Tesla has brought us a more serious kind of Model 3 Performance. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Review

The Model 3 is one of Tesla's most significant cars and here, we look at the top Performance version, which in this updated form gets smarter look, an upgraded interior and considerably sharper handling. If your mid-sized executive EV saloon needs to be seriously sporting, then it's a car you can't ignore.

Background

You might find it quite a new experience; trying a full-EV that can really handle. Other zero emission battery models - including larger Teslas - go very fast when you stamp down your right foot and manage not to lurch about too much through the bends because of the low-down centrally-mounted placement of their battery packs. But as for cornering finesse, well forget it. There's a reason why most volume EVs designed to date have been either compact hatches or SUVs, market segments full of buyers with little enthusiasm for throwing their cars about. Few of the brands involved have yet dared to make an EV sports saloon - but Tesla's been selling one since 2018, this car, the Model 3 Performance. Six years on, this design was updated to create the car we look at here. The US brand is largely run by 'visionaries' who seem to prefer a future in which their owners weren't imposed upon to actually drive their cars at all, as the company continues its relentless pursuit of autonomous driving technology. Yet Elon Musk and his team clearly like a challenge, especially one so clearly shirked by the established brands who can no longer ignore the threat this Californian auto maker poses. So heads were hunted, test tracks were pounded and budgets broken in order to create the kind of Model 3 that would make competitors - and their buyers - sit up and take notice. This 'Performance' variant is that car.

Driving Experience

Quite a lot's different with this updated Model 3 Performance, which now produces 453bhp. There's a more performance-tuned chassis, with increased stiffness for improved handling. Tesla has also added upgraded stabiliser bars, springs and bushings. For the first time in a Model 3, there's also adaptive damping. And the added carbon fibre spoiler is supposed to 'optimise lift balance and high speed stability'. This top AWD 'Performance' derivative shares the surprisingly sharp handling of more standard Model 3 variants. More positives are accrued by the impressively well modulated throttle - though it's still prone to lurch the car forward like a startled rabbit if used without due care. If you were to mash it into the bulkhead of this top 'Performance'-spec variant, you'd reach sixty mph in just 2.9s en route to 163mph. Think M3s and C63s - or just see this Tesla as Ferrari-fast. This 'Performance' derivative is further embellished by larger 20-inch wheels shod with bespoke tyres and Brembo competition-style brakes. Also significant is the inclusion of an improved latest generation version of the company's 'Track Mode' system, which allows the driver to customise stability levels, handling balance and regenerative braking. 'Track Mode' activates a kind of torque vectoring set-up that shuttles torque between front and rear axles to offer either more or less cornering rotation as needed. Plus there's a dramatic increase in regenerative braking to capture extra energy more efficiently, aiding a range figure rated at 355 miles. 'Track Mode' also works with what the brand calls a 'Vehicle Dynamics Controller' that eases back the normally quite intrusive traction and stability control systems so that they allow more slip - so much so in fact that pro-driver circuit corner drifting is even possible. This kind of driving can be rough on the car's cooling system, so 'Track Mode' recalibrates that to cool the car more aggressively and proactively.

Design and Build

You might notice the changes made to this car from other versions of the updated Model 3 - mainly the front and rear lights. But you'd have to know your Teslas to note the updates made over the earlier Model 3 Performance design. These are focused on new cooling ducts and a carbonfibre spoiler. Inside, for the first time in a Model 3, there's carbonfibre detailing and you now get sports seats with improved lateral support. Otherwise, it's much as in any other Model 3 - the updated one anyway, which goes without indicator and gearshift steering wheel stalks. Interior ambiance has taken a noticeable step towards 'premium-ness' (as it needed to), with upgraded materials (real aluminium, textiles and so on) and customisable ambient lighting wrapping around the full cabin. There's re-designed centre console with dual wireless 'phone chargers. The heated front seats are now ventilated and Tesla has installed a new studio-quality next-gen audio system, with 17 speakers. The super bright and responsive 15.4-inch centre-dash display is the same size as before, but offers a more usable screen area thanks to thinner bezel. It features customizable UI and gets better over time with OTA updates. As before, it's certainly very airy inside thanks to an uncovered sunroof at the front and a rear window that stretches up into the roof. That gives excellent rearward visibility too. In the back, there's an all-new 8-inch rear display with integrated climate control, ventilation, and entertainment. As before, there's 425-litres of luggage space, that figure including both boot capacity and the 117-litre under-bonnet 'froot'.

