2024 Model 3 Performance

[f1eng]

I am quite fussy about cars and tend to take a long time to decide what to buy then, unless it turns out I made a mistake (which has happened once), I keep it a long time.

Tesla don't make a car I want, the S is no longer available in RHD and the 3 is not a hatchback and anyway I won't have a car with either a black or white interior or fake leather so no go Tesla.

I have looked at all the used Taycans in Porsche GB and there is not a single one with a spec I would pay the asking price for.

Mine has been reliable apart from a new car transmission anomaly which I wish had been found more quickly but otherwise it has been fine.

The charging infrastructure is poor where I like going, so a bit of extra planning is needed but almost always I charge at home so Tesla's superior infrastructure isn't a crucial benefit.

Overall if I hadn't bought the Taycan I wouldn't have bought a new car at all, and I'm keeping it since I am not aware of a single car available I would like anywhere close to as much.

Just my £0.02.

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[Richard 4S]

So after the shocking thread about a shallow dent causing a 72k battery repair, I am really not sure about getting another Porsche EV. In fact I’m strongly considering selling the one I’ve got.

My wife has been driving a Model 3 since 2018, and after 120K happy miles we upgraded to the 2024 model which I quite like. I’ve been driving both cars and thinking about potentially getting a Model 3 Performance.

Here are the various factors I’m considering.

Feature	Porsche	Tesla	Winner
Styling/appearance	The Taycan looks great as all Porsches do. It has Porsche cachet.	The Tesla is also a very attractive car, but it’s also a ubiquitous one. They are so popular they are as common and basic as a Camry.	Porsche
Driving experience	The Taycan drives like a proper Porsche, it feels great, responsive, and controllable.	The Tesla, especially the 2024 model, has greatly improved driving dynamics. The handling is very good and the upgraded model is less bouncy than the previous generation. However, it has the one-pedal driving where the car brakes when you lift off the accelerator. I know Tesla people love this but I do not.	Porsche
Keyless entry	Porsche has a nice looking painted keyfob that must go in your pocket. The car unlocks when you approach, but must be manually locked by clicking the keyfob or touching the door handle.	Tesla lets you use your phone as a key which is outstanding. We always have our phones! It uses the phone to identify the driver, move the seats/mirrors/wheel. The car unlocks when you approach and locks when you walk away. It’s seamless.	Tesla
Infotainment system	The Porsche PCM has been pretty poor for me. Often the music will just stop playing which has become a running joke for us. It does have carplay, but I find I don’t like using it for anything but iMessage. When I try to stream music on Carplay from Apple Music as a backup for the PCM, it sometimes “skips” like an old CD player.	The infotainment system is rich and robust. I’ve noticed no issues with music playback. It does not have Carplay, but it does have a system for reading your texts and allowing voice replies. There are many extras such as streaming services while parked, and even a web browser.	Tesla
Navigation system	Porsche’s navigation system is clunky but serviceable. It doesn’t handle long distance trips well and sometimes requires breaking a long trip up into smaller ones. The callouts are fine, and it does a good job of making sure charging stops are weaved into the trip, including recalculating when excess consumption changes the plan. I don’t know why it always tells me “caution: the destination is a restricted access area” which is also now a running joke for us.	Tesla really thought their nav system through. They made navigation not a secondary feature, but the primary action you take first thing when getting in the car. This makes sense! It’s fast, responsive, easy to understand and very good at lookups. No notes.	Tesla
Ingress/Egress	Getting in and out of the Taycan is quite a chore for me. I‘m tall and also have a hip issue. I have to move the wheel all the way forward and seat all the way backward, something the car will not do for me automatically. I have to set different memory presets for driving and exiting, and manually hold the buttons every single time.	The Tesla handles this much better. When I put the car in park the wheel and seat move to my desired exit positions, and they automatically move to driving position. I really wish my Taycan would do this!	Tesla
Interior	The Porsche interior is minimal but well presented. I like having “something” on the dash in my cars, and I mostly like the way they’ve done the e-dash. Fit and finish is quality. It mostly looks like it should for a car of this price.	The Tesla is starkly minimalist to a fault. There is no dash requiring looking to the side for info like speed, destination etc. I don’t hate this, but I don’t love it.	Porsche
Range	I get around 200 miles on the Taycan at 85%.	The Tesla gets over 250 miles at 80%. It also seems to last longer real-world due to the forced regen of one-pedal driving.	Tesla
Charging network	Electrocute America is serviceable but deeply flawed. I’ve never been left stranded, but I’ve certainly had sub-par charging experiences. Broken chargers, under-performing chargers, slow-charging vehicles hogging high-speed chargers are the norm. But when the stars align - unused 350kW unit working correctly, prewarmed battery, low SoC - the Taycan is a charging monster.	Tesla’s network may not be as fast as EA but they make up for it with reliability and availability. I made a long road trip in the Taycan, then repeated it with the Tesla, and found Tesla‘s route had fewer charging stops, miles, and a more direct route overall. Charging a Tesla is a non-event. It just works.	Tesla

