M3P VS BMW I4 M50

[Frankenmilo]

The Model 3 is exactly the kind of car for people who don’t enjoy cars lol. The model 3 has plenty of strengths but every single comparison review has the driving experience better in the i4, except straight line 0-60.

I thought the exact same thing until I got some seat time in both cars. After driving both an i4 50 and an M3P, the M3P won out handily in my opinion for driving dynamics and overall "fun" factor. The i4 feels like a luxury car, while the rawness of the M3P consistently brought a smile to my face, whether launching in a straight line or rounding a curve. (The wheels/tires in the M3P can be improved though.)

Mind you, I'm a BMW fan boy and have owned/leased 6 BMW's in the past, including my most recent car, a 340i manual. For what it's worth, I'm cross-shopping the M3P against the i4 50 and a manual G80 M3, and I'm getting pretty close to pulling the trigger on the Tesla, surprisingly...

 

[scalbert03]

but it's not the type of car I would think of when I think of a car enthusiast car. It's a car for people who like tech. Quite frankly, EVs in general I wouldn't expect car enthusiasts to like.

For day to day driving to and from my office as well as out of town business trips, I prefer the M3P over my previous E90 M3 6MT (the car I owned longer than any other and liked the most). Now, on Atlanta Motorsports Park, I am confident there would be no question in the superiority of the E90 M3. I do plan on testing that soon in my M3P and see what the lap times hold.

The Model 3 is more of an appliance. But frankly, all cars are moving that direction to an extent. Not so much as a Camry, which seems to be trying to reverse that trend. The point and shoot approach of the Model 3 makes this appliance more enjoyable than most on daily driving.

Or maybe I am just a glutton for punishment. I am on the search for a 2001 or 2002 M Roadster (weekend car) with it's antiquated E30 era rear suspension.

 

[Zcd1]

Had a quick test drive of an i4M50 the other day.

Takeaways:

It's a nice car. Smoother and quieter than my TM3, but also not as much fun to drive. Interior quality is "fine", IMO - nothing super special. Personally found all the colors and splashy graphics of the iDrive system to be distracting, but that's a preference thing.

Rear seat ingress and egress is compromised by the small door openings, and the space back there is lacking. The huge transmission tunnel hump doesn't help with the feeling of spaciousness.

Visibility is okay, but the cowl/beltline is high, which might bother some people. I found it to be a bit claustrophobic.

Others have mentioned that the throttle response seemed somewhat "dialed down". I felt the same thing but am not sure of the cause. Could be the type of motors used, could be the comparatively high curb weight, could be that the acceleration is programmed to mimic an ICEV's. In any case, this was noticeable and to me, was a demerit.

Once it ramps up to full acceleration, it's very fast indeed. It feels like a car that runs 2-4 mph faster at the end of a 1/4 mile than my car, and it is. Thing is, that extra power doesn't really make itself felt until well beyond legal speeds, so it's sorta useless.

Others have also mentioned that the i4, even the M50 version, isn't really "playful", and that it doesn't seem like a driving enthusiast's choice. I would concur. It's a compact luxury sedan with a decent turn of speed.

As a first EV sedan from BMW, it's a decent effort, but I personally won't be buying one.

 

[MaskedRacerX]

There are fantastic aspects of it as well, don't get me wrong, but it's not the type of car I would think of when I think of a car enthusiast car. It's a car for people who like tech. Quite frankly, EVs in general I wouldn't expect car enthusiasts to like.

Interesting.

I've owned and tracked several cars, a Z06, a 750HP Supra, owned a number of makes like BMW, Lexus, had a setup S2K, 3 other Vettes besides the Z06 (the latter picked up as an NCM delivery), I've done shows, extensive modifications, helped to prototype track components, I've run 50+ HPDE events, we pretty regularly attend the Rolex 24 Hour race - so I'd guess based on that, I'd consider myself a bit of an enthusiast.

And I absolutely love our M3P and EVs in general.

 

[Scarletfever]

Had a quick test drive of an i4M50 the other day.

Takeaways:

It's a nice car. Smoother and quieter than my TM3, but also not as much fun to drive. Interior quality is "fine", IMO - nothing super special. Personally found all the colors and splashy graphics of the iDrive system to be distracting, but that's a preference thing.

Rear seat ingress and egress is compromised by the small door openings, and the space back there is lacking. The huge transmission tunnel hump doesn't help with the feeling of spaciousness.

