Elon Musk's electric Tesla models have revolutionized the world of drag racing. Part of Musk's goal with his EVs was to immediately render internal-combustion cars irrelevant—both through their mind-blowing acceleration and also ride quality, interior design, and value.
Arguably the biggest selling point that makes Teslas stand out, is the instantaneously available torque, though it's easy to argue that models like the Taycan from Porsche and the forthcoming Air from Lucid have upped the performance even further, leaving Tesla in need of a reboot. But both the Taycan and Air cost well into the six-figure range, or around three times as much as a base Tesla Model 3.
But how does a lower-spec Model 3 compare to its more powerful, all-wheel-drive siblings? Well, the UK-based YouTube channel CarWow set out to discover just that by lining up three Model 3 variants for a series of drag races.
Long Range Vs Performance Vs Standard Plus
Now, it's safe to say that Elon Musk would never allow the price structure of the Model 3 in all its various iterations to get ruined by YouTubers drag racing, so anyone expecting the low-spec Model 3 to win in this video should get thee to a product marketing course pronto. The real question is how close the races will actually end up—mostly between the more comparable Long Range and Performance trims.
All-Wheel Drive Vs Rear-Wheel Drive
Drag racing is largely about traction off the line, so the Long Range and Performance Model 3s have a huge advantage thanks to their dual-motor all-wheel-drive layout. The Standard Plus, meanwhile, only employs a single electric motor powering only the rear wheels.
CarWow host Mat Watson explains all the stats that separate the cars, ranging from power outputs of 296 horsepower at the lower end to 457 horsepower at the upper end. But torque from the electric motors sounds to be more important here, with the Standard Plus producing an impressive-for-the-price 331 lb-ft of twist, while the Performance ups the output to a whopping 486 lb-ft.
Wheel And Tire Differences
With its single rear motor, the Standard Plus does enter the race with a decided weight advantage of almost 500 pounds on the other two four-doors. The real question is whether the price difference of over $20,000 between the cars also includes higher quality rubber to further enhance the leaps off the line—the races start impressively with both higher-end Teslas flooring the throttle without actually being put in drive.
Sources: youtube.com and tesla.com.