Comparison Between Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2

[tm1v2]

The interior felt far too 'tight' for my long frame. The center console was obtrusive to a fault for me. The ICE platform isn't doing the Polestar any favors here. But the upcoming CUV should be very compelling if this model is an indication of Polestars direction.

Definitely a snug fit up there width-wise. That battery layout is give-and-take though, it has its benefits.

With a skateboard layout, as best I can tell you're forced to either compromise on vertical space (S, 3, Taycan, Lucid Air) or build a crossover (X, Y, Mach-E, etc).

The Polestar 2 layout regains vertical space while still feeling and driving like a sedan from inside. But at the cost of that big center tunnel. I hope with future energy density improvements that layout can be done with a much less intrusive center console.

 

[ono8ono]

Comparison Between Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2:​

Tesla is a US company.

Polestar and Volvo are owned by Geely, A chinese Company.

I strongly support US company.

 

[tm1v2]

One last comment before I put the Polestar 2 out of my mind... (Can you tell this was an agonizing purchase decision for me? But it's awesome that there are many really good EVs on the market now!)

Polestar 2 dual motor had a really tight turning radius, the best of all our recent test drives. This is a weak point for every dual motor Tesla I've driven. Polestar should be excellent for U-turns, 3 point turns, city driving and parking, etc.

The Polestar 2 "frameless" side mirrors are actually a really nice touch. The Model 3 side mirrors feel tiny and buried in comparison.

When your hands are at the proper 3 and 9 o'clock positions on the Polestar steering wheel, your thumbs end up on top of a hard plastic chrome-looking piece. That part of the spokes isn't upholstered at all. Why?? In every car I've owned the thumb rest position is upholstered or otherwise nice to touch, which just makes sense to me. In some it's even scalloped slightly.

 

[tarndt]

Whats with the "exhaust shaft/drivetrain tunnel" between the read back seats on the floor on the Polestar?

 

[tm1v2]

Whats with the "exhaust shaft/drivetrain tunnel" between the read back seats on the floor on the Polestar?

Batteries, I believe. The batteries are in the center of the Polestar 2, in individually removable "pouches" as I understand it.

 

[ChadS]

I assume the "driveshaft tunnel" is there because it's a shared platform and that was easiest...but yeah, as long as it's there, they put batteries inside as tm1v2 notes.

I have been driving a Model 3 Performance for 3 years, and I just drove a Polestar 2 a couple of hours ago. I largely agree with tm1v2's detailed assessment. The biggest difference, for me, is that the steering felt kind of numb as ForDesign said. But then, tm1v2 drove a Polestar with the Performance Pack; while ForDesign, like me, is in the Seattle area where they currently only have a car without the Performance pack for test drives. So maybe that Performance Pack does make a very noticeable difference.

Here's my take on the cars, if anybody wants more input on comparing the 3 to the Polestar 2:

Exterior: I think the Polestar 2 looks better. But not a lot better, and this is obviously subjective. It's about 2 inches taller and 3 inches shorter; from photos I thought it was taller than that and ingress/egress might be easier, but I didn't really notice a difference. At least, not in the front - the shorter rear doors and lesser rear legroom in the Polestar made it harder to get in to the rear seat.

Interior: They are fairly different, but I'm fine with both; not in love with either. Tesla seems a little too minimal; Polestar seemed to have a few too many surfaces and textures. I like that Polestar offers cloth seats. There was plenty of room in the front of the Polestar (I'm not a big guy, so that may not mean much) but the back (especially the middle with that drivetrain tunnel!) felt notably more cramped than the 3. Some numbers online make the rear seat spaces look reasonably close, but when I put the front seat where my wife likes it, it was a squeeze to get in to the back of the Polestar. Thigh support was a little better back there than in the 3, but still not great. As for visibility, looking rearward in the 3 isn't great, but the Polestar was a little worse.

