The Model 3 is currently getting the most attention out of the entire Tesla family - well, at least of the positive kind if you think about all the quality issues people are having with the Model Y.
The sedan, on the other hand, is busy proving how adept at racing it can be by lapping the Nürburgring or winning the exhibition class at this year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. It may not be the quickest Tesla to the 60 mph mark or the finish line in a quarter-mile race, but it's definitely the one to choose when the strip of asphalt starts going right or left.
To be fair, the Model Y is doing pretty much the same thing for the crossover segment. It is currently the quickest crossover around the Buttonwillow Raceway in California (albeit with a little intervention from the guys at Unplugged Performance), and it would probably take the same title on many other circuits as well if somebody bothered to race it there.
Like the Model 3, though, it's not the quickest in a straight line. It's not slow by any stretch of the imagination - the Performance version, which is what we're looking at in this clip, will hit 60 mph (97 km/h) in 3.5 seconds - but it is the slowest of the S3XY family. That's because the smaller, more aerodynamic and lighter Model 3 Performance sedan (with which it shares its underpinnings) hits the benchmark speed in just 3.2 seconds.
No point in lining them up for a drag race then, right? Well, that depends. If drag races were conducted on paper, then sure, don't bother: the Model Y loses every time. In the real world, however, there are tons of factors that can influence the result: from the skill of the drivers, their reflexes, or the quality and condition of the tires, everything can have a role to play. It's fine margins.
(Race starts at 1:15)
To be fair, the Model Y is doing pretty much the same thing for the crossover segment. It is currently the quickest crossover around the Buttonwillow Raceway in California (albeit with a little intervention from the guys at Unplugged Performance), and it would probably take the same title on many other circuits as well if somebody bothered to race it there.
Like the Model 3, though, it's not the quickest in a straight line. It's not slow by any stretch of the imagination - the Performance version, which is what we're looking at in this clip, will hit 60 mph (97 km/h) in 3.5 seconds - but it is the slowest of the S3XY family. That's because the smaller, more aerodynamic and lighter Model 3 Performance sedan (with which it shares its underpinnings) hits the benchmark speed in just 3.2 seconds.
No point in lining them up for a drag race then, right? Well, that depends. If drag races were conducted on paper, then sure, don't bother: the Model Y loses every time. In the real world, however, there are tons of factors that can influence the result: from the skill of the drivers, their reflexes, or the quality and condition of the tires, everything can have a role to play. It's fine margins.
(Race starts at 1:15)