Thanks a useful summary. But I think it comes to which aspects you value. For me the performance, handling and looks come top. I'm less worried by range as I rarely have to charge away from home. But the clincher was the interior, the minimalist dash board on the Tesla is a big turn off where as the Taycan's screen quality.

 

[mattmatt]

I made a similar list when I bought my Taycan. It’s interesting that you put navigation on your list. I’ve never bothered with any cars in build nav and always used Apple or Google maps. I do wish I could display Apple Maps on the drivers screen though.

As for the infamous 3.3mm dent, that issue is well overblown for me. Firstly we don’t know what caused the dent. If it was just a random stone being thrown up then thousands of people would have dents by now. The car had to have been hit by something more unusual and serious than a pebble. Secondly, it’ll be covered by my insurance, all I’ll need to pay is my insurance excess. It’ll affect future premiums but it won’t be the 50k disaster people are saying.

 

[Mr. 2021 Taycan]

So after the shocking thread about a shallow dent causing a 72k battery repair, I am really not sure about getting another Porsche EV. In fact I’m strongly considering selling the one I’ve got.

My wife has been driving a Model 3 since 2018, and after 120K happy miles we upgraded to the 2024 model which I quite like. I’ve been driving both cars and thinking about potentially getting a Model 3 Performance.

Here are the various factors I’m considering.

Feature	Porsche	Tesla	Winner
Styling/appearance	The Taycan looks great as all Porsches do. It has Porsche cachet.	The Tesla is also a very attractive car, but it’s also a ubiquitous one. They are so popular they are as common and basic as a Camry.	Porsche
Driving experience	The Taycan drives like a proper Porsche, it feels great, responsive, and controllable.	The Tesla, especially the 2024 model, has greatly improved driving dynamics. The handling is very good and the upgraded model is less bouncy than the previous generation. However, it has the one-pedal driving where the car brakes when you lift off the accelerator. I know Tesla people love this but I do not.	Porsche
Keyless entry	Porsche has a nice looking painted keyfob that must go in your pocket. The car unlocks when you approach, but must be manually locked by clicking the keyfob or touching the door handle.	Tesla lets you use your phone as a key which is outstanding. We always have our phones! It uses the phone to identify the driver, move the seats/mirrors/wheel. The car unlocks when you approach and locks when you walk away. It’s seamless.	Tesla
Infotainment system	The Porsche PCM has been pretty poor for me. Often the music will just stop playing which has become a running joke for us. It does have carplay, but I find I don’t like using it for anything but iMessage. When I try to stream music on Carplay from Apple Music as a backup for the PCM, it sometimes “skips” like an old CD player.	The infotainment system is rich and robust. I’ve noticed no issues with music playback. It does not have Carplay, but it does have a system for reading your texts and allowing voice replies. There are many extras such as streaming services while parked, and even a web browser.	Tesla
Navigation system	Porsche’s navigation system is clunky but serviceable. It doesn’t handle long distance trips well and sometimes requires breaking a long trip up into smaller ones. The callouts are fine, and it does a good job of making sure charging stops are weaved into the trip, including recalculating when excess consumption changes the plan. I don’t know why it always tells me “caution: the destination is a restricted access area” which is also now a running joke for us.	Tesla really thought their nav system through. They made navigation not a secondary feature, but the primary action you take first thing when getting in the car. This makes sense! It’s fast, responsive, easy to understand and very good at lookups. No notes.	Tesla
Ingress/Egress	Getting in and out of the Taycan is quite a chore for me. I‘m tall and also have a hip issue. I have to move the wheel all the way forward and seat all the way backward, something the car will not do for me automatically. I have to set different memory presets for driving and exiting, and manually hold the buttons every single time.	The Tesla handles this much better. When I put the car in park the wheel and seat move to my desired exit positions, and they automatically move to driving position. I really wish my Taycan would do this!	Tesla
Interior	The Porsche interior is minimal but well presented. I like having “something” on the dash in my cars, and I mostly like the way they’ve done the e-dash. Fit and finish is quality. It mostly looks like it should for a car of this price.	The Tesla is starkly minimalist to a fault. There is no dash requiring looking to the side for info like speed, destination etc. I don’t hate this, but I don’t love it.	Porsche
Range	I get around 200 miles on the Taycan at 85%.	The Tesla gets over 250 miles at 80%. It also seems to last longer real-world due to the forced regen of one-pedal driving.	Tesla
Charging network	Electrocute America is serviceable but deeply flawed. I’ve never been left stranded, but I’ve certainly had sub-par charging experiences. Broken chargers, under-performing chargers, slow-charging vehicles hogging high-speed chargers are the norm. But when the stars align - unused 350kW unit working correctly, prewarmed battery, low SoC - the Taycan is a charging monster.	Tesla’s network may not be as fast as EA but they make up for it with reliability and availability. I made a long road trip in the Taycan, then repeated it with the Tesla, and found Tesla‘s route had fewer charging stops, miles, and a more direct route overall. Charging a Tesla is a non-event. It just works.	Tesla

