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Old 08-17-2019, 08:15 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by AF View Post
Just a heads up this is not an issue in either our 340 or 540 ... maybe mention this at your next service.

I enjoyed your write up but I feel like your comparing an every day comfortable car (yes it’s a fast and odd one) to a hyped up almost sports car. The M3 is not an everyday comfortable type of car, it is a little extreme in many different factors.

Btw one other thing, on a road trip I just want to get there, I don’t want to sit around and have a meal because I have no choice but to wait for my car to charge ...
Couple things -
JSTs Model 3 is a Performance, which is slotted against the M3. But it isn’t as aggressively upgraded compared to the regular Model 3 as a 3er is to a M3...

As for road trips, we haven’t taken the 3 on one yet, but the longer range compared to our S (100 miles more) will mean shorter charging stops. In the S, we averaged 45 min on our stops to add about 100 miles (on average - although it’s the stops that needed 150+ miles were that really increased the average). With more range in the 3, we won’t need to stop as frequently, and it will charge faster since it can hold more energy before charging slows down significantly due to the taper.

In the S, our drive from Scottsdale to Disneyland took about 30 min longer than in ICE - 8 vs 7.5 hours. The 3 could do that drive in about the same time as an ICE...
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Old 08-17-2019, 08:57 AM   #12
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Thanks for the write-up. Very interesting.
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Old 08-17-2019, 09:08 AM   #13
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I mean, that's the thing--these cars are really similar, both in terms of form and function. They're both sports sedans. The BMW is only a hyped up sports car because the engine is loud. The Tesla just doesn't demand the same compromises, but it does everything else as well or better.

Just curious, and not asking for actual numbers . . . .How do they compare with your insurance company/coverage?
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Old 08-17-2019, 09:32 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by ZBB View Post
Couple things -
JSTs Model 3 is a Performance, which is slotted against the M3. But it isn’t as aggressively upgraded compared to the regular Model 3 as a 3er is to a M3...

As for road trips, we haven’t taken the 3 on one yet, but the longer range compared to our S (100 miles more) will mean shorter charging stops. In the S, we averaged 45 min on our stops to add about 100 miles (on average - although it’s the stops that needed 150+ miles were that really increased the average). With more range in the 3, we won’t need to stop as frequently, and it will charge faster since it can hold more energy before charging slows down significantly due to the taper.

In the S, our drive from Scottsdale to Disneyland took about 30 min longer than in ICE - 8 vs 7.5 hours. The 3 could do that drive in about the same time as an ICE...
8 hour road trip in a car I know you fly a lot so I would think you love driving long distances and have a passion for it.

As far as the model 3 being compared to an M3, I have never driven a Tesla but from what my friends have told me who have these are very bottom heavy cars obviously due to the batteries and I always thought of them as VERY fast but not good handling cars, kinda like the 550ix I had ... it was fast as sh*t but not a car I’d want to drive on the twisties. Is the Model 3 different ?
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Old 08-17-2019, 10:26 AM   #15
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The Model 3 is far more nimble than the Model S. It’s much more of driver’s car. Weight-wise it’s heavier than the BMW, but in most driving it doesn’t feel like it.

On a track, I’m sure the M3 would be able to throw more consistent laps, but I wouldn’t pick either one for track work, tbh.
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Old 08-17-2019, 10:43 AM   #16
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Being we are talking about your cars, you realize you’ve got one heck of a stable right now. You’ve got to be loving it ... it has to be tough to decide which one to drive when you’re going out
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Old 08-17-2019, 10:57 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by AF View Post
8 hour road trip in a car I know you fly a lot so I would think you love driving long distances and have a passion for it.
Remember, I lived out west... There are much bigger distances between cities, and its quite common for people to drive, especially when on vacation.

Couple examples (this is driving time plus stops for gas/bio breaks)
- Phoenix area to San Diego ~7 hours
- Phoenix area to LA or Orange County ~8 hours
- Phoenix to Las Vegas ~5 hours
- LA area to Las Vegas ~4-5 hours + 1-2 hours for traffic
- San Diego to Las Vegas 5-6 hours + 1-2 hours traffic (or more...)
- Bay Area to Los Angeles 5-7 hours depending on start location + traffic
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Old 08-17-2019, 11:06 AM   #18
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Originally Posted by ZBB View Post
Remember, I lived out west... There are much bigger distances between cities, and its quite common for people to drive, especially when on vacation.

Couple examples (this is driving time plus stops for gas/bio breaks)
- Phoenix area to San Diego ~7 hours
- Phoenix area to LA or Orange County ~8 hours
- Phoenix to Las Vegas ~5 hours
- LA area to Las Vegas ~4-5 hours + 1-2 hours for traffic
- San Diego to Las Vegas 5-6 hours + 1-2 hours traffic (or more...)
- Bay Area to Los Angeles 5-7 hours depending on start location + traffic
I completely get it ... being I live within 40-45 minutes of 3 airports it is unusual to drive long distances though that has changed now that one of my kids is attending a school almost 5 hours away and flying is not really an option or maybe I should say flying is not a time saver.

Not trying to hi-jack this thread but I have been doing a lot of road trips lately and it’s given me a return of my passion for road trips.
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Old 08-17-2019, 11:24 AM   #19
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Nice writeup.

Everything you said about the Tesla aligns with my experience. Surprisingly pleasant and relaxing on long drives (although a bit too much road noise and wind noise) yet holy-sh!t-fcuk-balls zippy when you're in the mood to play. It excels at two things that are at opposite ends of the spectrum and are normally an either/or decision.

The handling is only meh, but somehow it works just fine for street driving. I think the throttle response and instant torque are probably a bigger factor in overall enjoyment than the amount of torque. The massive torque is fun but I actually don't floor it all that often. Lots of folks have said that the RWD version has noticibly more lag so that would be a big disappointment.

Your M3 description confirms with why I never understood that vehicle. It has an identity crisis. It's half big family car, half sports car. But rather than being the best of both worlds, it's a compromise at both of them.
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Old 08-17-2019, 11:34 AM   #20
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I never quite understood the m3 purchase.

It's hard to see them as direct competitors. A high-spec but hiding a real punch under the inoffensive / prius-exterior Model 3 and a shouty M3 are just apples and oranges. I guess our future is electric, and is here, just unevenly distributed... All the praise doesn't make me run out and get a Tesla though. I didn't want the m3 either (and have yet to drive the f80). I'm perfectly satisfied with the b58 340i in everyday driving. It could ride/handle a bit better; that's about it. Interestingly the guy I bought the m-performance exhaust from talked about how he missed his 340 as a daily now that he has an M3 ZCP.

I could see Cara considering something like a Chevy Bolt when the time comes to replace the GTI. That is up to her. I do like that, unlike Tesla but like the Germans, they state conservative range figures. I guess it's the difference between being wisened, burned middle-age company that is trying to return a margin vs. a tech wonderland financed by investors. Buying a Tesla is absolutely worth it in terms of $$'s and cents, you are buying subsidized by the investors (who may or may not get their dreamed-of return). Just like riding Uber & Lyft, no one, not the driver nor the company, has to make money as long as the the future looks semi-bright. So yeah, the smart thing to do is keep taking the rides. They have done horrors for NYC traffic though.
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