I drove the Model 3 for a couple of hours — and it’s now my favorite Tesla (TSLA)

Electric cars are, no doubt about it, quick. The Model 3 is no exception.

It isn’t as fast off the line as the Model S or Model X — but it’s plenty fast. The 0-60 mph sprint is accomplished in just over five seconds. That’s speedy enough for anybody, and the quality of that speed is very Tesla, and very electric-car. EVs have 100% of their available torque at 1 rpm, and that’s means potentially neck-snapping velocity.

A Model S P100D with Ludicrous Mode engaged can do 0-60 mph in under 2.3 seconds.

That’s jarring acceleration. The Model 3 is calmer. But not too calm. You are rewarded when you punch it.

On the highway, the Model taps out once you’re up around the legal speed limit. It has plenty of passing power, but compared with, say, a Model X P100D SUV, it can’t rocket away from traffic like a spaceship spooling up its warp drive.

If that sounds like a negative, it isn’t. The Model 3 is a more even-tempered package, performance-wise, than the Model S, which in its more belligerent trims is basically an electric muscle car. I’m one of those guys who likes driving well-proportioned, modestly scaled sport sedans that don’t have huge engines. The Model 3 is that in spirit. It’s fun in a straight line, but it’s more fun going around corners, and in the rear-drive configuration, it offers just enough oversteer and back-end lock-down to be a blast in the twisty parts of the roadways.

The braking can be a bit odd due to the regenerative capability on offer, but you can dial that back. You can also make the steering rather heavy, creating a nice sense of communication with the asphalt, something that Ben enjoyed in his time behind the wheel. Steering can also be set to be more comfortable, for everyday driving.

The battery under the floor isn’t a lightweight thing, and although it creates a low center of gravity, it also wants to make the Model 3 go in whatever direction momentum is carrying it. This makes the car feel planted, but it also makes you feel the bulk. We didn’t drive the Model 3 irresponsibly, but we did get it leaning into corners, and the car certainly didn’t come off as light or tossable.

That said, I prefer RWD Teslas to their AWD counterparts, mainly because they feel more dynamic.

In normal driving, the Model 3 exhibits a nice, solid personality: smooth, relatively quiet — even at higher speeds — and the steel construction (the Model S and X are aluminum) and bulky battery soak up bumps extremely effectively.

Obviously, there’s an element of compromise that comes into play: behind the wheel, you can feel isolated from the more visceral aspects of driving. But Tesla designed the Model 3 to appeal to a broad range of customers. For enthusiasts, there’s just enough fun on tap. For non-enthusiasts, the Model 3 isn’t intimidating.

And with a truck in back and “frunk” in front, the Model 3 is a sedan that offers cargo capacity on par with some compact SUVs.