Why are you ordering a Performance Model 3 over an AWD Model 3?

[Bruin1996]

Hi everyone..

I was wondering if the lucky soon-to-be AWD/P Model 3 owners can list some of the reasons why they chose either the Performance or the AWD LR Model 3. I was on the fence between the two models after the announcement but my wife prefers the regular AWD as it seems to be the better value car. My wife did give me the OK to order the Performance if I really wanted to though. We have no problems affording the Performance Model 3 but I am wondering if it is worth the extra $23K. Thank you in advance for any input/advice about this decision. Still waiting for my email to configure my Model 3 but I was a first day line waiter and I am a Tesla owner so hope it will be coming soon.

 

[FlyNavy01]

The AWD in my opinion is the best bang for your buck. $5k for a 0.6 second drop in acceleration plus all the other benefits of AWD is fantastic.

However, I ordered P because it's what I've wanted since day one and I know I would regret not getting my dream car after so many years of waiting. It's certainly irrational and not a smart move financially, but I'm a car enthusiast and it's one of the few things in life I let myself spend a decent amount of money on. Early access to the white interior was a nice little bonus as well.

May you choose wisely

 

[Scott Wilcox]

I just ordered AWD. I live in pot hole country so 20' inch wheels would not work. If I had the money and lived in Southern California I would have went with the P possibly. There are advantages with the P that no one has mentioned. If the are hand picking the best motors for the P those motors seem like they would last longer and be more efficient than the motors that were rejected. Granted the difference might be small.

I went with the AWD for cheaper insurance. Plus I am less likely to get myself a ticket. I don't know how many chances I would ever get to really mash the accelerator. I feel guilty enough with getting long range AWD premium interior and auto pilot.

 

[ebmcs03]

Cuz I can! Why do people buy the most expensive version of any car? Cuz I can.

 

[Bruin1996]

The AWD in my opinion is the best bang for your buck. $5k for a 0.6 second drop in acceleration plus all the other benefits of AWD is fantastic.

However, I ordered P because it's what I've wanted since day one and I know I would regret not getting my dream car after so many years of waiting. It's certainly irrational and not a smart move financially, but I'm a car enthusiast and it's one of the few things in life I let myself spend a decent amount of money on. Early access to the white interior was a nice little bonus as well.

May you choose wisely

Thank you for your reply. I am conflicted about upgrading to the Performance as I would like it but I know I don’t really need it as I don’t plan to race it on tracks or drag it. It would be very nice to have one (some of my coworkers have the S and X P100D’s) but I would be very happy with the AWD as well just like I really enjoy my “regular” S90D.

 

[Bruin1996]

Thanks for th great reply

I just ordered AWD. I live in pot hole country so 20' inch wheels would not work. If I had the money and lived in Southern California I would have went with the P possibly. There are advantages with the P that no one has mentioned. If the are hand picking the best motors for the P those motors seem like they would last longer and be more efficient than the motors that were rejected. Granted the difference might be small.

I went with the AWD for cheaper insurance. Plus I am less likely to get myself a ticket. I don't know how many chances I would ever get to really mash the accelerator. I feel guilty enough with getting long range AWD premium interior and auto pilot.

.

Thanks for the reply. Insurance would be cheaper and tires would last longer which makes the AWD the better value. On the other hand there is the YOLO consideration. I think I am currently leaning towards AWD (keeping the wife happy is an important consideration) but will keep thinking about this.

 

[Bruin1996]

Cuz I can! Why do people buy the most expensive version of any car? Cuz I can.

Funny response! I can definitely afford it but another goal of ours is to spend wisely and get to financial independence and early retirement.. although $23K is really not that much.

 

[Pollux]

IMHO, base model 3 with LRR, stock Aeros, and maybe Premium upgrades and/or AP, is going to be the best bang for the buck. You can't get that config yet, though.

But I got a P because I was waiting for AWD for myself and the P option included all the other stuff except AP, further acceleration bump, white interior option, faint hope that it includes some suspension or other tuning like my old P85+ had, and I can offset the increased cost by (eagerly) trading in my last ICE ('12 Prius v Wagon) plus will likely qualify for full federal tax credit ($7500) and MD rebate ($3000).

