on low profile wheels on a previous Mercedes, not to mention having to replace 2 wheels and tyres at one point, just for hitting a bad pothole, puts me right off.

Agree 100% on the 20s.

On the Aero wheels, there is also the option of removing the Aero covers and exposing the nice grey alloys. Tesla even sell a cap/centre logo kit for this purpose. It seems easy, plenty of videos on YouTube showing how to do this. Adds a bit of variety to your look and allows you to have nice looking alloys for day to day driving and Aeros for longer road trips when you need to optimise the car for range.

 

[interbear]

You'll pay the same insurance for P- as P+ as no insurers currently distiguish between the 2 models.

Yes this is indeed an issue. Not sure how much of one yet but would be interesting to know the difference in insurance costs between my original choice of LR AWD and order for P-. There is bound to be a premium for performance.

 

[alexp2]

Only reason I wanted the Performance Model was for the acceleration.
Having the acceleration with better range from the 18” aero wheels, and not have to worry about destroyed alloys from the shitty UK roads seems absolutely perfect.

Same here, I don't want the worse range of the non-aero wheels.

 

[Peteski]

But is a Performance Model pointless without the performance trim?

No, but the Performance upgrade is pretty pointless if you are not planning on doing track days and are not keen on the harder/lower ride!

 

[MrBadger]

I noticed at launch day Heathrow that, purely based upon (apologies in advance, I am sure people make assumptions about me that may or may not hold true) generalised assumptions made from visual clues such as appearance, age and what if any kids were in tow, that, assuming all those that I saw were to collect P3+, some may well have had a big surprise one way or another. Nothing like being thrown in at the deep end...

 

[Rooster6655]

Yes this is indeed an issue. Not sure how much of one yet but would be interesting to know the difference in insurance costs between my original choice of LR AWD and order for P-. There is bound to be a premium for performance.

It is not necessarily going to be more expensive as its £4k cheaper than the performance upgrade, yes the 0-60 is less but its already in top end territory. If you just get a bog standard quote online you probably will end up paying more, but if you use a broker there is a better chance of a similar price to the LR.

 

[tess19]

No, but the Performance upgrade is pretty pointless if you are not planning on doing track days and are not keen on the harder/lower ride!

The performance upgrade gives your car a more sportier look with wheels and spoiler. Plus better brakes to slow you down after launch. Depends on how much money you want to spend/have...

 

[dst87]

Hubby and I also opted for the P3D without the Performance Pack.

Don't want the carbon fibre spoiler, don't want it lowered.

I like the nicer wheels and the red brake callipers, but not enough. And will take the added range instead.

 

[james_power]

Had a P- on order, looked into buying after market wheels and better brakes, decided for 3.7k I couldn't even come close so added the performance package.

 

[MrBadger]

The performance upgrade gives your car a more sportier look with wheels and spoiler. Plus better brakes to slow you down after launch. Depends on how much money you want to spend/have...

The same can be said of many super cars, but they often do not make for everyday use because they are compromised in typical UK driving conditions, some to the point of being unusable. Thankfully the Model 3 P pulls off the trick of being both an everyday car and, for most, a performance car. The PUP does come with some compromises though over the standard P which may or may not affect its use. It also comes with some features that people may rarely use, much like FSD that we have ordered...

On my bike, I could out accelerate any car on the school run around here, yet many seem to chose a high powered car as the weapon of choice on the school run. No wonder air quality readings go off the scale on my AQ monitor.

Red calipers look nice though and hopefully they will stay like that as they are not being used most of the time...

The Performance plus Performance Pack is a nice looking car but with compromised ride comfort and range in many commonly encountered scenarios. Same usable performance as the P-, and quite possibly even the (currently unavailable) AWD 99% of the time. I think that is a fairly fair assessment, well maybe not the 99% comparison with AWD...

 

[Rooster6655]

Had a P- on order, looked into buying after market wheels and better brakes, decided for 3.7k I couldn't even come close so added the performance package.

If you want 20 inch rims and larger brakesthen yes its worth going for, I was hoping for Performance with 18/19s so the P- suits me fine

 

[Roy W.]

...would be interesting to know the difference in insurance costs between my original choice of LR AWD and order for P-. There is bound to be a premium for performance.

Obviously insurance differs for everybody, but for me the difference was £80 between the LR AWD and the P-.

£405 for LR AWD
£485 for P-