The performance is insane

And the car also has super dark tintss

I’m now use to mine and it doesn’t feel fast anymore lol

Yo I thought I loved my blue 23 model 3 base. Still absolutely do, but Im kinda jealous of that one.

Coming from ICE the base is all I needed. Not gonna lie, evs are stupid fast, even base models. I am not a track car person so I'm not sure who would need that speed on a daily basis. Whne I traded in my ice car, the average speed on the lifetime was 42 mph. What do I need all that speed if I'm mostly in traffic and 35 mph zones around town? But sure as a thrill here or there like a rental, it's cool.

But Is it ludicrous or plaid speed?

*I rented a 2025 Model 3 performance on Turo* **Not Plaid...it would be Insane/Ludicrous**

Bud Good Big.

The rental car smells like weed or yours?👀

I ran into a guy my age at my small local supercharger last summer. It was Sunday around 7, quiet, we were chatting and he let me drive his model s with the yoke for a minute. Small town so friendly, no traffic. I was just like yeah im not an F1 driver this is too much.

I work from home alot so I get the rush often! 😆

Jist wait till you try a Plaid THEN youll find out what insane is. 🤣 Its more than 1.5 seconds faster than the M3P. I started with and M3P and now i have a Plaid. Its a slippery slope. https://preview.redd.it/pm37ur7macig1.jpeg?width=4096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b24cd3cd0434d945fa0c9d7ea5b0b822f8ec2cf7

I love my ‘21 M3P and it’s the only trim I’ve known. And now that the S and X are being discontinued, my next Tesla is a foregone conclusion.

Try the Plaid next LOL. It’s on ANOTHER level !! 🚀🚀

Model three performance 2025 will go 0 to 60 in 2.9 seconds so I’m not sure how the flag could be 2.5 seconds faster

… what? The plaid is only ~0.9 seconds faster than the M3P, unless you’re talking about the top end past 60-130 which makes a lot more sense.

I tell the same story, I test drove an awd model 3, and the tesla person with me said punch it when merging on the highway and I almost shat my pants! 😂

Maybe he’s speaking 1/4 mile time? Not quite 2.5 but it’s closer lol.

Pretty sure the rental since he said he misses his model 3

It's mostly an awesome thing to have for those times you need it, not for everyday use. Like getting up to speed on a highway on ramp.

I'm surprised people put up good cars for rent on Turo. Is the return even worth it?

Haha same, it felt ludicrous when I first got it and now I'm craving a S plaid or ideally Xiaomi SU7 Ultra if was sold in the US.

Same feels like I need to bump up the speed now

I agree there. And I shouldn't say base anymore since I have the premium rwd and not the standard. Even with mine I'm cruising at 70 in a blink of an eye. These cars haul ass!

Speaking pragmatically, monthly insurance will be like $50 more on the P model vs base, I checked. Maybe I'll just schedule a test drive with the dealer if they have one available.

Plaid is fast but doesn’t handle like a M3P. Sold my Plaid and went back to the M3P. IMO the M3P is the best package when it comes to power and handling.

I will say though.... one time I had mine in the shop (was a knick in the paint on the front bumper, which they replaced.... but somehow didn't reconnect the horn when doing so.... so had to take it in again), I was given a Model X Plaid as a loaner. And let's just say yeah..... a) such a massive SUV has no right to be THAT fast, and b) the acceleration in that thing damn near causes physical pain. First time I took my mom for a ride in my Model 3 Performance, the biggest surprise to her was the fact that there's no hesitation, both in starting out and when gaining speed. No shift lag... just endless "go".

Agreed. I have a 23 M3P. My brother used to have an MS Performance Ludicrous. Not a plaid but still 765 bhp. It was ridiculous in a straight line. 2.3 0-60 with the launch control. Around corners though it was a let down compared to the M3P. He offered it to me when he got his Porsche Macan Turbo EV. I declined.

Absolutely worth it depending on the market car pays for itself very minimal risk if you run it properly. If you are not a business person or used to risk and insurance claims don’t do it

Faster than a current gen Ferrari. It’s mind-blowing and it never gets old

Same! I got it in September and I’m already used to the speed. It’s still very fast no doubt BUT I’m ready for an S Plaid 😅

Don’t get one from a dealer, I made that mistake already, just buy one from Tesla

Oh, I meant service center.

