Considering i7 switch from Tesla

[jworley]

I know there are probably other posts in the forum but they didn't immediately pop out at me. I am currently on my 2nd Tesla. I test drove a used '23 i7 and fell in love. Has anyone else in the forum gone from Tesla to the i7? Would you do it again? Were you able to buy an adapter to use your existing Tesla home charger?

[mspete75]

I had a Model S Plaid, and I thought the speed and the technology was incredible at pick up. Soon I found the technology was glitchy and the interior was comfortable but not luxury. For at the time a $140k car I didn't seem to get much and the final service issue and the lack of communication from the service center and uber credits was enough for me to go back to BMW. Drove the i7 60 and knew I needed to move on. 5 days later the dealer located me the build I wanted, and I haven't looked back. So appreciate and love the way a BMW is built, and they have come a very very long way in the last 2 years. iDrive 8.5, driving assist, and battery are exceeding expectations. Sure I cant drive door to door on autopilot, but I drive in a much more comfortable actual operating vehicle with a full steering wheel.

Bought an adaptor on amazon for the tesla charger in garage and zero issues. I'd do it again, and again, and again! 3 yrs of supercharger credits too which isn't too bad either as I have 2 locations within 5 miles of my house if I ever didn't want to pay the electricity rate at home. I absolutely love the i7. Auto doors, soft close, interior - just top notch! I also ordered the model x plaid thinking I would lose the model s and after the i7 never looked back and ate the $250 deposit.

[jworley]

I can't thank you enough for your response. I have been going back amd forth between this i7 and the plaid. Your response is just what I needed to hear. Thanks again.

[DJCingular]

I switched from my 23 MXP, the (September) Friday Elon Musk dropped the price 20k. The i7 drives and rides just as you would expect for a vehicle in its price range. Everyday I am reminded that Tesla is a tech company that makes vehicles, their vehicles are build for speed with no true luxury and comfort features.

I am still using my ChargePoint hardwired charger. It’s been charging my last 3 vehicles. For Tesla, I had to use the included adapter, but for the other vehicles, the 1772 port is interchangeable and worked with no issues for all my other vehicles.

[evanevery]

We are on our 6th EV. First was a Chevy Volt (run primarily on electric). Then on to a Model X. Had it for many years.. and were quite happy with it.

However, once mainstream manufacturers with long-term auto manufacturing and design processes started making competitive EV's, we moved away from the Tesla. We really got tired doors which rattled, the endless road and air noise around the cabin at highway speeds, and the utilitarian layout of the cabin. We loved the X, but it served its purpose and it was time to move on to vehicles with a higher level of design and manufacture.

Had a Taycan Turbo S but got tired of things breaking and having it sit in the service bay for weeks on end. It drove really well, was very comfortable, but largely unreliable (inc a main battery replacement and A/C which failed twice). The Porsche was also pretty brain dead from an operator and user interface standpoint. Porsche was going to make a knobless interface customer-be-damned and it showed. Its like nobody ever road tested the car. Designed by guys in lab coats with no real-world feed back. If I bought a "designed by Porsche" toaster, I would want to see how it actually made toast... The Porsche did nothing more than elevate my brand loyalty to BMW.

Anyway...

We've had an i8 roadster for years, and understand its absolutely not a practical vehicle, so we purchased an iX M60. We are very happy with the tech, comfort and performance of the iX. Its a very good car built by a very good car company and it shows. IMHO: Its a much better, more "complete" car than the Model X.

Now we are waiting on our i7 M70 (currently sitting at the dock in Bremmerhaven). My wife refused to drive the Porsche so we traded it on the i7. Neither of us miss the Porsche. It was a nice head-turner for sure but was compromised in so many ways. Ultimately there will be an i8, iX, and i7 in our garage (with an M4 as a track car and a GMC as a tow vehicle to pull it).

We loved our Tesla, but it had served its purpose. It was an amazing vehicle that spanned the gap while other manufacturers (like BMW) got their EV lineup together. Established vehicle manufacturers are now offering vehicles which easily compete and often surpass the Teslas in many ways. No hard feelings but time to move on...

IMHO: BMW makes a much better car - and now that also includes EV's...

[jworley]

Thank you Evanevery for your post. I really appreciate your knowledgebase on this.

[evanevery]

Just out of curiosity...

When I look back on my most recent post here (two above), there is a big banner as follows:




Well, clearly, I voted "Looks OK", but... How does that happen? Would some other forum participant trigger this inquiry? I certainly don't think my posting was either outrageous nor out of context. Is this just some forum AI run amok?

Who else is seeing this?

Curious minds want to know...

[Caveno]

I see it too, I marked looked ok.

[evanevery]

Thanks!

It appears to have marked EVERY SINGLE MESSAGE I EVER POSTED.

Not sure what triggered it or why. Maybe it was on the i7 "Winter Driving" thread (in this forum) where I suggested folks contact a BMW driving instructor if they were interested in a BMW Winter driving school... i.e. "Contact Blah, blah, blah, if interested"

I also sent a "WTF?" note to the moderator (Mark)...

