Mat Watson, Sam The Racing Driver, and Rory from the carwow channel on YouTube congregate on the unprepped tarmac of an airstrip to see if the Model 3 Highland is any good against the cars it basically replaced – family diesel models.
In Europe and all over the world, Tesla has taken the automotive market by storm in 2023 and now rules undefeated from the top of the best-selling charts with its Model Y mid-size crossover SUV. However, the absolute novelty on a worldwide level (the glorious Cybertruck is an American affair – possibly also a Chinese one, soon) is the refreshed Tesla Model 3 (Highland). Of course, that's what the carwow team is testing at the moment.
As per their usual banter disguised as a 'serious' challenge, they gathered some 'worthy' competitors – Mat believes Tesla's EVs have basically replaced the 'dirty' diesel family cars in customer preferences and set out to find some candidates to show everyone they were wrong. Well, he didn't find any absolute stars – just a couple of estates, an older BMW 335d and a newer BMW M340d Touring.
The secret sauce is simple – the older station wagon is tuned and sends around 386 horsepower to the wheels. Meanwhile, the newer BMW is the least powerful of the bunch, with 340 ponies, and is also the most expensive and heaviest of the trio. Yep, seriously, the diesel station wagon is heavier by a slim margin compared to the Tesla Model 3 Highland, which is also the most powerful, according to carwow, with 490 electric ponies.
Interestingly, this engagement has no definitive powerhouse – the two diesel models have a massive torque advantage compared to the EV sedan. One of them also rolls coal like an old locomotive, so we're not exactly surprised why everyone considers diesel too dirty for the modern world. Anyway, in the end, Tesla's Model 3 barely wins the fight (it's a Long Range model, not the Performance, which is not out yet), which makes this contest scarcely interesting.
However, the banter between Mat and Sam is absolutely delicious – they're like little kids trying to best each other in the backyard and making out challenges as they go. Ultimately, although he ultimately won the skirmish, Sam lost the friendly 'war' against Mat and had to wear his clothes (including the shoes) backward for the rest of the day.
Now, is there any other place where you can see something like this without even informing everyone that something is amiss? Anyway, one significant negative aspect of Tesla's vision is that it seems the automaker hasn't found a cure for its braking issues even after mostly resolving all the other problems (and creating new ones) with the Highland refresh. Oh, and Sam also hates EVs – that's why they put him to drive the Model 3, of course!
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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