Although not the most affordable EV out there, the Model 3 stands out in terms of worldwide sales figures thanks to a number of factors, starting with brand recognition. Similarly important, Tesla updates the electric sedan at a rate legacy automakers can only dream of.
Following the launch of the Model Y, the Model 3 has been improved to a great extent for the 2021 model year. As you’ll find out from the following video, visual updates and more creature comforts are backed up by a little more performance from the… Performance drivetrain.
Chris from Track My EV has pitted two examples of the Model 3 Performance against each other, and as fate would have it, the newer of the two sedans has a slight advantage in a drag race. In very wet conditions and at 42 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius), the older car didn’t have the legs to catch up to the white-painted newcomer on the eighth-mile (12.9-kilometer) run.
Both drag races were conducted “between 83 and 76 percent state of charge with a warm battery,” and from the looks of the wheels, with the bone-stock tires. According to Chris, “the 2021 actually puts the power down a little bit quicker, but the 2018 holds the power curve a little bit longer.”
The best the newer of the Model 3 Performance siblings could do on the eighth-mile is 7.42 seconds at 94.3 miles per hour (152 kph), while 60 miles per hour (96 kph) took 3.36 seconds. As such, Chris paints these results as “pretty consistent with the times reported by 2018 through 2020 models.”
At the time of writing, the go-faster specification is listed on Tesla's website at $54,990, excluding options and potential savings. The Model 3 Performance offers up to 315 miles (507 kilometers) of EPA-rated range, a top speed of 162 mph (261 kph), and dashes to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds. As ever, the most expensive option is the FSD Computer that hikes up the price by $10,000.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News