I live in Montreal. Our winters are brutal. I’m considering the model 3 RWD extended range BUT ALSO Considering Kia Niro ev. In winters we have severe snow storms with icy roads. Freezing rain at times. And after we have deep pot holes. My concern with the model 3 is low clearance, smaller tires, and no heat pump. Also a stiffer tide. No apple car play. But great software updates. Im not concerned with with the Tesla network for fast recharge as I’m only driving around the city and will charge at home. For sure it’s a better looking car and better performance but what about on ice and snow. I’m not getting autopilot as it’s $9000 and for half the year the lines on the roads are not well seen because of snow. The Kia is front wheel drive with heat pump and about a half inch more clearance. Every little bit helps. It also has thicker tires which is better for suspension. The FRD can cause wheel spinning and there may be issues with the Regen and ABS on icy roads. I cannot afford AWD in the Tesla as incentives are for the cheaper model. Range is not an issue and both are same price. It’s just suspension and traction that I’m concerned about. Has anybody have experience with both in winter driving. Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
I have no experience with either the M3 or Kia but can offer some winter experience for you. I live in Kingston Ontario where the winter storms can be even worse than Montreal because of the Lake Ontario snow squalls. I cut my teeth driving RWD ice cars and in slippery conditions actually learned to "steer" around corners by making the back end slide out. (Don't try this at home kids). An EV is a totally different kettle of fish as the battery being low and in the center of the vehicle puts a more even weight distribution. So I think back end sliding would be less of an issue with the M3 than an ICE car. My first Leaf had a heat pump and the only times it saved energy was in just above freezing temps when the windows would start to fog. When it gets really cold the resistive heating kicks as the heat pump is no longer effective. So dress for winter. Use the seat heaters and steering wheel heaters and you won't miss the heat pump (much). I found skinny tires better on ICE cars in the winter as they were better at cutting down through the snow to a solid surface where the fat tires would "toboggan" and slide all over. But the heavier EV with it's evenly distributed weight presses the tire treads into the snow like a snowmobile tread and the traction is excellent. I qualify this by saying that you must install winter tires (mandatory in Quebec anyhow) as the stock tires with most EVs are simply dangerous in winter conditions. Ground clearance is an issue as you pointed out. I don't know how much difference that half inch would make. Go with whatever vehicle tickles your fancy.