Utility: With the seats up and the cargo cover on, the trunk space is pretty comparable. But fold all or part of the rear seats down, and the Polestar has that nice powered hatch (plenty of ways to open it, including the "kick" motion) plus a couple of nice little net/strap/tiedown/divider niceties that definitely make me prefer the Polestar. (The 3's frunk is bigger; though still not big enough to really matter - not like my wife's X frunk, which is really handy!). Plus Polestar offers a hitch that can tow up to 2,000lbs. I don't tow, but sure would like to be able to put a bike rack on the back.

Tech/Infotainment: Hmm. There's an awful lot of stuff that is kind-of similar, but laid out differently, so which one prefers may largely come down to what they are used to (which is part of why I didn't spend a lot of time focusing on this...I could be much more helpful if I had a Polestar for, say, a week). The Polestar center display is smaller and lower-resolution...but it's got a really nice binnacle display too. It runs Android and while there aren't a lot of available apps yet, Polestar is supposedly working on adding a lot more. Their 360-display and ability to select the view of any camera is really nice. TACC seemed just fine, but lanekeeping had just enough trouble that I turned it off almost right away. Tesla has a lot of games, but I've never played them and I doubt (? though I'd love to hear if anyone has a contrary opinion) that even those that do would really factor it in to a car buying decision.

Acceleration: Yeah, the numbers are clear, a Polestar 2 is going to get killed by my M3P. And indeed, the Polestar is slower. But you know what? The difference didn't feel nearly as large as I was suspecting, especially when doing a rolling start at higher speeds. Maybe the Polestar ramps up quicker? You do have to press the Polestar's accelerator further to get the acceleration, which I wasn't fond of, but again maybe it's just a case of what one is used to. I've had the M3P for 3 years and LOVE the acceleration; before that I had an S P90DL for 2 years, and before that a Roadster for 7 years...but I really think I could live with the Polestar's acceleration. (Of course I'd still choose Tesla's if all else is equal!)

Steering/handling: I love the M3P's steering feel and was somewhat disappointed by this Polestar without the Performance pack. It had a great turning radius, and was perfectly competent and responsive, but it just felt a little numb. I sure wish my local dealer had one with a Performance Pack for test drives. Note that my drive included highway, industrial and residential areas, but unfortunately no windy country backroads to really test it out.

Ride and noise: The Polestar is definitely quieter and rides more comfortably. But I drove them back-to-back so it was easy to notice the difference...I don't think the difference on either count is really enormous.

Range and efficiency: The two cars have similar-sized packs, but the Tesla is more efficient and so it goes farther, charges faster, costs less to operate, etc. InsideEVs got 226 miles from the Polestar in their 70mph test, and 290 miles from a 2019 Tesla Model 3 AWD (not a performance; but I have 18" wheels on mine so probably not far off). For day-to-day driving around town either is probably fine; but on road trips you will notice the difference.

Charging: Yeah, there are way too many threads about CCS/Supercharger pros and cons already, so I'll skip this. Home charging speeds sound pretty similar.

Sales and service: I didn't dig in to details, but it sounds like Polestar wants to follow Tesla's lead on this (well, mostly - the place I visited was a dealership, rather than a factory-owned store). Order online, get it delivered to your house, and while they build out service centers, you can get mobile service. A great story and it may work well, but it will likely take them a while to build it out. Then again, given Tesla's service decline over the past few years, maybe Polestar doesn't have to do much to surpass them.

My conclusion: The Polestar is a really nice car, and I'd love to have the nice styling and especially the extra utility noted above. The little bit of extra quiet and comfort would be nice too; I am sure I would enjoy the car if I had one. But it wouldn't be any cheaper to buy or own (especially with the Performance Pack for steering/handling), and I don't think those small extras are enough to warrant giving up the 3's acceleration, range/efficiency, roomier back seat and access to the Supercharger network.

 

[tm1v2]

Steering feel's a tricky one. After my first Polestar 2 drive I came away thinking it had very good steering feel by modern car standards. (Modern car steering == highly accurate but very numb.)

Later I realized I was probably attributing too much to the steering feel. It was really the chassis/suspension feel through the seat and my butt that was telling me the most about what the car's weight was doing, how set the suspension was in the turn, etc. The steering wheel was telling me enough to feel like I knew if I was getting too close to the front tire limits, but I don't think it was especially talkative.

