autoevolution
 

Tesla Model 3 Performance Hits the Nurburgring Nordschleife

With one hand on the steering wheel when attacking the Karussell, there’s no denying these laps of the Nurburgring weren’t taken too seriously by the driver of the Tesla. Worse still, traffic on the German circuit didn’t allow the driver to go flat out in his Model 3 Performance.
Tesla Model 3 Performance at the Nurburgring 1 photo
Photo: screenshot from YouTube
Published by JayinShanghai on YouTube, the video’s description talks about two laps without Track Mode, two people in the car, and 90-percent battery charge. At the end of those two laps, the car was showing an energy consumption of 70 kWh per 100 kilometers.

Given the 75-kWh capacity of the battery, the Model 3 Performance isn’t made to be driven hard on the Nurburgring. On the other hand, 3.2 seconds to 60 miles per hour, dual-motor AWD, and an EPA-rated range of 325 miles are tempting propositions. Some people swear the Model 3 Performance can compete with the BMW M3, which goes to show that the hype is real and that the car handles rather nicely.

The lap time? Close to 9 minutes according to the uploader, and we’re not impressed given the potential of the Model 3 Performance in the right hands and in the right conditions. Volkswagen plans to smash the record for electric vehicles at the Nurburgring with the I.D. R experimental prototype, the car that broke the Pikes Peak record by 16 seconds with a time of 7 minutes and 57 seconds.

Tesla, on the other hand, doesn’t have the motorsport ambitions of the Volkswagen Group. Elon Musk and the higher-ups are more interested in supply and demand, let alone the profitability of Tesla in the long run. For the time being, the Model 3 is Tesla’s best-selling nameplate.

Over in the United States, the Model 3 Standard Range starts at $26,950 after savings or $35,000 before savings. The Performance? Make that $51,450 or $59,500 for the range-topping option. The electric sedan from Fremont, California is much obliged to top 162 miles per hour (261 km/h).

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

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?

You will only receive our top stories