Visibility is okay, but the cowl/beltline is high, which might bother some people. I found it to be a bit claustrophobic.

Others have mentioned that the throttle response seemed somewhat "dialed down". I felt the same thing but am not sure of the cause. Could be the type of motors used, could be the comparatively high curb weight, could be that the acceleration is programmed to mimic an ICEV's. In any case, this was noticeable and to me, was a demerit.

Once it ramps up to full acceleration, it's very fast indeed. It feels like a car that runs 2-4 mph faster at the end of a 1/4 mile than my car, and it is. Thing is, that extra power doesn't really make itself felt until well beyond legal speeds, so it's sorta useless.

Others have also mentioned that the i4, even the M50 version, isn't really "playful", and that it doesn't seem like a driving enthusiast's choice. I would concur. It's a compact luxury sedan with a decent turn of speed.

As a first EV sedan from BMW, it's a decent effort, but I personally won't be buying one.

I thought the throttle response of the i4 felt good, I find the Model 3 at one extreme (too twitchy/sensitive for me) and the Polestar 2 was at the opposite extreme, it actually felt kind of 'weak' (even though it's not) because of how far down on the accelerator you need to press in order to feel the power.

 

[tm1v2]

@Scarletfever I think there's two aspects of accelerator pedal response being discussed here.

One is how quickly the car responds to an increase in accelerator pedal angle. Model 3 and every Tesla I've driven is very very quick and excellent about this. It sounds like this is where the i4 M50 is lacking compared to the M3P.

The other is how aggressive the accelerator map is. I think this is what you don't like about the M3P accelerator programming, and I agree. It feels like only a small portion of the accelerator pedal travel gives very big power. For daily driving I barely use any of the pedal travel. I get used to it because the pedal is nicely sensitive to small angle changes, but I'd rather a more progressive accelerator map. (But NOT Chill mode because I don't want limited max power!)

In my ICE cars the drive-by-wire throttle maps were easily reprogrammed with ECU tuning software. I've not come across anything for doing that on a Tesla though.

 

[Young Phenom]

lol, not quite. I do have an i4 on preorder but I've never worked for or owned a BMW or any other luxury car.

Model 3 doesn't look like a regular car, feel like a regular car, drive like a regular car. Interior is nothing but a tablet, and the suspension/chassis is terrible for the price range. There are fantastic aspects of it as well, don't get me wrong, but it's not the type of car I would think of when I think of a car enthusiast car. It's a car for people who like tech. Quite frankly, EVs in general I wouldn't expect car enthusiasts to like. The i4 felt like a more refined driving experience than what I'm used to, just far superior in every way compared to the ~$30k cars I'm used to. That's not to say it's definitely a car for enthusiasts, but it was just a weird statement to see that it's not a car for people who like to drive cars, because that's exactly what it is.

What you've described in this entire post is an opinion.

 

[thill444]

lol, not quite. I do have an i4 on preorder but I've never worked for or owned a BMW or any other luxury car.

Model 3 doesn't look like a regular car, feel like a regular car, drive like a regular car. Interior is nothing but a tablet, and the suspension/chassis is terrible for the price range. There are fantastic aspects of it as well, don't get me wrong, but it's not the type of car I would think of when I think of a car enthusiast car. It's a car for people who like tech. Quite frankly, EVs in general I wouldn't expect car enthusiasts to like. The i4 felt like a more refined driving experience than what I'm used to, just far superior in every way compared to the ~$30k cars I'm used to. That's not to say it's definitely a car for enthusiasts, but it was just a weird statement to see that it's not a car for people who like to drive cars, because that's exactly what it is.

I realize this is a Tesla forum and your trying do get attention but most of your comments lead me to believe you’ve never driven one. The Tesla Model 3 suspension is a double wishbone front with a multi link rear suspension.What about that makes it “terrible for this price range”? They have tuned the suspension to be a little on the softer side which makes sense because most people buying a M3P are not likely to track their cars (same could be said for BMW M class, Audi S/RS class, etc). Making a harsher stiffer ride might be preferable for some, but not really the best for the majority, and besides most people who do track their cars will just modify the stick suspension anyway.

A few of my cars prior to the M3P cars were a C7 Z51, Shelby GT350, Miata ND2 (track modified), Camaro SS1LE, MKV Supra (track modified). While I have not tracked the M3P yet I’ve done enough sharp backroads to already know with some minor suspension mods the car will be well setup for the track. With some addition weight savings (tires and wheels). I’ve never read a review I can recall where people found fault with the Tesla handling suspension. Most actually are surprised at how good it is for a car with this weight.

