I have owned my Tesla Model Y for almost three years and really enjoyed it. Tesla is an amazing brand, and the Model X was my dream car for a long time. However, I decided to switch to the BMW iX. Below, I’ll share the reasons why and compare the two cars.
Note: I’ve only had the iX for a few days, so I’m still noticing new differences.
There were two main reasons I chose the BMW over Tesla:
- Build Quality: I was tired of hearing rattles in my car. I took the Model Y back to Tesla a few times, but the issues were never fully resolved. The car feels like it’s made mostly of plastic.
- Lease Options: While I purchased my Model Y, the leasing options weren’t great. For an $80k Model X versus a $96k iX, the iX is much more affordable to lease.
Here’s how the two cars compare:
BMW iX vs. Tesla Model Y:
- Build Quality: The BMW iX feels incredibly solid. The materials are top-notch, nothing rattles, and I doubt that will change. The wind noise is also much lower compared to the Tesla. The overall quality is outstanding.
- Luxury: While the Model Y isn’t a luxury car, the iX clearly is, so it’s not exactly a fair comparison, but worth mentioning.
- Driving Performance: The iX drives like a car made by car experts. It feels fantastic. The Model Y drives well, but I didn’t realize what I was missing until I experienced the iX. The steering is lighter and easier, and the shocks make a huge difference—I didn’t realize how rough the ride was in the Model Y.
- Customization: The iX offers a lot of customization, most of which I probably won’t use.
- Battery Performance: From what I’ve seen so far, the iX’s battery drains much slower than the Model Y’s. I was pleasantly surprised and have no range anxiety.
- Turning Radius: The iX has a much better turning radius.
- Pricing: The leasing options with BMW are much better. With a similar MSRP, you could pay 30-50% less per month with a BMW lease.
- Voice Control: Surprisingly, the BMW’s voice control is much better than Tesla’s.
Tesla Model Y vs. BMW iX:
- Software: Even though my iX has Apple CarPlay, which I love, the Model Y’s interface is super intuitive and constantly updated with new features. I doubt the iX will get updates as frequently.
- One-Pedal Driving: I already miss Tesla’s full one-pedal driving. I switch to “B mode” immediately in the iX, but it doesn’t work in reverse, which is a bit inconvenient.
- Supercharging Network: Tesla is the clear winner here, though I rarely use supercharging since I usually charge at home.
- Frunk: I miss having a frunk.
- Instant Acceleration: The iX has a slight delay in acceleration, which might be intentional. The Model Y’s acceleration feels more linear.
- Camera View with Turn Signal: Tesla recently added a camera view when you use the turn signal, which I really liked. I wish BMW had this feature.
- No On/Off Button: I’m still getting used to not having an on/off button in the iX. Why is this needed in an electric car?
- Auto-Fold Mirrors and Auto-Open Garage: I miss the Tesla feature where the mirrors fold and the garage opens automatically when approaching home via GPS.
Things I find annoying about the iX:
- Trunk Open Height Settings: There are five height settings, but four are too high for my garage, and the last one only opens the trunk about 6 inches. This is frustrating because I either have to set it to open all the way and avoid using it in my garage, or set it to 6 inches and manually open it everywhere, not just in the garage.
- Software: I wish the iX had iDrive 9 or at least some consistency across BMWs. It seems like every model has something different. I love having the latest software updates.
- No Default “B Mode” for Both Drive and Reverse: I wish the iX could default to “B mode” in both drive and reverse.
I hope this helps anyone considering the iX. Overall, I’m very happy with my decision.