Tempted, very tempted

[Sinx]

I had a test drive in an SR+ yesterday. It was only around 40 minutes or so, but oh was it nice. I can see why everyone is so enthusiastic. I loved the silence, the smoothness and the acceleration (and can’t imagine what the LR or P versions would be like on the latter). I also loved the tech – it’s like driving an iPhone. I didn’t immediately get the hang of the regen breaking (and ended up stopping at junctions and in traffic well before I needed to) but I’m sure I’d get used to that. The suspension was a bit firmer than my GLC but that’s obviously to be expected and I was driving on Edinburgh’s pothole-riddled streets.

I know the aero wheel covers are very much a marmite subject and I did not like the pictures I’d seen beforehand on the web, and had even investigated what it would cost to get a set of aftermarket wheels, but in real life I was actually pleasantly surprised – even when the guy took them off to show the wheels behind I preferred the wheels with them on.

I’ve done some quick comparison calcs on ‘fuel’ costs and wow, what a difference, especially as I do circa 20k miles a year. If I change my electricity tariff to an EV-focused one then the savings get even bigger. The EST interest-free loan and also their grant towards a charger also saves more.

I’ve now read many posts and watched many videos, and I guess my remaining concern is the usual one around range and the impact of various factors on that (especially cold weather as I don't have a garage). The vast majority of my journeys are rarely much more than 100 miles, and if I have a charger at home, which I will be able to arrange (even though the fuse box in my house is the opposite side from where the charger would need to go) then all of those would obviously be absolutely no problem at all.

However I occasionally do a 280 mile round trip, and I’ve read that a ‘real world range’ for the SR+ on a winter’s day of around 180 miles is realistic (?) - so 140 miles in one direction (there are chargers at my destination) is getting close to that figure – but if I’m fully charged for this trip am I worrying unnecessarily?

My other quandary is whether to go for the LR rather than the SR+ …. really just for that extra bit of range and thinking well into the future when it comes to battery degradation/range loss - I'm not sure the differences in the interior spec and the extra performance really justify the extra £8.5k?

I’m fairly sold on the M3 but I think it’s just the fear of stepping into the unknown!

 

[Akikiki]

Doubts? How would you like to have been one of us that put faith in Tesla in 2012 when they first started building the S? I put down a $5,000 deposit and got on a waiting list four months before I saw one in person. Six more months before I sat in one. And it was another 5 months before I drove one. I drove one, when I drove away with the one that I had just signed buying. You are not setting into the unknown. WE stepped into the unknown.

If you are worried about anything, it should be are you getting enough range? Our rule of thumb is, always buy as much range as you can afford. Always. Then add toys to the car.

 

[AndyWrightUK]

If you can afford it, definitely go for the LR; I did and don't regret it. This is my first EV and naturally I was concerned about so-called range anxiety, but the LR's extra range really is a nice comfort blanket and I've never yet worried about running the heaters or letting rip with the right foot. I think if I'd gone for the SR+ I'd be far more concerned about driving efficiency and enjoy the car less.

 

[MichaelP90DL]

Doubts? How would you like to have been one of us that put faith in Tesla in 2012 when they first started building the S? I put down a $5,000 deposit and got on a waiting list four months before I saw one in person. Six more months before I sat in one. And it was another 5 months before I drove one. I drove one, when I drove away with the one that I had just signed buying. You are not setting into the unknown. WE stepped into the unknown.

If you are worried about anything, it should be are you getting enough range? Our rule of thumb is, always buy as much range as you can afford. Always. Then add toys to the car.

Wow. You've got guts with some left over for others. I admire your conviction and insight.

 

[navt]

As you say, there is a substantial price difference between the SR+ and LR. Perhaps consider rentals for those occasional trips. Why pay for range you occasionally use? Premium sound, connectivity, fog lights, etc. are all nice to have but so is £8,500 sitting in the bank.

 

[nightowl]

I went for LR (after test-driving an SR+ and being very impressed). With range being the main concern with EVs, it made sense. You can't buy the extra range afterwards so if you think it'll benefit you, I'd say go for it.

You also get dual motors and premium interior so the price difference isn't solely for the bigger battery.

