Like father, like son
Tesla Model 3 Performance List price £56,490 Target Price £56,490 Thrillingly quick rangetopping version of Tesla’s ‘mainstream’ car is one of the best new electric cars you can buy. 72 August 2020 Tesla’s pioneering Model S taught its smaller desce
THINK OF ELECTRIC vehicles (EVS) and Tesla tends to be the brand that first springs to mind. The American company has been at the vanguard of EV development for well over a decade and now has a range of three (soon to be four) pure electric models to tempt well-heeled buyers.
But, with a budget of £55,000 or thereabouts, which one should you choose? Well, the Model 3 executive saloon is the only Tesla you’ll be able to afford brand new, but that sort of money will buy you a seat behind the wheel of the range-topping Performance version. Not only is it faster than cheaper versions of the Model 3, but it’s also more fun to drive in other ways.
Alternatively, you could spend similar money on an 18-monthold Model S, a luxury car that’s significantly bigger than the Model 3 and has a more practical hatchback boot. A budget of around £55k will get you a 75D, which was the entry-level model before Tesla restructured its line-up a couple of years ago. Although it’s no longer available, the 75D was our pick of the range when it was new.
Part of Tesla’s mystique was born from the supercar-beating acceleration that many of its cars are capable of. Indeed, the 75D will still see off most sports cars by hitting 60mph from a standstill in just 4.3sec, and there are versions that are quicker still. The 75D has two electric motors – one driving the front wheels and the other the rears – that combine to produce 362bhp. That’s enough to positively slingshot you down the road.
Or at least it feels that way until you’ve experienced the even more savage acceleration that the Model 3 can achieve. It, too, has an electric motor driving each axle, and these motors pump out a combined 444bhp to power what is a smaller, lighter car. We managed 0-60mph in a jawdropping 3.7sec on a soaking wet test track; on a warm, dry day, it would be quicker still.
If you’re looking at the braking distances on p77 and wondering why the lighter Model 3 used a much longer stretch of road when making an emergency stop, wet weather is once again the answer. The fact is that if both cars were tested in dry conditions, the Model S would have travelled slightly farther before pulling up.
But there’s a lot more to either of these two than sheer straight-line performance. The sports suspension the Model 3 Performance comes fitted with helps it to stay incredibly flat through corners, with hardly any body lean. Add its supergrippy Michelin tyres and this
NEW VS USED
is a car that makes short work of twisting country roads.
Sure, it doesn’t have quite the delicate balance or finesse as the best petrol-powered sports saloons (think Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio), nor does a great deal of feedback stream to your fingertips through the steering wheel. The steering itself is tough to fault for precision, though, and there’s certainly no doubting the Model 3’s effectiveness at getting you from A to B jolly quickly.
The Model S? Well, its extra weight (around 250kg more than the Model 3) means it isn’t quite as eager to change direction and would ultimately be left behind by the smaller car through a series of corners. It’s pretty composed compared with many other luxury saloons, though, and its steering is just as light yet accurate as the Model 3’s.
When it comes to ride comfort, though, the Model S has the edge. With air suspension as standard, it deals with beaten-up town roads a little more adroitly than its smaller sibling. Mind you, both cars are similarly excellent at keeping you comfortable on motorway trips, even if you will hear quite a lot of tyre roar at a steady 70mph in either.
Of course, how far you’ll go on a full charge is likely to be the number one consideration for many EV buyers. Both cars use very similar batteries, but unsurprisingly, it’s the lighter Model 3 that uses electricity more efficiently. Indeed, in our Real Range test it posted one of the longest distances we’ve ever seen from an electric car: 239 miles. Mind you, the Model S’s 204 miles is hardly shabby, and, in warm weather, you stand a good chance of beating our figures if you drive really gently in either car.
BEHIND THE WHEEL Driving position, visibility, build quality
The layout and design of the Model S’s interior may be eight years old, but it still has a minimalist, sci-fi feel to it. There are two screens; the one in front of the steering wheel shows you important driving information, including your speed, energy consumption and Autopilot controls (more on that later), while the other, larger touchsensitive one in the middle of the dashboard controls the infotainment (see panel).
The Model 3, meanwhile, lumps everything into one touchscreen in the centre of the dash. The result? An even sleeker look – but not without some ergonomic
INFOTAINMENT Although this touchscreen is 15.0in in size and landscapeorientated, while the Model S’s is 17.0in and portrait, both infotainment systems are essentially the same.the menus are simple, the screen resolution is fantastic and it’s incredibly responsive to inputs, but some icons on both systems are a bit small and tricky to prod accurately. BMW’S dial-controlled system is easier to use on the move.
