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Tesla Model 3 vs. BMW 330i vs. Genesis G70 Comparison: Who Builds the Best Compact Luxury Sedan?

Sport sedan lovers, your time is now. Although crossover SUVs have invaded the market like a herd of stampeding cattle, there are still plenty of options for those who prefer a lower center of gravity in a traditional three-box shape. As youre reading this, no fewer than 12 automakers offer a spirited, premium, well-equipped four-door in the $50,000 rangefrom Acura to Volvo . The luxury sport sedan segment might be down, but it is definitely not out. In our latest comparison test, we focus on the standouts in the classthree shining stars that each bring something class-leading and unique to the table. Theres the sport-sedan legend, an award-winning newcomer, and, finally, a disruptive upstart. Which one has what it takes to wear the crown? --> The 2019 BMW 330i brings seven generations of legacy and, with it, some ridiculously high expectations. Perhaps sensing the formidable task at hand, BMW supplied us with an example that carried nearly $7,500 worth of performance-enhancing goodies alone. A further healthy sampling of options raised its as-tested price to an eye-popping $59,920. Thats considerably north of our price target, especially when a bare-bones base model is $41,245, but thats BMW for you. The 2019 Genesis G70 pulled off a remarkable upset when it won the MotorTrend Car of the Year award , fending off luxury stalwarts Audi and Volvo for the win. One of the G70s biggest strengths is its exceptional value play. It starts at $35,895, which is the lowest base price here. Our Dynamic trim example adds 19-inch Michelin PS4 tires and a limited-slip differential. Even loaded up further with the aptly named Elite and Prestige packages, at $44,895, the as-tested price is only $3,650 more than the 3 Series base price. With the Model 3 , Tesla is hell-bent on proving that the electric car is ready to go mainstream. Of course, Tesla has been making a lot of promises lately, and the Model 3 hasnt exactly had the smoothest launch. But its improved significantly in the short time its been on the market, thanks mostly to myriad firmware and software updates. With a sticker price of $54,100, our Long Range Dual Motor version boasts a battery range of 310 mileseven with all-wheel drive. So, who brings the best combination of performance, luxury, and value among these three? 3rd Place: BMW 330i Once the undisputed king of the sport sedan segment, the BMW 3 Series now seems to be at a crossroads. No longer cohesive and confident, this 330i is saddled by indecision. Its so eager to correct its predecessors wrongs (especially its numb handling), it overcompensates in the process. The lack of cohesion is evident starting with the exterior. By now, the iconic BMW design language has been stretched across every shape imaginable, and here its hampered by a clear lack of direction. Heritage or evolution? The twin kidney grille continues to grow like kudzu, invading all the breathing space between it and the round(-ish) headlight clusters, while the smoked hockey-stick brake lights feel squinty and derivative rather than standard-setting. If youre looking for the legendary Hofmeister kink in the C-pillar, squint and youll see the vestiges of it in the form of a tacked-on plastic trim piece behind the rear door. The interior continues on this discordant theme. Do you think 19 controls on the steering wheel is too many? groused road test editor Chris Walton. There seems to be a setting to adjust pretty much every aspect of the cars behavior, though few directly contribute to the driving experience. Ironically, the digital instrument panel is the least configurable, and it pales in comparison to Audis class-leading Virtual Cockpit. MotorTrend en Espaol managing editor Miguel Cortina was underwhelmed by the interior materials. I dont feel like Im sitting inside a $60,000 sport sedan. Disappointing, yes, but the 330i still gets a lot right, sometimes brilliantly. Despite having nearly the