Model S vs BMW 5 Series

I did a thread about Model S Performance vs BMW M5 to marshal arguments against folks who were dissing MSP. But I suspect that most people are like me and will end up purchasing one of the base models. This thread will attempt a comparison between Model S and the BMW 5 series which, along with the Mercedes E-Class, is the primary competition for the Model S.

• All 5 Series numbers are based on the 2012 model year.
• All prices for Model S assume a $7,500 Federal rebate, but do not take into account possible state and local incentives.
• All prices assume the entry level version of the car.
• If you want options you can shop for yourself, but the depreciation scales so these prices give a good sense of relative value regardless of which options you choose (BMW does offer more goodies than Tesla does if you want to pay for them. That's at least partially responsible for the sense that the 5 series has a "better" interior).

Abbreviations -
MSP - Model S Performance
MS85 - Model S with the 85kWh battery
MS60 - Model S with the 60kWh battery
MS40 - Model S with the 40kWh battery

TCO - 5 year True Cost of Ownership

• I am limiting this to depreciation, fuel and maintenance. This number is the cost to own and operate the vehicle for 5 years and assumes you sell it to recoup its residual value. Edmunds includes more items in their calculation that I link to, but those are extremely variable and depend on individual circumstance.
• Model S info is based off of figures provided at Teslanomics: The Economics of owning a Tesla Motors Automobile. Their estimated depreciation is based on how the Leaf is performing, which is a super conservative methodology IMHO. If you click through the links, they also have individual model comparisons and are also based on the Edmunds data.

BMW 5 Series

The BMW 5 Series is without a doubt the top dog in the Midsize Luxury Performance Sedan segment that the Model S is competing in. There are three basic trim levels, which also correspond to your engine choice. They are the 528i, 535i and 550i.

528i

• Entry level model
• MSRP from $46,900
• TCO from $49,300 (again this is the total out of pocket 5 year expense AFTER you sell the car and get back the residual value. Essentially this is the actual cost to you to own the car without including taxes, financing or insurance because they vary. 2012 BMW 5 Series 2.0L 4-cyl. Turbo 8-speed Automatic True Cost to Own)
• 2.0L 4 cylinder engine. 240 hp @ 5000 rpm and 255 lb-ft @ 1250 rpm
• Automatic Transmission
• 23/34 MPG (cty/hwy) w/RWD. 22/32 w/AWD
• Bluetooth and iPod hookup
• Stability/Traction Control
• Optional Navigation
• 0-60 in 6.3 seconds (Edmunds since they don't roll the car on launch. Factory reports 6.4 which is a "true" number while C/D got a 5.9 with a shallow stage roll. Drag racing primer which explains the difference - Modern Racer - Driving Tips - Drag Racing Basics)
• 5-60 in 6.8 seconds (this is a much more accurate real life acceleration number which can't be gamed like a launch. Yes it's slower despite the fact that the car is already moving. This is because of the narrow torque band and the large mechanical delay of an ICE vehicle.)
• 17" tires standard. 18" with Sport Package
• Range - Gasoline

Detailed list of features - 2012 BMW 5 Series 528i Sedan 2.0L 4-cyl. Turbo 8-speed Automatic Features and Specs

List of options and pricing - 2012 BMW 5-Series 528i Sedan Options - 2012 BMW 5-Series 528i Sedan Packages - Motor Trend Magazine


Reviews -
2012 BMW 528i Test - Review - Car and Driver
2012 BMW 528i Arrival - Motor Trend


538i - short comparison

• MSRP from $52,500
• TCO from $56,902 (2012 BMW 5 Series 3.0L 6-cyl. Turbo 6-speed Manual True Cost to Own)
• 3.0 liter twin turbo. 300HP @ 5,800 RPM and 300 lb-ft @ 1,300-5,000 RPM
• Manual Transmission
• 19/29 MPG (cty/hwy)
• 0-60 in 5.7 seconds (factory "true" BMW 535i Sedan - Features & Specs - Specifications - BMW North America)
• 5-60 unknown, but more than 5.7 seconds (as a rule, ICE is slower in this metric and I don't think this is an exception. Manual transmission normally helps this, but the factory reports the same number if you get the automatic).

