***Tesla Model 3 Long Range and Model 3 Performance Test Drive***

[cawimmer430]

A business I'm shooting for which sells these cars needed some help transporting them to Munich. There's a large Tesla center outside of Munich which sells both new and used (back runner) models. The cars I drove were "used" with mileages ranging from 30 km to 370 km.

Anyway... drove two back to Munich. Distance about 25 km of which roughly 20 were Autobahn and the other 5 were city. There's not much to say. The Long Range and Performance model basically drove the same, handled the same and felt the same. Only in terms of acceleration did the Performance have more power, and you really felt that! The dealership is next to an Autobahn, so when you merge onto the highway you just floor it and zooooooooom this thing accelerates.

I drove the Long Range relatively slow (only had it up to a max of 140 km/h) but had some fun with the Performance, which I had up to 180 km/h and this was after I merged onto the Autobahn and just enjoyed the surge of power all the way to that speed.

Gotta say, the Model 3 felt very stable at those speeds. Steering feedback was excellent, though my complaint about the steering wheel feeling "cheap and not special" still stands (I'm spoiled by the AMG steering wheel in my car, which just feels so damn good...).

Both cars, the Long Range and Performance were charged to 90% (apparently always charging to 100% is an early death for the battery, so owners are encouraged to charge the cars to 80-90% and only 100% if they're going on a longer trip). I didn't use the heater and seat heating. Battery on the Long Range dropped to 85% when I reached the destination in Munich, and in the Performance it dropped to 83%, no doubt from all the fun on the Autobahn.

My impression was that on both cars the battery charge dropped the most when you were driving over 120 km/h. In the city the charge remained practically stable, which I assume is from the lower speeds and energy recuperation.


Some pics. The blue car is the Long Range, the red car is the Performance.

[RomanChariot]

The wheels on the long range model ruin the look of the car.

[NomisR]

I believe it's a wheel cover that's removable

[MrH]

I believe it's a wheel cover that's removable

Yep.  There are normal wheels underneath.


"Used" cars with such low mileage...those are definitely customer rejected and reworked vehicles.  In the US, they've been reselling those as new (which is highly illegal, but hey, nobody seems to care so why not?).

[cawimmer430]

The wheels on the long range model ruin the look of the car.

Yeah, not a fan of those wheels. The sporty wheels on the Performance look good, however, in black or silver.

[cawimmer430]

Yep.  There are normal wheels underneath.


"Used" cars with such low mileage...those are definitely customer rejected and reworked vehicles.  In the US, they've been reselling those as new (which is highly illegal, but hey, nobody seems to care so why not?).

Apparently here used Teslas can go for more money than new ones with the proper crowd.

[MrH]

Apparently here used Teslas can go for more money than new ones with the proper crowd.

  What

[NomisR]

Part of me wants a Tesla, another part is afraid that i'll end up with a Daewoo..

[MrH]

Part of me wants a Tesla, another part is afraid that i'll end up with a Daewoo..

I would never buy, only lease.  And only if you have the stomach for all the quality issues.

[NomisR]

I would never buy, only lease.  And only if you have the stomach for all the quality issues.

Their lease prices are way too expensive for what you get though, they don't seem to offer enough good lease specials.. but yeah i agree, leasing is the way to go.

[cawimmer430]

  What

That's what I was told by the owner of this business. That's the reason they're getting these used ones (30 to 400 km = still low mileage) and selling them with a high profit.

[Soup DeVille]

That's what I was told by the owner of this business. That's the reason they're getting these used ones (30 to 400 km = still low mileage) and selling them with a high profit.

Sounds like an issue with their deliveries, where buying new means being put on a wait list, so people are going to the used market to get their cars.

[cawimmer430]

Sounds like an issue with their deliveries, where buying new means being put on a wait list, so people are going to the used market to get their cars.

Yep. If you order a Tesla here it will take awhile to arrive from the US. A used one here is already available...

Situations like this have happened before. In 1976 for example there was the curious case where slightly used W123s were more expensive than new ones. People wanted them so badly so MB employees who got them earlier basically sold them the private buyers at a much higher cost than new ones.

[afty]

Nice! That long range one looks identical to mine. The wheels do have removable plastic covers which improve aero. They look like this with the covers off:

[cawimmer430]

Nice! That long range one looks identical to mine. The wheels do have removable plastic covers which improve aero. They look like this with the covers off:

Nice ride.

How's the range on long trips? Does it fulfill the claimed maximum range (in Europe it's 560 km) at steady cruising? My impression was that on the highway the battery is quite susceptible to discharging at a quick rate, even at "low speeds" (120 km/h). In the city it's more stable.

[afty]

Nice ride.

How's the range on long trips? Does it fulfill the claimed maximum range (in Europe it's 560 km) at steady cruising? My impression was that on the highway the battery is quite susceptible to discharging at a quick rate, even at "low speeds" (120 km/h). In the city it's more stable.

Your impression is correct, the car loses range more quickly at highway speeds.  Aerodynamic drag increases with the square of velocity, so this makes sense.  The flip side of this is that the car is more efficient when you're stuck in traffic.

[cawimmer430]

Your impression is correct, the car loses range more quickly at highway speeds.  Aerodynamic drag increases with the square of velocity, so this makes sense.  The flip side of this is that the car is more efficient when you're stuck in traffic.

I'd love to have a small EV purely for city driving (Renault Zoe). I always take the long route to my clients in the city so that my engine oil warms up!