Question for UK Model 3 LR AWD Owners

[Generator]

I have a performance model 3. Ordered ‘just in case’ as I am a committed petrol-head and didn’t want to regret not having a performance model 3. In hindsight, and now having experienced both I could happily of made do with a model 3 LR. The second or so saved on the dash to 60 would be better traded for better ride, cheaper tyres (oddly enough a car with instant peak torque that weighs the thick end of 2 tonnes eats tyres), and an awful lot less paranoia when it comes to curbs, speed ramps and potholes.

As for differences in handling? Frankly, this is not a ‘handling’ car in either guise. If you’re after handling, you need something with a little more sophistication, and dare I say, a little more European.

If your previous fastest car is a mk1 TT, then an LR is going to feel like the starship enterprise to you.

 

[pow216]

Same as above. Would have been happy with the LR. Maybe we should have a vote for P owners who think they’d be happy with the LR!

 

[Adopado]

And yes, LR is still brilliantly quick, especially punching it from 40mph. I can imagine the performance being too quick, i.e. I like being able to floor the LR more often. You'll also still be quicker than 99% of cars on road!

I think 99.9% would be closer to the mark (not joking on this occasion).

 

[Strategium]

I have the LR AWD and went for the performance boost option. Performance is therefore just not an issue for me, this car is already smoking quick and definitely fast enough for my needs, so I don’t feel I am missing out on the additional acceleration offered by the performance model. Bigger brakes? Again not an issue for my driving needs/style because I rarely touch the brake pedal! Regen braking does most of the heavy lifting for me as regards slowing down the car under most situations and I have become a big fan of one pedal driving, something I had not tried before getting my Tesla in December.
A major reason I decided on the LR AWD over the performance, apart from the obvious extra range, which was another major plus, was my concern about the potential impact of the lowered ride height on the performance given the state of many of the roads I drive on. Lowered suspension is all very well for improved performance around a race track, but that has no relevance to the reality of my daily driving while avoiding scraping the underside of my car on uneven road surfaces is all too relevant. Overall then for me, given where I drive and what I want from the car, the LR AWD was the best option and I would definitely pick this combination again. That said, the performance model also looks fantastic and I can completely understand why other drivers may prefer that.

 

[pharwood]

Thanks for all the votes and replies so far. More feedback than I could have hoped for. All very helpful. Going to stick with what I ordered.

 

[WannabeOwner]

Folk above mirror my thoughts. I live in rural location, so can enjoy some cross-country miles, but majority of my driving is trogging along dual carriageway / commuting.

I owned an MS Performance for 3.5 years and nearly 100,000 miles; Barely used the performance mode, other than Demos to Mates, and they were all done within the first a month or two! I used launch-mode precisely once, to try it out. Stomp-throttle was plenty good enough for me. I had one occasion where something exotic stopped behind me at the lights and I was over the horizon before he had set off. One in 3.5 years ... that's a lot of dosh on a per event basis!

When I replaced it I saved the money and went with Non-P. The new Non-P will break traction .. the P never did (even in the wet, or full-power and first-exit-from-roundabout), it was very impressive, sorry dunno if M3P is as good

I also have an M3LR. The acceleration for passing-speed is incredible. I would say that is the main benefit for me; most of the additional P benefit is off-the-line and although fun I very rarely feel the need or have the opportunity

Off the line the MS P was proper "push back in seat" stuff, like a rollercoaster. Passengers hated it if not concentrating / expecting it (e.g. if I hopped out onto a roundabout, because-I-could). Non-P much more practical, in that sense.

Still blinking quick.

 

[pdk42]

I wanted decent towing capacity. The P doesn't allow a hitch at all and the P-, which does take a hitch, has half the rated load capacity.

However, if it weren't for this, I'd probably have gone for the P. The 20" rims would have been swapped for 19s, but otherwise I prefer the slightly lower stance and extra punch of the P.

 

[GT_M3]

I haven't voted as I'm still not sure.

Rambling explanation:

I purchased a LR AWD over the P for all the reasons that other people state... better everyday comfort, range, ground clearance and fear of damaging the 20" wheels on our terrible roads. No rear spoiler or attention grabbing calipers was a plus for me personally. Also as it would be the quickest car I've owned and don't do track days I saw no reason to go for the P. I prefer the look of the 19" wheels, so just waited for delivery rather than going for the P-, not that anyone offered it to me. I'd never driven an electric car before my delivery day. It was also the most expensive car I've ever purchased, so I didn't really want to push the price up to the P.

However after the initial acceleration demonstrations for friends, who honestly thought the LR was plenty fast enough, I started to feel that daily driving was lacking something in the power band. I should add that I have ridden large engined motorcycles in the past so was used to the instant torque and long power delivery they offer. I'm not a sports bike rider, traffic light racer or a high-revving performance car guy, I just like big torque and easy power delivery without having to floor the thing. I went for the power boost upgrade and for me it has now filled that hole. I find the car more responsive at everyday road speeds for the same amount of effort. I'm sure the P would be even more so. If I were going to 'throw the car round the bends' at speed I would recommend the P for the better suspension.

The LR+boost can now surprise\scare me with its torque when demanded by the right foot - but this is very rarely used, which validates the 'not really worth the upgrade\P' point that some make.

So in summary I'm very happy with my LR+boost, but for a little more cash at the time I could of had the P... should I have order this at the outset... I'm not sure. I think perfect for me would be P- with 19" wheels, which I now nearly have.

 

[WannabeOwner]

The LR+boost can now surprise\scare me with its torque when demanded by the right foot

I wish that CHILL, on the MS P at least, had "kickdown". Would be nice to have that once in a blue moon get-out-of-trouble.

 

[nightowl]

I wanted the range rather than the acceleration. Took a test drive in an SR+ and was already impressed with its acceleration from that.

Did consider picking a stealth performance from inventory but that was purely to reduce the wait until collection!

After almost 4 months of owning the car, I still find the acceleration impressive.

Also had read about the bigger wheels being less comfortable etc. so just stuck with the 18" aeros.

Didn't opt for FSD but being able to pay later for that and/or increased acceleration means it's something you can just skip until you decide you want them.