There is no exact science when it comes to reviewing cars. Maybe that’s a lie – get out a stop watch and a measuring tape, and you can clearly see which car is better. Right, it’s not that simple, is it? But this latest video from Jason Cammisa comparing a Tesla Model 3 Performance vs a BMW M3 xDrive Competition really frosts my cookies.
Buckle up. Actually, first watch the video, then buckle up.
Digest that? Okay, here we go. We’ll break it down just like the video.
1 – Which one is more fun to hoon around a drift track?
Sigh. Jason tells us he will use facts to prove which car is better, then immediately jumps to a segment with no facts.
The Model 3 Performance has 510 all-electric horsepower, the latest M3 gets 525. Jason says that “Wow, the Model 3 is now a substitute for that M3.” because it’s just as eager to slide, but without any turbo lag like the M3 has.
Of course I can tell you that below 2,500 RPM, the S58 does have plenty of lag, but I’ve never had an issue drifting mine. It’s fun to keep the revs up in a slide! Plus the M3 sounds better because it actually makes a sound.
But the Tesla is just as competent, so let’s call it a…
Hagerty Verdict: Tesla
MWS Verdict: Tie
2 – Which car is quicker around a race track?
The M3 lapped Willow Springs in 1:20.51, and the Model 3 did it in 1:22.05 in Full Power mode, which if you failed math class, is 1.5 seconds slower. In the first half of the lap, the cars are identical, but the Tesla’s Pirelli tires give way and eventually make the car fall behind. 1.5 seconds is a huge gap when it comes to racing.
The simple solution is to put Michelin PS4s on the Tesla, but that’s not how it comes from the factory so tough cookie. Know that both cars weight pretty much the same as well.
For one lap, if you swapped tires, the Tesla is just as fast. Who’s racing for just one lap?
Hagerty Verdict: BMW
MWS Verdict: BMW
3 – Can they both hold up to a 15-minute lapping session without overheating?
When you buy a BMW M3 Competition, you are paying for its performance, which you will want access to 100% of the time. No surprise then that this ICE-powered car lays down consistent lap times for the full 15 minutes.
The Tesla? For it to last 15 minutes on a track, you must put it in Endurance mode, which reduces power output. Over the course of 15 minutes, the M3 is over a mile ahead of it in lapping.
They call this segment a tie, which sends me into outer space. You are not able to access the Tesla’s performance for that long, to say nothing of a full track day. What they should have done was keep the car in Full Power mode because the M3 was. It’s slower in Endurance mode by a significant amount, and it’s a DNF when you ask for more.
Shame on you, Jason.
Hagerty Verdict: Tie (?)
MWS Verdict: BMW
4 – Which is a better car to live with?
Totally get this intro – the G80 can absolutely be a track car, but it’s really meant to be a daily driver. I’ve called it the best available 3 Series, and that’s what it remains.
Jason starts in the Tesla and points out how it’s packed with features. You know, it’ll beep at you if you sit at a green light to long (like a BMW driver needs that warning), or has a built-in dash cam, which my X3 has too. And a navigation system that’s really well integrated with Tesla’s Supercharger network. Yippie! You know what car doesn’t need a Supercharger?
And yet, the Model 3 has no turn signal stalk (it’s on the steering wheel), which is so asinine I cannot fathom how it made it through to production. But my favorite quote…
“As someone who’s been reviewing cars for the last 20 years, I gotta say, these days the biggest differentiator in any two cars isn’t the powertrain, or suspension, or brakes. It’s the combined digital user interface.”
In cars like these, it’s definitely about the powertrain, suspension and brakes.
Sit in the M3 and I agree, iDrive 9 is a mess. But guess what? You can use Apple CarPlay and 99% of the issues go away forever. Tesla doesn’t offer it, forcing you to use their interface. Listen, Apple is the best company in the world at UX design, and you use your phone every single day, so of course you’re most comfortable plugging it in and using it instead of whatever the car comes with.
By the way, still not enough chargers around for these things. Cars, not phones.
Hagerty Verdict: Tesla
MWS Verdict: BMW
5 – Which is a better experience on a back road?
This point is a philosophical one. The G80 M3 is pretty normal until you really cane it, and doing so results in hitting supersonic speeds. Around town, it feels like any other BMW.
Jason believes this is a demerit, that the car isn’t special enough to make you want to go for an early-morning drive. And it isn’t. But didn’t he just tell us that people will use these kinds of cars for day-to-day stuff, like commuting to work? Being a sports car is not the M3’s mission, but it can play the role when the mood strikes you.
For fun back road attacks, you do want a sports car, and the point is made that at an MSRP of $120,000, the M3 is more than double the price of the Model 3. That leaves you with enough money leftover to buy a Miata and a BRZ.
What a load of bullshit.
The base price of a BMW M3 Drive Competition is $85,300, with everything you need to go fast. But let’s say you select the Model 3, with its 510 horsepower. You’re going to be okay with a 181-horsepower Miata as your fun car?
Let’s look at it another way. In his review of the Supra and Nissan Z, Jason said that sports cars are slowly dying because many people can no longer afford to have more than one car, so that one car better be able to do it all.
Which would you rather do it all in?
Hagerty Verdict: Tesla
MWS Verdict: BMW
Clickbate and ragebate and all kinds of bates
Cars are clothes. Avatars. They present a version of you to the world that you want them to see. The Tesla Model 3 Performance vs BMW M3 Competition isn’t really a question of power or performance, of which both have in spades, but about how the car makes you feel inside.
The G80 is the best-selling M3 in history. You think BMW is going to walk away from ICE power with the kind of sales numbers they pump out? With recent news that Porsche, Mercedes and others are walking back their all-EV plans, it seems electric cars have reached their saturation point. Everyone that wants one, has one.
The people have spoken.
The Model 3 is an appliance that has a Batman suit on. That’s cool, I like Batman, and I hope I can review one soon. But if you think it’s an M3 replacement, then I think you’re not actually a car enthusiast, but a tech one.
Or waiting on a check from Elon.
