So you don't have a 2021 "refresh"...who cares, really?

[dmurphy]

It has been true in the past that heat pumps had lower capacity than straight resistance solutions although I don't know if that is the case in the new Tesla models, and if so at what temperatures.

... exactly my concern. I may very well be barking up the completely wrong tree here - but I'd be curious to see how it does after sitting for a day or two at -5F. I'm just skeptical on the

We do get spells of days at a time below zero - not terribly often but they do happen. Weeks at a time below 20F is definitely a thing though.

I wish I didn't come across so difficult here - I really, truly don't mean it that way... but I do want to see how they perform "in the real world". Not quite arctic type stuff, but at least what a typical Northeast winter looks like.

 

[SageBrush]

... exactly my concern. I may very well be barking up the completely wrong tree here - but I'd be curious to see how it does after sitting for a day or two at -5F. I'm just skeptical on the

We do get spells of days at a time below zero - not terribly often but they do happen. Weeks at a time below 20F is definitely a thing though.

I wish I didn't come across so difficult here - I really, truly don't mean it that way... but I do want to see how they perform "in the real world". Not quite arctic type stuff, but at least what a typical Northeast winter looks like.

"Worse case", the heating in the new Model 3 is lower capacity and you start heating a little earlier from your phone.

But honestly, it will not even work that way. The air in the cabin heats up quickly regardless, while a lower capacity system will take longer to heat up the cabin thermal mass (presuming you have the odd desire to have that happen.)

tl;dr version:
Turn on your seat heater
Spray warm air on to yourself
Be happy

 

[Spacep0d]

Exactly. The interior...OKAY, but I actually like the cover for the charging pad...usb-c, had it in the late 2020 anyway, and with a taptes unit it doesn’t matter. I hate the power lift gates... especially since you can’t manually override without messing up the mechanism. Only things I would value are the range, heat pump! and maybe heated steering wheel, but outside of range, they are are not major to me. I like the chrome actually, but it’s a nice accent for an MSM car. I like black oh the other colors.

Good point. The range is the most compelling indeed, and having newer battery tech. The powered trunk also adds weight I don't need, and I've never wanted a power trunk. The trunk works just fine. Chrome is easy to deal with; leave it or have it wrapped. I actually don't like the black handles and would never 'pop' those out like that. Body-colored handles, now I'm interested. Easily done with a wrap, even if some colors don't have a perfect match to wrap vinyl. Chrome handles on a white car are preferable to me over black handles by a huge margin.

The heat pump is a nice upgrade too but I live in SoCal so heating efficiency is not a huge concern—even when it gets to 29° on rare occasions in the winter.

 

[dmurphy]

Good point. The range is the most compelling indeed, and having newer battery tech.

Not saying range isn't important, but I'm at that point where incremental improvements don't really matter.

I've got enough range today on my "ghetto" LR AWD that I can get wherever I need to usually get. Anything that requires a charging stop would require a charging stop with even 25% more battery. I can't remember - not once - having a trip where I thought "man, if only I had 10% more range!"

It's either in my current range, or so far out it doesn't matter because I'm stopping regardless. No real in-between, ya know what I mean?

(Gosh I'm feeling like the TMC Grinch today. Surely don't mean to be the wet blanket, but just being practical. Maybe the Xmas bills are getting to me ... LOL!)

 

[hcdavis3]

A lot of people that own these cars are techies, they're not actual car people. That's why there is an obsession with 'gotta have the latest greatest doohicky' no matter what it is. Most actual car people are easy to spot. If it is more of a gimmick than function, we just ignore the changes.

I’m both, a techie and a car junkie. Am I easy to spot?

 

[SageBrush]

I've got enough range today on my "ghetto" LR AWD

We both know you have an awesome car.

So what if it is outdated ? Irrelevant ? Yesterday's news ? Boring ?

 

[drtimhill]

It’s always fun to have the latest model, but as others have noted its really not that big a deal. I would not upgrade my M3 LRAWD until it had some major update such as new battery tech to push range up to near 400 miles and/or perhaps HW4 (if that is ever necessary). But I also tend to upgrade my phone less frequently as I feel I get more bang-for-the-buck, and a much more noticeable bump in features/performance that way.

 

[Spacep0d]

Not saying range isn't important, but I'm at that point where incremental improvements don't really matter.

I've got enough range today on my "ghetto" LR AWD that I can get wherever I need to usually get. Anything that requires a charging stop would require a charging stop with even 25% more battery. I can't remember - not once - having a trip where I thought "man, if only I had 10% more range!"

It's either in my current range, or so far out it doesn't matter because I'm stopping regardless. No real in-between, ya know what I mean?

(Gosh I'm feeling like the TMC Grinch today. Surely don't mean to be the wet blanket, but just being practical. Maybe the Xmas bills are getting to me ... LOL!)