same weight-to- power ratio as the G70, the 330i is both quicker and more fuel-efficient. The 060 run takes a fleet 5.4 seconds, and the quarter mile goes by in 14 seconds flat at 98.1 mph. The 330i is rated 26/36/30 city/highway/combineda not-insignificant 5 mpg better than the G70. Brakes are also the best of the bunch. Firm, confidence-inspiring, with a strong initial bite and progressive pedal feel. Its 600 test was equally impressive, with the 330i needing only a scant 103 feet to come to a stop. Credit the beefy brakes, which are part of the $2,450 Track Handling package. But that same package also contributed to the 330is third-place finish, thanks to an adaptive suspension thats obnoxiously brittleeven in its softest setting. Testing director Kim Reynolds probably put it best when he said it finds annoying bumps without the commensurate handling composure payoff. Walton couldnt wait to get out of the car. Sure, it was very confidence-inspiring in the canyon, but unless you live in a canyon, pass. Afterwards, we deliberated whether the 330i would have placed higher without the Track Handling package (we even asked BMW for a more traditional version, but this is what they had available). Although the ride would have improved, theres still that fundamental issue of an identity crisis. The unmistakable touches of brilliance are undermined by overthinking. Instead of sticking to what it does best, the latest 3 Series attempts to be all things to all people and loses itself in the process. As Cortina so aptly put it, The Ultimate Driving Machine needs to do more work. 2nd Place: Genesis G70 When we declared the G70 our 2019 Car of the Year winner , we were confident that Genesis had built a better 3 Series. And, as it turns out, it did. While BMW was busy rewriting entire passages of its own playbook, Genesis adhered to its mission with clear, crystalline focus and created a killer sport sedan on the very first try. Confident is the word that comes to mind when discussing the G70s looks. Lean, lithe, and muscular, the G70s exterior carries just the right amount of sophisticated swagger. Its got a hint of old-school (Zagato?) and a modern class without being derivative of anything else, said Walton. The G70 might be brand-new to the scene, but it already feels like an old friend. Get behind the wheel and everything falls instantly to hand. Youre greeted by a cockpit thats not only refreshingly straightforward, but also feels special in all the right places. Walton appreciated the attention to detail: I love the quilted leather and the chromey, knurled knobs youd expect to find in a Range Rover or Bentley . The combination of black and burgundy throughout the interior was a knockout. Familiarity can have its drawbacks, as well: The infotainment system was called out for being identical to one seen in any Hyundai or Kia . Scratch thatthe 2020 Kia Soul features a bigger, sharper screen. Graphics look like theyre a decade old, said Cortina. Its missing authenticity. While this is a curse that befalls many premium automakers who share components with lesser marques, some hide their origins better than others. Genesis might look to Lincoln for some inspiration here. But focus on the road in front of you instead, and suddenly its obvious why the G70 deserves all of the accolades. Heres the magical ride/handling balance that makes driving a sport sedan so rewarding. The steering has just the right amount of heft, tracing through corners with a playful precision. The chassis is firm yet supple. Walton feels that the suspension tuning leans more toward the luxury part of the equation than the sport side, but only just so. Of the three cars here, the G70 is the one thats ideally suited for a highly gratifying long-distance drive, straight out of the box. Out on the test track, the G70 nearly matches the BMW on the figure eight and lateral accelerationa testament to its extensive chassis development and tuning. Its only when you give it the boot that the G70 trails behind the rest of the pack. A fair amount of turbo lag from