Market and Model

The top 'Performance' Model 3 derivative costs around £60,000 - which is a significant sum but represents a useful saving on the rival quite a few customers might be looking at, the top M50 version of BMW's i4. Other potential alternatives include the top dual motor version of the Polestar 2, the Kia EV6 GT and the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N. All of these are tough rivals but in this Tesla, they face a formidable competitor. We mentioned a few of the specific 'Performance'-spec additions in our 'Design' section. In addition to those, you'll obviously get all the equipment features you'd find on an ordinary top-spec Model 3. These include enhancements like the new customisable ambient lighting system, the ventilated front seats, the two-phone wireless charging station and the smart 8-inch rear seat climate display screen. Media connectivity has been improved too, with dual-band Wi-Fi capability (2.4Ghz and 5Ghz). Then there's the new Tesla-designed premium audio system. It features 17 speakers, dual subwoofers and dual amplifiers. It includes native support for Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal. Additional and more capable microphones deliver improved call quality too. there are also two rear USB-C charging ports, each with up to 65W of power. You'll be able to seamlessly connect it all with Bluetooth to sync everything from your contacts to your music. The 15.4-inch centre screen takes software downloads from Tesla every few weeks (once you've approved the same via your ownership app) which means that, as with other Teslas, you'll get into your car one morning and find it can do something it couldn't do yesterday - which is rather cool. The navigation mapping is by Google maps, so traffic mapping is very interactive. All of this does mean though, that as soon as you want to change something, you have to delve around in menus and sub-menus to do it, which requires intimate familiarity with the way the monitor works. This isn't one of those cars you can just get in, drive and use to the full without a second thought.

Cost of Ownership

The 'Performance' variant manages a 328 mile WLTP-rated driving range reading from its 75kWh battery, a figure 62 miles less than the alternative 'Long Range' Dual Motor model. These figures are aided in this revised design by improved aerodynamics and range-optimised tyres. The car responds best to nightly recharges, but will happily sit for a couple of weeks at an airport while you holiday without losing significant charge, though over longer stationary periods, the cells will slowly lose their charge. All Dual Motor Model 3 variants charge at up to 250kW, which means a 10-80% charge takes 27 minutes. As before, a major selling point lies with the Tesla Supercharger network, which now features over 1,000 charging points spread across over 100 locations throughout the UK. Charging from home using a 7.4kW wallbox from empty to full takes 12 hours. Owning a Model 3 is of course very different from owning a conventionally powered executive saloon. There's no fuel bill and service is minimal. The annual service fee covers an annual inspection, replacement parts like brake pads and windscreen wipers, 24 hour roadside assistance, system monitoring, remote diagnostics, software updates and new features sent through the touchscreen. It's possible to charge the battery half way in about 30 minutes using Tesla's 'supercharger' but as with most elements of this car, it requires a change in your way of thinking. As with other EVs, you'll make big savings in terms of your tax, VED and maintenance liabilities.

Summary

If you want a mid-sized EV performance saloon that shouts its high-speed credentials from the roof tops, then this isn't it. But that subtlety might well be part of the appeal of this ultimate Model 3. Get this Tesla in this top Performance form and you've to take quite a hit in terms of EV driving range, but in return, you get substantial improvements in handling sharpness and the adaptive damping system that we've always wished a Model 3 could have. Those adaptive springs are the main improvement with this updated Model 3 Performance, but there are also others. The cabin looks a bit smarter with its carbon fibre additions and the grippy sports seats are a welcome upgrade. As before, you'd have to like the cool, pared-back image of this Model 3 to want one - and be forgiving of a few idiosyncrasies - but if none of that matters, then you'll find that what's on offer here is as significant as it's ambitious.