We tested the Tesla model 3 Performance: The new queen of performance

Price: NIS 273,000

Competitors: Xpeng P7 Performance

Likes: Performance and grip, multimedia, space, behavior, charging network, price

Dislikes: Ergonomics, city comfort, handling

Rating: 9/10

Sports cars are the way car manufacturers show you how good their vehicles are. The Germans, in particular, are known for their excessive fondness for sophistication and cleverness when it comes to mechanical creations, engines, and other elements that are supposed to make you drive fast.

That’s why every self-respecting manufacturer has a performance division that takes fairly ordinary cars and turns them into sports machines that could embarrass racing cars on the track. Over the years, these workshops have become a "who has the biggest" competition in the premium octane gasoline version.

And it's not a simple story. Beyond the need to maintain a workshop full of expensive engineers and equally expensive equipment, you need to design entire platforms. The engineering exercise of fitting a 3.0-liter engine into the front of a compact car would make packing a suitcase for vacation feel like a walk in the park.

For years, the equation remained. Another turbocharger, another valve, fuel injection upgrade, each company brought its best products to keep its place at the top.

Then came Tesla.

When Tesla introduced its first car, the Roadster, it accelerated to 100 km/h in less than 4 seconds, figures reserved for the best supercars. The dual drives with various clutches and power transmission modules were replaced by another engine, and this engine wasn’t significantly larger than a shoebox.

The performance display continued to the rest of the American manufacturer’s cars, with the updated Tesla Model 3 Performance being put to the test.

The term Performance is Tesla’s way of saying M (BMW), AMG, or RS. For the demanding name, there's now also a distinctive logo, something that looks like stripes moving at the speed of light. And let’s put it on the table: "Performance" is indeed a fitting name for this car. The official European specification is about 460 horsepower (compared to 510 hp in the US) and 3.1 seconds to 100 km/h. Just for perspective, cars like the Ferrari Roma, Audi R8, and the current BMW M5 are all slower in this acceleration.

Yes, performance is the highlight of the Tesla, perhaps alongside the stunning red color of the test car. The 3.1 seconds of Tesla make 3 seconds from other manufacturers feel slow. The launch activates G-forces that can rearrange internal organs. Suddenly, the Performance logo makes sense; it’s the Enterprise from Star Trek, just in red.

The insane performance triggers many reactions on the road. People apparently don’t understand the law. Every strong launch from the traffic light gets anxious flashes from the cars crawling behind, yes, even if you didn’t exceed the speed limit. Let the envious accelerate. At high speeds, which are best avoided, performance moderates as is typical of electric cars, but it will still be one of the strongest cars on the track, as that's where you can drive at such speeds.

Performance is a straightforward matter, literally, but in other respects, the Tesla Model 3, especially after the facelift, is a car that is not straightforward.

At Tesla’s Supercharger stations, it’s easy to notice the differences between the new version and the previous ones. Something about the design feels more harmonious and elegant than before, but it’s still a modest facelift. Inside, the changes are very small but very annoying.

It was hard to imagine a more minimalist car than the original Tesla 3. If the previous version was bare, in the facelift someone at Tesla decided to also get rid of the fig leaf. The idea to get rid of gearshift levers and turn signals is bizarre even by the standards of someone who names their child X Æ A-12.

So, the gears have moved to the screen, close to the driver's hand. To shift gears, you need to slide your finger up (forward) or down (backward) depending on the direction of travel. Sounds simple? Try doing that in a tight parking maneuver and then we’ll talk. As for the turn signals, there’s no need to elaborate. Worldwide, the concept works perfectly, so Tesla decided to move it to the steering wheel. True, you get used to it when the wheel is straight, but too many times when exiting a roundabout with the steering wheel turned, it’s simply better to save the distraction and just skip the signal.

Besides that, the 15.4-inch multimedia screen hasn’t really changed; it still attracts a lot of attention and still has too many long menus, filled with texts and not intuitive. And after all that, the graphics are stunning, the design is successful, the system’s processing speed is among the best you’ll find, and the technological experience is one of the best available.

The space for the driver and passengers remains the same as before, meaning spacious for everyone. The build quality is better than before, although there are still uneven gaps here and there. The material quality, especially in the most expensive version, is very good most of the time, with Alcantara surfaces, some leather, and generally pleasant plastic.

The cargo compartments remain large and spacious. Rear passengers will enjoy an 8-inch control screen for the climate system, which can also be used to play YouTube videos. In this version, you’ll enjoy an additional feature, excellent sports seats that hug the body in a bear hug.