Good call 😆

Sometimes, starting from a signal, I try to stay level with the gas car in the next lane. It's so hard to do! Gas cars are so so sluggish

But hey your RWD has a much more longer lasting LFP battery

WEED

If you still have it. Throw it in track mode. You’ll love it even more. I have a m3p24. I keep mine in track mostly lol. It’s alot of fun.

Lol same

This I got the chance to drive a model s plaid. It was awesome an shocking for the first few pulls, after that my body got used to the acceleration and it got repetitive, it takes no skill or concentration, I’m just mashing a petal. I’ve never driven a model 3 performance but I know people who own them, most of them tell me they stopped caring about the “performance” aspect after a few weeks or months. They’re just not fun cars to drive. I used to own a ‘24 LR AWD, I loved it *because* of how boring it was.

You know how it is. You need additional 2 seconds in acceleration and ex. I really want to travel 300 miles without charging in the winter. With performance it's impossible. LR RWD is capable of doing that.

For all those people who keep saying you don’t need the “Performance” model because the AWD is quick enough 🙄

Or beating yellow lights 😂 I can cover a quarter mile on a yellow for sure

In some markets, definitely. Just make sure your insurance covers you beforehand - Turo is treated differently than a standard rental.

I had one but needed more range so I traded for a new Y, I used to put it in standard mode for a week or two once in a while. When you switch back to sport it's insane how fast it feels again.

Eeeeh.... I'd rather not push it. My luck there would be a cop somewhere watching

It’s a beast

It is but at illegal speeds which makes it almost useless if you care about your driver license. I rented it on turo and got my fix haha

Just remember to replace tires every 8k miles. That performance mode wipes out the tired twice as fast.

I have a 2020 M3 Performance, and my son had a 2021 M3 Performance (post refresh)…and these cars are incredibly fun to drive. Although I am a person that uses the car fully, not just to have something nice and not use it. May use a little more tire, but it is a lot of fun still. Saying it isn’t fun is like saying amusement rides aren’t fun, they are just fast…of course the model 3 is more nimble than the plaid, so it is more fun than just a straight line. Maybe the model 3 performance is the more fun version to try if speed isn’t your thing.

Speed is definitely my thing. I drive (well I just sold) modified 3 petal mustang. Speed isn’t everything though. Teslas are fast, but not engaging at all. I have much more fun driving that Mustang than I ever did in the Tesla, and the Tesla smokes the Mustang in a straight line.

Literally a $400 radar detector + Waze you’ll never get pulled over again lol

laser jammer also

Rwd is slow compared to the AWD but it’s just enough to smoke most cars on the road

This happened to my normal 2025 model 3

https://preview.redd.it/7r7c26evokig1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d42fd23c00164be60b135063d24c0877a35f12ed Love my 22 m3p. You can’t tell me nothing bad about this car…. Aside from the battery range. Wish it was longer but hey it’s a performance vehicle. Hellcats don’t even see 200 miles on a full tank of gas and I smoke them off the line 😏

$40 cobra radar does the trick just fine

lol you say it never gets old after renting the Turo car for 1 day 😹

laughs in german

I have owned one since July 5, 2024 and it really doesn't get old. Best car I've ever owned, though it is largely FSD driven now but I have it when situations present themselves for me to take over and judiciously apply the accelerator pedal.

The problem with plaid is that it's too big and heavy, making it considerably more floaty. An amazing car no doubt, but for all around performance driving I prefer the new 3 performance.

I disagree with that partially. I have owned my 24 model 3 performance for over a year and a half now. It still hasn't gotten old. I don't use it full blast as frequently, but still have full speed pulls whenever it makes sense, which is still pretty common. Ultimately it's a car, but the point of buying performance isn't to use it all the time, it's to have it available when you do want or need it.

You should try the highland refresh version sometime. It's far more engaging than the prior models. The adaptive dampeners and improved top end torque make a huge difference. If you enjoy precision driving, the new M3P is an absolute joy to drive.

Yes for a swift handling car the M3P wins there . But I’ll get a second car to fill those gaps . I love the air suspension on this Plaid, MUCH better than my Audi air suspension. And the power, well there really isn’t a comparison within reach that is similar lol. But you will be happy with the M3P for sure ! Great car .