Detailed list of features - 2012 BMW 5 Series 535i Sedan 3.0L 6-cyl. Turbo 6-speed Manual Features and Specs

List of options and pricing - 2012 BMW 5 Series 535i Price With Options

Reviews - Couldn't find any in a quick check. It's basically the 528i but faster.

MS40

• Entry level trim
• MSRP from $49,900
• TCO from $31,817 (Teslanomics-BMW: Economic car comparison between the Tesla Model S and all BMW Vehicles)
• Performance dictated by 40kWh battery output. A/C Induction motor standard. HP and Torque unknown.
• No transmission. Single gear differential, direct drive.
• 91/89 (cty/hwy MPGe. Number based on EPA measurements for MS85. It seems likely to be better on MS40. MS40 is presumably hundreds of pounds lighter thanks to the smaller battery, which could affect MPGe numbers substantially).
• Bluetooth connectivity, class leading 17" touchscreen control.
• Stability/Traction Control
• Optional Navigation. Included Google navigation in coverage area.
• 0-60 in 6.5 seconds (Factory "true" number. Magazine reviews will likely be quicker depending on staging techniques)
• 5-60 ... Unknown (Because of the nature of the drivetrain, MS should substantially outperform an ICE vehicle. Throttle response is near instant and mechanical lag is miniscule, especially compared to an automatic transmission. Therefor, until I see a measurement showing otherwise, I believe this number would actually be LOWER than the 0-60 number. Feel free to discuss).
• Range - est. 160 miles of highway range @55mph (Model S Efficiency and Range | Blog | Tesla Motors)
• Charging - ~4 hours w/included charger and appropriate home outlet. ~2 hours with optional charger. Tesla Supercharging not available (help me out here. I extrapolated these numbers based on the smaller battery size. They could be wildly wrong, as I've mainly researched the 85kWh charging options that I expect to own. Anyone have solid data?).
• 19" tires standard.

MS60

• Entry level trim
• MSRP from $59,900
• TCO from $37,617 (Teslanomics-BMW: Economic car comparison between the Tesla Model S and all BMW Vehicles I'd like to point out that you actually get a better warranty with the 60kWh battery in comparison to the 40kWh which should help its depreciation number. Teslanomics is very conservative and is not capturing the kinds of distinctions that should help lower the TCO even more)
• Performance dictated by 60kWh battery output. A/C Induction motor standard. HP and Torque unknown.
• No transmission. Single gear differential, direct drive.
• 91/89 (cty/hwy MPGe. Number based on EPA measurements for MS85. It seems likely to be better on MS60. MS60 is presumably hundreds of pounds lighter thanks to the smaller battery, which could affect MPGe numbers substantially).
• Bluetooth connectivity, class leading 17" touchscreen control.
• Stability/Traction Control
• Optional Navigation. Included Google navigation in coverage area.
• 0-60 in 5.9 seconds (Factory "true" number. Magazine reviews will likely be quicker depending on staging techniques)
• 5-60 ... Unknown (Because of the nature of the drivetrain, MS should substantially outperform an ICE vehicle. Throttle response is near instant and mechanical lag is miniscule, especially compared to an automatic transmission. Therefor, until I see a measurement showing otherwise, I believe this number would actually be LOWER than the 0-60 number. Feel free to discuss).
• Range - est. 230 miles of highway range @55mph (Model S Efficiency and Range | Blog | Tesla Motors).
• Charging - ~6 hours w/included charger and appropriate home outlet. ~3 hours with optional charger. ~45 minute Tesla Supercharging is an optional upgrade (help me out here. I extrapolated these numbers based on the smaller battery size. They could be wildly wrong, as I've mainly researched the 85kWh charging options that I expect to own. Anyone have solid data?).
• 19" tires standard.