Also, even though it will be my wife's car: further extension of my now-five year, deeply troubling mid-life crisis.

Honestly, again, if I were buying a 3 for someone else, I'm not sure I'd even pop for the AWD. My folks (80 and 84 years old) got a Model 3 at the end of January, and it's a fantastic car. They are loving it. It has great acceleration and the RWD handles well -- as did my '13 P85+, which was RWD and had no troubles with New England winter driving. So if you're paying close attention to your dollars, I'd suggest the 3 with stock Aero wheels. I'd still encourage the LRR battery if you can afford it. Cosmetics and electronics (paint, interior, AP) to suit your taste and budget.

Oh, and I'm not sure why anyone is paying for FSD at this point. I think that's $3K down the toilet. If Tesla ever manages to get it work AND get it certified somewhere, then you can always pay $4K later to turn it on. I suspect that they're going to wind up needing to upgrade the hardware before they can get FSD to work, and that they will have some lame excuse about the FSD they provide you for your $3K-$4K, like that will be FSD but only on limited-access highways from 2 a.m. - 4 a.m. in American Samoa, but for only $6K more as an option on a newly-built Tesla, you'll get FSD+. I am generally a big, big fan of Tesla -- sales, service, support, product, philosophy -- and can't understand why they have shamelessly advertised and sold this shameful nothing-burger for years with no delivery in sight. Honestly, their advertising, sales and engineering delivery behavior on AP has been almost as disgusting. (FYI: I've been very happy with my '13 P85+, traded it for a P100D which also continues to thrill me, my parents have a 3, and I'm getting a 3 later this summer, and I look for excuses to go visit the Service Centers just so I can talk to the staff there, so I'm a Teslaphile, not a Teslaphobe. But don't waste your $ on FSD.)

Alan

 

[juanmedina]

I was planning in getting the performance version from the beginning when I putted my deposit thinking that It was going to be priced around 65k.

My wife just gave me the ok to spend the 78k but now I am not sure if it make sense to spend extra 23k. It just doesn't seem to me like your get a lot for the money but I am afraid I am going to regret getting the AWD and not getting what I really want. I am planning on putting down 25-35k. Maybe if there so model performance reviews out and I could see how awesome it is it would help me make my decision.

 

[CdgaBill]

I was planning in getting the performance version from the beginning when I putted my deposit thinking that It was going to be priced around 65k.

My wife just gave me the ok to spend the 78k but now I am not sure if it make sense to spend extra 23k. It just doesn't seem to me like your get a lot for the money but I am afraid I am going to regret getting the AWD and not getting what I really want. I am planning on putting down 25-35k. Maybe if there so model performance reviews out and I could see how awesome it is it would help me make my decision.

It was a tough call for me. If I'd been able to order sat night, I'd have chosen performance just because that's what I'd been waiting for. I ended up with straight AWD instead.

I had a few things play into that, discussions with current "P" owners of an X that told me it's a ton of fun, but they wouldn't spent the additional again, comparisons to other options, thoughts of spending that myself on upgrades I was hoping to be included but weren't described as such, like suspension and brakes.

But the real thing for me was the kids having our some photo albums last weekend including a great week at an all-inclusive than ran me about 10 grand for the 5 of us for a week. Looking at that and saying, do that a couple of more times over the next 5 years versus faster acceleration, as for me financially, it is one or the other as opposed to both, and it suddenly turned into an easy call.

But once they're all off to college, I'll still end up doing it one day, but just, not now for me - so definitely feels both sides that could make sense for any given individual.

 

[WileyTheMan]

I can only speculate, as I already have my car. But if I were in that position and had the spare cash, the performance version would completely be a passion purchase. IMO there is no rational justification for the extra money. But that's not a bad thing. Life is rich with passion, even if it is provided by a material thing.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Performance version will be worth it to some, but the vast majority will buy the standard performance version.

Most of the permium auto makers offer a line of performance vehicles for those who can afford and desire that extra level of power and handling. BMW makes the M (Motorsport) version, Mercedes the AMG, Honda the R, Toyota the TRD. Viper the ACR, Jaguar the Type R, Lexus the F Type, etc.

The higher performance makes the cars more fun to drive, and for many that is money well spent.