I don't think you're saying that, but I understand why you might clarify. These are incremental improvements and yeah there's nothing Earth-shattering to create a huge demarcation between 2020 and 2021. I'm happy with my range too....and my issue now isn't range but not really needing a car at all and wondering if that money is better spent investing in TSLA.

 

[Peteski]

I quite like all the 2021 updates. They are not a big deal by any means, but I think they are all slight improvements nonetheless. Although I wouldn't have been bothered if I had missed out on them. I narrowly missed out on the MCU2 update when I bought our MX and while many people at the time considered that to be the greatest thing ever in automobile history, it has never bothered me in the slightest.

 

[Pemple]

don't care for chrome delete/ power trunk / center console

double pane window (but only on drivers side???) is nice

350+ miles EPA is *very* nice compared to the 310 miles my LR AWD was getting when new. 350+ rating let's you do Amarillo - Trinidad nonstop leg year round as long as you stay 70 mph or under depending on the winds.

Pretty sure I have the double thickness glass on both sides, just not on the back doors! :-| I have to say that the power trunk is kinda nice but the other improvements are subjective for sure.

Here's the real thing though...FOMO is huge with Tesla cars it seems. I got mine this month and I have to fight for not worrying about whether waiting longer might have yielded new headlights, higher battery capacity, a heated steering wheel, etc. You ust have to make a decision at some point and then feel good for the folks that got the newer toys.

 

[Y@Trox]

Pretty sure I have the double thickness glass on both sides, just not on the back doors! :-| I have to say that the power trunk is kinda nice but the other improvements are subjective for sure.

Here's the real thing though...FOMO is huge with Tesla cars it seems. I got mine this month and I have to fight for not worrying about whether waiting longer might have yielded new headlights, higher battery capacity, a heated steering wheel, etc. You ust have to make a decision at some point and then feel good for the folks that got the newer toys.

Just remember, with Tesla and their software updates - it’s like getting a new car much more often than in the ICE world. I pick my M3 up next week, probably with “old” headlights. Oh well, got some meat additions and I’m sure the software a year from now will still be blowing me away!

 

[Peteski]

If you don’t know the difference between old and new headlights then it really doesn’t matter. Now I’m going to have to Google the new headlights

 

[Y@Trox]

If you don’t know the difference between old and new headlights then it really doesn’t matter. Now I’m going to have to Google the new headlights

There is an entire thread on the new headlights in the forum... lots of pics too

 

[Peteski]

There is an entire thread on the new headlights in the forum... lots of pics too

I was being sarcastic. But I must admit I did take a look and they are vaguely interesting. But not going to lose any sleep if my new 3 doesn’t have them. Tesla build specs have always been a bit of a lottery and this appears to be no different. I wonder what spec battery I will get

 

[Y@Trox]

I was being sarcastic. But I must admit I did take a look and they are vaguely interesting. But not going to lose any sleep if my new 3 doesn’t have them. Tesla build specs have always been a bit of a lottery and this appears to be no different. I wonder what spec battery I will get

HAHA, didn't sense the sarcasm at first . I wonder if the lottery comes from Elon coming up with too many of these ideas at 4:20?
Honestly, headlights are the least of my concern. I'm confident new or old will help me see the road so I'm fine.
I believe all batteries have been converted over to 82kWh so that "shouldn't" be a lottery

 

[LACALawyer]

Gives me something to look forward to when the warranty on my '19 expires.

 

[JaeTheDev]

I went from a 2020 M3 SR+ to a 2021 M3 Long Range, and love the new center console and the black trim. That being said, if I already had the LR on my 2020, I wouldnt have opted for the 2021.

 

[Pemple]

If you don’t know the difference between old and new headlights then it really doesn’t matter. Now I’m going to have to Google the new headlights

The new headlights create faster and lighter weight photons so they increase the range by ~3% when driving in the dark, the lighter photos create less noise (obviously) which is nice, and heat the steering wheel...

...probably.

 

[MountainRatMat]

I would love the extra range, especially in the cold. I take a trip regularly where I have to stop at a supercharger for 5-10 min with a relatively full battery but could skip it with an extra 30 miles of range. The OP is spot on with the other comments though. The excitement for these things is part of why Tesla is doing so well though, so much free advertising and that's not a bad thing.

 

[TLLMRRJ]

Since Tesla is often considered the Apple of car companies, and they do see to follow a lot of the same business approaches, it may not be long until the OTA updates push you hard into upgrading your hardware the same way Apple does with their phones. That could get really annoying.

I know that has been a thing in the past with HW3, but now the latest firmware release has a number of updates that only apply to other not-so-easy-to-upgrade hardware, like the battery!