The post you linked quotes $11M, not $72M to replace the protection panel and test the coolant lines, etc. Can you please clarify?

 

[DerekS]

The post you linked quotes $11M, not $72M to replace the protection panel and test the coolant lines, etc. Can you please clarify?

The 11K was the initial estimate to diagnose, which was knocked down to 4.5K.

the diagnosis said a full battery replacement was needed for 68K.

Read the whole thread, it’s illuminating.

 

[bxwatso]

I appreciate the analytical mind of the OP, but these cars are not comparable.
I could build a matrix comparing a Honda Civic-R to a Cayman - similar performance, etc., but most people don't pay the (large) Porsche premium based on rational analysis. It's about a feeling that, I think, a Tesla or an Honda will never have.

 

[Mr. 2021 Taycan]

The 11K was the initial estimate to diagnose, which was knocked down to 4.5K.

the diagnosis said a full battery replacement was needed for 68K.

Read the whole thread, it’s illuminating.

Thanks. Looks ominous for Taycan owners.

 

[DerekS]

Thanks. Looks ominous for Taycan owners.

Maybe I’m being too alarmist but that repair cost very nearly exceeds the market value of the car. For a minor ding in my view.

The folks who say “no problem I’ll just use my insurance” - yep that is what I thought when my roof cracked. Do you have a plan to resolve that stalemate when there’s a big gap between what insurance will pay and what the dealer demands? Are you prepared to be without the car for a lengthy period while they pout at each other?

 

[violuma]

The folks who say “no problem I’ll just use my insurance” - yep that is what I thought when my roof cracked.

Insurance works great until it has to.

 

[D00notD00d]

"There is no substitute"

Derek I can relate to a lot of your posts. Much like you my Taycan Turbo S is a love/hate relationship only I haven't had any problems just lots of recalls/warranty stuff and also like you my Taycan is my 9th Porsche after lots of 911s and GT models and I have left Porsche only to come back several times since my getting my first Porsche in 2002.

We have a '22 Model Y Performance and I love it for what it is (but it is no Porsche). It is rapid for the price (up to 80mph) and I can only imagine how much better the new M3P with its new technology and power. The MYP is minimalist and it just works. The steering isn't direct and doesn't give you much feedback but it's also a fraction of the price of my Taycan.

Like you I love the phone key. I love the cellular connection/info/access without having to pay $300+ a year for it. I added an integrated screen behind the wheel for CarPlay and a front parking camera which fixed the few things it was missing. The seats are very comfortable and the handling is decent. It's no Porsche but for the price it is excellent and the new M3P being newer and a sedan will be even better.

