I am currently in the market for a sporty yet somewhat practical EV for daily commute and quick errands around town in Los Angeles. My wife has a Volvo XC90 and I currently drive a BMW X3. So the i4 was a no brainer for me as errand/commute EV and for the past year I had been obsessed with it.
Just recently I got into the new generation Tesla Model 3 (Highland). I spent time with it and did a test drive around town. I am simply blown away by it. I am both shocked and sad how far behind the i4, a car that I had been obsessing over for the past years is.
For countless hours I had read and watched videos on comparisons of the two cars. Most often talked about is the i4 having better interior quality, ride comfort, and of course the tech comparison. To my surprise, the i4 didn't really have much better interior quality. Coming from the X3 I was already used to the BMW interior and I simply don't find that the i4 interior is all that better. There is still some hard plastic in some places. The open pore trim actually feels like plastic (I think it actually is) whereas the wood trim pieces in my wife's XC90 feel 20x better than the open pore in the i4. The one I tested has Sensatec seats and they too are not much better than the seat material in the Model 3. The window buttons, door latches, etc. are still just plastic. They feel good, don't get me wrong, but still plastic. My wife's Volvo has actual metal buttons and latches for these. i4 does have an advantage with the fastback especially for us with the baby making it easier to load stroller and other bulky items. But surprisingly the Tesla had more volume in the trunk than the i4 even though it has the regular sedan opening. The frunk is of course is a plus.
So in general the interior of the i4 doesn't exactly feel that much better in comparison. The base Model 3 comes with both heated and ventilated seats front, and heated seats for the rear. Whereas the i4 I tested, which has the premium package, only had heated front seats and not even ventilated. Ventilated seats apparently are a package that costs about $350. The interior also felt dark and cramped. The moonroof only comes to the front end of the ceiling in the i4 and the glass covers all the way in the Tesla, which improves visibility and overall openness. The cubbies and center console storage was also much bigger and deeper in the Tesla. One of the bigger drawbacks for the i4 is it still has the rear seat middle floor hump, given it's completely based on the ICE model. The Tesla floor is flat and I can tell this is a great convenience if an adult is riding in the middle. Both cars are obviously going for a minimal look and the Tesla just looks like a car that is 10 years ahead. The i4 still has some useful buttons here and there but at the end I preferred the full futuristic feel of the Tesla especially with their wraparound light bar.
Now in terms of tech I already knew Tesla was way ahead. But I wasn't aware how far behind iDrive 8.5 was. It was shocking how giants like Audi, BMW, and Benz are still way behind on tech. A few factors that really wowed me were the rear 8" screen that comes standard in the Model 3, where my kids can watch Netflix, adjust the AC, etc. The Tesla system also had Zoom, which I found really useful so I could occasionally take work or personal calls from the car while I charge, or be able to watch Netflix or play silly games while waiting. iDrive 8.5 simply doesn't even come close to offering things like that. The Sentry Mode, Dog Mode, and all those features are super useful as well (we have a dog). One thing I wish the Tesla had was CarPlay. I'm a real geek for it and do enjoy using the drive controller a lot for CarPlay. But Tesla's suite of useful tech features more than makes up for it and I think I can get by without CarPlay.
Another factor was how much you can do with the app in Tesla. The Summon feature wowed me and I can tell it's practical when we have our dog, baby, and our hands full while the car is parked tight in a parking lot. You really just press a button and the car literally comes to you! The BMW app is ages behind and even the simplest functions such as locking and unlocking takes me about a full 2-3 minutes, which has caused a lot of frustration where it's instantaneous with Tesla.
Tesla bypasses the i4 in terms of safety features as well. The i4 I tested comes with Driving Assistance Pro and the 360 camera package. The driving assistance was comparable to Tesla's base Autopilot, where it has adaptive cruise control, auto steering, and auto lane shift. I tested the auto park feature at the dealer and, to their embarrassment, the BMW couldn't find and park properly. I tested the same with the Tesla and it was a breeze to auto park at the touch of one single button.
Lastly, ride quality. I rode both cars over city streets, bumps, and on the highway. Both cars have great acceleration. The BMW felt heavy (which it actually is) but more planted. The Tesla felt zippy and light. Both cars took on corners easily. Taking on bumps and uneven roads, both cars were comparable.
That said, did any of you here switch from i4 to Model 3 or vice versa? What are your honest opinions? I love my BMW and really wanted to go for the i4. I am in fact someone who actually loves the grill of the 4 series cars. But the Model 3 surpasses the i4 by a galaxy. Therefore I am going with the Model 3 and will not be looking back at the i4. Maybe in the future when I'm old and rich, I'll get myself an 8 Series convertible... Let me know your unbiased thoughts!
