Welcome to Car and driver‘s Test Hubwhere we zoom in on the test numbers. We’ve been pushing vehicles to their limits since 1956 to provide objective data to bolster our subjective impressions (you can see how we test here).
Surprisingly, the revamped Tesla Model 3 Performance doesn’t have a ridiculous driving mode à la larger Tesla models because it’s absurdly fast. The outgoing M3P was already one of the fastest electric cars we’ve ever tested, reaching 60 mph in 3.1 seconds. However, the new “Highland” version offers upgrades that help the electric sedan shave time off the mile-per-minute mark and accelerate to 100 mph and beyond in remarkably shorter intervals.
Tesla — and especially its CEO, Elon Musk — is rarely known for subtlety. Still, the mightiest Model 3 Performance moniker sounds unusually understated for a car that exploded to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds on our test track. That’s three-tenths faster than a 2019 M3P we tested, but it’s hardly the most impressive improvement. The 2024 Model 3 Performance is much quicker and quicker at the drag strip, completing the quarter mile in 11.0 seconds at 125 mph. Its predecessor made the trip of 1320 feet in 11.6 ticks at 115 mph. Even more surprisingly, the gap between their acceleration times grew even wider en route to speeds of 100 plus mph.
While an electric car’s instantaneous torque plays a key role in its speed, a lack of gear ratios and limited continuous peak power mean that acceleration usually slows as speeds increase. With the Highland Model 3 Performance, Tesla says the latest version of the car’s rear-drive unit sees peak torque and horsepower increase by 16 and 32 percent, respectively, compared to the outgoing M3P. Now with 510 horsepower and 554 pound-feet of torque, the new car has dual motors that produce more power and longer, as Tesla claims continuous output has increased by 22 percent. Add in a slightly lower drag coefficient that makes the car smoother, as well as a diet that helped our recent 4046-pound test car shed 40 pounds, and the results speak for themselves.
The new all-wheel drive Model 3 Performance hit 100 mph in 6.8 seconds, which is 1.4 ticks faster than its predecessor. Its lead only grew from there, hitting 130 mph 3.9 seconds quicker with a run of 12.3 seconds. Finally, the run to 150 mph took 18.3 ticks in the new M3P – an incredible 8.7 seconds faster than its 2019 equivalent.
Of course, what’s even more ridiculous about all of this is that the 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance has a base price of $56,630, which excludes the $7500 federal tax credit it’s eligible for. Meanwhile, its test numbers put it in the company of electric cars costing about twice as much, not to mention it’s now just as quick as its gas-powered benchmark, the BMW M3. In an M. Night Shyamalan-esque twist, a 2023 M3 Competition xDrive and a ’24 M3P had the same 60- and 130-mph runs, as well as identical quarter-mile times. Only the Bimmer has a gas tank and costs about $30K more than the Tesla.
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