[phantom701]

It was a bit of a surprise since I wasn't expecting to get it so soon. My lease for the i3 is coming up at the end of the year, but I had already called BMW FS to extend the lease for 2 more months and more if needed.

Little did I know, the dealer I have been working with asked me for a build code in July. I wasn't excited about the deal at the time and didn't actually put down a deposit for the dealer to order the car that I wanted.

Over the weekend, I got a call from the dealer and he mentioned that the car that I wanted is here. I was a bit surprised. He then gave me a decent deal: 10% off MSRP plus a $7,500 lease credit. So I thought, why not. Though I'm still wondering if I got a good deal 😅

So I have an Alpine white i4 with M sport package, DAPP. I love DAPP as it is very comparable to Tesla's autopilot (my other car) and the lane change assist is awesome.

Between the Tesla and my i4, there are definitely pros and cons with each of them. I do prefer the interior of the i4 substantially more and I like the fact that I can easily access Audible from my phone on the i4 vs having to fumble around a few steps before getting to it on the Tesla.

[cfm56d7b]

Pictures, please?

[SkykingUSA]

Originally Posted by phantom701

Between the Tesla and my i4, there are definitely pros and cons with each of them. I do prefer the interior of the i4 substantially more and I like the fact that I can easily access Audible from my phone on the i4 vs having to fumble around a few steps before getting to it on the Tesla.

Other than the interior and the Audible, what are the other main pluses and minuses for each?

Thanks for sharing.

[phantom701]

Here are some pictures of the car.

After having the car for two weeks, it's definitely more premium compared to our Tesla.

Here is a summary of my likes and not:
After having the car for a few days, here are some of my observations.

Digital Key:
Tesla: This is very seamless with the Tesla, I don't need a key fob. I can open the door, the vehicle will adjust to my settings, I just simply drive off.
BMW: The digital key only works with the driver's side door and you have to physically take out the phone and touch the door. So not very convenient. I wished I could just get in the car and drive off. As we know, there's still a start / stop button.

Interior Quality:
Tesla: Some may have mentioned it already, people coming from Toyota, VW, it feels like a more premium car. For us who used to drive BMW, Lexus, etc, it's somewhat of a downgrade. The seat comfort is quite nice. There's seat heaters for all 5 seats.
BMW: The interior is superior to Tesla. Heated seats are an additional option and it's only for the front two seats. Heated seats for the rear require you upgrade to leather seats with an extra fee. This is stupid!

Driver's Tech:
Tesla: There are elements that are better in the Tesla. I like how the steering wheel is electronically adjusted. Everything is accessed in the middle screen, can be annoying at times. I like the video streaming capability that comes with the vehicle.
BMW: I am happy to get HUD back and a host of other apps. Because of the seamless integration with Apple CarPlay, I was able to get to many apps easily without having to look away from the road. With Tesla, you might get into an accident because there's no way to do so without looking at the screen.

Autopilot / Driver Assisted Professional Package:
Tesla: The basic autopilot that comes with the car is still better than the BMW. Since it's only basic autopilot, you need to pay for more advanced capabilities, including lane changing. You also need to acknowledge you are paying attention to the road by putting force on the steering wheel even though both of your hands are on the steering wheel, bad design.
BMW: I paid for DAPP and it's a nice system. Tesla's is slightly better here still. I love the lane-changing capabilities. I do find it a bit disturbing when the lane-keeping capability turns off without giving the driver any warnings. Since the steering wheel has capacitive sensor, you don't need to apply force to the wheel like the Tesla, which is how it's supposed to be!

360 Parking View and Automated Parking:
Tesla: Doesn't have it and Elon is going back and forth about why you don't need it. This is why annoys me about Tesla, Elon thinks he knows best. You only get the automated parking with FSD. Tesla relies on its computer vision to park the car, so it can park in spots where there are parking markings instead of relying on ultrasonic sensors to detect cars between spots.
BMW: 360 View is awesome!! I did get the parking package which is great. Even though it's not using vision to detect parking spots, it maneuvers much better than the Tesla.

Frunk / Storage:
Tesla: It has a frunk. It is an EV, after all. Storage space is awesome.
BMW: Even though there's enough space especially for a rear-wheel drive vehicle, BMW chose not to use that space.

[SkykingUSA]

Thanks so much for the detailed description. The pictures are great and congratulations on the car, it looks cool. What color is that? Mineral White?

[phantom701]

Originally Posted by SkykingUSA

Thanks so much for the detailed description. The pictures are great and congratulations on the car, it looks cool. What color is that? Mineral White?

Thanks, the color is actually Alpine White.