2023 Tesla Model Y vs 2022 BMW IX3

What's the difference?

This version of Tesla’s Model Y is the new frontier for enthusiasts. How do you make an electric performance car?

It should be easy, right? Just up the power of the motors - no need to fit a larger, more complex engine, and make sure you’ve got a battery with the appropriate outputs.

There’s far more than meets the eye. The big question is, is it worth the significant additional spend over the base Model Y?

We grabbed one of the earliest examples of the Performance to hit Australian shores to find out.

Close to a decade ago BMW took a swan dive into the fully-electric car pool, with the i3, a compact, lightweight hatch, that although long gone from the Aussie market, remains in production. It features an exotic carbon passenger cell, and is pitched at a niche, city-dwelling audience. 

The decision makers in Munich have decided to draw the curtain on it in mid-2022, because they’re moving from the EV springboard to the high tower.  

Yep, BMW says it will be offering around 12 fully electric models worldwide by 2023, with several arriving here soon. And this is the first zero tailpipe emissions BMW X SUV model to arrive in Australia, the mid-size iX3.

Like its X3 siblings it lines up against traditional European SUV rivals, only this time there’s an electric motor rather than a combustion engine under the bonnet. Think Audi e-tron, Jaguar I-Pace, and Mercedes-Benz EQC.