Win and Charge On with a Tesla Model 3 Long Range

There are few brands on the mainstream Aussie car market like Tesla. Exploding onto our shores with a loud zap in 2014, the brand has gone from strength-to-strength, announcing that practical, usable, and affordable electric cars are here. And there’ll be one in your driveway if you win the Tesla Model 3 Long Range, the Draw Two prize from Mater Cars for Cancer lottery No. 104. Ticket to the future? It’s yours here:

As a grizzled and grumpy auto scribe whose history is steeped in V8 power, it may surprise you to learn that few cars have excited me like the Tesla Model 3. I’ve always loved my modern tarmac-centric daily drivers to be low and fast, even if the real world presents few opportunities to exploit the latter characteristic.

I’m not financially ready to replace my V8 station wagon; when I put my foot down, it feels like terra firma itself rotates under me, and as a result, my next car must do the same thing. I’ll suffer no backwards steps in speed nor power, but there’s a problem with this, because the Aussie V8 is all but dead. And kinda expensive to run.

Cue Tesla, the leading-edge automotive company founded by tech mogul Elon Musk on back in 2003. Within five years, his Tesla Roadster had proven that electric cars need not be slow and weird-looking, with Jeremy Clarkson describing the attractive, Lotus-based sports car as ‘Biblically quick’. But a two-seater quasi-supercar wasn’t for everyone, even if the ‘petrol-equivalent’ fuel efficiency translated to an incredible 120mpg in ye olde worlde speak. Fast forward almost two decades and today’s Tesla Model 3 eclipses the original Roadster in every department; grabbing a ticket gives you the chance to experience that for as little as $30.

The Tesla Model 3 is far from your normal, average family hatchback, while at the same time sneakily handling everything your normal, average family hatchback can do. It has five doors. It can fit kids. It can fit stuff. You can fold the 60/40 split rear seats down and it will fit more stuff; all that kinda jazz. Plus, it will slay the 0-100 in 4.4 seconds, around 1.3 seconds faster than the original 2006 Tesla Roadster and on par with a 2021 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS.

This face-compressing turn of speed is thanks to the Tesla Model 3’s IPM synchronous rear electric motor, coupled to a front-mounted induction motor, giving the all-paw hatchback a combined output of 258kw and 510Nm of torque. What does this all mean? It means the power it serves is within a snifter of the V8 wagon I love so much, while the torque value is identical, all while using zero petrol. See why I’m so keen?

Let’s face it; most Aussies drive metropolitan, most of the time. Sure, we still love our wide, open spaces and Mater Cars for Cancer raffle off plenty of machines that suit that paradigm. But when Google serves me up my monthly summary of where I’ve been, it generally consists of home, the kids’ school, the local shops, the big shops and maybe the office. Infrequently. Sure, there’s the occasional blat into the hills, but even that doesn’t normally top 250kms in one day.

Would the Tesla Model 3 Long Range do that? It’s right there in the name, with the Draw Two prize car enjoying up to 614 kilometres between charges. Remember how the Model 3 smashed the original Roadster in acceleration? Yep, the hatchback beats it on range, too. Oh, and quarter mile time, if you’re interested. At a savage 12.5 seconds, the Tesla Model 3 not only bests the old Roadster, but also zonks supercars such as the Audi R8 V8 and muscle cars like the 2021 Ford Mustang GT. If you’d like the chance to handle the commuter chores during the daytime and spend the evening chopping supercars, here’s where you can sign up.

The Tesla Model 3 Long Range isn’t all about speed and power hidden in the body of a slippery Mumwagon. It’s equally a luxury car as it is a tech showcase, with a massive 15” centre touchscreen, synthetic ‘vegan’ leather interior and a full-length glass roof that Tesla boasts can take the weight of two African elephants before showing any crush characteristics. With ongoing software updates improving the car’s driveability that are dispatched ‘over-the-air’ as they’re developed and only one moving part in each engine, I’m banking the Tesla will last you a while, should you hold the winning ticket to Draw Two of Mater Cars for Cancer lottery No. 104.

I’m certain my next daily driver is going to be electric, and so far, Tesla delivers what I want. That’s pretty crazy talk for an old street machiner, yet here we are – it has the power and range of my old V8, without the regular, $120 refills of dead dinosaur juice in between. And while I’m probably not financially ready to buy one at $80,103, I’d sure as heck like to win one at $30. Proceeds of Lottery 104 go towards helping people living with cancer and those searching for a cure, but the winning ticket for Draw Two will also place the pride of Elon Musk square in your driveway. See you at roll racing. But not at the pump.