Polestar 2 DM vs BMW i4 M50

[tm1v2]

Edmunds: 2022 BMW i4 versus 2022 Polestar 2

BMW has a well-established history of developing luxury sport sedans, and now the automaker has set its sights on dominating the all-electric segment with its new 2022 i4.

apnews.com

Interesting comparison of the two best fun/sporty Model 3 competitors on the market right now. Everything they wrote matches up with what I've read from firsthand accounts of each cars, and also my two test drives of a Polestar 2 Performance.

Especially interesting is their range test results. Seems Polestar has improved the efficiency of the P2 a bit. Heat pump is new in it for 2022 I think, that could be a big help depending on the weather. I hope Edmunds drove them at the same time or back-to-back, and didn't sandbag either with a low starting charge like they apparently did to a Model Y.

Shame BMW's M badge seems more about rocketship power than handling finesse in the i4. From the photos it looks like Edmunds wasn't even driving a Performance Pack P2 with upgraded suspension, yet they still felt the P2 had more engaging handling than the i4 M50.

 

[Kandiru]

How can anyone think of putting giant black quad tailpipe placemarkers (literally, there is even a splitter on each side) on the bumper? Add this on a while car to the hideous enormous kidney grille and the entire look of the car is ruined. IMHO the old gen leaders will have to die off before something meaningful will come out from the BMW petrolheads.

Polestars though cute will leave you stranded on the road.

And efficiency and battery size wise, no one can hold a candle to Tesla yet.

 

[tm1v2]

I agree about those i4 styling issues. I wouldn't reject the car over them though if it was otherwise my top choice. Model 3 styling took a long time to grow on me, I really didn't like it at first. Even now it's okay. Model S still much better looking.

Looking back at this comparison I'm also surprised Edmunds considered the Polestar seats better. I thought they were merely okay, a bit better than the Model 3 seats but still nothing to write home about. They didn't leave a strong impression on me (good or bad). Several sporty BMWs I've been in had better seats and I'm definitely expecting the i4 M50 seats to be better too.

 

[Kvitravn]

I drove the Polestar 2 perf and the 3 perf back to back. There are plenty of good things to be said about the Polestar but on my part, once I got a taster of the sheer performance and less-is-more elegance of Tesla engineering the Polestar just seemed to pale. It feels like a nice dailiy driver for the average consumer.

Then I drove the i4M50 (while dailiy driving a 3P) and had the same overall impression. BMW has made a pretty decent car in the way BMW makes cars these days, which is to say nothing like the "Ultimate Driving Machines" of a decade ago (or rather more imho) - it's plush, quiet, has a decent head of speed. It completely loses the plot when you try to drive it like a 3P.

So I think P2 vs i4 is an interesting comparison for people looking for a plush daily driver. Noen of them are the "Tesla killers" people keep claiming that they are. I'll even admit I was pretty prejusticed about the Model 3, thinking it would be a poor quality, high powered one trick pony.

 

[voxel]

So I think P2 vs i4 is an interesting comparison for people looking for a plush daily driver. Noen of them are the "Tesla killers" people keep claiming that they are. I'll even admit I was pretty prejusticed about the Model 3, thinking it would be a poor quality, high powered one trick pony.

This.

I bought an i4 and happened to be near a Polestar location the next day and test drove the P2 with Performance. The two cars are very similar and would make great daily drivers (the road noise is definitely higher on the P2 and the stereo is mediocre). Both suspensions are fantastic - I'm comparing the P2 with Ohlins and the i4 with Adaptive suspension. Also, the P2 has very smooth linear acceleration and linear regen... completely opposite of how rough my Mach-E GTPE is. Very Tesla-like refined.

The Model 3 is a tad too harsh in terms of ride quality. I did not enjoy a long-ish road trip with my Model 3 RWD to Miami in the spring but my long drive back with my BMW i4 was very calm and pleasant.