Feedback from BMW or other premium brand converts?

[surfrasch]

I can’t add much as far as BMW comparisons.....but I’ve driven Audi’s for 15 years......A4’s and TT’s. I can only say, it makes my ‘16 TT feel like a donkey cart. 100 years from now, people will be in shock that we drove gas sucking monsters spewing out pollution.....kinda like blood letting in the 1700’s.

My wife has driven Volvo wagons for 30 years.....her ‘17 V90CC sits in the garage now., and that’s a pretty cool car.

What people have not mentioned is the huge reduction in parts that can fail, as well as the drastically reduced preventative maintenance requirements.

After owning a 3, I can’t ever imagine owning a combustion engine again. This is the future.

 

[dethman]

Here's my ride for the next 48 hours

Omg that wheel gap and those fat tires....

 

[destructure00]

Took the car to dinner with the family tonight. First impressions are all good! The car feels solid, well built. Fun to drive, and surprisingly I'm finding it fun to try and time the lights with the regen braking. The lack of engine noise really throws off my feel for the speed. First time I got on the freeway I thought I was doing 70-75, looked down and saw 87. Same another time I thought I was doing about 35....nope, 47. Got to use AP in rush hour traffic coming home earlier, that was cool!

The only thing I'm not thrilled with is the headlight throw. It's plenty bright but doesn't illuminate far enough ahead....same problem I have with my BMW. On a dark road, anything over about 45mph feels like I'm out-driving the headlights. Is there any vertical adjustment in them?

Tires on this car are Continental Extreme Contact 235/45-18. Wheels have a T Sportline logo in the center.

 

[kbecks13]

Fun to drive, and surprisingly I'm finding it fun to try and time the lights with the regen braking

Oh you just reminded me how i really didn't like regen at first, it definitely takes some getting used to it but then you love it.

Is there any vertical adjustment in them?

The headlights have an adjustment option under the service section of the car, but i've never really played with it.

Tires on this car are Continental Extreme Contact 235/45-18. Wheels have a T Sportline logo in the center.

Interesting, the Performance car would come with something a bit sportier for reference (20" wheels with Pilot Sport 4S tires)

 

[turtlesz]

I still have my 435i coupe and my wife drives a LR RWD 3. Also have an X I use for commuting and for section 179 deduction. Have leased a i3 and had a RAV4 EV so well versed to the EV world and Tesla world. I still appreciate the 435i and love the midnight blue color with the M Sport wheels. It truly looks beautiful to me with it's lines and long hood. The Model X is a great people mover but downright ugly to my eyes but will only cost 50kish after the deductions. The model 3 isn't ugly but isn't very premium looking to me. Autopilot and instant torque are my 2 favorite features of Tesla's. The model 3 is like a golf cart and handles nice. However I don't get the feeling of loathing a ice car when I get in my 435i. I love the sound, handling and ergonomic buttons are still functional. Tesla's are nice but I think they will continue to evolve and improve.

 

[destructure00]

Being a rental, I wonder if the owner had someone tear up the original wheels, and opted for a cheaper set.

As I see the car more and more, I don't find myself judging the looks as negatively as I did originally. I think it's growing on me. I was really surprised how fast driving it started to feel normal.

It's going to be interesting going back to my BMW on Sunday afternoon.

 

[jjrandorin]

Oh you just reminded me how i really didn't like regen at first, it definitely takes some getting used to it but then you love it.



The headlights have an adjustment option under the service section of the car, but i've never really played with it.



Interesting, the Performance car would come with something a bit sportier for reference (20" wheels with Pilot Sport 4S tires)

Op if you are in a turo like you mentioned you were going to do, please for the love of everything do NOT attempt to adjust the headlights in the service menu. There is no "return to home" on that adjustment per the manual. Once you start playing with it, thats it.. and since its not your car....

On the headlight note, I always get the upgraded lighting on any BMW I get, and the adaptive LED headlights on our 2019 X3 completely blow the tesla headlights out of the water. The tesla headlight throw reminds me of the halogen headlights on my previous BMWs.

 

[destructure00]

No... I'm not going to play with the headlights on this car. Was wondering if I buy one and am unhappy with the headlights if I can adjust.