MS85

• Entry level trim
• MSRP from $69,900
• TCO from $43,417 (Teslanomics-BMW: Economic car comparison between the Tesla Model S and all BMW Vehicles I'd like to point out that you actually get a better warranty with the 85kWh battery in comparison to the 40kWh or 60kWh batteries, which should help its depreciation number. Teslanomics is very conservative and is not capturing the kinds of distinctions that should help lower the TCO even more)
• A/C Induction motor standard. 362HP @ 6,000-9,500 RPM and 325 lb-ft @ 0-5,800 RPM
• No transmission. Single gear differential, direct drive.
• 91/89 (cty/hwy MPGe).
• Bluetooth connectivity, class leading 17" touchscreen control.
• Stability/Traction Control
• Optional Navigation. Included Google navigation in coverage area.
• 0-60 in 5.6 seconds (Factory "true" number. Magazine reviews will likely be quicker depending on staging techniques)
• 5-60 ... Unknown (Because of the nature of the drivetrain, MS should substantially outperform an ICE vehicle. Throttle response is near instant and mechanical lag is miniscule, especially compared to an automatic transmission. Therefor, until I see a measurement showing otherwise, I believe this number would actually be LOWER than the 0-60 number. Feel free to discuss).
• Range - est. 300 miles of highway range @55mph (Model S Efficiency and Range | Blog | Tesla Motors).
• Charging - ~8 hours w/included charger and appropriate home outlet. ~4 hours with optional charger. ~1 hour Tesla Supercharging is included.
• 19" tires standard.

Reviews - Model S First Drive Reviews

Options and pricing - Model S Options and Pricing | Tesla Motors

Notes: TCO calculations are the best way to compare cars. The numbers included above are accurate to the extent that the depreciation calculations are accurate (these are not really known for MS and Teslanomics numbers are open for debate). Based on these numbers even the MS85 compares favorably to the entry level 528i. However, while the baseline numbers are accurate, leaving out taxes, insurance and financing charges understates the cost comparisons of the MS60 and MS85 thanks to the simple fact that you pay tax on the initial sale price rather than on the TCO.

With the higher MSRP you will pay more in taxes, interest and likely insurance as well. The correct comparison can only be made by taking the base values shown here and adding the actual tax, insurance and financing charges you will personally incur (everyone is different). Make sure to research state and local incentives for purchasing Model S. I know some states have additional tax credits, while others waive the sales tax or provide other incentives.

But even with additional taxes and financing costs, the MS85 is a lot more car than the 528i and the $4,000-$6,000 extra you pay isn't a huge hit. And when compared to its performance peer, the 535i, the comparison is quite favorable.

550i

• Not really worth mentioning in the context of MS85. MSP trounces it in every way including a decisive TCO beatdown. TCO for 550i is ~$73,000 vs a MSP TCO that is ~$54,000. The 550i has a 5 year operating cost in excess of $30,000 vs only $6,000 for MSP, which accounts for much of the difference. 0-60 in 5 seconds for 550i vs 4.4 seconds for MSP. It's a joke really.

Bottom line. Model S is a flippin bargain at every trim level and most of that savings comes from the extremely low cost to operate. Discuss.

Kevin Sharpe said:

IMO for this to be meaningful we need a way of valuing the fit and finish of the vehicles... a lot of buyers in this class will rate the BMW very highly and that has 'value'.

Click to expand...

Sure. Except we don't know the fit and finish of Model S yet. Elon Musk just spent an hour explaining to his investors that he stopped production to perfect fit and finish. For all intents and purposes, the test cars and 10 delivered Sigs are pre-production examples.

EDIT: By "stopped production" I mean stopped deliveries. Production has continued, but the cars are being used for test drives, and likely will be sent to the stores after the Get Amped events are over. Essentially they are all practice cars.