Tesla Model 3 Performance 2024 Review

Remarkably, the heavily upgraded 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance is cheaper than the first iteration from six years ago – and the price could soon drop even further.

The current retail figure of $80,900 plus on-road costs undercuts the original Performance by about $10,000, yet commands a hefty $26,000 premium over the most affordable Rear-Wheel Drive Model 3 that anchors the facelifted range for 2024.

It comes after Tesla again slashed the prices of its cars earlier this month as it embarks on a pricing war with increasingly popular Chinese EV-makers in Australia.

The Model 3 Performance will also wage war against Korean rivals in Australia, including the fancied new Hyundai IONIQ 5 N (from $111,000 plus ORCs) and the Kia EV6 GT (from $99,590 plus ORCs).

And it will draw attention from buyers looking at dual-motor EV luxury sedans and crossovers, such as the Polestar 2 Long Range Dual Motor with Performance Pack (from $85,400) and the higher-performing, and much more expensive, BMW i4 M50 (from $133,900).

The 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance comes standard with staggered 20-inch alloy wheels on Pirelli P Zero rubber, keyless entry/start, ambient interior lighting, three-zone climate control, leather-look synthetic upholstery, heated and ventilated front sports seats (with 12-way adjustment), virtual gear selector (via the primary touch-screen), a new multifunction, heated steering wheel and a powered boot lid.

Visually, the Performance is differentiated from lesser Model 3 variants by a gently redesigned front and rear fascia, rear diffuser and carbon-fibre lip spoiler.

There’s also a strange ‘Performance’ badge adorning the boot and the front seats to denote the flagship, but honestly, no-one outside a bona fide Tesla-phile will probably understand the reference. We certainly didn’t.

Where the new model starts to truly differ from the base car (which it must be said, stands up as a more prudent purchase), is the drivetrain and performance kit. Read on for more.

Even at this money, Tesla still requires additional outlay for items including Enhanced Autopilot ($5100) and Full Self-Driving Capability ($10,100).

There are five paint colours available. Pearl White is standard, while four other hues add between $1500 and $2600 to the purchase price.

Tesla still pales against mainstream rivals where warranty is concerned; the Model 3 Performance is covered by a sub-par four-year/80,000km warranty.

The battery is covered by a separate eight-year/160,000km term – which is the industry norm – and there is no set servicing schedule or capped-price servicing, with Tesla instead employing ‘condition-based servicing’.

Annoyingly, there is no spare tyre or even a tyre inflation kit standard. You can purchase a repair kit for $125 via Tesla’s online store.

The 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance appears to be very safe, on paper at least, with seven airbags and a high level of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) fitted standard.

Tesla’s Autopilot suite includes adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, lane centring assist, lane departure warning with passive steer assist, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), blind spot cameras, traffic sign recognition, driver attention warning and tyre pressure monitors.

There are eight exterior cameras, with the front and rear ones also acting as parking sensors.

However, for Tesla’s full self-driving experience, buyers will need to wade into the optional extras catalogue (see above).

Prior to the latest upgrade, the Tesla Model 3 had a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating, awarded in 2019. At the time of writing, the facelifted Model 3 is officially unrated.

The upgraded 2024 Tesla Model 3 range debuts a brighter, more responsive 15.4-inch central touch-screen which forms the nerve centre for the entire car.

That includes the integration of gear selector, after Tesla deleted its column-mounted gear and indicator stalks. Additionally, the turn indicators are now incorporated into the steering wheel (a la Ferrari).

Utilising the gear selector now requires the driver to use a touch-screen slider on the right-hand side of the centre display; slide up to go forward, slide down to go into reverse. It’s a novel function, but we’ve adjusted quite quickly to it across two separate loans.

It’s a similar story with the turn indicators on the steering wheel. After some seat time, they soon become second nature.

Once again, the main screen houses all important trip information, including speedo. Even though we’re a few years down the road since Tesla’s Australian debut, we still think a basic head-up display is needed in a bid to save drivers veering their eyes away from the road.

