It wasn’t too long ago that the Model 3 Performance was the latest must-have car from Tesla and while it is now the Model S Plaid that customers are clamoring for, the range-topping Model 3 is still a very impressive car.
Powered by a pair of electric motors, the Model 3 Performance delivers 500 hp and 486 lb-ft (660 Nm) of torque. It’s also all-wheel drive and can sprint to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.4 seconds, a figure that was reserved for supercars a decade ago. Eager to see how it compares with a similarly-sized sports sedan, Daniel Abt recently raced the Tesla against a brand new BMW M3 Competition.
During the first of two races that were held, it is the Tesla that jumps out into an immediate lead, putting its power down much more effectively than the BMW. However, the German sedan was never more than a car’s length behind and by the time the duo crossed the quarter-mile mark, it was the M3 Competition that came out on top – or so it may seem.
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A look at the figures shows the Tesla hit 62 mph in 3.41 seconds and ran the quarter-mile in 11.72 seconds while the BMW needed 4.07 seconds to reach 62 mph and set a quarter-mile time of 11.85 seconds.
The second race was equally as close. Abt, who was behind the wheel of the Tesla, was able to hit 62 mph in just 3.38 seconds and set an 11.68-second quarter-mile. By comparison, the M3 needed 4.09 seconds to hit 62 mph and 11.87 seconds to run down the quarter-mile.
Mind you, the BMW tested was the rear-wheel drive model and had it been equipped with the available xDrive all-wheel drive, the results might have been even closer.