But none of that will matter if the car won't start, which is what happened to one dual motor Tesla Model 3 Performance car I was given to test drive. Fortunately, I had already spent significant time driving two different versions of the car, one without and one with the Upgrade Package. Then the second car, the one with the upgrades, decided it was all done with driving and finished the day hooked to a tow truck.
It turns out, according to Tesla, the car was actually doing me a favor by refusing to start again after I'd parked it. There was a loose cable somewhere, they reported to me later, that could have caused serious trouble had I kept on driving.
Consumer Reports on Wednesday reported that the Model 3 is about average in terms of reliability, according to its owner surveys. But that survey data doesn't necessarily apply to this new all-wheel-drive versions so I still don't know if my experience was a fluke or not.
While I was driving, though, I learned a few important things. First, the Tesla Model 3 Performance is a very good car. I will quibble over whether it's worth the rather hefty price — starting at $64,000 without any options — but it has lots going for it. It's quick, fun to drive and it has some impressive tech.
I also learned that, if you're going to buy one, you should definitely pay a little more and get the Performance Upgrade Package. It's totally worth the extra $5,000. You'll be paying a lot anyway. Might as well go all in.
The first Tesla Model 3 Performance I drove, which I rented from an owner using the Turo app, had a sticker price of $74,000. It had two high-output electric motors capable of a combined 450 horsepower. But it did not have the tires and brakes to match all that power. A Tesla representative felt that, without that Upgrade Package, I had missed out, so she kindly offered me the use of a fully equipped car with a total price of just over $79,000.
I spent a wonderful afternoon feeling impressed with its acceleration, its cornering, the smooth performance of its autopilot system and its remarkable ability to park itself with almost no human involvement. The Model 3 Performance can also get to 60 miles an hour in 3.5 seconds with surprisingly little drama. That's something few other four-door cars at this price can match.
As with other Tesla vehicles I've been in, I was also impressed with Tesla's bold rethinking of the details. There's no "key fob," like almost every other car has these days. My phone was my key. There was also a wallet-sized card I could hand to someone else who might want to drive the car. There was no "turning on the car" or "turning it off" before I got out. When I got in, the car was immediately on and ready to drive. (Well, except for that last time.)
And, of course, the Model 3 has no gauge cluster. I have my issues with the Model 3's near-total reliance on a touch screen for just about everything but, as an information display, it makes complete sense. These days, most drivers probably look at the central screen more often than they look at the gauges, anyway. Why not just move that screen up and put everything there including the speedometer?
As I cruised down the highway I was thinking that, if it cost a few thousands dollars less, the Model 3 Performance would be truly amazing. The only problem is that, compared to other $80,000 cars, the Model 3 just doesn't quite make the mark in terms of either excitement — except when going in a straight line — or in overall refinement.
For the price of the car I was driving, I could have been in a well-equipped Audi S4, Mercedes-Benz C63, a BMW M3 or, my personal favorite, an Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. I have to consider, though, that any of those cars would cost me about $2,000 more in fuel each year than the Tesla. (I'm not considering federal tax credits for the Tesla since those are set to begin phasing out at the beginning of next year.)
A lot of the ways in which the Model 3 Performance seems to miss the mark involve things that I'm betting Tesla will soon fix. The Model 3 Performance, equipped with the Upgrade Package, turns with great balance and confidence, but still leaned over more than I expected. It also did not handle bumps terribly well — the car felt especially unsettled when encountering one mid-turn. Without the upgraded wheels and tires, the Model 3 Performance felt awkward and, really, a little scary on a twisty mountain road.
Besides adjustable suspension, a feature found in other cars at this price, the Model 3 Performance could use better seats with more support. In the smooth "vegan leather" seats — it's fake leather but you'd probably never know it — I had to exert muscle power to brace myself against centrifugal force when whipping through a curve. There was also notable wind noise at high speeds.
Besides the obvious — it's fully electric — where the Tesla Model 3 Performance really stands out is in, ironically, not standing out. With the Upgrade Package, it has slightly flashier wheels and a subtle spoiler on the trunk, but other than that, there's little to give away that you're driving something capable of supercar acceleration. That is, until you mash down the accelerator and leave all the cars behind you wondering how you somehow got an exemption from the generally applicable laws of physics.
Note: One day after this story ran, Tesla decided to make the Performance Upgrade package standard on all Tesla Model 3 Performance cars.
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