Tesla Model 3 now also available as a lightning-fast Performance

The Tesla Model 3 was thoroughly revised in September last year. It received a new front including completely new and flatter headlights and different rear lights, but the Model 3 also made steps in terms of technology. You can read all about that here. Until now, the updated Tesla Model 3 was only available as a nameless variant with rear-wheel drive and as Long Range All Wheel Drive. You won’t be short of range in any of those variants and in terms of power you would have to have very special wishes to come up short in the entry-level car. Tesla is now expanding the delivery range of the Model 3 with a lightning-fast version with a well-known name. This is the new Tesla Model 3 Performance.

The Tesla Model 3 Performance is by far the fastest of the Model 3 family. The Tesla Model 3 Performance All-Wheel Drive – as it is fully called – reaches 100 km/h from a standstill in just 3.1 seconds. Its top speed: no less than 262 km/h. With those figures, the Model 3 Performance obviously trumps the Long Range All-Wheel Drive. The now dethroned former top version of the Model 3 zooms to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds and can reach 201 km/h. You have to make a sacrifice for those staggering figures. The range of the Model 3 Performance is sufficient at 528 kilometers, but it is smaller than that of the entry-level (554 kilometers) and considerably less spacious than that of the Tesla Model 3 Long Range All-Wheel Drive (678 kilometers).

The slippers of the Model 3 Performance play a role in this. The top version of the Model 3 has 20-inch wheels as standard, while the Model 3 Long Range All-Wheel Drive with almost 680 kilometers of range has 18-inch wheels. If you set the Model 3 with the longest breath to 19 inches, the range decreases to 629 kilometers. So the size of the wheels matters a lot. In addition, the wheels of the Model 3 Performance not only have a larger diameter, but – at least at the rear – are also wider. Good for traction, less good for efficiency.

Of course, this Performance is more than just an extra strong Model 3 on larger wheels. For example, the adaptive damping is completely new for the model, the Performance is stiffer and has adapted springs, stabilizer bars and rubbers, as well as High Performance brake pads. You can recognize a Model 3 Performance by its red brake calipers. Where you previously had to look really closely to distinguish a Model 3 Performance from its milder brothers, the external difference is now greater. The Performance now has a different front and rear bumper, a diffuser at the bottom of the buttocks and a rear spoiler made of carbon fiber. Sports seats and the Track Mode v3 driving mode are also part of the equipment.

The Tesla Model 3 Performance costs at least €56,990. For that amount you get a Pearl White Multi-Coat painted copy. Would you prefer a blue (Deep Blue Metallic) or black (Solid Black) copy? Then you have to contribute €1,300. Tesla charges an additional fee of €2,000 for the colors Ultra Red and Stealth Gray. A black interior is standard. For an interior in a combination of black and white, you pay an extra €1,200. Enhanced Autopilot will cost you an extra €3,800, ‘Full Self-Driving’ has an additional cost of €7,500.

Tesla Model 3 prices – April 2024