Why I Still Prefer a BMW Over a Tesla (Even Though It Costs More)
Let me start with the confession: yes, a BMW costs more. More to buy, more to service, more to fuel, more to explain to the person who does the household budget. I have run the numbers. The numbers say I should drive a very sensible electric car and be very sensible about it.
I still prefer the BMW. Here's my defence, which I'd like entered into the record as "emotionally compelling, financially indefensible".
A quick note before the comments section sharpens its knives: this is a post about taste, not a lab test. EVs are great cars, plenty of people love theirs, and many of the things below depend on the model and the year. This is just what makes me smile.
1. Buttons. Real, physical, honest buttons.
I want to change the temperature without opening a menu called "Climate Preferences (Advanced)". I want to adjust the volume with my thumb while looking at the road, not at a rectangle.
BMW's iDrive has a proper controller knob and a row of buttons, and your fingers learn where everything is. A giant touchscreen is lovely for maps and Netflix in a car park. For changing the wipers at motorway speed, it is a hobby that wants me to look away from the road.
2. The sound
An engine, in particular a good straight-six, is the closest thing a car has to a voice. It has a note, a mood, a little growl when you ask for more. It clears its throat at the top of the rev range like an opera singer who's about to hit the high one.
An electric motor is smooth, quick, and very, very polite. It says "wheeeee" in a library voice. Don't get me wrong: the instant acceleration is a party trick that never gets old. I just miss the noise.
3. The way it drives
This one's hard to put in a table, so I'll put it in a sentence. A BMW feels like it was designed by people who enjoy driving. The steering talks to you. The car feels balanced when you take a corner, as if it's quietly encouraging you to take the long way home.
A lot of modern EVs are stunningly quick in a straight line. The heavy battery in the floor can make them feel more planted than playful in the bends. (It depends on the car. Some are wonderful. I'm just telling you about my grin.)
4. Filling up is boring, and boring is underrated
I've lived most of my life with one simple rule: when the light comes on, find a petrol station and fill up. It's a few minutes, it's anywhere, and I can do it in the rain without checking an app.
Charging networks are growing fast and for many people, with a home charger, an EV is genuinely easier. But if you can't charge at home, or you take spontaneous long drives, the old way still has a certain "I don't have to think about it" charm.
5. The interior feels like a place, not a product
Open the door and there's a dashboard with layers of texture, a proper steering wheel, switches that click, and a rev counter that looks like a rev counter. It feels like a car that was lovingly assembled.
Many EVs go for a clean, minimalist look, with an empty dash and one big screen. Pretty, but sometimes a bit like sitting in a very expensive waiting room.
6. The honest math (spoiler: it's bad)
Let's be adults about this.
- The price tag is higher. Ouch.
- Servicing costs more, and a German badge on the invoice means a German number on the invoice. Ouch.
- Fuel is more expensive than electricity at home. Ouch.
- A mile-long grin on a back road: priceless.
I will not pretend this is a rational choice. It's the same way people spend money on a nice watch that tells the same time as a free phone. Joy has a cost, and I've decided to pay it.
7. The plot twist
Here's the funny part: BMW makes electric cars too. The i4, the iX and others keep the knob, the steering feel and the proper interior, just with a battery under the floor. If my next car is electric, there's a decent chance it will still wear the blue-and-white badge.
So I'm not anti-EV. I'm anti-everything-hidden-in-a-touchscreen. And, okay, a little bit anti-silence.
The bottom line
If you want the smartest, cheapest, most efficient way to get from A to B, buy the EV. Seriously. It's the right answer.
If you want a car that makes A to B a little less important than the journey, and you're willing to pay for the privilege, I get it. I'll see you on the long way home.
Tell me I'm wrong in the comments. I'll be the one smiling.