Also steering reactions (not ratio) were very quick thanks to the firm suspension in the car I drove. But again, that's different than steering feel.

It's been a long time since I encountered a car with truly good steering feel. Almost every modern car is numb and bland compared to an old school car with good manual steering that tells you the texture of the road as you're driving straight, and the exact twisted shape of the overwhelmed sidewalls on your crappy old tires as you corner.

I didn't feel like M3P steering feel was anything special in my aggressive test driving. But that's probably because I was overwhelmed just trying to keep track of how the car's weight was flopping around. I haven't done any aggressive driving since then, in fact the car is basically garaged until its PPF appointment. I'm hopeful that once I have the suspension buttoned down, the steering will come alive more as well. There's also a few bushing upgrades I'm considering if I'm still not 100% happy with the steering after the coilovers, but first step is the coilovers. One modifcation at a time.

 

[tm1v2]

Btw the Model 3's quick steering ratio is pretty special to me. It was definitely a selling point for me!

 

[ForDesign]

Steering feel's a tricky one. After my first Polestar 2 drive I came away thinking it had very good steering feel by modern car standards. (Modern car steering == highly accurate but very numb.)

Later I realized I was probably attributing too much to the steering feel. It was really the chassis/suspension feel through the seat and my butt that was telling me the most about what the car's weight was doing, how set the suspension was in the turn, etc. The steering wheel was telling me enough to feel like I knew if I was getting too close to the front tire limits, but I don't think it was especially talkative.

Also steering reactions (not ratio) were very quick thanks to the firm suspension in the car I drove. But again, that's different than steering feel.

It's been a long time since I encountered a car with truly good steering feel. Almost every modern car is numb and bland compared to an old school car with good manual steering that tells you the texture of the road as you're driving straight, and the exact twisted shape of the overwhelmed sidewalls on your crappy old tires as you corner.

I didn't feel like M3P steering feel was anything special in my aggressive test driving. But that's probably because I was overwhelmed just trying to keep track of how the car's weight was flopping around. I haven't done any aggressive driving since then, in fact the car is basically garaged until its PPF appointment. I'm hopeful that once I have the suspension buttoned down, the steering will come alive more as well. There's also a few bushing upgrades I'm considering if I'm still not 100% happy with the steering after the coilovers, but first step is the coilovers. One modifcation at a time.

The thing with the MP3s steering is-it’s accurate. You are correct that both lack feel. But one feels like a better BMW. The other feels like a new age BMW . I can ‘feel’ more surface at times, and while I’m talking about small degrees here-I’d argue that cars with sports car low speed accelerative capabilities would be better served with the best steering possible. I drove R35 GT-Rs in a past life, so I love a great old school steering setup.

Two things when I compare the Polestar to the M3P:

Power on mid corner exit is truly jaw dropping in both the Model Y and 3 Performance in particular. The Polestar lacked that brutal delivery in the most responsive modes I had it in during my test drive.

The rear cargo area is cleverly designed, with a lot of neat storage solutions. It does a far better job in that regard. A cool car.

 

[tm1v2]

But one feels like a better BMW. The other feels like a new age BMW .

LOL, I think I know what you mean! Well, I'm not sure what age cutoff you had in mind, but...

Last time we did the car shopping thing - when we ended up buying our Model S - we did back-to-back test drives of an E90 and F30. Both regular versions, not M cars.

The E90 was surprisingly taught, responsive, and fun with some actual feel through its seats/chassis and well-weighted steering. It was also plenty smooth and refined, no issues there. I didn't push it really hard on that drive, but in casual driving, it made a convincing case for why the 3-series was so popular and that it deserved the "sports" sedan label.

The F30 was completely bland and numb in comparison. It was almost shocking. Very smooth, quiet, and refined - notably moreso than the E90 - but utterly lifeless and boring to drive.

(I've driven other BMWs occasionally over the years, including some others during that car shopping time, but those back-to-back old vs new 3-series drives were eye opening about the sad direction BMW was heading. I haven't driven the latest 3-series, I can only hope they've course-corrected...)