 

[Alan J]

I had a test drive in an SR+ yesterday. It was only around 40 minutes or so, but oh was it nice. I can see why everyone is so enthusiastic. I loved the silence, the smoothness and the acceleration (and can’t imagine what the LR or P versions would be like on the latter). I also loved the tech – it’s like driving an iPhone. I didn’t immediately get the hang of the regen breaking (and ended up stopping at junctions and in traffic well before I needed to) but I’m sure I’d get used to that. The suspension was a bit firmer than my GLC but that’s obviously to be expected and I was driving on Edinburgh’s pothole-riddled streets.

I know the aero wheel covers are very much a marmite subject and I did not like the pictures I’d seen beforehand on the web, and had even investigated what it would cost to get a set of aftermarket wheels, but in real life I was actually pleasantly surprised – even when the guy took them off to show the wheels behind I preferred the wheels with them on.

I’ve done some quick comparison calcs on ‘fuel’ costs and wow, what a difference, especially as I do circa 20k miles a year. If I change my electricity tariff to an EV-focused one then the savings get even bigger. The EST interest-free loan and also their grant towards a charger also saves more.

I’ve now read many posts and watched many videos, and I guess my remaining concern is the usual one around range and the impact of various factors on that (especially cold weather as I don't have a garage). The vast majority of my journeys are rarely much more than 100 miles, and if I have a charger at home, which I will be able to arrange (even though the fuse box in my house is the opposite side from where the charger would need to go) then all of those would obviously be absolutely no problem at all.

However I occasionally do a 280 mile round trip, and I’ve read that a ‘real world range’ for the SR+ on a winter’s day of around 180 miles is realistic (?) - so 140 miles in one direction (there are chargers at my destination) is getting close to that figure – but if I’m fully charged for this trip am I worrying unnecessarily?

My other quandary is whether to go for the LR rather than the SR+ …. really just for that extra bit of range and thinking well into the future when it comes to battery degradation/range loss - I'm not sure the differences in the interior spec and the extra performance really justify the extra £8.5k?

I’m fairly sold on the M3 but I think it’s just the fear of stepping into the unknown!

If you regularly drive a distance (it looks like you do) then definitely consider Long Range but with a little planning and preparation a SR+ might well do you. With a Home Charger you can leave with a full Battery and if you pre-condition before you leave you'll avoid the worst of the Winter Range Challenge. Buying an M3 is one of the best decisions I ever made, jump in you will not regret it !

 

[Jason71]

I went for the LR,
In addition to the extra range my other justifications to myself were.
battery should last longer due to less charge cycles (longer warranty as a result as well)
4 wheel drive for bad weather ( I live in a rural area)
faster supercharging ( SR+ was only about 110 originally but its improved since to 170)

heated seats in the back are nice as well so the kids tell me.

 

[freekie]

I went for LR as wanted AWD (as feel it’s safer) and range for occasional long trips (up to Scotland or down to France for example). Love it so much that expect to do more holidays involving driving! If you can ‘afford’ the LR go for it. You’ll never regret having extra range...

 

[MrBadger]

However I occasionally do a 280 mile round trip, and I’ve read that a ‘real world range’ for the SR+ on a winter’s day of around 180 miles is realistic (?) - so 140 miles in one direction (there are chargers at my destination) is getting close to that figure – but if I’m fully charged for this trip am I worrying unnecessarily?

I would reassess that with real world usage patterns. A good (use to be better) guide is A Better Routeplanner but make sure you go to more settings and add in typical climatic conditions, especially temperature and rain.

You don't drive 100% to 0% battery capacity, so maybe lose 20-30%, bit less maybe. We have LR and did a 111+94 mile trip in 2 stints at normal motorway speeds. First leg was 81% - 36% (45%), then 37 minute supercharge, second leg 93% - 54% (39%). Whilst on paper we probably could have done it without a stop, we were not prepared to arrive home with low charge - always need 30% in car in case of emergencies and we are slow charging here. So that was 84% battery of a LR to do 210 miles (approx 280Wh/mile for that trip) which equates to 150 miles of SR at similar efficiency - whilst SR is more efficient than LR, efficiency figures posted users here for SR don't actually differ much to our LR figures. Whilst these figures are not 100% battery usage, it is also important to realise that this was a dry trip too at approx 10C (interior 18C so not caning the HVAC). So quite easy to remove another 10-20% off the range if very wet and even colder see What Wh/mi are you getting in this wet weather?. However, turning cabin heater off or not driving at motorway speeds will also give more range - both legs averaged just over 50mph, which was 70mph cruise speed less significant periods of queues and stop/start.