For the Model 3 Performance, a second 8.0-inch display has been installed ahead of the back seats so passengers in the rear can access the climate controls and entertainment while on the fly. It, too, is a cinch to navigate, but owners beware: once your kiddos use it once they’ll want it on every damn car ride.

Both front and rear screens incorporate infotainment software including Spotify, Zoom, YouTube, Netflix and Apple Music, with Tesla once again steering away from conventional smartphone mirroring apps like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

In earnest, it’s hard to deny the functionality of the tech; Tesla pulls it off convincingly, and you soon become accustomed to the menu layouts.

The Model 3’s sat-nav is powered by Google Maps, while its on-board chargers now comprise just one USB-C connection up front and two in the rear – the upside being that power from each port has been bumped from 15W to 65W, enough to charge two MacBook Pros at once.

There’s also two wireless phone chargers up front.

Tesla is super-clever at this stuff. Even the smartphone app that operates as the car’s key, enabling familiar functions like remote climate control and then taking the added step of a Summon feature, which allows the car to be remotely moved.

About the only thing missing from the Model 3 Performance is an AM radio. Yes, AM isn’t for everyone, but it can be quite critical in Australia during natural disasters and emergencies.

This is becoming increasingly common as car-makers claim the EV’s powertrain generates electromagnetic interference with the AM radio band.

The original Tesla Model 3 Performance certainly hit the mark where acceleration was concerned. But fans of the brand clearly wanted more, and Tesla has listened.

Key to the 2024 Tesla Model 3 flagship’s heightened performance – including a 0-100km/h time of 3.1sec claimed – is a new ‘Performance 4DU’ dual-motor/all-wheel drive powertrain.

Headed by an entirely new rear motor, the system is said to provide 22 per cent more continuous power, 32 per cent more peak power and 16 per cent higher peak torque delivery – all culminating in a grand total of 343kW and 740Nm.

Thanks to a claimed two per cent reduction in energy consumption, the 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance boasts an increase in mumbo without any sacrifice to efficiency.

Tesla claims a driving range of 528km on the Model 3 Performance, using the WLTP test cycle, plus an average consumption of 16.7kWh/100km in a mix of conditions.

We found a real-world driving range of 430-450km more achievable, with our test car averaging a very commendable 17kWh/100km.

What’s most impressive is the car-maker achieves such a claim from an 82kWh battery pack.

When it comes to recharging, Tesla claims a DC charging rate of up to 250kW and 11kW on an AC home wallbox. The former will take about 31min to charge 0-80 per cent, while the latter takes 12 hours.

Replenishing the battery via a domestic AC socket will take about 43 hours.

The 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance makes genuine strides forward as a driver’s car while also offering a better balance of ride comfort and handling.

For starters, Tesla has stiffened the chassis and introduced adaptive dampers for the first time. The dampers feature hollow damper piston rods, a multi-sectioned stabiliser bar, ultra-high strength steel springs and stiffer suspension top mounts than the standard Model 3.

The performance enhancements are all harnessed by a new Track mode, which offers bespoke calibration of both the drivetrain and the suspension.

There’s also the option to customise handling balance, stability controls and regenerative braking to set the car up how you like it.

However, Track mode and the customisation within it was all off limits to us during our short drive, after Tesla nominated to disable these features.

In overall terms, the Model 3 Performance is still not on the radar of a traditional performance car like a BMW M3 when it comes to theatre, feeling and emotion. But herein lies a problem for all electric manufacturers moving forward, replicating that emotion without a proper gearbox and noise (cue the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N).

As ever, acceleration is the Model 3 flagship’s biggest calling card. Forward momentum from a standstill is every bit as quick as the 3.1sec 0-100km/h time would have you believe; so much so, we found the car’s novel Insane mode too much.

Its car sickness-inducing levels of immediacy and throttle response are good for a laugh, but not for an earnest performance drive.

