Just got done a very unique experience from Tesla and wanted to share my experience with the forums. After going to our service center with a friend to take delivery of a Model S on Sunday, Tesla was able to squeeze me in for a test drive of the Model 3 Performance All Wheel Drive. I was very impressed on the test drive but was later surprised by our Owner Advisor who offered to let me take this unicorn of a car home overnight as an “extended test drive.” THANK YOU Tesla for this amazing experience! My take aways from this 15- hour experience are below. To preface, I am a current Model 3 Long Range Owner (took delivery in early January), have driven pretty much the entire Tesla lineup (including my friend’s SP100DL delivered yesterday) and come from a supercar background as an owner of a 700hp GTR.
I will start by saying, in my opinion, the P3D is the BEST car on the market today. I may be a little biased as a current model 3 owner, but I already loved the way the drivability of the 3 to begin with. The P3D just takes it to the next level. Also, as a current 3LR owner, many of my comparisons will be made to that inherently.
Build
The car I was given was one of two fully loaded, multicoat red, P3D’s available for test drive at the sales center. It has the premium white upgraded interior, performance package with upgraded brakes, 20 inch wheels, carbon rear spoiler, and of course the dual motor performance package.
Interior
The white interior really pops. Tesla advertises it as being a very resilient material and easy to clean. To most, it’s a strong contrast to the other black interior pieces in the car, including the black seat belts. I personally like the look of the black interior on a red vehicle, but many people who saw it said it was striking. In comparison to my 3LR black premium seats, myself and three other 3LR owner’s noticed that the white seats felt to have more cushion to them. The owner advisor thought that may be because the test drive car was newer, but each person I talked to sort of said the same thing. They still kept you in place, just felt like they had a little more cushion to them.
Acceleration
This car pulls. IMO, it was similar to the P85D I test drove about 2 years ago. Really sticks you in the seat and can even make your neck hurt. No problem slamming your passenger’s head into the headrest with a quick poke at the throttle. It pulls hard off the line, no wheel spin what so ever (this car did NOT have a track mode option that others have posted online). From a butt dyno perspective, the 3.5 sec 0-60 sounds about right. Its no SP100DL from a dig, but its not that far off.
Handling
This car handles the twisties like a champ. In my short time with the vehicle, I had the opportunity to take a brief, spirited canyon drive. Obviously not pushing the car to its limits by any means (as this was not my car and have to respect such a beautiful piece of machinery) this car cornered with ease. Less body roll than my 3LR, but still present nonetheless. Tires seem to hold great, turn in was solid, acceleration out of the turns was superb, and stopping was magnificent.
Brakes
This car came built with the Performance Package which I confirmed today is required to get the bigger brake set. Yesterday I was told that you could order the P3D with 18 inch wheels and get the big brakes, but it appears the online configurator has changed today, and now lists the brakes as an option only with the 20 inch wheels. The brakes for me are a must, as the stopping power felt >2x that of the 3LR. It stops fast…like hurts you fast. That what you would expect of any modern sports car.
Drivability
Overall, I really enjoy driving the car. There was a massive difference in acceleration depending on the SOC. The first car I drove had only ~25% SOC, and when accelerating 40-80 on the freeway, it didn’t feel much different than my 3LR. We later hopped in their other car that had 50% SOC, and wow what a difference. NIGHT AND DAY. Later that night I was able to supercharge it up to full which really unleashed the potential of the P3D. Here, it reminded me a lot of the P85D.
Subtle Differences to 3LR
Other than that, the car drove a lot like the 3LR. Not much wind noise noted. Barely any whine from the front motor noticed as well. All the rest of the interior feature were the same (except for the aluminum sport pedals). The pedals were obviously built for the model 3 as I have the model S aluminum pedals on my 3LR and the brake pedal was noticeably narrower (like that of the native model 3 brake pedal). Regeneration with the dual motors may have been stronger than my 3LR but I couldn’t really pinpoint it. At a full charge, it listed 310 miles of range (as compared to my 3LR with 314 miles at full SOC).
Aesthetics
Probably my favorite part of the P3D (except for the acceleration and brakes of course) would have to be the dry carbon spoiler that added as part of the performance package. Its clean, and the fitment is fantastic. Its not like the MS spoiler where it sticks to the top of the trunk lid…it actually saddles the edge of the trunk lid. I love it! I pray that Tesla sells this piece as an accessory outside of the Performance Package because I have not seen an aftermarket spoiler that achieves such a clean look. The ride height of the P3D still has at least a “four finger” gap in the wheel wells above the tires despite being slightly lower than the standard 3LR. In comparison, I have the Tsportline springs on my 3LR which achieve a three finger gap while, IMO, making for a slightly softer ride (my 3LR is an earlier production 2017 delivered early January with what has been called the gen 1 spring setup). The ride on the P3D stock springs with 20 inch wheels felt as good if not better than my setup.
