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M3P VS BMW I4 M50
- Thread starter Futur3EV
- Start date
On a highway, ICE engine noise should be an overriding source of NVH.
Unless the vehicle is poorly engineered and allows excessive wind noise to enter the cabin.
Unfortunately, my TM3P is way louder on the highway than any of my ICE cars.
All due to the wind noise. That comes from less than perfectly fitting body panel components and excessive gaps between body panels. The biggest offenders are the glass roof seam right over your head, and less than well designed side window gaskets. Probably something else as well.
It does not need to be that way, but it is what it is with Model 3's.
What was the downside*Checks calendar and garage*
Yep, the right choice is in place
I had a '95 C4 Corvette that very likely had a few rattles, but it had full 3" exhaust through LT headers with HFCs, heads, a big cam, so I didn't hear them.
Or the radio.
Or the passenger talking to me ...
.
jabloomf1230
Minister of Silly Walks
My 530e has been no masterpiece of tech either. The backup camera stopped working and needed an update. The locking door handles failed and needed replacement. The trunk kept getting stuck. The front passenger seat rattled if unoccupied. The battery lost half of its warm weather range in two years.
Years ago I had a Saab 99 and then a Saab 900, because we lived in the snowbelt and almost no other cars were RWD. Out of brand loyalty I then bought a 9000 turbo. It was the worst car ever. Rampant electrical issues and a blown head gasket were a few of its features. The 530e is nowhere near as bad, but compared to the other 7 BMWs that I've owned, it is definitely the low point on the "ultimate driving machine" desirability curve.
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Interesting comparison. Looks like the M3P is the better driver's car but the i4 M50 is the better commuter car.
That's interesting. I'd have thought the BMW would gave been the better drivers cars, they've certainly got more experience in developing cars for that niche (albeit in ice form).
Not much history yet. Probably need to check back in a year.
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@Theone8181 Felt like BMW abandoned the "driver's car" thing with the F30 3-series. I haven't driven a BMW since and I'm a bit afraid to after that massive disappointment.
Everyone says that the BMW is so much faster than the Model 3 at higher speeds. I am not convinced that actually is the case anymore.
MaskedRacerX
Member
I'm very pleasantly surprised with the M3P as a "driver's car", granted, it's a notably different experience.
The AWD system is superb and feels predictable and unobtrusive - the visibility (something many people don't consider) is excellent, I find it's easy to set up a really good driving position (or a few with all the profile slots). The brakes have pretty good feedback (I have the Performance model), the steering in sport mode has a surprising amount of feel.
Sometimes I hussle through an area and recall how totally different it felt in a previous ride, but while different, also fun and engaging.
Oh, you added extra photo post-quote, I was going to ask to confirm it's a Model 3, umm, and it is! Looks like a P model too.
Those are pretty killer ETs and MPH, especially the latter, what was your SOC on those runs?
MaskedRacerX
Member
Oh yeah, probably, I was more curious about the actual % since the available power reduces.
Tracks need to toss up a couple of 240v 30 or 50a outlets! Not even a charger, just let people BYOC
Interesting review. Thanks for posting it.
There is another clip with a bunch of guys comparing Model 3 AP vs. i4's ADAS features, and i4 comes out ahead.
At first, I was surprised by that outcome.
On the other hand, in the ~4 years of ownership, Tesla has done just about NOTHING to materially improve the AP performance. It is still flaky and remains easily confused in the exactly same spots on the road as it did ~4 years ago when the car was new.
I guess others have caught up and exceeded Tesla's AP.
Between a higher quality interior vs. Model 3 (which sets a pretty low bench mark) and better ADAS reliability, I can see why they would conclude i4 makes for a better commuter car.
I think TM3P driving dynamics still shine compared to the EV competition. There are far better ICE (aka vegan) handling cars out there, but among the EVs, TM3P is still the best performance ticket.
Take visibility, for example. Front and sides are good, rear visibility is lousy.
I test drove i4, and the rear visibility and rear passenger seat real estate are even worse!
a
I had 99% or even 100% for those runs. We can charge right at our track with 14-50 RV chargers.
Finally had a chance to watch this. Kyle is as on point as ever. Great comparison for anyone who really likes to drive hard.
M3P is definitely more my kind of car.
That must be pretty bad as I think the rear is poor on the 3. Saying that my last car was a coupe and 10 years old so likely thinner pillars.
vogz
Member
Super impressive. What's really nuts is your trap speeds. Best I've ever been able to do is 118mph, but no chargers at the track so I was around 93-94% SOC IIRC. What was the weather like? Did you have a tailwind at all? Any weight reduction on the car?
Food for thought...how good would the i4 M50 be if its software was as good as the M3P's? (I'm talking about drivetrain, braking, etc - not talking about infotainment.)
Tesla vastly improved Track Mode since the early days of the M3P, right? (I've only had mine since fall 2021.) Does the i4 M50 support OTA updates? Is there any chance of BMW making major improvements to its software post-launch? Any word from BMW on actually doing this?
Still, I'm sure the question of an i4 M50 with M3P level software is purely theoretical. At least for the ones leaving the factory right now. Still, if BMW could just loosen up the nannies more, that alone would be a worthwhile improvement. It sounds like the chassis - and certainly the power! - is good enough to have some real fun, if the car would only let you.
Interesting (to me) side note: Kyle didn't talk much about the i4 M50's weight when actually driving it. He did mention its weight when briefly going over the specs, so he's clearly aware of it, but it sounds like the chassis and suspension might do a good job of masking it. (Not to mention its power!) I think if it felt the full 1k lbs heftier, Kyle would have mentioned it.
Then again maybe the M50's nannies were so intrusive that its weight didn't really come into play, because he couldn't properly judge its reactions at its full limits. It does sound like in slightly less aggressive driving the weight is well masked though.