The biggest issue with the i40 M50 will always be the weight. I like that it has adaptive dampers stock, but theres nothing really revolutionary about the car. They built it around an ICE based chassis which, I think, is a disadvantage. You have a transmission tunnel and a useless front area for storage. Obviously this was some to save cost but it seemos shortsighted.

Yes the Tesla interior is wry minimal, but it’s not really low rent feeling. At least in my 2022 M3P. Everything is soft touch with nice things like real wood, etc.

 

[James Cole]

The i4 is a beta product with a beta powertrain and a beta platform (for electric) where the hell did they put an exta 1,000 lbs on the car, makes no sense at all…

 

[jabloomf1230]

The i4 is a beta product with a beta powertrain and a beta platform (for electric) where the hell did they put an exta 1,000 lbs on the car, makes no sense at all…

Just guessing but it's built on the standard G8x chassis, so it's not a battery on roller skates like the Tesla or the ID4. That's gotta add a lot of weight. At some point BMW will have to release a BEV designed from the ground up, but nothing has been announced formally.

 

[Apprunner]

Just guessing but it's built on the standard G8x chassis, so it's not a battery on roller skates like the Tesla or the ID4. That's gotta add a lot of weight. At some point BMW will have to release a BEV designed from the ground up, but nothing has been announced formally.

I believe their iX is a ground up BEV platform. Their i4 is the one they platform shared with.

 

[jabloomf1230]

I believe their iX is a ground up BEV platform. Their i4 is the one they platform shared with.

Good catch. I left out sedan. The iX is and SUV.

 

[BMWM3Man]

Just guessing but it's built on the standard G8x chassis, so it's not a battery on roller skates like the Tesla or the ID4. That's gotta add a lot of weight. At some point BMW will have to release a BEV designed from the ground up, but nothing has been announced formally.

Ground up would be nice to see. This video highlights a lot of the ICE "features" that were left behind on electric version. Things like cut outs for the tale pipe and the gas cap area...once you see it you can't unsee it. But what kills it for me is the huge grill...

 

[Zcd1]

…I find the Model 3…twitchy…

Eh - one person’s “twitchy” is another person’s “finely judged”…

 

[James Cole]

Seems the Model 3 only requires and updated interior; nicer dash, driver screen, cooler steering and a black headliner at least on the Performance and it would destroy the BMW.

If you add updated 4680 lighter batteries with actually more range and one piece body castings... well you can see where Tesla is going and whats going to happen to the competition.

 

[Not That M3]

Seems the Model 3 only requires and updated interior; nicer dash, driver screen, cooler steering and a black headliner at least on the Performance and it would destroy the BMW.

If you add updated 4680 lighter batteries with actually more range and one piece body castings... well you can see where Tesla is going and whats going to happen to the competition.

Put it in a Model 3 Plaid.

 

[Theone8181]

Ground up would be nice to see. This video highlights a lot of the ICE "features" that were left behind on electric version. Things like cut outs for the tale pipe and the gas cap area...once you see it you can't unsee it. But what kills it for me is the huge grill...

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All I'm thinking is that the transmission tunnel must be made of lead for it to weigh that much, either that or they've left the petrol engine in.

 

[ZenRockGarden]

All I'm thinking is that the transmission tunnel must be made of lead for it to weigh that much, either that or they've left the petrol engine in.

I can't stop laughing at the BMW electric i4 having a "transmission tunnel" eating rear seat footwell when the car does not have a transmission.

BMW does make a nice interior, and cares a lot about autobahn level top end performance. But the i4 is a 3-series with electrics bolted in - that's why it's got a huge hood with no storage, a transmission tunnel, exaust-cut-outs and a dozen other compromises which lead it to being 500-odd pounds heavier than the model 3 which is no lightweight itself.

 

[BMWY]

I just test drove an i4M50 this past weekend and I would take it in a heartbeat over an M3P. Fit and finish, power delivery, handling is all as good or better than the Model 3 (and I like the Model 3).

 

[Park2670]

Ive now driven the i4 twice, and I just cant get myself to love it. The super high dash and beltline made me feel way too claustrophobic, the throttle tuning was too slow for what I am used to, and the cramped interior just was a turn off for me.