I have the Adaptive LEDs on my 340i, and they still suck IMO. I tried to enable the Variable Light Distribution that the Euro cars get, but wasn't able to get it to work through coding. Oh well. Apparently DOT approved US cars to get the fancy stuff starting in 2021.

 

[lencap]

Hi - I’ve owned 8 BMWs and have been a BMW CCA member for over 25 years. My wife’s car is a 2011 335d, bought new, and now with with 70k miles on it. Like most of my BMWs the car is fun to drive, tons or torque and an engaging ride. But, also like most of my BMWs the car has been expensive to maintain, especially over the last 20k miles with over $7k in maintenance and needed repairs. Sadly, more are on the horizon and I expect $4k added costs over the coming months.

My M3 RWD LR was bought late last year and has a bit under 5k miles now. I’ve also owned 2 BMW i3s and a Nissan Leaf. The Tesla is far beyond any of those cars in every way. It is quite a change driving EV cars - speed builds quickly, but the sensation of speed is very different. The lack of engine noise in an EV takes time to correlate with ICE acceleration based on sound and power. I’ve also driven manual transmission cars for 50 years, another adjustment when moving to EVs.

I think you’ll find what I have by getting the Tesla. The daily drive is more relaxing, but instantaneous acceleration is just a press of the accelerator away.. The quieter interior makes me drive the M3 less aggressively than the BMW, but you get surprised constantly by how capable the Tesla is in all driving situations, and how much performance it offers. It’s just that the delivery is different in nature - less noise, less drama. The M3’s performance is solid, but frankly the BMW suspension is a bit more refined - undulating roads are handled better on the BMW, in my opinion. Beyond that the M3 is better than the BMW in almost every way. 30-50, 50–70 acceleration in the M3 is faster than my old BMW M3. Take some time to adjust to the differences and I think you’ll be happy. I am.

A few more things to consider - since I took delivery of my car in November there have been several updates to the car’s operating system. Each was delivered wirelessly without any need to go to a dealership or make any appointments. Each also provided increased capability or features, and each was free. Soon the car will be updated again with greater range and slightly better acceleration- again no cost or appointment needed. Long range charging improvements are coming as well, dramatically lowering charge times, and providing other features. My BMW didn’t do any of that, and no other car can either.

Take the plunge and enjoy.

 

[destructure00]

Went for another short drive this morning....addictive is a good word to describe it...

Wife just told me I should buy one. So there's that too

So let's fast forward and assume that I'm going to order one, because I'm pretty certain that's where this is headed. Would you wait until after the 14th Model Y announcement?

 

[jjrandorin]

Went for another short drive this morning....addictive is a good word to describe it...

Wife just told me I should buy one. So there's that too

So let's fast forward and assume that I'm going to order one, because I'm pretty certain that's where this is headed. Would you wait until after the 14th Model Y announcement?

If I had the option to wait (like no issue with lease expiring etc), I personally would wait to try to get the newest computer (called hardware 3 or abbreviated here as HW3) for the car. Thats supposed to happen "soon" and is supposed to only really matter if you get full self driving, and if you buy full self driving, is supposed to be retrofitted "later" by tesla. Notice all the "supposed" and "later"?

So I would wait until I could get the new hardware in the car, or as late as possible to order and still get before the next tax credit reduction which is June 30th, so I would probably order mid may and try to take delivery mid june. Not a deal breaker though, and I would likely order AP+FSD with the car still, even though the price was recently reduced for those who have a car already and didnt purchase it... but thats another story for another (or a few other) long threads.

 

[lencap]

The decision about when to buy is up to you - naturally - but I don't see anything special about the March 14th Y announcement that should affect anything to do with the M3 features/price. Having said that I didn't expect all of the other recent changes that Elon has made to features and prices.

I notice your avatar is the Cookie Monster - a character famous for "Me Want Cookie". If you're desire to own a Tesla is as strong as Cookie Monster's desire to eat a cookie, I think you may want to order the car right now! "Me eat cookie". "Om nom nom nom".

I think all of us on the forum are pretty sure you'll love the car - why not start right now?

