Out with the Tesla… in with the Beemer (i4 M50)
Discussion
My first venture into a BMW and an electric one at that.
The Tesla M3P has done me well over the past 3 years but as much as I loved the plug and play theme of it I yearned for a car that looked like a ‘normal car’ but had all the electric benefits. So exit stage right the Tesla and enter the fray the BMW i4 M50 in Sanremo Green.
Now, at first glance on the BMW configurator you’d think that the green was actual Kermit the frog green however having seen one in town around 12 months ago I was set on having one away from the the usual Dravit Grey, Silvers and various blues (including Tanzanite Blue which I was sorely tempted by.
I speced it with the oyster grey leather and the upgraded 20” wheels which whilst they reduce the range they do look awesome especially with the widened rear arches - still a big racer at heart…
It’s barely moved off the driver however this week I do have some longer treks to make so I’ve signed up for the free monthly IONITY and BP Pulse deals that BMW offer and will be testing it probably.
First impressions….luxury. A huge step up from the Tesla which I’d expected but certainly a lovely place to spend some time in. The weight is clear from the first drive however it’s covered well and only the really adventurous would criticise it I reckon at the highest speeds - I would say that Harry Metcalfe’s video review was spot on in this regard.
Performance was always going to be interesting having come from the M3P however in Sport Boost mode it is truly unbelievable. Standing starts feel just as quick as the 3.1 seconds of the Tesla and flirting it from around 30mph is laughably painful on the neck
. I don’t know the exact breakdowns of speed comparison across various ranges but to me at a rolling speed it certainly quicker than the M3P.
The beauty however is when you’re in comfort mode and the all is silent whilst the Harmon Kardon speakers are purring away.
I’m sure I’ll find plenty to critique - the charging cable for home for example feels cheap in comparison to the Tesla and the whilst the rear storage is better there is no frunk. Full charge is currently showing 235 miles whereas the M3P was often around 320 miles.
I’ll keep reporting back but for now some miserably wet delivery day photos.
The Tesla M3P has done me well over the past 3 years but as much as I loved the plug and play theme of it I yearned for a car that looked like a ‘normal car’ but had all the electric benefits. So exit stage right the Tesla and enter the fray the BMW i4 M50 in Sanremo Green.
Now, at first glance on the BMW configurator you’d think that the green was actual Kermit the frog green however having seen one in town around 12 months ago I was set on having one away from the the usual Dravit Grey, Silvers and various blues (including Tanzanite Blue which I was sorely tempted by.
I speced it with the oyster grey leather and the upgraded 20” wheels which whilst they reduce the range they do look awesome especially with the widened rear arches - still a big racer at heart…
It’s barely moved off the driver however this week I do have some longer treks to make so I’ve signed up for the free monthly IONITY and BP Pulse deals that BMW offer and will be testing it probably.
First impressions….luxury. A huge step up from the Tesla which I’d expected but certainly a lovely place to spend some time in. The weight is clear from the first drive however it’s covered well and only the really adventurous would criticise it I reckon at the highest speeds - I would say that Harry Metcalfe’s video review was spot on in this regard.
Performance was always going to be interesting having come from the M3P however in Sport Boost mode it is truly unbelievable. Standing starts feel just as quick as the 3.1 seconds of the Tesla and flirting it from around 30mph is laughably painful on the neck
. I don’t know the exact breakdowns of speed comparison across various ranges but to me at a rolling speed it certainly quicker than the M3P.The beauty however is when you’re in comfort mode and the all is silent whilst the Harmon Kardon speakers are purring away.
I’m sure I’ll find plenty to critique - the charging cable for home for example feels cheap in comparison to the Tesla and the whilst the rear storage is better there is no frunk. Full charge is currently showing 235 miles whereas the M3P was often around 320 miles.
I’ll keep reporting back but for now some miserably wet delivery day photos.
That write up was doing a fantastic job of selling the i4 M50 as being a great car, however if that 235mile range is accurate then that feels somewhat woeful. I appreciate a lot of people fixate on range and it's often only relevant for 1% of people's journeys but that just feels fairly poor for an electric saloon with a 84kwh battery, though admittedly it has got a hefty amount of power. I'll be interested to hear what your real world range ends up being.
Be interested how you get on with it. I have one on order for March delivery also with the 20" wheels and a few option packs added.
Went with Sunset Orange and Tacora Red interior (I know a brave choice). Figured if I was going to drive an electrical appliance may as well go as far away from Whites, Greys and Black as possible.
Can't say I'm looking forward to the world of EVs, but at least the reduction in BiK will go towards the XKR I'm looking to buy for the weekends.
Went with Sunset Orange and Tacora Red interior (I know a brave choice). Figured if I was going to drive an electrical appliance may as well go as far away from Whites, Greys and Black as possible.
Can't say I'm looking forward to the world of EVs, but at least the reduction in BiK will go towards the XKR I'm looking to buy for the weekends.
That's a lovely motor & a superb colour 
It's the range that put my Dad off buying onne unfortunately; he's sticking with his X3M for now until they sort better range out; they have property in the Highlands and it's c270miles door to door and he wants to be able to get there or back, in one full run if required and not have to stop to charge etc
It's the range that put my Dad off buying onne unfortunately; he's sticking with his X3M for now until they sort better range out; they have property in the Highlands and it's c270miles door to door and he wants to be able to get there or back, in one full run if required and not have to stop to charge etc
Great colour- I ended up with a 420i Coupe in San Remo green as a hire car for a few days earlier in the year and fell in love with the colour- it got universally positive feedback from pretty much everyone who saw it, which is a first out of almost anything I’ve driven!