That said nothing feels luxury about the Tesla. You never feel special driving it and while the electric motor whine is nice, personally I love the Porsche electric sounds (I know this is a very debated topic but for me I absolutely love it)

I've had a deposit on the new "Tesla Roadster" for several years and thought about canceling it several times. My biggest fear is that it won't handle or feel like a supercar or even a Porsche because of the materials used or it will have a ton of issues like the Cybertruck.

But getting to the point based on my own experiences and reading many of your posts and hearing you say: "
To be fair every time I’ve left Porsche I come crawling back."

You will be back.

I say take a break from Porsche, enjoy the more affordable M3P for a while but you'll be back
It's a car you'll probably lose some $ on it when you decide to go back to Porsche but it will be a drop in the bucket compared to the Taycan. You can easily afford to go check out a Tesla M3P and I am sure in the beginning you will love it. If you don't drive any Porsche's for a while you might even forget what you are missing or it will make you appreciate why you love what Porsche does/offers even if they get it wrong in so many other areas. Maybe lease the M3P and try to time it with the Gen 2 Taycan release so you can change if you want without having to deal with trading or selling it.

One more thing, in your first post you said:
"However, it has the one-pedal driving where the car brakes when you lift off the accelerator. I know Tesla people love this but I do not."

FYI this is wrong and can be controlled in the software with some simple options in "normal mode" and more advance tweaking in "track mode."

(not my own pictures but you get the idea)

I wish we had this level of control in the Taycan! Heck I just wish it would remember my last driving mode... ?

HTH!

Or the last media source played, or defaulted to favourites, or connected to your phone reliably, or didn’t feel like it was going to fall apart on poor roads ….

 

[mattmatt]

Maybe I’m being too alarmist but that repair cost very nearly exceeds the market value of the car. For a minor ding in my view.

The folks who say “no problem I’ll just use my insurance” - yep that is what I thought when my roof cracked. Do you have a plan to resolve that stalemate when there’s a big gap between what insurance will pay and what the dealer demands? Are you prepared to be without the car for a lengthy period while they pout at each other?

I can see an insurance problem with the roof crack and the insurer arguing whether it is a manufacturing defect or accident. But I've never had a claim where the insurer refused to pay out what what was quoted for the repair. Is insurers doing this some sort of American thing? Anytime I've had damage, the insurance company takes the car away, organises the repair and returns it back to me. I've not had to get quotes or negotiate a price.

 

[Jonathan S.]

^ Varies enormously by the particular American state whether the driver has the right to insist upon a particular repair shop, whether dealer or otherwise. However, I rather doubt any indie shop is going to replace a Taycan battery now anyway. So were something catastrophic to occur to my HV battery as a result of damage, I don't see how my insurer (USAA) would have any option other than to pay whatever the Porsche dealer would charge for the replacement. (And I recall that in Massachusetts, I have the right to go anywhere for a repair.)

 

[D00notD00d]

@mattmatt - I’d also butt out and leave it to the insurance company to resolve, unless the insurance repair/repairer would affect the future value and warranty.

But the undercurrent risk, because of unrealistic design and high repair costs, is insurers refusing to insure Porsche EVs, or uneconomic insurance.

As the vehicles depreciate more, more will be written off, and as the salvage repair expertise doesnt yet exist, salvage value will be less than a comparable ICE. Also resulting in higher insurance costs or refusals and higher depreciation.
.
Supply vs. demand has turned around such that I could now buy a 7 month old 4S for what what I paid for 2.5 year old one 14 months ago.

 

[Redhot2474]

Thanks a useful summary. But I think it comes to which aspects you value. For me the performance, handling and looks come top. I'm less worried by range as I rarely have to charge away from home. But the clincher was the interior, the minimalist dash board on the Tesla is a big turn off where as the Taycan's screen quality.

As much as I think the M3P is the best value car out there for $, I just can’t get over how Common they’ve become. The Taycan obviously has known deficits but feel feel many of those deficits get muted by how fantastic looking the Taycan is, not to mention in my area I’ll see 30 M3P to one Taycan, that alone “possibly” makes it worth the premium

 

[DerekS]

As much as I think the M3P is the best value car out there for $, I just can’t get over how Common they’ve become. The Taycan obviously has known deficits but feel feel many of those deficits get muted by how fantastic looking the Taycan is, not to mention in my area I’ll see 30 M3P to one Taycan, that alone “possibly” makes it worth the premium

Exactly my struggle.

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