Quote:
Originally Posted by ZTUNER
So I drove the Model 3 this Sunday. It was a RWD Model 3 with LR battery and premium interior. I also own a ‘16 M3.
Interior
Interior is spartan, not a fan of the swath of black plastic in the center console. Finger print city. Seats are a bit plush and narrow for me so you sit on them, not in them. View from the driver seat is better than the F series. Minimal bulk, nose drops away, glass roof adds a lot of light. Fit and finish were on par with BMW, but plastics were more base model BMW than M3.
Exterior
I cant decide. Front looks bad IMO, sides are good, rear is OK. Overall nothing special.
Handling
Probably more on par with a base 3 Series. Very little lean but tires lag behind in response. Better tires would fix this at the expense of tire noise I guess. Braking is a moot point if using full regen. It brakes with the best, feel is a bit wooden. Steering is artificially heavy with no feel IMO.
Performance
This is where it shines. RWD Tesla seems faster off the line than a 335i. More importantly, it’s effortless. Feels slow but its faster. throttle in std mode is front loaded. Going from 75% to 100% throttle nets nothing. You might think that the throttle ends at 75%. Quick to 80 mph then its slower progress. Exactly the opposite of my M3 which pulls hard all the way.
Personally, I would have to say the Performance version would have the edge to 75 mph or so, but above that, probably not. With a tune on an M it would be nullified IMO. Handling is nowhere near an M. Interior is a big step down. Autopilot is nice but not super important to me. I think I want to hold out till the Porsche EV comes out. That should improve all the negatives above. I know cost will be higher, but such is life.
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Thanks for the review. I'm also comparing to my lease: 2018 M3 Competition. After renting at Model 3 (non performance) I missed the seats and adjustable suspension in my M3, but, I was pleasantly impressed with the Tesla's acceleration, more than the interior. It was simple but left me wanting more options to customize the car's setup. That said, autopilot was awesome in traffic, getting to the airport, etc. Free Supercharging is a nice perk, too. I'm conflicted. I like the tech, but not sure I'm ready to give up the M3.
Meanwhile, 3.18 is rather impressive, even if the speed fades when the M3 doesn't.
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-mode...attery-charge/