PS: I just saw jjrandorian's post, and if you are thinking of FSD features it may indeed make sense to wait. The concern I have is that timing to get the tax credit is a potential challenge, as is knowing the cost/complexity of upgrading to HW3. For me, I passed on FSD after taking the EAP 30 day trial when I bought my M3 last year. I'm sure Elon and team are working on perfecting FSD, but given the enormous complexity of such a system, and my less than confidence inspiring trial with several unexpected and potentially dangerous lurches/speed changes/uncertain lane changes, I'll leave the heavy driving situations to myself. I did purchase the Autopilot option - recently reduced in price, and think it's a very good choice. You get TACC, auto-braking, auto-steering, and lane centering. I liked all of those features in my trial, and I'm happy to order them at the reduced prices recently announced, but still have little confidence in putting my life under the control of new technology at 70 MPH in FSD mode on the highway, or in city driving where unexpected situations develop quickly and are the norm in daily driving.

Also consider that at least during my trial, EAP requires that you keep your hands on the wheel, and requires steering inputs about every two minutes or so. If you fail to gently put resistance on the steering wheel when in EAP mode the car alerts you to do so. If you don't it takes progressive action to stop autopilot. It can gradually reduce your speed, and/or remove other capabilities. Just be aware the AutoMode isn't truly auto. You still have to be engaged. That's another reason I prefer the stripped down new version of autopilot over the more potentially capable FSD mode. Both require driver input, but the lack of FSD features isn't a problem for me. Your opinion may differ.

 

[Electroman]

I don't see any correlation to Model Y reveal and any future upgrades to Model 3. I thought HW3 is already in place from late last year?

 

[destructure00]

I called my local delivery center and the lady I spoke with told me HW3 is not in production yet and all she could tell me was it's coming eventually.

If I pay for FSD, don't I get a free HW3 upgrade when it's released?

 

[jjrandorin]

If I pay for FSD, don't I get a free HW3 upgrade when it's released?

Yes.. "eventually"... at least as far as we knew before . No one knows how long that "eventually" will be. There also isnt any written statement from tesla of this fact that I am aware of. There are tweets from elon, but I dont see anything on the FSD page that says I WILL receive the new hardware for free if I purchase FSD for my existing car.

Also, Elon's statement says something like "It will come with HW3 long term"... with no definition of what "long term" is. Given how optimistic elon normally is on timelines, for HIM to say "long term" is somewhat alarming, thus I translate that to "eventually".

Its not a deal breaker, for sure. I really love my Model 3P , and I dont have some of the issues that @voip-ninja has (or I am not as observant, one of those lol). If I could choose when to buy, I would wait because of the above... but if I wanted to execute now for some reason (spouse buy in, for example), there is no real harm in jumping in now.

One thing that does bug me "a bit" is the lack of differentiation between the performance model and the others, as I am used to that from BMW. BMW people can instantly tell models from a glance, and even non BMW people would look at an M3 (the real one) and think it looked "sportier".

On the "M3" comment.. you may have noticed that people here on TMC tend to call the Model 3 an "M3" which I think is silly, because its another companies very famous "halo" model (BMW's). So, I refuse to call a model 3 an "M3" like many do here. I would suspect that people in this thread would know why, and might agree with me. I bought my Model 3 Performance Instead of an M3, so its not that I dont like tesla, its just that im not on board with that, just like I wouldnt call any other car a "911". A 911 is a porsche and an M3 is a BMW. We drive model 3s.

 

[destructure00]

One thing that does bug me "a bit" is the lack of differentiation between the performance model and the others, as I am used to that from BMW. BMW people can instantly tell models from a glance, and even non BMW people would look at an M3 (the real one) and think it looked "sportier".

I agree with you on the differentiation...although in my case, I'm coming from a $57k 340i, which looks essentially identical to a base $35k 3 series, aside from wheels, color (my blue is only available with M-Sport package), and brakes. Coincidentally, these are basically the same visual differentiations that the Performance 3 has against the base $35k Model 3. So I can reconcile that.

Regarding FSD and HW3, if the later upgrade is free, then it really doesn't matter if I order today and get HW2.5 with a free upgrade "someday", or wait and get HW3 from the factory, right? HW3 hardware upgrade would become available when the capability to use the features in HW3 become available? I guess that's all speculation, until it's not...

 

[Dana1]

Hi all, I'm a BMW owner considering a Model 3. Currently have a 2016 BMW 340i, M-Sport, Track Handling package, 6 speed manual. This is the first car I've ever ordered from the factory, so I got it spec'ed exactly how I want it. I have absolutely loved my car, it's a great daily driver, lots of fun, and I've done a handful of track days with it. I've had the car for almost 3.5 years and I'm approaching the 50k mile mark where the warranty and included service plans are ending. Couple that with the fresh price cuts and another upcoming tax credit cut...it seems like if I'm going to make a jump, now might be the time to do it.

I'm considering a fully optioned Model 3 Performance. I priced one out several months ago and today's price is about $10k lower (assuming I'm remembering correctly) at about $68k. I did go test drive one a couple weeks back and was pretty impressed overall, but spending 30 minutes driving an unfamiliar car doesn't really compare to the experience of owning and driving one every day. I'd like to hear some feedback from previous BMW or other premium brand owners who are now Model 3 owners. What do you like about the 3, what do you dislike, what do you miss (if anything) about your old car?

My biggest hang up with the Model 3 right now, aside from the idea of starting over on a new car loan, is just overall appearance. It looks a lot more "happy" than I'd like. Model S, by comparison has a really nice futuristic aggressive look that I dig. For this reason, I had pretty well decided after the test drive that I was going to stick with my current car for another 3-5 years to wait for some other brands to come out with more electric options. Then...I found this thread by @2018M3 :
Tesla Model 3 the way I want - Signature Wheel + MPP Comfort Coilover

Wow. Getting rid of the wheel gap really changed the appearance, and it gives it that subtle aggressive look that I was missing. I have been considering white with black wheels, and this car is just gorgeous. So...now I'm potentially back in the game

I drive about 13-14k miles a year, primarily doing a 40 mile round trip to work in Phoenix, with the occasional road trip. Also want the ability to hit some NASA HPDE track days probably 3-4 times a year.

All that being said, here's my list:

Pros:
New car
Cool interior design
Auto pilot
Maybe FSD someday
HOV lane access (Arizona - alt fuel plate)
Charging at home and/or work...no more gas station stops
Buying in to Elon Tusk's vision...love the mission behind Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, etc

Cons:
Starting over with a new car loan
Not much to make the Performance version stand out from the rest...especially with the $35k model out now
Styling is not quite as aggressive as I'd like
Range in specific situations...I don't think there's any charging infrastructure at the tracks around here, and I have to go to eastern AZ a few times a year for work, and it doesn't look like there's currently anything out there either.

So....what's your experience been?

I came from a Porsche Panamera, Jaguar XF, and BMW X6 so my comments may not reflect your track mentality. Charging in garage is fantastic. Not being sad at premium fuel prices is fantastic. I love the Autopilot (EAP). I really like the feeling of getting a new car every three months or so with the updates. The continuous technology delivery keeps FOMO at bay.

Aftermarket is picking up for the 3. You’ll be able to style to your hearts content. Lots of purple Teslas out there, lol. Beyond the Tesla app check PlugShare, Blink, etc for more charging options. RV plugs work too and 240V is faster than 120V. There’s several AZ folks on forum that may have advice if you have a thread with specific cities after you’ve checked online resources. The track can also apply to Tesla to be a supercharger or destination charger location.

 

[davedavedave]

I agree with you on the differentiation...although in my case, I'm coming from a $57k 340i, which looks essentially identical to a base $35k 3 series, aside from wheels, color (my blue is only available with M-Sport package), and brakes. Coincidentally, these are basically the same visual differentiations that the Performance 3 has against the base $35k Model 3. So I can reconcile that.

Regarding FSD and HW3, if the later upgrade is free, then it really doesn't matter if I order today and get HW2.5 with a free upgrade "someday", or wait and get HW3 from the factory, right? HW3 hardware upgrade would become available when the capability to use the features in HW3 become available? I guess that's all speculation, until it's not...

Well, there's this: "~6 months before it is in all new production cars. No change to sensors. This is simple replacement of the Autopilot computer. Will be done free of charge for those who ordered full self-driving."

I would just listen to your wife and buy it now . Even though I really wanted the P3, I just couldn't wait for the AWD and Performance models to come out and took delivery of my LR in June '18. No regrets!

 

[destructure00]

I let my wife drive it. She wants one now too. I think this is a done deal.

 

[destructure00]

Ok ordered. Here we goooooooooooo!