the 2.0-liter hampers off-the-line acceleration, and keeping it on boost requires judicious timing with the paddle shifters. Diving hot into a corner revealed more sloths in the powertrain. Despite multiple stabs to the shift paddle, the G70 sometimes refused our downshift requests during rapid deceleration in figure-eight testing. Stops from 60 mph required 106 feet, roughly splitting the difference between the BMW and Tesla. Wed be remiss if we didnt at least mention that the G70 is the only one left in its segment to offer a six-speed manual. And therein lies the irony with this stellar, award-winning sport sedan. It makes all the right moves and ticks all the right boxes. Through no fault of its own, the G70 represents the pinnacle of a segment just as that segment is poised to charge in a completely new and uncharted direction. 1st Place: Tesla Model 3 Unlike the G70, which got nearly everything right its first time out, the Model 3 represents a much more ambitious and polarizing effort. Nicknamed a spaceship on wheels by Reynolds, the Model 3s boundary-pushing technology was to be expected. But it was the revolutionary driving experience that pushed it over the top. But first, theres the issue of styling. The Model 3 looks as if it were designed from the rear going forward and the designers ran out of time before getting to the front. It looks like a freakish duck straight-on, mused Walton. Even more polarizing was the interior, which was a love-it-or-hate-it affair amongst our group. Adornments are limited to a strip of open-pore wood across the top of the dashboard. Walton shrugged: If this is Premium, Id hate to see the standard interior. Cortina was more enthusiastic, calling it a clean and tidy design that makes it look elegant. Curiously, the Model 3 is the only one in this group without a wireless charging pad. But who needs a phone when a bright, beautiful touchscreen dominates the center console? Creatures of tactile habit will wonder where all the buttons have gone. Our takeaway: The learning curve is actually pretty intuitive, and adjusting the various controls via touchscreen soon becomes second nature. But as captivating as that screen can be, the Model 3s real strength is its drivetrain. To no ones surprise, the Model 3 absolutely crushed it in straight-line acceleration: 060 whooshed by in only 4.0 seconds, and the quarter mile fell in 12.5 seconds at a speed of 113.1 mph. Proving it wasnt a one-trick electric pony, the Model 3 also bested the BMW on our figure-eight loop, despite wearing all-season tires. That electric drivetrain also provides the framework for the rest of this paradigm shift. The near-silent, rocket-like acceleration is only the first step. On our test runs out in the real world, one-pedal driving quickly became a matter of course. Lift off the accelerator, and regen instantly begins to slow the car. Time it right, and you can navigate through even heavy traffic with only an occasional feathering of the brake pedal. Walton was smitten. Driving feels new and novel again. The way it re-introduces driving enthusiasm to a driving enthusiast is remarkable. While both the BMW and Genesis also offer adaptive cruise control, the Teslas version was a revelation. The drivetrains instant power and regen meant the Model 3 had no problem maintaining a consistent distance, making micro-fast adjustments on the fly as the speed of traffic ebbed and flowed. This precision was in stark contrast to the response of the turbo-fours in both the 330i and G70, whose slow reaction times routinely left plenty of room for another car to jump in. The Tesla Model 3 wins this competition because it has thoroughly rewritten the rules of what a compact sport sedan can be. As it turns out, the number 3 is still the benchmark number for this segment. It just now happens to be a different type of 3. POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS 2018 Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor Long Range 2019 BMW 330i 2019 Genesis G70 2.0T DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Front & rear-motor, AWD Front-engine, RWD Front-engine, RWD ENGINE TYPE Front & rear: 3-phase internal permanent-magnet electric motors Turbocharged I-4, alum block/head Turbocharged I-4, alum block/head VALVETRAIN DOHC, 4 valves/cyl DOHC, 4 valves/cyl DISPLACEMENT 121.9 cu in/1,998 cc 121.9 cu in/1,998 cc COMPRESSION RATIO 10.2:1 10.0:1 POWER (SAE NET) 346 hp (front + rear comb) 255 hp @ 5,000 rpm 252 hp @ 6,200 rpm TORQUE (SAE NET) 376 lb-ft (front + rear comb) 295 lb-ft @ 1,550 rpm 260 lb-ft @ 1,400 rpm REDLINE 6,500 rpm 7,000 rpm WEIGHT TO POWER 11.7 lb/hp 14.3 lb/hp 14.5 lb/hp TRANSMISSION 1-speed automatic 8-speed automatic 8-speed automatic AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO 9.0:1/9.0:1 2.81:1/1.80:1 3.73:1/2.11:1 SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR Multilink coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar STEERING RATIO 10.3:1 13.2:1 12.5:1 TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK 2.0 2.2 2.5 BRAKES, F; R 12.6-in vented disc; 13.2-in vented disc, ABS 13.7-in 2-pc vented disc; 13.6-in 2-pc vented disc, ABS 12.6-in vented disc; 12.4-in vented disc, ABS WHEELS, F;R 8.5 x 19-in flow-formed aluminum 8.0 x 19-in; 8.5 x 19-in, cast aluminum 8.0 x 19-in; 8.5 x 19-in cast aluminum TIRES, F;R 235/40R19 96W (M+S) Continental ProContact RX 225/40R19 93Y; 255/35R19 96Y Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 225/40R19 93Y; 255/35R19 96Y Michelin Pilot Sport 4 DIMENSIONS WHEELBASE 113.2 in 112.2 in 111.6 in TRACK, F/R 62.2/62.2 in 62.3/62.9 in 62.8/63.1 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 184.8 x 72.8 x 56.8 in 185.7 x 71.9 x 56.4 in 184.5 x 72.8 x 55.1 in TURNING CIRCLE 38.1 ft 37.4 ft 36.1 ft CURB WEIGHT 4,062 lb 3,646 lb 3,659 lb WEIGHT DIST, F/R 51/49% 51/49% 51/49% SEATING CAPACITY 5 5 5 HEADROOM, F/R 40.3/37.7 in 38.7/37.6 in 39.7/36.9 in LEGROOM, F/R 42.7/35.2 in 42.0/35.2 in 42.6/34.8 in SHOULDER ROOM, F/R 56.3/54.0 in 56.0/54.6 in 56.3/54.6 in CARGO VOLUME 14.6 cu ft 17.0 cu ft 10.5 cu ft TEST DATA ACCELERATION TO MPH 0-30 1.8 sec 1.9 sec 2.2 sec 0-40 2.5 2.8 3.2 0-50 3.2 4.0 4.5 0-60 4.0 5.4 6.2 0-70 5.1 7.0 8.1 0-80 6.3 9.1 10.4 0-90 7.8 11.6 13.4 0-100 9.5 14.6 16.9 0-100-0 14.0 15.6 14.4 PASSING, 45-65 MPH 1.7 2.8 3.3 QUARTER MILE 12.5 sec @ 113.1 mph 14.0 sec @ 98.1 mph 14.7 sec @ 93.9 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 113 ft 103 ft 106 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.90 g (avg) 0.95 g (avg) 0.94 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 24.9 sec @ 0.78 g (avg) 25.2 sec @ 0.73 g (avg) 25.2 sec @ 0.72 g (avg) TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 6,920 rpm 1,300 rpm 1,700 rpm CONSUMER INFO BASE PRICE $50,700 * $41,245 $35,895 PRICE AS TESTED $54,100 * $59,920 $44,895 STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL Yes/Yes Yes/Yes Yes/Yes AIRBAGS 8: Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, front knee 8: Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, front knee 9: Dual front, f/r side, f/r curtain, driver knee BASIC WARRANTY 4 yrs/50,000 miles 4 yrs/50,000 miles 5 yrs/60,000 miles POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 8 years/120,000 mi (Long Range Battery) 4 yrs/50,000 miles 10 yrs/100,000 miles ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 4 yrs/50,000 miles 4 yrs/Unlimited miles 5 yrs/Unlimited miles FUEL CAPACITY 75 kW-hr lithium-ion battery pack 15.6 gal 15.8 gal EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 120/112/116 MPGe 26/36/30 mpg 22/30/25 mpg ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 28/30 kWh/100 miles 130/94 kW-hrs/100 miles 153/112 kW-hrs/100 miles CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 0.00 lb/mile (at vehicle) 0.65 lb/mile 0.78 lb/mile RECOMMENDED FUEL 110-volt, 220-volt electricity Unleaded premium Unleaded premium * Before applicable tax credits The post Tesla Model 3 vs. BMW 330i vs. Genesis G70 Comparison: Who Builds the Best Compact Luxury Sedan? appeared first on Motortrend .

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