74 August 2020
INFOTAINMENT
If your Model S was built after March 2018, it’ll bene t from a different microchip with faster processing and image rendering than earlier versions. Neither model offers smartphone mirroring, but pretty much every other feature you’d want is included. It’s also great that both models can receive over-the-air updates to improve not only the infotainment but also the battery, motor and safety assistance systems. cost. For instance, you’ll need to turn your gaze to the left and look at the top right-hand corner of the screen just to see what speed you’re doing. And adjusting the position of the steering wheel or door mirrors requires yet more prods of the screen, followed by some fiddling around with scroll wheels on the steering wheel.
You face no such complication in the Model S, which has good old-fashioned buttons and levers for those adjustments. Both cars provide a fundamentally great driving position, but you’ll notice that you sit slightly higher than you do in many petrol and diesel saloons. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing in itself, but the seats in both cars could do with a bit of extra back and side support.
Both Teslas provide a rear-view camera and parking sensors to help with tight manoeuvres. That’s particularly fortunate in the Model S, because its overthe-shoulder visibility isn’t ideal. Not that the Model 3 is flawless in visibility terms; its windscreen pillars are angled in such a way that they can badly hamper your view out at junctions.
The Model 3 proves that Tesla has improved on build quality over the years. Its strikingly minimalist interior looks are backed up by relatively upmarket materials and, while fit and finish can’t match the likes of BMW, nothing feels overly flimsy. By comparison, the older Model S feels a bit less robust and is more prone to interior squeaks and rattles when new; these probably won’t vanish with age.
Tesla Model 3 vs Tesla Model S
SPACE AND PRACTICALITY Front space, rear space, seating exibility, boot
Freed from the need to accommodate an internal combustion engine, both cars are roomy for their size compared with their regular petrol and diesel equivalents. The Model S has the bigger overall footprint, with a greater distance between the front and rear axles and a wider stance on the road – but the difference this makes to the space inside isn’t as great as you might assume.
Room in the front is actually very similar between the two, and while the Model S has a clear advantage when it comes to accommodating people in the rear, six-footers will still be comfortable enough in the back of the Model 3. Even three adults sitting side by side won’t grumble too loudly, although they’ll have less need to rub shoulders in the wider Model S.
One quirk in the rear is that
the floor in both cars is raised to accommodate the big battery pack that sits underneath. This means the seating position feels a tad unnatural, with your feet and knees higher than they would be in a BMW 3 Series, for example, but you soon get used to it.
Both models have masses of luggage space. We squeezed a total of 10 carry-on suitcases into the Model 3 and 11 in the Model S. For comparison, the 3 Series can take just seven. Tesla’s trick is providing not one but two boots: a big one where you’d expect it and a smaller storage area under the bonnet. Both cars have rear seats that fold down for extra space, too.
BUYING AND OWNING Costs, equipment, reliability, safety and security
A low-mileage, 2018 Model S 75D will set you back around £56,000 – roughly £500 less than you’d pay for a brand new Model 3 Performance. However, the latter is predicted to hold on its value much better, helping to cut costs in the long term.
Yes, you could go for an older Model S with more miles on the clock for less money (Tesla started building them back in 2012), but then you’d lose the added security of having some warranty left. When new, both models come with a four-year/50,000-mile warranty; the battery has eight years’ cover with no mileage limit.
Tesla doesn’t do trim levels as such and has never offered a long options list. Aside from exterior and interior colours, our contenders are similarly equipped. Autopilot, Tesla’s adaptive cruise control and steering assistance package for motorway use, is standard on the Model 3. These features were optional on the Model S at the time, as part of an Enhanced Autopilot pack that also allowed the car to park itself, change lanes autonomously on the motorway and be summoned via a smartphone at very low speeds. It’s worth looking for a Model S that has this pack fitted.
To get all of these functions on the Model 3, you’ll need to pay £5800 to add Full Self-driving Capability. When legislation allows, this will also enable the car to recognise stop signs and red traffic lights and bring you to a standstill accordingly, as well as navigating its way around cities autonomously.
For a fee, you can retrospectively add Full Self-driving Capability on
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Tesla Model S
For More comfortable around town; more space for passengers and luggage
Against Mixed interior quality; no CCS rapid charging capability
Options to look out for Enhanced Autopilot