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Comment by hetspookjee | Hacker News Reader

Driving characteristics are an argument for the sporty drivers as well.

Elon said the Model 3 would be quicker than a BMW M3 and have better handling. He said it would "beat anything in it's class on the track"

Not content to believe him, Top Gear put it to the test. See for yourself:

https://www.topgear.com/videos/top-gear-tv/tesla-model-3-vs-...

(Also, the Performance Model 3 had an over the air update to make it faster since this was filmed, and added track mode)

That's a fun video. Notably, I think every one of the cars it's pitted against cost much more than the Tesla. So this idea that Teslas are expensive compared to their peers doesn't hold water. The Mercedes that beat it in the 1/2 mile cost a whopping $160k and none of the other cars were even close in the quarter mile.

The Mercedes AMG C 63 S costs USD $76,200 (MSRP) in the US according to https://www.mbusa.com/en/vehicles/model/c-class/sedan/c63ws

I got the impression they weren't racing the base model, but you are spot on.

Regardless. It's still $20k more expensive than the Model 3 Performance it was against.

I believe that without doubt. I'm more referring to the organic nature of an ICE. You have the noises, the vibrations and power delivery curve and manual shifting. Regarding spreadsheet specs, an electric vehicle is better in almost every aspect. But in emotional value I believe there is still a tiny spot reserved for ICEs

So an ICE is better than electric in much the same sense that a horse is better than an ICE.

I think that's a fair comparison, indeed.

> But in emotional value I believe there is still a tiny spot reserved for ICEs

It is indeed tiny. People like to hear car engines rev at a car show or race track. Most of those same people don't want to have anything to do with those same sounds in their daily driver. Car manufacturers spend billions isolating the driver and the passengers from engine noises, vibrations, and in particular smells.

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