WRITING ABOUT ANY TESLA feels like wandering into Dr. Nightmare's Malfunctioning Loaded-Shotgun and Land-Mine Emporium. Say something nice? Buckshot in the face. Criticize the product? Kaboom. Thankfully, we stocked up on tourniquets before a bright-red Tesla Model 3 Performance landed at our Ann Arbor office. Not that we needed to-the g-forces from this pocket rocket are more than capable of cutting blood flow to the extremities.
Unholy acceleration has always been a mainstay of Tesla's sport-minded models, and the new Performance is no different. A pair of motors motivates all four wheels to the tune of 510 horsepower and 554 pound-feet of torque. Thanks in part to a relatively svelte 4046-pound curb weight, the Model 3 Performance blasts to 60 mph in a supercar-adjacent 2.8 seconds and continues through the quarter-mile in 11.0 seconds at 125 mph. By the time you remember what the speed limit is, you've doubled it.
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Fleeting Thoughts
Updates and hot takes on the vehicles fortunate enough to spend 40,000 miles with C/D's editors.
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The new Volvo EX90 channels the brand's characteristic approach to wellness and serenity into an electric SUV sized for the whole family.
Tick, Tick, Boom
Tesla Model 3 Performance HIGHS: Nauseatingly quick, airy cabin with great visibility, genuine value. LOWS: Off-putting user interface, inescapable clinical feeling, austere interior design.
Black Ops
The new Precision package for the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing hones one of our favorite sports sedans.
Pay to Play
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Man-o'-War
Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Manthey Racing HIGHS: A clinic on proper steering response, 9000 rpm of sonic glory, more grip is good. LOWS: A mirror full of wing, upgrades useful only on track, quiet only when it's off.
Low-Pro Hero
Honda Civic Hybrid HIGHS: Fuel efficiency of a hybrid, Si-beating acceleration, as comfortable to ride in as it is engaging to drive. LOWS: No adjustable lumbar support, low-limit tires, quicker at the track than in the real world.
Back in Tune
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Hurricane Force
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Good Vibrations
No one has to guess what's under the hood of the Ferrari 12Cilindri.