Now, other people will have their own stories and efficiencies, but this is an indication of how much variance an EV can have on range for numerous reasons. Also, important to factor in time to charge (20-80% is relatively quick, but 90-100% is pretty slow even on a supercharger) and contingency - on our trip, we assumed supercharger near destination (start point of this trip) was unavailable and if it was it was a bonus - I ended up Supercharging at 8AM as it was queuing night before so didn't bother.

We lived largely off superchargers for a couple of months. Our local one was a 25 mile round trip, which meant we lost close to 10% of range, simply for round trip to charge. So unless when you get to destination you have ample time to charge before return, you need to keep battery in reserve to that too. All things to think about.

The reality is that, on your 280 mile round trip, you may be better to top up on route. Viability of that is your personal circumstances (ability to factor in en route charges) and what rapid chargers you have available on route - nothing currently betters Supercharger network for speed, availability and reliability - however instant availability cannot be guaranteed.

No point jumping in and ending up being disapointed if personal experience does not match expectations. A lot of this is how much you are prepared to plan or accept that trips are different, possibly even a compromise, in an EV than an ICE vehicle.

imho.

 

[pdk42]

I think everyone here had doubts. I doubted right up to the minute I collected the car. Doubts on ordering, doubts while waiting, doubts on paying the balance, doubts on driving to collect the car. But I'm overall very glad I did. I went for the LR, which might be useful for me tomorrow...

Big trip coming up - with a big trailer

You need to think ahead more with an EV, but with decent planning, there's no need it should restrict you too much.

 

[Generator]

As you say, there is a substantial price difference between the SR+ and LR. Perhaps consider rentals for those occasional trips. Why pay for range you occasionally use? Premium sound, connectivity, fog lights, etc. are all nice to have but so is £8,500 sitting in the bank.

Or, buy the performance version, you’ll get there faster...

On a more serious note, my view was that despite all of the advantages to wallet and environment, all the tricks, toys, and USP’s of opting for electric propulsion, the car still has to fulfil the basic requirement of being a car. It’s got to get me from place to place with as little grief as possible. Yes, I’m willing to compromise, I’ll accept a fill-up time of hours rather than minutes, I’ll accept a reduced range over my previous cars, but there’s only so far I can go before swapping a tank full of combustible liquids for a floor full of batteries is more grief than it’s worth. If I had to hire another car to do occasional long drives, then I think I would have to seriously ponder whether EV is really right for me.

 

[mswlogo]

Range range range. Get max range.

 

[booyaka76]

Opposite for me - SR+ was more than enough, not paying £8/9k for the range and a couple of other bits on the LR.

I do 15k a year for client meetings/personal use etc etc - I travel twice a year to PReston from Ayrshire, and 1 or 2 times a year to Manchester airport and back for holidays.

For me, paying the extra 8/9k was not worth it. Had the car for 3 months now, never been below 25% yet, hardly charge at home as loads of free chargers out and about when with family (even at Flipout trampoline park yesterday in Glasgow - had to get people to shift their cars as all 4 bays were ICEd)

Apart from that - for me - I was comfortable after looking at my usage that I would prefer the £8/9k different in my pocket, over the 1 or 2 times a year I would go beyond the SR+ range on a long single drive somewhere.

Don't get me wrong, I do 250 miles in a day, which is broken up into various clients home visits etc - and simply just charge up before I leave home, then top up before/after the clients visits at a local charger whilst having lunch/coffee etc, or now that Dakota has 12 superchargers, I'll drop in there on the way for a quick 10/15 minute top up if needed.

Personal choice obviously. You get over the "range anxiety" quickly if you change the display from "miles" to %.

I could afford to pay the extra without any issues, financial or otherwise, however I chose not too.

 

[mswlogo]

Opposite for me - SR+ was more than enough, not paying £8/9k for the range and a couple of other bits on the LR.

I do 15k a year for client meetings/personal use etc etc - I travel twice a year to PReston from Ayrshire, and 1 or 2 times a year to Manchester airport and back for holidays.