Ride comfort depends greatly on the road you’re driving on. On quality roads and especially at high speeds, the Tesla Model 3 Performance feels relaxed most of the time except when encountering asphalt expansion joints. Noise insulation is quite good. In the city and on very rough roads, the suspension travel is limited and there is a slight lack of damping leading to excessive movement and sometimes transferring impacts into the cabin. The 20-inch wheels of the high-performance version certainly don’t help here.

In Tesla, like in Tesla, energy consumption is quite good. Throughout the test, it stood at 19-22 kWh per 100 km. In practice, it’s roughly 340-400 km in our test drive. True, it’s far from the official 528 km, but if we drove all cars like we drove the Performance, you’d see few cars reaching 350 km.

In favor of the Performance, like every Tesla, is the Supercharger network, 23 charging stations across Israel, each with between 6 to 8 stations, faster and less crowded than the smaller charging stations of other charging companies because Tesla’s network is only open to manufacturer customers. On the other hand, even three years after starting sales in Israel, we still encounter complaints from Tesla owners about long waits for parts, especially after accidents.

On twisty roads, the big surprise is felt with the first turn of the steering wheel. The Model 3 has constant but not aggressive regenerative braking, which gives the car a natural tendency to "settle" on the front wheels when releasing the throttle. In a turn, the Model 3 feels very light and particularly eager to turn. The body roll in turns is so minimal that we wouldn’t be surprised if the Tesla could drive on Shabbat in Mea Shearim.

The start is excellent, but as the road stretches, the Tesla feels less relaxed. The suspension, which knows how to control the body in the first turn, starts to falter as the weight begins to shift rapidly from side to side. The communication from the chassis and steering is also limited. The steering is a bit vague, and its weight is noticeably artificial, neither too bad nor anything terrible, but definitely tuning that doesn’t come close to the standard of good sports cars.

Overall, the more aggressively you drive, the less the Tesla feels at home. During hard braking, the willingness to turn decreases, and the communication from the chassis is not brilliant. Assuming you’ve set the power transfer in the driving mode menu to "rear-wheel drive," the rear end will slide out effortlessly. This is of course not surprising given all the power this spaceship has to offer. The problem is the limited communication from the chassis, so you won’t learn about the degree of sliding from bodily sensations but from the car’s angle.

The name, more than anything else, indicates the purpose and tuning of the Model 3 Performance. It knows how to deliver performance and does so generously and willingly. The power of the Model 3 redefines certain laws of physics. Honestly, if we were Elon Musk, we’d send this version to space.

Beyond the performance, it’s a Model 3 with all the known advantages: range, energy consumption, space, and technology alongside all the disadvantages: unclear ergonomics, mediocre city ride comfort, and imperfect build quality.

The sports and handling section may not be important to many people, but in this specific car, it is crucial because somehow you need to keep that big battery on the road. Here, the significant gap between the Tesla 3 and cars tuned by dedicated tuning workshops like most major car manufacturers offer is revealed.

The handling of good sports cars, even electric ones and those that weigh more than the Tesla, is significantly better, and their connection to the driver and road is much better. If you’re looking for a complete driving experience and truly invest your free time in searching for winding and empty roads, there are better cars on the market. Better but not stronger, unless you’re very rich.

And here, Tesla delivers the final blow. Because at the price it’s offered, you won’t be able to buy many cars that offer something that scratches the capabilities of the Model 3 Performance. In this price range, especially in Israel, you might be able to buy an exciting but weak and cramped car like the Mazda MX-5. Maybe you’ll find an Audi in the base version with a 1.5-liter engine. In terms of the price-performance ratio, there are few experiences that come close to this Tesla, and they are also electric.

In terms of the price-road behavior ratio, even if it’s not the best, the Tesla Model 3 Performance is still one of the most enjoyable experiences you can buy.

Technical Side: Tesla Model 3 Performance

Engine: 2 electric motors

Maximum Power (hp): 460

Maximum Torque (kg-m): 74.1

Transmission: Automatic, direct drive, all-wheel drive

Electric:

Battery (kWh): 78 gross, 75 net

Slow Charging (kW): 11

Fast Charging (kW): 250

Dimensions:

Length (meters): 5.015

Width (meters): 1.850

Height (meters): 1.431

Wheelbase (meters): 2.875

Cargo Space (liters): 594 plus front trunk 88 liters

Tires: R20 235/35

Curb Weight (kg): 1,851

Performance (Manufacturer):

0-100 km/h (seconds): 3.1

Top Speed (km/h): 262

Combined Range (Manufacturer, km): 528

Combined Range (Test, km): 400

Safety:

European Crash Test Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Active Safety: Autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition, driver fatigue monitoring

Warranty:

4 years or 100,000 km warranty for the car, 8 years or 192,000 km for the battery and powertrain