AI run amok I expect...

[jworley]

It may be because your picture at the bottom has a bunch of hyperlinks. Being a programmer, I would bet that.

[evanevery]

It has been that way for many years. ...and they are all Bimmerpost links to the car in the sig. This just started happening today - and it appears the moderator(s) have resolved it....

(Also a programmer - since the 80's... ;-)

[DroMike]

Your "[the Tesla] was an amazing vehicle that spanned the gap while other manufacturers (like BMW) got their EV lineup together" post above also provides extremely helpful and confirming information to people like me acquiring their very first EV (and BMW)! Thank you for sharing your experiences with those honest and telling insights! - Mike

[acerbix]

Hello!

New i7 owner and new forum member here. I started out wanting to upgrade from a Tesla M3 to MX. I loved my M3 - it’s quite zippy, sporty, and fun to drive. However my kids are now tall-ish and don’t fit in the back seat anymore. I test drove Teslas (S, X), Lucid Air GT, Rivian R1S, Cadillac LYRIQ, Mustang mach-e, and BMW (iX and i7). For my requirements , no other vehicle came even remotely close to the i7.

Requirements:
- Autonomous Driving: at least level 2+
- Comfort: should be able to drive ~500 miles or so without getting aches or pains - in-seat massage a plus
- Screen for second seat: to keep the kids quiet
- Advanced tech: can’t articulate what it is, but I know it when I see it

One line impression of some of the cars I test drove:
- Lucid Air GT: fun to drive manually, awesome 360 parking view, quasi comfortable seat with the best massaging options, almost nonexistent autonomous driving
- Rivian R1S: fun SUV to drive, very busy dash/screens, okayish ride comfort and seats, autonomous driving better than lucid - but barely
- Mustang Mach-e: I really wanted to like this car but the seat felt uncomfortable. Couldn’t see myself going on long drives in that car. Autonomous driving - BlueCruise - better than Rivian and Lucid, but not as full featured as GM Supercruise
- Cadillac LYRIQ: Fun drive, parking camera view was deceptive - felt there was more space to park than there actually was, couldn’t test autonomous driving since GM stopped super cruise (that’s what the dealership told me).

What made me decide to get the i7 over the model X:
- Awesome HUD with context sensitive info
- Configurable dash/hud, skinnable w/ modes instead of being stuck w/ 3 fixed dash widgets
- *much* smoother ride, with significantly smoother autonomous driving and braking that doesn’t cause my wife to fear for her life and kids to puke
- true hands-free highway autonomous driving with assist+, with much smoother auto lane changes
- Massaging front and back seats, much more comfortable than Tesla
- *huge* back seat theater system
- Auto opening all doors (though the X-wings are fun!)
- buttons and stalks for critical vehicle functions instead of being buried under many menu levels or through inconveniently placed steering wheel widgets
- significantly better voice activated vehicle function control with the inbuilt voice assistant (although the assistant has issues understanding full English sentences)
- Key fobs instead of cards (although the car comes w both fobs and cards)
- iNoise is fun!
- quite a few more things

What I liked better in a Tesla:
- Auto lane change in i7 is restricted and aborts much more frequently than in a Tesla
- Auto turning at intersections and automatic cornering (w/ FSD) - the i7 can’t do either yet
- Auto freeway entry/exit/change/surface street merges - the i7 can’t do that yet

Hope this helps!

[bmwterp]

Originally Posted by acerbix

Hello!

New i7 owner and new forum member here. I started out wanting to upgrade from a Tesla M3 to MX. I loved my M3 - it’s quite zippy, sporty, and fun to drive. However my kids are now tall-ish and don’t fit in the back seat anymore. I test drove Teslas (S, X), Lucid Air GT, Rivian R1S, Cadillac LYRIQ, Mustang mach-e, and BMW (iX and i7). For my requirements , no other vehicle came even remotely close to the i7.

Requirements:
- Autonomous Driving: at least level 2+
- Comfort: should be able to drive ~500 miles or so without getting aches or pains - in-seat massage a plus
- Screen for second seat: to keep the kids quiet
- Advanced tech: can’t articulate what it is, but I know it when I see it

One line impression of some of the cars I test drove:
- Lucid Air GT: fun to drive manually, awesome 360 parking view, quasi comfortable seat with the best massaging options, almost nonexistent autonomous driving
- Rivian R1S: fun SUV to drive, very busy dash/screens, okayish ride comfort and seats, autonomous driving better than lucid - but barely
- Mustang Mach-e: I really wanted to like this car but the seat felt uncomfortable. Couldn’t see myself going on long drives in that car. Autonomous driving - BlueCruise - better than Rivian and Lucid, but not as full featured as GM Supercruise
- Cadillac LYRIQ: Fun drive, parking camera view was deceptive - felt there was more space to park than there actually was, couldn’t test autonomous driving since GM stopped super cruise (that’s what the dealership told me).