For me, paying the extra 8/9k was not worth it. Had the car for 3 months now, never been below 25% yet, hardly charge at home as loads of free chargers out and about when with family (even at Flipout trampoline park yesterday in Glasgow - had to get people to shift their cars as all 4 bays were ICEd)

Apart from that - for me - I was comfortable after looking at my usage that I would prefer the £8/9k different in my pocket, over the 1 or 2 times a year I would go beyond the SR+ range on a long single drive somewhere.

Don't get me wrong, I do 250 miles in a day, which is broken up into various clients home visits etc - and simply just charge up before I leave home, then top up before/after the clients visits at a local charger whilst having lunch/coffee etc, or now that Dakota has 12 superchargers, I'll drop in there on the way for a quick 10/15 minute top up if needed.

Personal choice obviously. You get over the "range anxiety" quickly if you change the display from "miles" to %.

I could afford to pay the extra without any issues, financial or otherwise, however I chose not too.

Top up before and after every day !!! That will get old quick. 3 months is nothing. My time is more valuable. Sounds like your losing a half hour of your life every day. Because you cheaped out. Depending on when you sell trade you’ll get some of that back.

More range is more convenient. Period.

There are cases that it doesn’t make sense where people can charge free at work and have 10 mile commutes. Your example is a perfect case not to get an SR. But you did any way.

 

[bitmanEV]

To me personally it's all about charging and not so battery and the M3 can charge on both public and SC so that's all we need. I have done Crawley (UK) to Ayamonte (Spain) via Zuidbroek (Netherlands) and Pierrefolle (France) and back about 6000km in the 'old' MK1 24kWh Leaf and came to the conclusion it's all about being able to charge...

 

[Akikiki]

Wow. You've got guts with some left over for others. I admire your conviction and insight.

Thanks. That's very kind and generous of you to say so. But my first VIN was in the 5,0xx. There was 5,000 ahead of me doing the same thing. They deserve far more credit than I do.

 

[Akikiki]

We never see a post that says "darn, I bought too big a battery, I have to much range left now that I am here. What do I do now?"

 

[EVDRVN]

If you can do LR do it, it's more than range its charge speeds and many other factors plus AWD is vastly superior even without snow.

 

[Glan gluaisne]

I think one of the highest endorsements for the car came from my wife. She is definitely not a fan of fast cars, and has always been critical of some of the performance cars I've owned in the past. She'd not seen a Model 3 in the flesh until we arrived at West Drayton to collect it, and she immediately fell in love with the car, from the styling through the minimalistic interior to what she reckons are the best seats in any car I've ever owned (and I've had a succession of BMWs, a Merc and a Jaguar in the past).

Interestingly, she was right at home with controlling pretty much everything from the screen, and loves the ease of use of things like adjusting the air vents etc. She's always complained about air vents pointing in the wrong directing in other cars, or not being able to set them properly, but finds the Model 3 system brilliant. It's a little thing, and not one I'd be too bothered by, but it does seem that the design team really took into account the way different people interact with a car, and have come up with a user interface that really is exceptionally good.

The car is definitely a real joy to drive, with no serious issues at all. Being so quiet does, perhaps, emphasis some road noises that aren't as apparent on noisier cars, but, if anything, I'm finding that my car seems to be getting quieter as I put more miles on it, so have a suspicion that some things like door and window seals just need a bit of time to settle in.

As above, I'd try and go for the LR. I went for it as much for the 4 WD as the range increase, as we live in a rural area where the roads can be a bit iffy at times in winter.

The only slight downside is that dealing with Tesla is a bit of a mixed bag. Their automated systems seem dire, and they just don't really do communication by email as far as I can tell. Expect to be confused by multiple documents sent to your account, most of which will be wrong, if my experience is typical. If you do get through to someone on the 'phone, my experience has been that they are always very helpful. Getting hold of someone on the 'phone can be a bit challenging though, as it seems clear that there are a bit overloaded at times.

Finally I'm not sure I could ever go back to another car, even another EV. This is my second EV, and before that I had a PHEV, and before that two hybrids, so I thought I was well prepared for the Tesla. I wasn't, the Tesla really does just do most things so much better than any other car, let alone any other EV, and it does seem that Tesla have responded fairly quickly in making some useful improvement (to the auto wipers, for example).