The only performance data we have on the Model 3 is the claim that the 0-60 time will be less than 6 seconds for the base rear wheel drive car. On the surface, this seemed about right for the base models of the entry luxury sedans. Those cars generally have a hint at luxury, a hint at technology, and a hint at performance for aspirational buyers looking to step beyond the Camrys and Accords. I hadn't looked at them in detail recently, mainly because all the marketing and media focus on the higher end versions of those cars. So I did a little research and came up with the data, and estimates, in the table below.
My overall comparison criteria was entry luxury sedans, with base prices in the $35-40k range, and RWD; trying to match the base Model 3. (The A4 was the only car that didn't meet those three criteria. It's base model is FWD, but it belongs in this group, I'd say.)
What I didn't realize is that every one of those cars now has a turbocharged 2.0L inline 4-cylinder engine in this price range. Over the last 5-10 years these engines have replaced the I6 and V6 engines in the category because they are both efficient and powerful. The downside to any turbo engine is that there is an inherent delay in the power delivery, which is a step back from the more responsive naturally-aspired 6-cylinder engines of the past.
An electric motor, as many of us know, has a very immediate response, which is quite different than these 2.0L turbos. So while the 0-60 time for Model 3 probably falls in line with it's competition (BMW 328i), I estimate that the rolling start performance of the Model 3 will be quicker than ALL it's competition.
I describe the relevancy of the rolling start test in this InsideEVs article (The Rolling Start, A Better EV Performance Metric), but the point is that the rolling start acceleration test is a better metric to use to compare electric vehicle acceleration performance against an internal combustion engine vehicle. Basically it replicates the real world responsiveness of a car much better than the 0-60 times. (Also note, the rolling start test has nothing to do with the rollout distance at a drag strip!)
The rolling start 5-60 mph times for the ICE comparison vehicles are ~0.7 to 1.0+ seconds slower than their respective 0-60 times. The biggest culprit for this discrepancy is probably the turbo lag. We can make a conservative assumption that the Model 3 5-60 time will be 5.8 seconds. If I was optimistic, I'd say the 0-60 will be 5.8 seconds and the 5-60 might be 5.6 seconds. Either way, the average rolling start time in this category is currently about 6.9 seconds. So being at least a full second faster than the average, I'm confident the base Model 3 will feel much more responsive that it's direct ICE competition.
My overall comparison criteria was entry luxury sedans, with base prices in the $35-40k range, and RWD; trying to match the base Model 3. (The A4 was the only car that didn't meet those three criteria. It's base model is FWD, but it belongs in this group, I'd say.)
What I didn't realize is that every one of those cars now has a turbocharged 2.0L inline 4-cylinder engine in this price range. Over the last 5-10 years these engines have replaced the I6 and V6 engines in the category because they are both efficient and powerful. The downside to any turbo engine is that there is an inherent delay in the power delivery, which is a step back from the more responsive naturally-aspired 6-cylinder engines of the past.
An electric motor, as many of us know, has a very immediate response, which is quite different than these 2.0L turbos. So while the 0-60 time for Model 3 probably falls in line with it's competition (BMW 328i), I estimate that the rolling start performance of the Model 3 will be quicker than ALL it's competition.
I describe the relevancy of the rolling start test in this InsideEVs article (The Rolling Start, A Better EV Performance Metric), but the point is that the rolling start acceleration test is a better metric to use to compare electric vehicle acceleration performance against an internal combustion engine vehicle. Basically it replicates the real world responsiveness of a car much better than the 0-60 times. (Also note, the rolling start test has nothing to do with the rollout distance at a drag strip!)
The rolling start 5-60 mph times for the ICE comparison vehicles are ~0.7 to 1.0+ seconds slower than their respective 0-60 times. The biggest culprit for this discrepancy is probably the turbo lag. We can make a conservative assumption that the Model 3 5-60 time will be 5.8 seconds. If I was optimistic, I'd say the 0-60 will be 5.8 seconds and the 5-60 might be 5.6 seconds. Either way, the average rolling start time in this category is currently about 6.9 seconds. So being at least a full second faster than the average, I'm confident the base Model 3 will feel much more responsive that it's direct ICE competition.
