You may not have heard of the Tesla Model 3. It’s a battery-electric vehicle made by a small, humble car company based in California.
Just kidding. Maybe someone somewhere is blissfully ignorant of Tesla, but considering the profile of boss Elon Musk and the hype he and his cars generate, they’re in a minority.
Now it’s time for the Model 3, the most affordable and mainstream model Tesla has yet offered. And just maybe it’s the car that gets EVs generating real sales in this country.
We’ve already road tested the entry-level ‘Standard Range Plus’ on local soil and now it’s time for a quick blat in the Performance version around a closed track.
This is the one Elon reckons kicks the BMW M3 in the goolies. Must be good then…
Tesla quotes a $91,200 price for the Model 3 Performance, so add the various on-road costs (including luxury tax) to the price and you’re over $100,000.
For that money you get a four-door five-seat sedan powered by two electric motors (one on each axle) generating 375kW and drawing their energy from a 75kWh lithium-ion battery.
Well, we think it’s 75kWh. Tesla doesn’t reveal such details, so we’ve gone to that font of internet knowledge, Wikipedia, for that number.
Other Model 3 Performance figures? A 261km/h top speed, a 3.4sec 0-100km/h time and a 560km range. All claims we sadly couldn’t verify in our short time with the car.
Standard equipment includes front, front-side and two-row head airbags, a swag of driver-assist systems including adaptive cruise control, a massive 15-inch touch-screen, tinted glass roof, 12-way power seats, keyless entry, dual-zone climate control, four USB ports and docking for two smartphones.
Tesla is offering an optional over-the-air update called Full Self-Driving Capability for $8500, but it’s not yet up and running in Australia.
No Model 3 comes with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto smartphone connection. But all Model 3s comes with a five-star ANCAP safety rating.
If you want to burn rubber without heating up the climate then the Tesla Model 3 Performance is for you.
From cradle to grave no car is emissions-free, but if you recharge using renewable energy then the Model 3 is at least headed in the right direction.
One thing you don’t have to do is make substantial sacrifices to justify buying this EV. The price, the claimed range between recharges and the performance is competitive.
We didn’t need a stopwatch to tell us the Performance really is quick, especially thanks to that instant torque response of the electric motors. It whirrs forward with a crushing quietness.
Yet, it’s also a surprisingly adjustable in its handling, happily breaking loose in the rear with the application of too much power.
That’s without switching to Track mode, which hands out more stability control freedoms. We were asked not to click that button, which is exclusive to the Performance model.
Its other unique go-fast features include 20-inch alloy wheels, bigger brakes, lowered suspension, alloy pedals and a carbon-fibre boot spoiler
So all good there, but the Performance has the usual EV charging issues – it still takes much longer to refuel than a petrol bowser, even using fast-chargers. But that gap will close as we go forward through the years.
Another issue you simply cannot ignore with the Model 3 is build quality. The variable nature of the panel gaps were obvious among the five or six cars assembled for the press preview.
The Tesla Model 3 range is available now in Australia. There are three models on sale: the $66,000 entry-level Standard Range Plus (plus on-road costs), $85,000 for the Long Range and the Performance we are sampling here.
Before its launch in Australia, Tesla slashed its factory warranty in half, from eight years/160,000km to four years and 80,000km. However, it retained its eight-year battery warranty, which also extends for 160,000km or 192,000km depending on the model.
What’s the EV equivalent of a petrol-head? An electric-head? If you love driving and want to be green, this is the best priced proposition going around.
But if you’re an electro-techno-geek then the massive touch-screen that dominates the dashboard is just as appealing.
There are no instruments in front of the driver and only two rotating buttons on the steering wheel. It really is a very different way of doing things.
A head-up display in front of the driver would be a good to project basics like speed. But that feature isn’t offered and is probably seen by Tesla as defeating the purpose of the big screen… A bit like watching a telly at the drive-in.
Even the glovebox is opened via the touch-screen. Climate control direction is determined via a waft of the hand, while car settings, audio and sat-nav are all there too. Speaking of sat-nav, you’ll never have to squint at a map again.
The 0-100km/h time does indeed place the Model 3 Performance in the vicinity of the M3 for a substantially lower price. The legendary BMW is about to be replaced, but the old model has been priced as low as $129,900.
Perhaps more relevant is the forthcoming $99,900 M340i xDrive or a $109,740 Mercedes-AMG C 43.
All that means the Model 3 is that rare EV that isn’t asking you to spend more for less (see Nissan LEAF and Hyundai Kona), making it all the more attractive.
The Tesla Model 3 makes more sense than any other EV on sale in Australia today. It’s in the pricing and performance ballpark and has a real allure about it that might lever some people from orthodox prestige cars.
Yes, there are issues. We’ve referenced build quality already, then there’s Tesla limited dealer support for buyers and the overarching questions that never go away about the company’s long-term future.
And what specifically of the Model 3 Performance? From this brief first taste, it feels like a winner; it goes like the clappers and has a surprisingly aggro edge that will endear it to those among us who get a charge out of that sort of thing.
How much does the 2019 Tesla Model 3 Performance cost?
Price: $91,200 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: Two electric motors, 75kWh battery
Output: 353kW
Transmission: Single-speed, reduction gear
Range: 560km
Storage: 425 litres
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP