M3P VS BMW I4 M50

[Futur3EV]

Hello everyone,

I have just joined the forum as I'm hoping to get some help from some current tesla owners (particularly those with the performance version)

I am going to be making the swap to an electric vehicle early next year and I'm looking to place an order soon as the build times should take me nicely up to the end of my current lease.

I am constantly fighting with myself over choosing the model 3 performance or the upcoming Bmw i4 m50. Both cars look really nice to me and performance wise they don't seem to dissimilar.

My concern with the bmw is that I'm going to get ripped off with the maintenance costs as I have had numerous bmw's in the past and this always seems to be the case. I've been advised this particular bmw will only require a minor service every 2 years. Tyres will potentially need changed yearly or maybe every 2 years if I'm lucky.

Anyone who owns a model 3 performance and has had use of it for some time has had to take it to a garage for any servicing and is this expensive? Do the tyres last a reasonable amount of time? Are there any other costs involved u should be aware of?

Tesla themselves told me that the model 3 requires no servicing at all but can get a summer health check if people wanted at a cost of around £60. Tyres last roughly 15k to 20k depending on driving style. Is anyone able to confirm whether this is true for the tesla?

Since I'm so undecided on which car to go for, im just going to go with the one that seems as though it will save me a bit more money after it's been bought and will be better in the long term.

Apologies for the long post and thanks to everyone who reads it.

 

[Futur3EV]

Oh I also forgot to mention the range. How is the M3P on range compared to the WLTP?

The bmw stated 316 miles but the carwow video I watched recently he got an estimated 182 miles which is shocking!

 

[holmgang]

model 3 has been proven and time-tested for resale value ,reliability, performance, technology... the i4 is unknown.

it could be as good or better. what if it isnt?

 

[Wantelectric]

Bmw new grill design is hideous. The ruined the 4 series and now i4 before it is out.

 

[Futur3EV]

model 3 has been proven and time-tested for resale value ,reliability, performance, technology... the i4 is unknown.

it could be as good or better. what if it isnt?

Yea I know what you mean. It's difficult to answer since we don't really know about the i4. I'm more wanting to know about whether what I was told at tesla seems accurate or if it was a bit of a sales pitch?

 

[Futur3EV]

Oh I also forgot to mention the range. How is the M3P on range compared to the WLTP?

The bmw stated 316 miles but the carwow video I watched recently he got an estimated 182

Bmw new grill design is hideous. The ruined the 4 series and now i4 before it is out.

Very much an acquired taste isn't it . I didn't like it at first but its grown on me over time.

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

The BMW is *much* fancier. The wheels, the interior, all the jazzy bedazzling bits everywhere. It's way fancier.

But it's 1000 lbs heavier and inferior to the 3LR in every single performance metric so to compare it to the P is just nonsensical. Plus, you know how BMWs work, by the time you add all the basic features you want and pay the dealer markup on a short supply/high demand new model it'll be roughly double the cost of a 3LR.

 

[Adam3]

The BMW is *much* fancier. The wheels, the interior, all the jazzy bedazzling bits everywhere. It's way fancier.

But it's 1000 lbs heavier and inferior to the 3LR in every single performance metric so to compare it to the P is just nonsensical. Plus, you know how BMWs work, by the time you add all the basic features you want and pay the dealer markup on a short supply/high demand new model it'll be roughly double the cost of a 3LR.

1,000 lbs heavier?! Wow

 

[Futur3EV]

The BMW is *much* fancier. The wheels, the interior, all the jazzy bedazzling bits everywhere. It's way fancier.

But it's 1000 lbs heavier and inferior to the 3LR in every single performance metric so to compare it to the P is just nonsensical. Plus, you know how BMWs work, by the time you add all the basic features you want and pay the dealer markup on a short supply/high demand new model it'll be roughly double the cost of a 3LR.

Yeah it does look fancier and I think that's what's making my decision difficult. The M3P to me is by no means an ugly car though, especially in the red it's amazing. With the M3P coming in at a cheaper price anyway I'm thinking this is going to be the way to go. Potentially maintenance wise aswell it's going to be cheaper then also.
I didn't know it was 1000lbs heavier too!

 

[tm1v2]

Yeah it does look fancier and I think that's what's making my decision difficult. The M3P to me is by no means an ugly car though, especially in the red it's amazing. With the M3P coming in at a cheaper price anyway I'm thinking this is going to be the way to go. Potentially maintenance wise aswell it's going to be cheaper then also.
I didn't know it was 1000lbs heavier too!

Yeah that weight difference is no joke. The stock M3P suspension is junk to be honest, mainly the dampers, so if BMW puts some of their better work into the i4 M50 it might handle and ride better from the factory. But I don't think any suspension can fully disguise an extra 1000 lbs, and I think fundamentally the Model 3 is a much better starting point for building a great-handling EV, if you don't mind some modding. (Start with good coilovers, not cheap ones, and that alone will probably be enough for any sane street use.)

