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Steve Hanley wrote a good article about the new, cheap Tesla Model 3 and Model Y, and that should be your starting place if you missed that. He covered some of the biggest changes in the new, more affordable Teslas. However, I wanted to go ahead and log all of the changes here in an easy-to-view way. [Edit: I forgot to add here that the base Model 3 is now $5,500 cheaper than the previous cheapest Model 3, but actually $2,000 more expensive since the $7,500 tax credit is now eliminated. Similarly, the base Model Y is now $5,000 cheaper, but actually $2,500 more expensive if you take the lost tax credit into account.]
If you go to design a Model 3 or Model Y, under the different trim options and pricing, you have a “View & Compare Features” button. When you click that, you get a popup that starts with a sort of useless option to scroll various pictures and features of each option — Standard, Premium, and Performance. However, there’s also a link on the top right there on “Compare Models.” That’s where you can actually see all of the differences in a long table. I’ll include screenshots of that table below for the Model Y (which is slightly different from the Model 3), but first, here’s a simple bullet list of what the Standard Model 3 is missing or weaker in:
321 miles — versus 363 miles (Premium RWD), 346 miles (Premium AWD), 309 miles (Performance)
5.8 seconds to 60 mph — versus 4.9, 4.2, and 2.9 (in same order as above)
Up to 170 miles added Supercharging in 15 minutes — versus 195, 185, and 162
0 subwoofers — compared to 2 in the Premium AWD and Performance trims
no FM radio
different 18″ wheel design
no 8″ second-row touchscreen
Manual-adjust steering wheel (instead of power-adjust)
No “customizable wraparound ambient lighting”
Only textile decor — instead of “Microsuede and textile decor” or “Microsuede and carbon fiber decor”
Second-row air vents are manually adjusted instead of touchscreen adjusted
Seats are vegan leather with textile inserts rather than perforated vegan leather
Second-row seats aren’t heated
Manual-adjust side-view mirrors — instead of power-adjust and auto-dimming side-view mirrors
Passive shock absorbers — instead of frequency dependent shock absorbers, or electronic continuously variable shock absorbers in Performance trim
No Autosteer
Only exterior color options are black, white, and grey
Only interior color option is black
So, there are actually quite a few changes. Some of the things that have been removed were not in the Model 3 and Model Y a few years ago. Other changes remove or change things that even my 2019 Tesla Model 3 SR+ has. What are your thoughts?
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