Interested to see how you get on with the range, my Dad has an iX 40 which quotes about 250 miles but he tends to get just under 200. Other than one stressful run to Cornwall that’s generally been enough though. Seriously quick off the line too, so god knows what the i4 M50 is like.
Interested to see how you get on with the range, my Dad has an iX 40 which quotes about 250 miles but he tends to get just under 200. Other than one stressful run to Cornwall that’s generally been enough though. Seriously quick off the line too, so god knows what the i4 M50 is like.
mikebradford said:
Nice write up.
Intresting to see the range comparison, I would have hoped it was closer to tesla.
Will be intresting to see if it improves as range is obviously one of the key factors for many
Agreed. That said I did my usual trip to the office today and it certainly bettered the Tesla despite the cold. Interesting to track in future.Intresting to see the range comparison, I would have hoped it was closer to tesla.
Will be intresting to see if it improves as range is obviously one of the key factors for many
WCZ said:
how does it feel in terms of sportiness in relation to the model3? i've been driving the tesla recently and been suprised at just how nimble and responsive the steering feels. currently have a cupra born and thinking of what to get when the lease ends
You certainly feel the weight but in a different way. The ride is like comparing a go kart to a limousine though which I’m happy to trade off. The M3P was certainly easier in the corners but even that felt that through the twisties the weight was trying to keep up. Tbh I have my 4C for the corners
stumpage said:
Be interested how you get on with it. I have one on order for March delivery also with the 20" wheels and a few option packs added.
Went with Sunset Orange and Tacora Red interior (I know a brave choice). Figured if I was going to drive an electrical appliance may as well go as far away from Whites, Greys and Black as possible.
Can't say I'm looking forward to the world of EVs, but at least the reduction in BiK will go towards the XKR I'm looking to buy for the weekends.
Exactly my stance on electric cars in general. No real interest in them as they’ve never be a ‘proper’ car in my eyes. The BMW enables me to have the 4C in the garage.Went with Sunset Orange and Tacora Red interior (I know a brave choice). Figured if I was going to drive an electrical appliance may as well go as far away from Whites, Greys and Black as possible.
Can't say I'm looking forward to the world of EVs, but at least the reduction in BiK will go towards the XKR I'm looking to buy for the weekends.
Sofa said:
Great colour- I ended up with a 420i Coupe in San Remo green as a hire car for a few days earlier in the year and fell in love with the colour- it got universally positive feedback from pretty much everyone who saw it, which is a first out of almost anything I’ve driven!
Interested to see how you get on with the range, my Dad has an iX 40 which quotes about 250 miles but he tends to get just under 200. Other than one stressful run to Cornwall that’s generally been enough though. Seriously quick off the line too, so god knows what the i4 M50 is like.
It’s actually quite shocking how brutal the M50 is when you go for it Interested to see how you get on with the range, my Dad has an iX 40 which quotes about 250 miles but he tends to get just under 200. Other than one stressful run to Cornwall that’s generally been enough though. Seriously quick off the line too, so god knows what the i4 M50 is like.
I'm not an EV convert yet but I think this is much nicer than a Tesla. I've been in a couple of Tesla and was not impressed with the ride or the build quality. Plus a good friend of mine has spent a fortune on things breaking on his Model S.
The BMW will no doubt be a better car (I'd think anyway) and also that colour is way more interesting!
The BMW will no doubt be a better car (I'd think anyway) and also that colour is way more interesting!
Nice choice OP, love the colour. I’ve had mine since June. Would’ve preferred tanzanite blue but it was an ex demo, so not much choice! Brilliant daily. Charging is rarely an issue. I tend to charge mine to 80% and get 200 ish commuting miles from that, over the summer months - that’s also on the 20 inch wheels. Will be less as it gets colder. I think I’ve had to use public chargers 3 or 4 times in my ownership.
A quick update having done around 500 miles this week and it certainly has performed well against the Tesla in terms of real world range. I haven’t drilled into the kWH comparisons between the two but I my round trip to both Leeds and Northampton fell pretty much within the forecasted range of the car from start to finish. Impressed so far given the horror stories (and specifying the 20” wheels )
)First 500 miles down and a few comments so far:-
+ The ride and general build quality is exceptional
+ Range isn’t massive but crucially the accuracy of what the car tells you it has compared to what you actually get is within 5%. A huge bonus for an electric especially in the current cold weather.
+ The colour is stunning when cloud and wet (364 days out of 365) almost British racing green, and then changes to a sparkling green metallic in the sun (1 day out of 365).
+ Still seems a rarity in the air, especially in M50 guise which certainly wasn’t the case with the Tesla
- Sat nav is crap, looks outdated and routes bizarre routes. Car play via Google sorts that but even so…
_. The looks. That front end still takes some getting used too however coming from the Tesla model 3 it’s almost a battle of the ugliest.
- Phone connection to Bluetooth can be ad-hoc
Still very much enjoying it and managed to find some time away from the rain last weekend to add some carbon pack touches.
+ The ride and general build quality is exceptional
+ Range isn’t massive but crucially the accuracy of what the car tells you it has compared to what you actually get is within 5%. A huge bonus for an electric especially in the current cold weather.
+ The colour is stunning when cloud and wet (364 days out of 365) almost British racing green, and then changes to a sparkling green metallic in the sun (1 day out of 365).
+ Still seems a rarity in the air, especially in M50 guise which certainly wasn’t the case with the Tesla
- Sat nav is crap, looks outdated and routes bizarre routes. Car play via Google sorts that but even so…
_. The looks. That front end still takes some getting used too however coming from the Tesla model 3 it’s almost a battle of the ugliest.
- Phone connection to Bluetooth can be ad-hoc
Still very much enjoying it and managed to find some time away from the rain last weekend to add some carbon pack touches.
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