Why Buy The Performance Tesla Model 3 When There's The Model S?

The Latest Model 3 Performance version may need a rethink.

Tesla has been struggling to make production targets for the much-publicized Model 3. Tings have slowly improved over the past few months, but as kinks in the manufacturing process are ironed out one would assume that a period of consolidation would be high on the agenda. But this is Tesla, and Elon Musk is not known for standing still. His latest announcement of the performance variant of the Model 3 is surely to put additional strain on the production line but he maintains that selling higher-spec models is key to Tesla’s long-term survival.

This strategy is borne out in the estimated delivery times for the Model 3: order a base-spec version at the $35,000 starting price and a 6-12 month waiting time is projected. Add a long-range battery, all-wheel drive or opt for the new Performance model and that time shrinks to between 6 to 9 months. The price however goes the other way, a dual motor Model 3 can be around $54,000 while the Performance version is an even steeper $78,000. This pricing does include most options except the Autopilot feature but makes the top model not only a fair bit steeper than the base M3 sedan that Elon has been comparing it to. It also brings it uncomfortably close to the Model S.

The $97,300 (before options or incentives) Model S 100D may be half a second slower to 60-mph at 4.1-seconds vs. 3.5, but it offers an additional 25-miles of range and Model S owners do get access to things that aren’t available on the Model 3s. Firstly there is the smart air-suspension system which is standard on the larger cars but as of writing is not even an option on the Model 3. This situation is likely to change in 2019 but for now it is not available. Secondly, the Model S comes with a larger 17-inch digital touchscreen and a driver display as opposed to the 15-inch unit in the smaller car.

The combined front and rear trunk cargo volume is twice that of the Model 3 too and the power liftgate is another feature that is standard on the Model S but not even an option on the Model 3. Both cars can seat five adults in comfort but the rear facing seat option is reserved for the Model S. All-wheel-drive, 12-way power front seats and LED foglights are part of every Model S but are extra cost options on the Model 3. Not deal-breakers clearly, but worth a thought especially when you are looking at the highly-specced Model 3s and want to do a like for like comparison. Something that may also sway buyers towards the Model S is the fact that Supercharging is totally free for the life of ownership.

Model 3 owners will have to pay for the service, depending on your mileage this may also erode the price difference between the two cars over time. The warranty on the batteries differs too, Model S owners get an 8-year unlimited mile cover while Model 3 owners get the same time span but only 100,000-miles on standard batteries or 120,000-miles on long range ones. Now you may point out that the Model S 100D is still a good $20,000 more expensive than the Performance Model 3 and it would take a whole lot of miles to recoup those costs, but there is also the Model S 75D to consider.

It may only have a 259-mile range, but at $77,800 before any incentives or offers it actually undercuts the top-spec Model 3 making an even stronger case for itself. It is hardly slower than the 100D, giving up just 0.1 of a second to the 60-mph sprint and its 140 mph top speed matches that of any Model 3. It also comes with all the aforementioned features of the Model S range and even with the Premium Upgrade Package, which includes a whole host of extras, is still only $82,800. A well-specced Model 3 may come in at around $20,000 less than that but you would still have a slower car. Non-Performance Model 3’s do the 0-60 mph run in the low 5-second range, and you would still have to wait up to half a year for your car.

Resale values are a tricky thing to predict but with many more Model 3s planning to be built, the larger car may even depreciate at a slower rate. Essentially, as with all such things, it comes down to individual preferences. If you don’t need the extra space, are not fussed about the lack of air-suspension and are happy to wait a while, then the Model 3 still makes sense. If you want your car now, plan to do longer trips and are not bothered by slightly lower performance (compared to the Performance Model 3 that is) then either a well-specced 75D or 100D would be the better bet. The M3 may be the car that Elon wants us to compare his new Model 3 to but in reality, it may just be so that we don’t look at the even fiercer competitor within Tesla’s own walls.

Britain’s Car Industry Will End If There’s A No-Deal Brexit?

The clock is ticking.

On Friday, March 29, 2019, the UK will officially leave the European Union. Needless to say, there has been much controversy, debate, and political ramifications ever since 2016’s stunning referendum outcome. But what about corporations, in this specific case, UK-based automakers? How will Brexit affect them? In more negative ways than they’d like, and a no-deal Brexit is simply not an option for them.

