Yeah I'm sure I am being unfair to Tesla owners. I see them as "dumb techies". Probably getting a fat paycheck they don't really deserve, thinking they're smarter than everyone else and their choice of car proves it.
I know it's wrong.
I know it's wrong.
Techies might (gross generalisation warning) tend to: a) Have higher than average disposable income b) Be early adopters of new tech c) Care less what other people think of them than an average person d) Judge things more objectively than an average person.
So it's hardly surprising a lot of them end up buying a Tesla Model 3. They are very well-packaged, fast, have good range, the Supercharger network, and are fairly mid-priced as cars these days go (similar to say a slower BMW 3 series diesel, at least in the UK).
The BMW i4 launched recently. The Tesla Model 3 is a six year old design. And yet the i4 has much worse range, is either slower or much more expensive, and according to all the critics seems to be less fun to drive.
Heaven forfend that anyone buy a car on its merits, as opposed to what other people think of the badge.
https://evcompare.io claims a real-world winter range in miles of:
192 for the BMW i4 M50
241 for the BMW i4 eDrive40
252 for the Tesla Model 3 Performance
282 for the Tesla Model 3 Long Range
So yes, the much slower i4 with the 18" wheels gets a similar range to the much faster Model 3 Performance with the 20" wheels. That's not really apples-for-apples though is it?
If you don't want the M50 / M3 Performance speed, then save the £6k and get a Model 3 Long Range. You'd have more performance and more range than the i4 eDrive40, and a car that weighs nearly half a tonne less.
(That's before options - it's about £9k to get all the things that are standard on the Tesla, like keyless entry, a heated steering wheel, electric seats, lumbar support adjustment, auto-dipping headlights, wireless phone charging, drive recorder, active cruise + lane keeping (autopilot), a glass roof, etc.)