Tesla started down this road with the P versions and then added Ludicris mode. All their cars were available with high levels of performance.

 

[Bruin1996]

IMHO, base model 3 with LRR, stock Aeros, and maybe Premium upgrades and/or AP, is going to be the best bang for the buck. You can't get that config yet, though.

But I got a P because I was waiting for AWD for myself and the P option included all the other stuff except AP, further acceleration bump, white interior option, faint hope that it includes some suspension or other tuning like my old P85+ had, and I can offset the increased cost by (eagerly) trading in my last ICE ('12 Prius v Wagon) plus will likely qualify for full federal tax credit ($7500) and MD rebate ($3000).

Also, even though it will be my wife's car: further extension of my now-five year, deeply troubling mid-life crisis.

Honestly, again, if I were buying a 3 for someone else, I'm not sure I'd even pop for the AWD. My folks (80 and 84 years old) got a Model 3 at the end of January, and it's a fantastic car. They are loving it. It has great acceleration and the RWD handles well -- as did my '13 P85+, which was RWD and had no troubles with New England winter driving. So if you're paying close attention to your dollars, I'd suggest the 3 with stock Aero wheels. I'd still encourage the LRR battery if you can afford it. Cosmetics and electronics (paint, interior, AP) to suit your taste and budget.

Oh, and I'm not sure why anyone is paying for FSD at this point. I think that's $3K down the toilet. If Tesla ever manages to get it work AND get it certified somewhere, then you can always pay $4K later to turn it on. I suspect that they're going to wind up needing to upgrade the hardware before they can get FSD to work, and that they will have some lame excuse about the FSD they provide you for your $3K-$4K, like that will be FSD but only on limited-access highways from 2 a.m. - 4 a.m. in American Samoa, but for only $6K more as an option on a newly-built Tesla, you'll get FSD+. I am generally a big, big fan of Tesla -- sales, service, support, product, philosophy -- and can't understand why they have shamelessly advertised and sold this shameful nothing-burger for years with no delivery in sight. Honestly, their advertising, sales and engineering delivery behavior on AP has been almost as disgusting. (FYI: I've been very happy with my '13 P85+, traded it for a P100D which also continues to thrill me, my parents have a 3, and I'm getting a 3 later this summer, and I look for excuses to go visit the Service Centers just so I can talk to the staff there, so I'm a Teslaphile, not a Teslaphobe. But don't waste your $ on FSD.)

Alan

I agree with not getting FSD for now.. even being a huge Tesla enthusiast I am not sure how long we will have to wait to get to use FSD so I would rather pay $4000 whenever FSD comes to full realization rather than $3000 right now. I was ready to buy the First Production Model 3 (got my initial config email last November) but my wife really wants the AWD so we have been waiting. I plan to buy a Standard Range RWD Model 3 for my parents with only EAP upgrade whenever that is available.

 

[Bruin1996]

I was planning in getting the performance version from the beginning when I putted my deposit thinking that It was going to be priced around 65k.

My wife just gave me the ok to spend the 78k but now I am not sure if it make sense to spend extra 23k. It just doesn't seem to me like your get a lot for the money but I am afraid I am going to regret getting the AWD and not getting what I really want. I am planning on putting down 25-35k. Maybe if there so model performance reviews out and I could see how awesome it is it would help me make my decision.

That would really be nice to be able to read some reviews about how much of a difference there is between the Performance and AWD versions. However, I don't think I am going to wait until the Performance Model 3 is available before ordering (I want to get the Model 3 as soon as possible both because I really want the car and I would like to get the maximum federal tax credit).

 

[Bruin1996]

It was a tough call for me. If I'd been able to order sat night, I'd have chosen performance just because that's what I'd been waiting for. I ended up with straight AWD instead.

I had a few things play into that, discussions with current "P" owners of an X that told me it's a ton of fun, but they wouldn't spent the additional again, comparisons to other options, thoughts of spending that myself on upgrades I was hoping to be included but weren't described as such, like suspension and brakes.

But the real thing for me was the kids having our some photo albums last weekend including a great week at an all-inclusive than ran me about 10 grand for the 5 of us for a week. Looking at that and saying, do that a couple of more times over the next 5 years versus faster acceleration, as for me financially, it is one or the other as opposed to both, and it suddenly turned into an easy call.

