[greensaloon]

Why did you choose to go with a BMW electric vehicle over something comparable from Tesla? With all the reasons to not buy a Tesla, what stood out to you the most that BMW solves? To those wondering, design is it for me. I find Tesla's to be ugly and even with the new double-coffin, the i4 is the clear winner.

 

[seemebreakthis]

Their looks.... Tesla especially the model 3 looks really ugly to me.

Also the interior - I am not impressed by the way they just attach a flat ipad-like display on a dash that has NOTHING. I haven't driven one, but just by looking at the pictures I lose my appetite already. Where is the integration and style? Not the mention the steering wheel has nothing either. Makes it look like a toy car to be honest.

I am a bit baffled by the lack of a panoramic roof for the i4. Other than that, just from an aesthetic point of view, the i4 is already the clear winner to me.

 

[illian_ger]

Same for me! It looks extremely boring to me. Additionally I don't want to be part of the Tesla "cult".
I don't know why having a "clean, simple" interior is a plus. These are just the result of extreme cost savings, nothing else. (model 3) But people praise it for it's clean looks..fooled by marketing I guess!

 

[Peter]

I'm actually not 100% decided until I see the finance numbers since the M3 is pretty competitive, but for me it comes down to:

Model 3 Performance Pros:

• Better range
• Access to more chargers (Supercharger network)
• Supposedly better acceleration/top speed (not gonna be hitting the top speed anyway)

BMW i4 M50 Pros:

• Way nicer interior and exterior
• Better build quality

One thing I really am not keen on is the interior on the M3, it looks too minimalist for me, but I could probably get used to it. For the i4 the only things I find annoying are that it has no frunk and it has the drive shaft enclosure still running the length of the car.

 

[i4 M50 Rennenprofi]

I test drove a Tesla 3.
1. I didn’t like that you had to look to the center to know your speed instead of straight ahead. I’ve never received a speeding ticket and I’m not about to start because a manufacturer is to cheap to put a speedometer dead center.

2. The turning radius is terrible. I did a U-turn and almost didn’t make it full circle with the Tesla 3. I came way too close to the curb and almost had to put it in reverse. I’m used to the turning radius of Volkswagen cars and drive a 2019 GTI which has a turning radius similar to a Porsche 911. The turning radius of the last gen BMW 4 series Gran Coupe isn’t as good as my GTI, but it’s better than a Tesla 3. Not sure how the BMW i4 M50 will stack up.

3. Forced to use Tesla specific chargers for the Tesla 3. This is a deal breaker. If Tesla goes belly up where would you charge for road trips? Tesla specific chargers also limit where you can travel. Current and future EVs use/will use the CCS Combo and there are many more CCS Combo chargers out there and more are constantly being built. President Biden wants to install electric chargers nationwide as well. He’d want to install CCS Combo chargers because that’s what GM, Ford etc. are using.

4. Poor seat design. Tesla headrests protrude forward too much so if you stomp on the accelerator it’s like you’re punching yourself in the back of the head giving yourself a mini concussion. Not cool. I sat in a new BMW M4 and those headrests don’t protrude too much.

5. Paint and panel gaps. You hear of Tesla 3s with poor paint jobs which need to be repainted and Tesla does not want to cover it. The Tesla 3 I test drove had panel gaps and if it has panel gaps what else aren’t they getting right in manufacturing and quality control? I’ve driven VWs for the past 17 years and from my Corrado, Golf, Passat and GTIs panel gap was never an issue.

6. Tesla is dishonest and misrepresents the actual range of their vehicles. They do 5 EPA cycles whereas every other car manufacturer does 3. So a Porsche Taycan gets better highway range than you would think whereas the Tesla gets a worse range.

From a recent car and driver article they stated that while the Tesla 3 long range has an EPA range of over 300 miles, they’ve never gotten better than 230 miles!

Comparison Test: 2020 Kia Niro EV vs. 2021 Volkswagen ID.4

Which is the better entry-level electric crossover?

www.google.com

 

[Lowe Lindroth]

German quality and driving performance beats rivalling Tesla Model 3. AND design, the i4 has a more sporty look than the TM3, which is everywhere in Oslo where I live.
The Model S is too expensive over here, would consider it if it was 20k USD cheaper.

 

[Nate99]

Both the exterior and interior of the Model 3 is ugly!! Also, from what I heard, the interior quality is very cheap given there isn't much to begin with.

 

[SSi3]

I don’t want to be part of Elon’s nonsense.

 

[greensaloon]

German quality and driving performance beats rivalling Tesla Model 3. AND design, the i4 has a more sporty look than the TM3, which is everywhere in Oslo where I live.
The Model S is too expensive over here, would consider it if it was 20k USD cheaper.

Well said. Tesla really needs to step it up because BMW Group, VW Group and others all very solid plans in place.
Were you considering any other vehicles (German?) before deciding to go with the i4?

 

[greensaloon]

Both the exterior and interior of the Model 3 is ugly!! Also, from what I heard, the interior quality is very cheap given there isn't much to begin with.

Agreed!

That point about ugly design also true for all other Tesla's, especially the Cybertruck. I though the Model 3 was bad enough but nope.

 

[Lowe Lindroth]

Well said. Tesla really needs to step it up because BMW Group, VW Group and others all very solid plans in place.
Were you considering any other vehicles (German?) before deciding to go with the i4?

Not really, they are too expensive for me (the Porsche Taycan and the Audi E-Tron GT). Looked at the Kia EV6 GT, but its not coming here until fall next year. Pretty cool car otherwise, but not the same as a german driving machine! This will be my first BMW, really look forward to driving it!