{"id":24402,"date":"2019-11-21T14:51:14","date_gmt":"2019-11-21T18:51:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=24402"},"modified":"2019-11-21T14:51:14","modified_gmt":"2019-11-21T18:51:14","slug":"payne-two-motors-are-better-than-one-for-tesla-model-3-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2019\/11\/payne-two-motors-are-better-than-one-for-tesla-model-3-performance","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Two motors are better than one for Tesla Model 3 Performance"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tell<\/p>\n<\/div>

Tell the difference? The external differences between Henry Payne’s RWD Tesla Model 3, right, and the new Tesla Model 3 Performance are subtle. The Performance model gets bigger Brembo brakes with red calipers \u2014 and an underlined, dual motor badge in the rear.\u00a0(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s more fun than a Tesla Model 3 with an electric motor? A Tesla Model 3 with two electric motors.<\/p>\n

Regular readers of this column know I\u2019m a car enthusiast who bought a long-range, rear-wheel drive Model 3 a year ago (after putting down a $1,000 deposit waaay back in April\u00a02016) because I wanted to follow the first viable U.S. auto start-up in my lifetime, live with an EV and drive the industry\u2019s most innovative vehicle.<\/p>\n

I\u00a0bought the rear-drive car because it\u2019s what I could afford. I pined for the wigged-out dual-motor, 473-horse Performance Model 3 with Track Mode, but its sticker price $20,000 north of the rear-drive chariot was prohibitive.<\/p>\n

So when Tesla lowered the price of the Performance 3 this fall by $15,000 (just $6,440\u00a0more than my rear-drive drive car) I jumped at the chance to\u00a0trade up\u00a0for the brand\u2019s most rabid sports sedan.<\/p>\n

Buying a fully loaded Performance Model 3 allows me to tell you of the full capabilities of the tricked-out version of America\u2019s best-selling EV. Indeed, the Model 3 last year outsold every luxury car in America.<\/p>\n

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The purchase was primarily a selfish one. I was reaching the limits of my\u00a0car in track tests and knew the Performance 3 had more to offer.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t wait long to storm Champion Raceway at Pontiac\u2019s M1 Concourse to put the dual motors to the test. On the street, the Performance car\u2019s power advantage (nearly doubling the rear-wheel drive model\u2019s 225 horses by unlocking more battery capacity) is obvious. Stomp the right pedal and the car explodes to 60 mph in a chest-caving 3.2 seconds, the 473 ponies getting instant traction via all-wheel drive. That\u2019s not far off the $140,000, 760-horse, Ludicrous Mode, 2.8-second Model S P90D AWD I tested four years ago.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s comparable to a Corvette Grand Sport. Or an Audi R8 V-10. Supercar stuff.<\/p>\n

But on track, that\u2019s the least obvious difference in the two cars. After all, instant torque off corners is an inherent advantage performance EVs have compared to gas cars that lose drivetrain efficiency by feeding its gas power to a combustion chamber lit off by a spark plug that shoves a piston that turns a connecting rod that (pause for breath) … well, you know.<\/p>\n

Electric motors are instant power \u2014 the dual motor Model 3 just has more of it. Dual motors also allow more athletic handling. The 3\u2019s dynamics are quite good with its low center of gravity, planted steering\u00a0and sophisticated suspension. The Performance model turns up the wick,\u00a0not just with better traction,\u00a0but by using the motors in tandem for better rotation.<\/p>\n

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