M3P VS BMW I4 M50

[Nozferat]

The best part about the BMW i3 is getting to your destination and realizing you don't need to drive it anymore. It's my least favorite EV and I'm glad they discontinued it. BMW would have sold even less i3 if they didn't have huge lease rebates. I give BMW props for that, my coworker's i3 lease was under $200 / month for a brand new vehicle. They hated the car though.

Their loss.

 

[thill444]

Funny that given I own both a Tesla and BMW. So here comes the Tesla fanboy wagon.

Well I technically own a BMW (Supra 3.0) and don’t own a Tesla (have one on order). But you come across as very defensive and combative. I sat down and did the math and the BMW M50 specd out against the M3P the way I would spec it is a lot more expensive (roughly $13-14K more). Then you also factor in the better range of the Tesla and Supercharger network which are two huge pros for Tesla. If the BMW offered a lot more options or performance for the price difference it might sway me, but it doesn’t. I’m sure the BMW has better fit and finish but it also is a bigger and heavier car yet has less front and rear passenger room. Looks are personal but I can’t stand the new BMW bucktooth front grill (I’m clearly not the only one). The Tesla is just a less polarizing design for me. Pros for BMW. Adaptive dampers. I like CarPlay support. I like the instrument panel better. I like all the interior options (colors, materials), and exterior BMW paint color options.

The Model 3 is not new, in car years it’s actually old. BMW has had tons of time to come out swinging and, especially for more money, it should be better at everything. Better range. Better performance. More spacious interior. Better charging times. Better looks. For me it’s a letdown and I ordered a Model 3. With some of the cost savings I will be adding coilovers, lighter wheels and tires, and some other suspension parts since I will track it many times a year.

 

[Dangerous Fish]

Your metric of performance may be very different than what others think. Straight line performance isn't the end all be all of driving experience. So your comment is moot as far as what you'd consider verses what someone else may consider.

I didn't mention straight line performance.

 

[thill444]

Performance is usually measured:
straightline (0-60, 1/4 mile, 5-60)
braking 0-100
lateral acceleration/skidpad

If we are lucky we get someone like Randy Pabst to hot lap both cars on the same day with fresh tires and brake pads.

The M3P’s been tested and it’s very impressive in the $50-60K range. It competes very closely with the new M3 Competition (which is $30K more than the M3P as tested) and actually beats it in several categories. The smaller tires hold it back vs the much wider M3 tires.

I’d be surprised if the M50 can beat the M3P in any of those categories.

Which would be rather surprising considering the M50 costs more and is newer.

 

[Destiny1701]

Your metric of performance may be very different than what others think. Straight line performance isn't the end all be all of driving experience. So your comment is moot as far as what you'd consider verses what someone else may consider.

What don’t you value as a driving experience then for an EV? Bmw touts their vehicles as drivers cars so just curious…

 

[terranx]

What don’t you value as a driving experience then for an EV? Bmw touts their vehicles as drivers cars so just curious…

BMWs haven't been proper driver's cars for a decade or so now. The i4 M50 weighs a good bit more than the M3P, is slower, and has worse throttle response. In some ways the model 3 suspension is better (double wishbone instead of MacPherson struts).

 

[graphic]

People may not believe me but the BMW i3s is perhaps the best car BMW ever made on many levels. I'm not talking performance. Just sheer driving enjoyment, the tech, the interior design, the concept. I'd had 4 of them and hands down it's the best car I've ever owned. We also now have M3 and it's a tank compared to this thing. There is no other EV out there that feels and drives like a hot-hatch.

I personally would never buy a ICE-based EV. Too much compromise. BMW made a terrible mistake discontinuing the i3. They could have had a true winner on their hands had they marketed it correctly, upgraded it better, and modernized it by now. Even so, you sit in the thing and can't believe it's almost a decade old design.

Nozferat said: "I'd had 4 of them and hands down it's the best car I've ever owned. We also now have M3 and it's a tank compared to this thing. There is no other EV out there that feels and drives like a hot-hatch."

Man, you are either clowning , or smoking "something serious" to say a M3 is a tank compared to your "4th" BMW i3..! You need to drive the Performance Model 3 if you think that. Or like you say, you must be a serious BMW FAN BOY.

 

[Knightshade]

What's especially funny is they insist THEIR personal anecdotal opinion of the i3 is SUPER relevant.... but then multiple posters added personal anecdotes from i3 owners saying the opposite and he immediately dismissed them all as irrelevant.

