Old Vs. New Tesla Model 3 Performance Drag Race: ‘A Bit Disappointing
- Carwow raced the old Tesla Model 3 Perfomance against the latest version.
- The European-spec 2024 Model 3 Performance has less power than the U.S.-spec version.
The latest Tesla Model 3 Performance comes with a lot of kit for the price, including adaptive dampers, nice sports seats and a dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain that’s good for 500 horsepower and a zero to 60 miles per hour sprint in just 2.9 seconds–in the United States, at least.
But how does it compare to the pre-facelift model? Those can be had for around $25,000 to $30,000 on the used market, whereas the new model retails for $55,000 without factoring in the $7,500 federal tax credit.
British YouTube channel Carwow has the answer to this question, but there are some asterisks that we need to address. First, the 2019 Model 3 Performance you see in the video embedded at the top of this page is a bit of a unicorn. That’s because it has all the Performance kit underneath but it actually looks like a regular Long Range model, so no fancy wheels and no spoiler at the rear.
In stock form, its twin-motor drivetrain makes 450 hp. And here’s where the second asterisk needs addressing–the European-spec 2024 Model 3 Performance makes around 460 hp, so almost identical to the older version.
So, how do they compare in a straight line? One is four years old and has a full battery, while the other is almost brand new and has a 60% state of charge–you’ll need to remember this because it’s important. I won’t spoil it for you, but I’ll just leave it at this: it’s remarkably close.