 

[tm1v2]

The steering was the worst thing about that F30. So incredibly numb. So incredibly disappointing compared to the E90.

 

[joebruin77]

I just test drove the Polestar 2 today and overall, I was very impressed.

Here's what I liked about the Polestar 2:
1) Car just felt solid - fit and finish did seem at least a couple notches above my Tesla P3D.
2) Although subjective, I think the Polestar 2 exterior is more attractive than the exterior design of the Model 3.
3) Harmon Kardon stereo was great.
4) Google UI system was excellent. This was the first time I was in a non-Tesla EV that had a UI that was at least in the same league as Tesla's.
5) Rear view visibility, surprisingly, was better in the Polestar 2. I was actually expecting the opposite, given that the rear window seems smaller on the Polestar. But when I drive my Tesla and look out the rear, I can't see the headlights of the cars behind me. I only see the top of the cars. In the Polestar I could see the headlights of the cars behind me. Plus the gorgeous frameless side mirrors on the Polestar seemed a tad bigger, giving me better views. And those mirrors also had a blind spot warning light built into the mirror lens itself, something I wish my Model 3 had.

And as for what I did NOT like about the Polestar:
1) The center "hump" in the backseat. This hump is there to store batteries, so that no batteries need to be placed under the feet of the back passengers on the sides. So the side back passengers have a bit more leg room, but at the expense of poor guy that got stuck in the middle.
2) The center console in the front seat was so disappointing. The gear selector and the volume knob are, design wise, very attractive. But the center console is way too big for the space (contributes to that sense of feeling cramped). And for such a large console, there is almost no storage room. And the cup holders are so poorly designed and placed. The only way to use the second cup holder is to lift up the center arm rest. So if the driver and the passenger each have a drink, I guess you have to drive with no arm rest until you finish your drinks.

I was very impressed with Polestar's customer service. Great communication before and during the test drive. If Polestar redesigns the center arm rest, I would strongly consider it.

BTW, I do not think the difference in range is quite as drastic. Yes, the Tesla long range will have more estimated range. But I do believe Tesla tends to overstate its range. The Polestar seems to be a bit more realistic. And there is an optional heat pump available on the Polestar 2 if you live in a cold climate. As long as you have a level-2 charger at home, I would not be that concerned about the difference in range.

 

[apodbdrsM3]

I went to the Electrify Expo in Miami last weekend. I thought the show was very disorganized. There were very few cars and not many vendors. The event was sprauled over the parking lot of the Miami Marine Stadium, and the weather was very Miami hot and humid. Also, parking was a disaster.

I did look at the new Polestar by Volvo and was unimpressed. There is very little leg room in the back seat and I don't really like the design of the car (reminds me of a dodge charger). I feel the Tesla has a much sleeker and more refined look. Tesla Model 3 can travel 353 miles on a singe charge and the Polestar has only 294 miles on a charge. The Polestar does have a richer interior as where Tesla has a more basic interior but with a much larger screen. Polestar has nice interior mats while the Tesla mats are comparitively thin and a bit flimsy. This, of course, is one of the reasons why I decided to manufacture superior floor mats for the Model 3 and Model Y Tesla's, mats that are more commensurate and compatible with the elegant and superior quality of vehicle that the Tesla is. Teslashields.com

Anyone else have tested the PoleStar that can share their thoughts or comments on Tesla Model 3 vs Polestar?

View attachment 725203View attachment 725204View attachment 725205

My neighbor has a Model 3, and for some reason he was driving a Polestar the other day. I guess it must be his wife's, because I just the Model 3 in his garage and him driving it shortly thereafter. I had a very brief discussion with him and he indicated he wanted his Model 3 because it is so much simpler to drive. Next time I catch I will get details on the difference.

 

[apodbdrsM3]

I just test drove the Polestar 2 today and overall, I was very impressed.