 

[BMWM3Man]

The thing this thread has taught me is there are Trolls on every forum...and I gotta stop going to forums. Almost as bad as watch forum my...Patek is better than your Rolex and my Rolex is better than your Omega and...Zzzzz

 

[MagnusMako]

BMW definitely touts the i4 M50 as "the ultimate electric driving machine" just looking at their facebook ad's. I look forward to seeing a comparison between the two on a smaller track or something like Laguna Seca.

 

[Destiny1701]

BMW definitely touts the i4 M50 as "the ultimate electric driving machine" just looking at their facebook ad's. I look forward to seeing a comparison between the two on a smaller track or something like Laguna Seca.

View attachment 772153

To me BMW is like Bose stereos to audio. Crap tonnes of marketing, looks pretty, huge sales but to an audiophile…lags behind. Most number of used cars on the market of off lease vehicles. No one wants to buy one out of warranty. That should be a flag right there.

Add the fact that they purposefully went to a massive (non aesthetically pleasing) grill as a statement against Tesla and no grill EV movement…shows me of their dinosaur level thinking.

I’ve owned e39, e60, e70 X5 4.8i, F10…so I know a thing or 2 about Bimmer ownership lol.
Ever since moving to Tesla in 2016, it’s been a sheer joy for me and the family. The cars are now 98% on the road…not in the shop. My experience could be just one

 

[thill444]

BMW has caught a lot of flak in the media and on social media for the new front grill design. I don‘t understand why they are pushing this on their EV’s too. I have to think a mid cycle refresh will address it.

 

[BMWM3Man]

BMW has caught a lot of flak in the media and on social media for the new front grill design. I don‘t understand why they are pushing this on their EV’s too. I have to think a mid cycle refresh will address it.

The grill its meh but I love their tale pipe openings and gas tank door the best!!!!!

 

[MaskedRacerX]

@thill444

Hey dude, I know you (indirectly) from the Mustang forum, welcome!

I went to a Tesla last June from my '19 GT convertible (A10/MR/AE/loaded ... modified), it has been amazing, but I had a good taste of the EV with a Wrangler 4xe we bought last April, I knew a BEV was in my future which was about 3 months

I remember you bought a Supra and the Mustang crowd grabbed their torches and pitchforks ...

 

[Adam3]

BMW has caught a lot of flak in the media and on social media for the new front grill design. I don‘t understand why they are pushing this on their EV’s too. I have to think a mid cycle refresh will address it.

Almost hard to believe this isn't photoshopped.

 

[jwharnish]

Post 164 made a good suggestion with:

"If we are lucky we get someone like Randy Pabst to hot lap both cars on the same day with fresh tires and brake pads."

Let's get a new i4 M50 and a M3P, charge them up to 100%, show it on the screen, and let Randy rip off some hot laps.
What do you say BMW fanboys? I'm sure there are plenty of Tesla guys who would gladly let Randy jump into their cars. Enough of the bench racing!

Let's see who really has the "Ultimate Electric Driving Machine". Oh yea there has to be video!!

 

[tm1v2]

Almost hard to believe this isn't photoshopped.

View attachment 772282

Maybachs are based on BMWs now?

 

[thill444]

@thill444

Hey dude, I know you (indirectly) from the Mustang forum, welcome!

I went to a Tesla last June from my '19 GT convertible (A10/MR/AE/loaded ... modified), it has been amazing, but I had a good taste of the EV with a Wrangler 4xe we bought last April, I knew a BEV was in my future which was about 3 months

I remember you bought a Supra and the Mustang crowd grabbed their torches and pitchforks ...

Hey! Yeah that’s me had a GT350. Supra is an awesome car, but I work from home now and never drive it. Ironically I’m selling both a 4Xe and the Supra and getting an MP3 and simplifying. Ultimately want the MP3 and a dedicated track car with a manual but I’m waiting out a few years for the used market to correct.

 

[Theone8181]

I thought the grill was to appease the Asia market? It does look daft, that's the sort of thing I'd stick on the front of my car in a need for speed game.

 

[BigNick]

BMW has caught a lot of flak in the media and on social media for the new front grill design. I don‘t understand why they are pushing this on their EV’s too. I have to think a mid cycle refresh will address it.

Their front-end designer was a huge fan of Bugs Bunny cartoons?