But once they're all off to college, I'll still end up doing it one day, but just, not now for me - so definitely feels both sides that could make sense for any given individual.

Sounds like you have a very good reason to choose the AWD over the Performance Model 3. I feel you are wisely spending the money that you saved for more experience with your family and loved ones.

 

[Bruin1996]

I can only speculate, as I already have my car. But if I were in that position and had the spare cash, the performance version would completely be a passion purchase. IMO there is no rational justification for the extra money. But that's not a bad thing. Life is rich with passion, even if it is provided by a material thing.

The Performance Model 3 is definitely a passion purchase. I would be very happy with an AWD Model 3 and it is hard to rationalize why I need to buy a Performance Model 3 besides that I think it has a cool factor that makes it stand out. I doubt I will use the enhanced acceleration often and probably would never take the car to a track to race.

 

[Bruin1996]

Performance version will be worth it to some, but the vast majority will buy the standard performance version.

Most of the permium auto makers offer a line of performance vehicles for those who can afford and desire that extra level of power and handling. BMW makes the M (Motorsport) version, Mercedes the AMG, Honda the R, Toyota the TRD. Viper the ACR, Jaguar the Type R, Lexus the F Type, etc.

The higher performance makes the cars more fun to drive, and for many that is money well spent.

Tesla started down this road with the P versions and then added Ludicris mode. All their cars were available with high levels of performance.

I can afford the Performance TM3 but just not sure I would really use the extra level of power and handling. I would be buying it primarily because it would be cool to have one. Not sure if this is a good enough reason to pay the difference.

 

[Pollux]

I can afford the Performance TM3 but just not sure I would really use the extra level of power and handling. I would be buying it primarily because it would be cool to have one. Not sure if this is a good enough reason to pay the difference.

Continuing to agree that Performance option is NOT a necessity.

That said, the '13 P85+ and the '16 P100D have delighted this soul in full midlife crisis. On a practical level, it's satisfying and arguably safer to be able to accelerate up to traffic speed and overtake slower traffic with no fuss, no muss. Of *course* you can do those things in regular Teslas not to mention all other cars, but the calculus changes when you have all that power to use.

On an emotional level, blowing away sometimes-unsuspecting passengers is deeply pleasing to me... and surprisingly educational, for them. I usually set people up for this by first reminding them of their previous experiences with electric golf carts, then telling them that the car is a premium vehicle without any compromises or apologies to ICE premium vehicles... except, well, the one thing you have to be is a little patient with the acceleration, just like with a golf cart. They start to nod in agreement, at which point I press the go pedal. After that experience, I've never had anyone think or talk again about compromises versus an ICE (with the sole exception of charging time versus gas refueling time).

None of the above should be construed as a justification for spending an extra $20K. It's essentially an unjustifiable expenditure. But it's *my* midlife crisis, and I'll cry if I want to.

Alan

P.S. Sorry, one edit: yes, all my comments are about my S sedans. But I fully expect them to apply to the M3P. Something deep and a little scary and a lot thrilling happens in the pit of your stomach when you experience 0-60 in 3.5 sec versus say 4.5/5.1.

 

[Firewired]

I have a P100D, and am currently in a 100D loaner. The opportunity to be in the loaner has reinforced for me that I want to go for the Performance version. It’s not that I hammer the P100D off the line at very light, it is just the acceleration and torque difference between the two cars make driving them two different experiences. The P100D is that much more pleasurable at any speed, rather then the “elastic” feeling of acceleration of the 100D the P100D feels frenetic. I would extrapolate that the Performance version of the Model 3 will have a little of that feeling plus added nimbleness in the corners partly due to it's reduced heft.

All the attention with the brakes have made me more sold on it, than less. I am sure with all the attention that it will be a focus and that they will also get the brakes sorted.

 

[1Sharetsla]

I test drove a brand new P100D last fall at the Fremont factory. Uh huh, now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about.
I cannot afford this car so the PM3D is the closest I can get, for half the price. I want to be the "little old lady from Pasadena" - or rather the "middle aged be-yatch from BC".
Hello Boys.......