What made me decide to get the i7 over the model X:
- Awesome HUD with context sensitive info
- Configurable dash/hud, skinnable w/ modes instead of being stuck w/ 3 fixed dash widgets
- *much* smoother ride, with significantly smoother autonomous driving and braking that doesn’t cause my wife to fear for her life and kids to puke
- true hands-free highway autonomous driving with assist+, with much smoother auto lane changes
- Massaging front and back seats, much more comfortable than Tesla
- *huge* back seat theater system
- Auto opening all doors (though the X-wings are fun!)
- buttons and stalks for critical vehicle functions instead of being buried under many menu levels or through inconveniently placed steering wheel widgets
- significantly better voice activated vehicle function control with the inbuilt voice assistant (although the assistant has issues understanding full English sentences)
- Key fobs instead of cards (although the car comes w both fobs and cards)
- iNoise is fun!
- quite a few more things

What I liked better in a Tesla:
- Auto lane change in i7 is restricted and aborts much more frequently than in a Tesla
- Auto turning at intersections and automatic cornering (w/ FSD) - the i7 can’t do either yet
- Auto freeway entry/exit/change/surface street merges - the i7 can’t do that yet

Hope this helps!

Great summary for sure.

If it helps, I also did a lot of research before buying the BMW. I think the first and most important question is how important is charging and range? If you drive a lot of long distances and need a reliable charging network, the Tesla is hard to beat right now. It's a huge differentiator.

However, if range and charging is not really an option. Then, all these other cars are great options. Although, I am partial to BMW I5 or I7 (full package luxury, tech and comfort), Lucid, and Porsche (driver's car).

[evanevery]

BMW simply makes "better" cars. Now they also make "better" EV's...

(Former Model X owner - but with no hard feelings towards Tesla...)

[DroMike]

Originally Posted by bmwterp

I think the first and most important question is how important is charging and range? If you drive a lot of long distances and need a reliable charging network, the Tesla is hard to beat right now. It's a huge differentiator.

Of course we and BMW will have it all in a little over 12 months (1/1/25) when Tesla's Supercharger network will be open to us. Just a little more patience...

[bmwterp]

Originally Posted by DroMike

Of course we and BMW will have it all in a little over 12 months (1/1/25) when Tesla's Supercharger network will be open to us. Just a little more patience...

Maybe. Lots of questions still. When will it actually go live, will there be a good adapter, how many SC will be made available to non-Tesla owners.

I would be very surprised if the system is ready to go by 1/25.

[DroMike]

My understanding is that unlike the majority of car companies set to switch to NACS who are cementing their agreements w/Tesla and obtaining Supercharger usage next year, BMW has specifically opted for a conservative approach by taking the full year of 2024 to get everything readied in its entirety. That said, this is more or less written in stone for at least "early 2025." I believe this is easily feasible and look forward to its implementation on whatever date in the near future!

[bmwterp]

Originally Posted by DroMike

My understanding is that unlike the majority of car companies set to switch to NACS who are cementing their agreements w/Tesla and obtaining Supercharger usage next year, BMW has specifically opted for a conservative approach by taking the full year of 2024 to get everything readied in its entirety. That said, this is more or less written in stone for at least "early 2025." I believe this is easily feasible and look forward to its implementation on whatever date in the near future!

I like the way you think! I actually have a lot of confidence that BMW is working hard to make this happen.

But, Tesla? Not so confident.

Regardless, I suspect that the overall charging solutions for us will be mostly a non factor sometime between 2025-2027.

[DroMike]

I know THIS for a 100% fact: When it DOES happen, I'll REALLY get a charge out of things! [Ba-DUM-tssshhh]

[acerbix]

Originally Posted by bmwterp

Great summary for sure.

If it helps, I also did a lot of research before buying the BMW. I think the first and most important question is how important is charging and range? If you drive a lot of long distances and need a reliable charging network, the Tesla is hard to beat right now. It's a huge differentiator.

However, if range and charging is not really an option. Then, all these other cars are great options. Although, I am partial to BMW I5 or I7 (full package luxury, tech and comfort), Lucid, and Porsche (driver's car).

Dang! I should have test driven the taycan- a miss for sure - oh well, maybe next time.

Re: range - I noticed an interesting thing: my i7 consistently over performs on advertised range: while advertised range is 319 mi at 100% charge, I am seeing ~320 mi at 90% charge and ~290 mi at 80% charge - so at 100% charge it can prolly do 350-355 mi, which matches the model X advertised range. Where I live, that’s plenty range between stops. I’d have loved a range of 405 mi like the model S: however I suspect in real life that range might degrade to ~375 mi. And that’s based on my experience , and not to hate on the model S: I still like teslas and might get one in the future if they can sort out their ergonomics and FSD issues.

[acerbix]

Originally Posted by DroMike

Of course we and BMW will have it all in a little over 12 months (1/1/25) when Tesla's Supercharger network will be open to us. Just a little more patience...

I must say that Electrify America has been a disappointment so far: not only do they have fewer locations, but the CCS 350V charge slots are often broken, so there are long waiting queues (due to broken equipment). Tesla does this so much better - I agree.