Reuters reports that Britain’s car industry simply cannot afford for Prime Minister May’s government not to cut some sort of trade deal with the EU post-Brexit. A spokesman for the country’s main automobile industry group said the carmakers are growing “increasing concerned” about not only the lack of a deal so far, but also that negotiations are currently not going well.

If there is a no-deal Brexit in eight months’ time, then Britain would be forced to fall back on World Trade Organization rules that would, sadly, leave British car exporters facing EU import tariffs of about 10 percent. "No deal… is just not an option. It would be seriously damaging to the industry not just in the UK but in Europe as well,” the spokesman said. At stake are around 850,000 jobs in Britain. Fortunately, there has been some progress regarding a post-Brexit deal. Automakers were encouraged by May’s Brexit proposals announced a few weeks ago, but concerns remain regarding the costs of new customs arrangements.

The fact of the matter is that tariffs, if remain unresolved, will essentially kill the British car industry because automakers like BMW, which owns both Mini and Rolls-Royce, will likely shut down its UK production facilities and move them elsewhere, likely to mainland Europe. It’s as simple as that. Privately held companies, such as McLaren, are said to be in a better position compared to the larger automakers. McLaren already keeps its production facilities solely in Britain along with many of its suppliers.

Often times, it simply builds the components in-house. And because it’s a niche supercar brand, customers can already afford to pay six-figure prices for its cars from the get-go. Mini, however, is not in the same boat. Rolls-Royce, which like McLaren also caters to a wealthy clientele, still has to contend with its BMW parent company’s big picture considerations, and an English future likely isn’t one of them. In the meantime, British car manufacturers are getting as “ready as possible” for potential no-deal Brexit disruptions.

BMW M4 Competition Pack: There's No Reason Why Not To Upgrade

What the standard M4 should've been all along?

There was a time when the BMW M4 was the best high-performance luxury coupe on the market. And as these things typically go, the competition quickly caught up and, suddenly, the M4’s price tag and performance specs didn’t hold water. So BMW decided to respond, and the Competition Package, also available for the M3, was its answer. Carfection recently spent some time at the wheel of the M4 Competition Pack and, yeah, it’s a great high-performance coupe made even better, but its major upgrades are really only useful on the track.

Every day driving remains more or less the same, and that’s necessarily a bad thing. It’s just that in the US the Competition Pack adds another $5,500 to the $72,000 base price.

That doesn’t sound like much, especially considering the sharper handling response times and power increase, but they’re both more noticeable and useful when doing hot laps. Aside from that, we think the Competition Pack will be most appealing to those who couldn’t afford the M4 CS’ $100,000 sticker price; the M4 GTS was nothing more than a pipe dream. There’s a lot of value here, and the M4 Competition Pack is really a no-brainer. For not much more, you’re getting an improved and more precise machine. Just be sure to head to the track every once in a while.

There's Already A 2018 BMW M5 Recall For Faulty Fuel Pumps

And a stop-sale order to dealerships for affected cars.

It is not only older vehicles that are affected by recalls, but also all-new ones that suffer from early production issues. The all-new 2018 BMW M5 is one of them. According to the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA), 846 model year 2018 M5s have faulty engine control unit software that could cause the fuel pump to stop, stalling the vehicle. As a result, the increase risk of a crash exists. Thankfully, the fix is actually rather simple.

Dealership technicians will simply update the software in the ECU. The affected vehicles have been identified as those built from August 21, 2017 until April 17, 2018. BMW has also issued a stop-sale order to dealerships for those specific vehicles falling within the production dates that have yet to be sold. There’s also a second BMW recall, only this one involves 2010-2011 model year 335d diesel sedans. A total of 6,591 vehicles are affected. The problem lies with the connection of the positive battery cable at the fuse box terminal, which may degrade over time. This could potentially result in the loss of electrical power causing the vehicle to stall.

Dealers are instructed to replace the positive battery cable connector and better secure the replacement unit. Affected owners for the M5 and 335d sedans, a total of 7,437 BMW vehicles, will be notified beginning on July 6.