With the electric drivetrain set to the more sensible (and sustainable) Standard setting, we found the Model 3 Performance perfectly linear and liveable with its spread of power.

It gains speed effortlessly for any road-going application, but we sense it would taper off quite sharply at speeds above 130km/h.

The battery tech and efficiency are first-rate. The drivetrain is deceptively quiet and refined in all settings – teaming with improved cabin acoustics – and is still among the best in the business in our eyes.

One easy improvement would be the installation of steering wheel-mounted paddles to adjust brake regen on the go.

Elsewhere, the Model 3 Performance is much more considered with the tuning of its key controls. Although still too immediate off centre, the steering imparts much more feeling and feedback than any Model 3 before it (especially in Standard mode), while the Performance belies its circa-1900kg kerb weight to provide excellent agility and stability between changes in direction.

The adaptive dampers are the magic sauce that tie the car together. They offer terrific comfort and control in their softest setting, but firm up nicely to keep body roll and pitch in check during more frenetic driving.

The dampers also help impart excellent road holding and feedback via the Pirelli P Zero tyres. In their firmest setting, it’s almost possible to feel individual pieces of coarse-chip bluestone rumbling through the chassis. Just as a bona fide performance car should.

The dampers do so with a keen eye on comfort, too. In Sports mode, the car is prone to some low-speed jiggle and firmness, but it’s all completely within keeping of a performance car, and importantly, is devoid of any disconcerting thuds or crashing.

Perhaps the most frustrating element of our first drive in the Tesla Model 3 Performance is our test car had one hand tied behind its back. Tesla Australia disabled the car’s Track mode, which not only stopped us from testing its true performance potential, but also prevented us from sampling handy real-world functions including the adaptive regen brakes.

An own-goal if ever there was one.

The 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance might elevate the badge to new levels dynamically, but the interior is much more familiar with the Model 3 donor – which is good and bad.

The latest facelift has done wonders for the interior comfort and general ambience, with new trims, a reworked centre console and some nice-to-have features making the Model 3 feel less tech-centric and more like a properly-executed luxury car.

The synthetic leather-look seats are plush and comfortable and oddment storage is superb across both the front and rear seat compartments.

The sports seats fitted to the Performance also offer considerably more support and comfort in headier driving, complemented by a broad adjustment range, heating and ventilation.

Other than the seats and some requisite carbon-fibre trim, the interior is more or less the same as the donor vehicle. Given the $26,000 premium over a base car, there’s an argument to say that’s probably not enough.

Aside from a pretty prominent blind spot imposed by the front A-pillars, the Model 3’s outward vista is clear and unobscured, and the cabin is imbued with a light, airy feel courtesy of the full-length glass roof.

Even though this test was undertaken at the end of autumn, a key consideration with the Model 3 is its standard-fit full-length glass roof, which is notoriously effective at radiating heat inside the cabin on hot days.

Further back, adults and children alike are amply served by separate rear air vents and climate controls. Two ISOFIX (outboard positions) and three top tether strap points are provided across the rear seat.

The 682-litre boot area is likewise surprisingly big and roomy, a strong virtue for weekends away or for those regularly ferrying around a pram.

There’s a valid argument to say the 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance offers peerless straight-line performance at this price point.

But one sunny day doesn’t make a summer, and a performance car needs more than acceleration to make it truly memorable.

Improved ride and a broadened dynamic envelope notwithstanding here, we reckon the pick of the facelifted Model 3 line-up remains the rear-drive entry car.

Not only does it cover 80 per cent of the Performance’s driving bandwidth, it offers comparable real-world range and will save you $26,000 up front.

As for whether the Model 3 bests its performance competitors, stay tuned.

2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance at a glance:
Price: $80,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Third quarter 2024
Powertrain: Two asynchronous electric motors
Output: 343kW/740Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 82kWh lithium-ion
Range: 528km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 16.7kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested

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