Here's what I liked about the Polestar 2:
1) Car just felt solid - fit and finish did seem at least a couple notches above my Tesla P3D.
2) Although subjective, I think the Polestar 2 exterior is more attractive than the exterior design of the Model 3.
3) Harmon Kardon stereo was great.
4) Google UI system was excellent. This was the first time I was in a non-Tesla EV that had a UI that was at least in the same league as Tesla's.
5) Rear view visibility, surprisingly, was better in the Polestar 2. I was actually expecting the opposite, given that the rear window seems smaller on the Polestar. But when I drive my Tesla and look out the rear, I can't see the headlights of the cars behind me. I only see the top of the cars. In the Polestar I could see the headlights of the cars behind me. Plus the gorgeous frameless side mirrors on the Polestar seemed a tad bigger, giving me better views. And those mirrors also had a blind spot warning light built into the mirror lens itself, something I wish my Model 3 had.

And as for what I did NOT like about the Polestar:
1) The center "hump" in the backseat. This hump is there to store batteries, so that no batteries need to be placed under the feet of the back passengers on the sides. So the side back passengers have a bit more leg room, but at the expense of poor guy that got stuck in the middle.
2) The center console in the front seat was so disappointing. The gear selector and the volume knob are, design wise, very attractive. But the center console is way too big for the space (contributes to that sense of feeling cramped). And for such a large console, there is almost no storage room. And the cup holders are so poorly designed and placed. The only way to use the second cup holder is to lift up the center arm rest. So if the driver and the passenger each have a drink, I guess you have to drive with no arm rest until you finish your drinks.

I was very impressed with Polestar's customer service. Great communication before and during the test drive. If Polestar redesigns the center arm rest, I would strongly consider it.

BTW, I do not think the difference in range is quite as drastic. Yes, the Tesla long range will have more estimated range. But I do believe Tesla tends to overstate its range. The Polestar seems to be a bit more realistic. And there is an optional heat pump available on the Polestar 2 if you live in a cold climate. As long as you have a level-2 charger at home, I would not be that concerned about the difference in range.

Range is determined by EPA testing on a static monitor at 55 mph, it is not Tesla's value. Normal driving at 70 mph and driving conditions will definitely have an impact on range on any EV.

 

[joebruin77]

Range is determined by EPA testing on a static monitor at 55 mph, it is not Tesla's value. Normal driving at 70 mph and driving conditions will definitely have an impact on range on any EV.

What I find interesting about range is that multiple reviewers have found that Tesla tends to overestimate its range by 10-12%. Other automakers routinely underestimate their range to be more conservative. For example, Volvo tends to underestimate its true range by 10%. The Porsche Taycan appears to underestimate its true range by as much as 30%. Of course, driving style, ambient temperatures, tire pressure, and other factors can affect range for any EV. But when shopping and comparing, Tesla does not offer as much additional range as the EPA estimates may suggest.

I am looking at my Tesla Stats app right now. My 2018 P3D shows a rated range of 307 miles at 100% charge, but an estimated range of 271 miles.

 

[tm1v2]

Unfortunately the Polestar 2 isn't one of those EPA-beating EVs from the tests I've seen.

Speaking of the Polestar, apparently they just announced an acceleration boost...

 

[chinney]

View attachment 725205

I would not want to sit in that middle seat in the back for more than a few minutes. Ouch.

 

[tshields]

I would not want to sit in that middle seat in the back for more than a few minutes. Ouch.

Lol the seat belts are stlyish though!
.

 

[wallfacer]

Test drove a Polestar 2 today (AWD, Pilot, Plus, Nappa leather seats). Largely agree with what folks shared above, a couple additions:

- Cabin noise: found the interior much quieter than the Tesla M3s I've driven, particularly on the highway.

- Ride: Polestar absorbs potholes / bumps much better than the M3.

- Pedal/acceleration: Softer than the M3 as others have mentioned. Would add that the regen also felt softer/less jerky. Amounts to a smoother, but less responsive ride.

We're likely sticking with our M3LR reservation, but the Polestar's worth a look.

 

[tm1v2]

Useful photos there of the tan leather, I never got to see a car with it in person. Looks nice.