I don't like air suspension as they isolate me too much, but I appreciate that isn't something everyone agrees with me on. I would have loved an s plaid when I'm older and don't prefer my performance vehicles shaken not stirred, but with it going away I guess I won't. I almost got an s plaid during my 8 month wait for the 24 M3P, but am glad I waited. It was a very long wait though. The other thing people forget about plaid vs M3P is that the 1.99 second is only launch mode. If you just mash the go pedal, it's like 2.17 seconds or so. Still .7 seconds faster than mashing go on the new M3P, but it's a non-trivial jump over the typically stated 1.99.

Agree with you, and I am older now so I appreciate the comfort lol. And the space . It is not exciting at all, until you smash the go pedal. And there are limited times you can even do that . It’s just sad Tesla is moving to autonomy , this will all be a moot point in a few years . Elon doesn’t want us driving at all. Total bummer .

If he wants to have a company left they'll still have cars. The robots and robotaxi dream is a delusion. Robots are over a decade from providing enough value to sell and robotaxi can never replace personal vehicles because people need their personalized mobile storage space. You couldn't pay me enough to get me to use robotaxi instead of buying my own car because I have kids and need to store things in my car. Robotaxi is a race to zero profit. Multiple companies will make systems and competition will drive the profits down while the market won't grow much from where it is now. Tesla without a high tech, high performance car business won't survive at scale. They are hurting on that right now vs Chinese competition so it doesn't surprise me he's downplaying it to keep stock price up but I don't think he's stupid enough to actually believe what he's saying is the future of the company. It's theater for the stock.

I agree with you, and the robot thing is a joke lol. 100 million produced a year or 1 million, I forget . Either way I don’t see a huge line to buy those lol.

What I really suspect is happening is that there wasn't a good way to update the s and x to the 800v architecture and modular system based on how they were designed. I strongly expect a future vehicle based on the cybertruck platform will replace the s. They aren't going to spend all that money designing the platform and then not use it.

That would be interesting ! I feel like it would be even larger though !

I agree with you. I got a 24 MYP and my 95 160hp BMW was much more fun and engaging when driving. The Tesla is awesome in multiple other categories.  I liken it to that transformers movie where the humans made their own transformers with nanotechnology and it had no soul.

The most fun I’ve ever had in a car is in the NA Miata we had in high school. My farts have more HP lol

Wha are you talking about? M3P is 2.9 sec. It’s still much slower than a Plaid. Heck, my Model X Plaid is still faster than a M3P and that’s without using launch control. The tri-motor just hits way harder. It’s not even in the same league

The new M3P normally slightly beats 2.9 in the real world. Plaid s without launch mode is around 2.2 to 2.3 seconds roughly. It's faster but it loses up to 1/3 of it's advantage when not launching, which is what you get in real world driving. It's trading a ton of weight for .6 to .7 second on the 0-60 time. I'll take the better handling and road feel over .6 seconds in a straight line.

Wouldn't active dampers reduce engagement and numb the experience even more?

I've yet to see a M3P outrun a cop car on YouTube.   Probably because Tesla will send the police straight to your house.  As your incriminating antics would be recorded.

The MS in general is a much better looking car from all angles.  The M3 looks ok, but the cabin part is somewhat awkwardly styled and proportionally too big compared to the rest of the body.

Straight line acceleration,.while very impressive, is only one part of the equation.  Many motorcycles have faster acceleration than most sport cars.  But I don't see the owners selling their cars for a motorcycle.  I don't see those owners selling their sports cars to get a M3P.  Possibly a Plaid.

Only if the suspension itself otherwise remained the same. They used it to make the suspension stiffer for sport mode while allowing dampening to be increased when in standard mode. More importantly though it also adapts to keep the wheels more planted which gives better road contact for more high frequency vibration and better control, making the car stick to the road much better which is why it can hold a line so incredibly well.

Grey color is better. Black is so hard to keep clean.

Loved it but unfortunately their stopping production of the S and X models. Dreams crushed 😔

Tesla loaned me an s-plaid while my m3p was in service. A blessing and a curse. They knew what they were doing.

I miss our M3 dual motor for that amazing acceleration. We have a MY RWD now and although it's still fast as hell it's not like that pull back in the seat the M3 had. I gotta rent a plaid some day

I have the 24 m3p, trust me it does get old. Looking at a plaid or c8 next.