Jigglypuff
Member
It's a pretty huge difference in weight. Also a pretty huge difference in comfort and features. HUD, ventilated seats, physical controls, hatchback, a lot of sound deadening, a stiffer chassis, active suspension, luxury materials. It adds up. Would I like it lighter? Sure. Is that how BMW rolls? Nope. Not anymore. Not for a long, long time.@Jigglypuff True, you get real features and benefits for the extra weight. But whether they're worth it is a matter of priorities. I wouldn't want those for my M3P if it meant 1000 lbs extra weight. Priorities!
It seems BMW built a fast, smooth, and highly refined rocketship cruiser. I respect that but I don't get excited by it.
I guess I wish the i4 M50 was something it's not. Something that BMW has the technical expertise to build, but doesn't fit with their modern priorities of upmost refinement.
The Model S doesn't have the luxury of the i4. Are they offering ventilated seats again? Seems when they do, they stop right away. Still no HUD or leather. By all reports I've read, the Model S suspension is relatively primitive, like the rest of Tesla's suspensions. Plus the MS is a boat.The other issue I have with the i4 M50 is that if did want a faster, smoother, more comfortable EV with a liftgate...I might rather have a newish Model S.
It wouldn't be a clear-cut choice, there's clearly ups and downs to each and I'd definitely need to test drive the i4 M50 before deciding to not buy it, if that makes sense, but my best guess based on what I've read is I'd prefer an S (crazy shortage era pricing aside).
Similarly, since the i4 kind of straddles Model 3 and Model S to me, if it had been out when we were car shopping last year I'd definitely have tested it before pulling the trigger on the M3P or P2P. The thought crossed my mind to wait for the i4, but we were really needing a 2nd car, and with delays + shortages so common it seemed like a bad idea to wait on something that was officially months away, *if* no further delays happened...and with no guarantee that we'd actually like it more than the M3P or P2P.
Hell, I'll be the first to admit sometimes I come away from a test drive with a VASTLY different opinion of a car than I expected from reading about it. Like the Polestar 2 Performance. Could be that if/when I drive an i4 M50 someday, I'll be wanting to swap my M3P for it. Maybe.
The M3P is the backroad performance choice, sure, but it's primitive in too many ways, like the MY. They don't even have extendable thigh support. I'm uncomfortable after an hour in the MY, let alone 300 miles.
And, no joke, a modern Jeep handles bumps and has a better ride than an MYLR. Sad.