Note I'm no Tesla fanboy, in fact I ordered a non-Tesla EV before an agonizing decision to cancel that order and get the M3P instead. I can talk trash all day long about Teslas, I've owned 2 so far and driven many more, but since you seem focused on performance, I might steer you to the M3P. Do test drive it though, make sure you're okay with the noise levels and overall refinement level!

i4 M50 looks like a real nice car, and perfectly fast in its own right. Nothing wrong there. But I agree with everything that in *any* performance metric whatsoever, the M3P is better, or can be made better (handling) than a 5000 lbs i4 ever will be. This includes range. The 2022 i4 M50 range is worse than my 2013 S P85, and Tesla has kept on improving, BMW has some significant catching up to do there.

 

[holmgang]

The bmw stated 316 miles but the carwow video I watched recently he got an estimated 182

He drives a car one time for a partial charge during a press drive and extrapolates the "tested" range from it. (At best he does a single charge test). It is a terrible way to represent actual range owners will actually experience across different seasons and conditions. And the absolute range number also doesnt convey the operating experience - you pretty much never drive 100% down to 1%.

My lifetime consumption is about 195wh/km. Battery usable capacity is est ~74kwh. In daily use, it doesnt matter. In long distance trip use, people typically drive 1.75-2.5hr, or 180-250km in between 30 minute charges.

 

[BigNick]

Is BMW using LFP battery in the i4? Why so dang heavy, that’s around Model S Plaid weight.

 

[UncertainTimes]

Is BMW using LFP battery in the i4? Why so dang heavy, that’s around Model S Plaid weight.

Each ///M badge adds around 1 pound

 

[MaskedRacerX]

Here's my $0.02 ...

When I made the switch from performance ICE vehicles, to EV, I wanted the experience to be notable - i.e., I didn't want it to "feel" like an ICE package sitting on a EV. I wanted a design, technology, everything, to be something new, a big change from what I'd been driving. I also wanted something that was incredibly quick, with some tech/options for possibly a few A/X days, I wanted to keep the car pretty stock, so the best possible OEM package out-the-door.

I can tell you, even at the same price, if I could choose the BMW or my M3P right now, I'd choose the Tesla again.

 

[Candleflame]

bmw will be a much better drivers car and have a much better interior.
Range will be probably 10-15% less than the Model 3.

What kills it for me is that the i4 is NOT an electric car. Its a retrofitted 4 series and hence has a lot of ICE car things i.e. no frunk, a driveshaft hump in the middle etc. That is a dealbreaker.

 

[Futur3EV]

It's going to have to be the M3P for me. I've made my decision and I'm going to stick to it. Who knows, maybe down the line I will try the i4 or something else but right now for the reasons you all mention, along with other things, the M3P seems like the better choice.

 

[Shelburne]

Here's one other thing you should consider: How far away from you is the nearest Tesla Service Center and the nearest Tesla Authorized collision Center?
Where I live, the nearest Tesla Service Center is 107 miles away and the nearest Tesla Authorized Collision Center is 74 miles away, but I live in a very rural area. I knew the answer to both questions prior to ordering my 2020 M3LR. So far I've had to go to the service center once to repair a piece of loose interior trim. For me it was a good excuse for a long drive and the repair was done in less than 30 minutes, under warranty. Even if a BMW dear was down the block, I wouldn't buy one of those ugly cars.

 

[Futur3EV]

Here's one other thing you should consider: How far away from you is the nearest Tesla Service Center and the nearest Tesla Authorized collision Center?
Where I live, the nearest Tesla Service Center is 107 miles away and the nearest Tesla Authorized Collision Center is 74 miles away, but I live in a very rural area. I knew the answer to both questions prior to ordering my 2020 M3LR. So far I've had to go to the service center once to repair a piece of loose interior trim. For me it was a good excuse for a long drive and the repair was done in less than 30 minutes, under warranty. Even if a BMW dear was down the block, I wouldn't buy one of those ugly cars.

The service centre is only 7 miles away from me so I guess I'm quite fortunate in that respect. Quite the journey for you to get to one. On the bright side, atleast you get to do the journey in a nice car.

 

[Kvitravn]

Did you get a delivery time estimate? Last update I heard was M50s might be delivered Q1/2023 but a friend had already has his estimate pushed back once.

By the time that BMW is even delivered, you'd could have been driving a Model 3 for closing on two years already.

 

[Apprunner]

It's going to have to be the M3P for me. I've made my decision and I'm going to stick to it. Who knows, maybe down the line I will try the i4 or something else but right now for the reasons you all mention, along with other things, the M3P seems like the better choice.