Tested: 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance
Tesla's smaller sedan has been fortified to kick some serious ass.
DW Burnett
Although it is now outsold by the Model Y, the Tesla Model 3 has been a huge success since it was launched in 2017, becoming the first EV to sell over a million units globally in 2021. It was freshened up with a facelift for 2024, including the range-topping Performance version we're testing here.
The best thing about the updated 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance is what hasn't changed. It's still sized right, has a low cowl for great visibility, and is roomy for its size. And it's still very, very quick. Meanwhile, the stuff that's been changed is all for the better. Better, however, is judged on a curve. And curves are still among the Model 3's problems.
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The Lowdown
The most prominent change to the dual-motor Model 3 Performance is the adoption of a new "4DU" rear electric motor that plumps the total output to 510 horsepower, a 66-hp increase over the original M3P. During testing, in the wacky Insane drive mode, the Model 3 Performance slammed from 0 to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds and conquered the quarter-mile in 11.0 seconds at 125 mph. That's safely in the rarefied "Two-Second Club." It's a rabid rocket.
- Vehicle Tested: 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance
- Base Price: $56,630
- Price as tested: $66,630
- Location: Jefferson, New York
How Does It Drive?
DW Burnett
Raw performance doesn't tell the whole story. The new aft motor and Tesla's algorithmic mysticism have biased the Model 3 Performance toward the rear. It's still all-wheel-drive, so it launches as if it were slung out of a trebuchet, but it's more well-mannered and engaging than before.
Emphasizing this change are 20-inch wheels inside staggered 235/35ZR-20 front and 275/30R20 rear Pirelli P Zero PZ4 Elect tires. Forget the revised styling, new front splitter, and carbon-fiber rear spoiler; it's the wheels, tires, and a 0.4-inch suspension drop that give the Performance the badass attitude the regular Model 3 lacks.
What's best is the M3P's tidy size. At 185.8 inches long, it's one inch longer than a Honda Civic sedan, but its 113.2-inch wheelbase is a significant 5.5 inches longer than the Civic's. And the Tesla is almost two inches wider too. The M3P's wheels are pushed to the corners, and that makes for a stable base.
Throw in the low cowl and generous greenhouse, and this is a car with a unique driving environment. It's still stupid to have to use the screen to shift from neutral to drive, and things like the steering-wheel-mounted turn signals are different only for difference's sake, but the basics are all good.
With three acceleration modes — Chill, Standard, and the aforementioned Insane — and a Track mode for hero work, there's a dizzying variety of tweaks that can be applied to the M3P. But there is no extreme Plaid mode, as Tesla seems to be reserving that nuttiness only for its triple-motor Model S and Model X starships. Insane is insane enough.
The Track mode can be individualized to such an extent that it's impossible to test every possible variation. If the driver wants to drift, the M3P will burn away the Pirellis in a blue-gray smoky haze. Want neutral handling? Tweak it to that point. That in mind, there's only so much stiction in a 235-section-width front tire. During testing on track the M3P didn't have the adhesion to hang in corners with its upstart rival, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, with the Tesla's stability control intervening hard as it approached the limits of grip.
What's It Like To Live With?
Off track, the M3P reflects a distinctive Tesla character. It's competent and a bit, well, soulless. The company has been around since 2003, and the Model 3 itself has been around for nearly a decade now. Of course this thing feels familiar.
With active dampers and better tuning, the suspension is much more tied down than previous Model 3s. In particular, the rebound characteristic after a bump is more tempered and less jouncy. The steering is better too; there's still a numbness to communication, but initial turn-in is improved, either because of better tuning or improved tires.
DW Burnett
Inside there are new and very supportive bucket seats and ... not much else. Too much is controlled by the massive center screen, and there's little decoration beyond a carbon strip above the front vents. Maybe a nun emerging from a 70-year cloister will find it ostentatious. Anyone else? Nope. Austere? It's one notch from being antiseptic.
The problem is that Tesla continually leans into its quirks and eccentricities instead of reconsidering them. At least the Model 3 doesn't have a yoke instead of a steering wheel. But it would also be nice if that wheel were maybe an inch larger in diameter.
Every Model 3 is a practical daily driver. And the Performance version does nothing to diminish that. It's comfortable, there's room enough in back, and the decently sized trunk is complemented by some stowage in the nose. Tesla has been getting better at screwing these things together too, though with only 1100 miles when our test car showed up, this can hardly be an assessment of its long-term build quality. But there was already a slight dash rattle, and wind noise is apparent.
For no apparent reason, this test car also carried the $8000 Full Self-Driving option. Why buy the Performance version if it's going to drive itself?
Should I Buy One?
Rated by the EPA at 303 miles of range and backed up by the best fast-charging network, the Tesla Model 3 is at least as practical as any electric car. Whatever your opinion of Elon Musk and assessment of Tesla's build quality is, it's not hard to explain the brand's continued success.
The Performance model is a $19,990 option atop the Model 3's $35,000 (as of this story's writing) base price. Throw in $1390 for destination charges and a $250 order fee, and that totals out to $56,630. That's not a lot for a 510-hp sedan that can knock out 2.8-second 0-to-60-mph times. It's about the same as what Ford charges for its 500-horsepower Mustang Dark Horse, and the Model 3 Performance is quicker.
Then there's that $8000 self-driving system and $2000 worth of Ultra Red paint. Skip those. They increased the as-tested price to $66,630 before any government bribery to get you to buy one. That's less than the $67,495 Ioniq 5 N that is this car's true competition, but the 5N has 641 hp, 275-width tires at every corner, and makes synthesized vroom-vroom noises.
The refreshed M3P is good. But it's time for Tesla to hunker down and develop a successor. The Model 3 still feels like 2017, and time only moves forward. Tesla has the talent and resources to do something next that's tremendous. We're waiting.
Highlights and Lowlights
We Love:
- Huge performance.
- Throwback small-sedan size.
- Great front seats.
We Don't:
- Aging and frustrating driver interface.
- Austere interior decorations.
- $2000 for red paint? Really?
Favorite Detail:
The Model 3 has slim pillars and great visibility. It's not quite a callback to classic designs of the past, but it's rare in today's bulked-up tanks. No tech or gadget is better than being able to see out.
