Tesla might be going through a rocky patch financially, but that hasn’t stopped it revealing the fastest and most powerful Model 3 yet.
Called the Model 3 Performance – not the Plaid, as many had expected – the new variant is a beefed-up version of the recently face-lifted Model 3.
Priced from £59,990 in the UK, the new car has the same dual-motor, all-wheel-drive layout as the regular Model 3 All-Wheel Drive, but is fitted with a ‘performance drive unit’, which means a more powerful rear motor and a total output of 510 horsepower.
However, Tesla has confirmed to T3 that cars sold in the EMEA region – that's Europe (including the UK), the Middle East and Africa – will only produce 460 hp. That's 50 down on the US-spec car and just 16 hp up on the previous generation of Model 3 Performance. We've asked Tesla why this is the case, and if the less powerful car has a slower 0-60 mph time and longer range as a result. We'll update this article when we hear back .
Also, while the new car's 2.9-second time is very impressive for an otherwise sensible family saloon, Tesla uses the American rollout timing convention. Common in drag racing, this is where the stopwatch doesn't actually begin until the car has travelled 12 inches.
That said, the Performance’s acceleration has improved significantly over the regular Model 3, which reaches 60 mph in 4.2 seconds in standard dual-motor form, and in 5.8 seconds when bought with a single motor. Range for the Model 3 Performance is a claimed 328 miles (WLTP), which is some way behind the 390 miles of the dual-motor, but ahead of the 318 miles of the base version.
To keep things simple, there’s a £10,000 price difference between each variant of Model 3, with the three-car range starting at £39,990 for the single motor car and topping out at £59,990 for the new Performance flagship.
Tesla says the new car also benefits from “bespoke chassis hardware that deliver performance and stiffness improvement while reducing mass,”. These additions include adaptive dampers, “ultra-high strength” steel springs and stiffer suspension top mounts. Tesla says the modifications create a “more capable, performance-oriented chassis”.
Compared to the previous generation of Model 3 Performance, Tesla says the new car produces 22 percent more continuous power, a 32 percent increase in peak power and 16 percent more torque. Energy consumption is down by a claimed two percent.
The new car is fitted with a set of Tesla-specific Pirelli P Zero 4 tyres and forged 20in wheels, with wider rubber at the rear than the front.
This is the first Model 3 to be fitted with adaptive dampers, and they’re controlled by Tesla’s own software that will likely be tweaked and improved over time. There’s an everyday ‘standard’ mode and a stiffer ‘sport’ mode to switch between, plus track mode and three different maps for the accelerator, called ‘standard’, ‘chill’ and ‘insane’.
Tesla says track mode, which also appeared in the previous generation of Model 3 Performance, has been given “a top-to-bottom re-calibration of handling balance, stability assist, regen braking and ABS tuning controls to deliver a more consistent and predictable driving experience across different track conditions.”
Lastly, the interior has been treated to a new set of sports seats with extra bolstering and what Tesla describes as a deep, more engaging seating position. The result, it says, is more lateral support during cornering. The seats are 12-way electronically controlled and have both heating and ventilation.
Available to order now, the Model 3 Performance carries an estimated UK delivery date of between May and June.