Overall, I loved this car and hope others get to experience it as well. Coming from someone who loves the drivability day-to-day of the Teslas, and loves an occasional canyon run or track day, there isn’t a better car on the market. Again, IMO, this is the best car in Tesla’s lineup today.
I will start by saying, in my opinion, the P3D is the BEST car on the market today. I may be a little biased as a current model 3 owner, but I already loved the way the drivability of the 3 to begin with. The P3D just takes it to the next level. Also, as a current 3LR owner, many of my comparisons will be made to that inherently.
Build
The car I was given was one of two fully loaded, multicoat red, P3D’s available for test drive at the sales center. It has the premium white upgraded interior, performance package with upgraded brakes, 20 inch wheels, carbon rear spoiler, and of course the dual motor performance package.
Interior
The white interior really pops. Tesla advertises it as being a very resilient material and easy to clean. To most, it’s a strong contrast to the other black interior pieces in the car, including the black seat belts. I personally like the look of the black interior on a red vehicle, but many people who saw it said it was striking. In comparison to my 3LR black premium seats, myself and three other 3LR owner’s noticed that the white seats felt to have more cushion to them. The owner advisor thought that may be because the test drive car was newer, but each person I talked to sort of said the same thing. They still kept you in place, just felt like they had a little more cushion to them.
Acceleration
This car pulls. IMO, it was similar to the P85D I test drove about 2 years ago. Really sticks you in the seat and can even make your neck hurt. No problem slamming your passenger’s head into the headrest with a quick poke at the throttle. It pulls hard off the line, no wheel spin what so ever (this car did NOT have a track mode option that others have posted online). From a butt dyno perspective, the 3.5 sec 0-60 sounds about right. Its no SP100DL from a dig, but its not that far off.
Handling
This car handles the twisties like a champ. In my short time with the vehicle, I had the opportunity to take a brief, spirited canyon drive. Obviously not pushing the car to its limits by any means (as this was not my car and have to respect such a beautiful piece of machinery) this car cornered with ease. Less body roll than my 3LR, but still present nonetheless. Tires seem to hold great, turn in was solid, acceleration out of the turns was superb, and stopping was magnificent.
Brakes
This car came built with the Performance Package which I confirmed today is required to get the bigger brake set. Yesterday I was told that you could order the P3D with 18 inch wheels and get the big brakes, but it appears the online configurator has changed today, and now lists the brakes as an option only with the 20 inch wheels. The brakes for me are a must, as the stopping power felt >2x that of the 3LR. It stops fast…like hurts you fast. That what you would expect of any modern sports car.
Drivability
Overall, I really enjoy driving the car. There was a massive difference in acceleration depending on the SOC. The first car I drove had only ~25% SOC, and when accelerating 40-80 on the freeway, it didn’t feel much different than my 3LR. We later hopped in their other car that had 50% SOC, and wow what a difference. NIGHT AND DAY. Later that night I was able to supercharge it up to full which really unleashed the potential of the P3D. Here, it reminded me a lot of the P85D.
Subtle Differences to 3LR
Other than that, the car drove a lot like the 3LR. Not much wind noise noted. Barely any whine from the front motor noticed as well. All the rest of the interior feature were the same (except for the aluminum sport pedals). The pedals were obviously built for the model 3 as I have the model S aluminum pedals on my 3LR and the brake pedal was noticeably narrower (like that of the native model 3 brake pedal). Regeneration with the dual motors may have been stronger than my 3LR but I couldn’t really pinpoint it. At a full charge, it listed 310 miles of range (as compared to my 3LR with 314 miles at full SOC).
Aesthetics
Probably my favorite part of the P3D (except for the acceleration and brakes of course) would have to be the dry carbon spoiler that added as part of the performance package. Its clean, and the fitment is fantastic. Its not like the MS spoiler where it sticks to the top of the trunk lid…it actually saddles the edge of the trunk lid. I love it! I pray that Tesla sells this piece as an accessory outside of the Performance Package because I have not seen an aftermarket spoiler that achieves such a clean look. The ride height of the P3D still has at least a “four finger” gap in the wheel wells above the tires despite being slightly lower than the standard 3LR. In comparison, I have the Tsportline springs on my 3LR which achieve a three finger gap while, IMO, making for a slightly softer ride (my 3LR is an earlier production 2017 delivered early January with what has been called the gen 1 spring setup). The ride on the P3D stock springs with 20 inch wheels felt as good if not better than my setup.
Overall, I loved this car and hope others get to experience it as well. Coming from someone who loves the drivability day-to-day of the Teslas, and loves an occasional canyon run or track day, there isn’t a better car on the market. Again, IMO, this is the best car in Tesla’s lineup today.
