Comparison of my I3s to my new Polestar 2 - A Few Days In

[Arm]

Hey folks - in the interest of sharing information community-wise and also still wanting to be part of this community, I'd like to share my experience with my new car versus my outgoing i3s (which I do miss a lot).

A little background to start -

It's been roughly over a month when I started my search for a Polestar 2. At the time, I had a BMW i3s (2019) and really loved the car. But I purchased it at the peak of car price madness and the payments were high even though my interest rate was low. Had I continued to pay for this car, it'd have cost me A LOT at the end so I figured I'd stop the bleeding and sell it for at least what I owe on it and upgrade to a "nicer" car...nicer being a relative term in regards to what one likes and dislikes. I was fortunate enough to find a dealership that purchased my car with no hassles and for an amount that was honestly more reasonable than any other offer privately given or otherwise. So I went for it.

The Polestar 2 -

I started my search in parallel and found out quickly that purchasing a CPO or from a dealer was far more expensive than finding one privately. Of course, the additional peace of mind of a CPO is a welcome bonus but nonetheless I ended up with a private party 2021 P2 PPP with 31.2k miles on it.

After shipping, various escrow fees, TLR, etc...I used KeySavvy to also obtain the $4k rebate. All in, my car came out to $25k including shipping from Northern to Southern California.

The previous owner was a well-to-do gentleman who upgraded to a Rivian truck but he was a conservative type who also has owned some pretty high end cars like a Porsche GT2, etc. So I think I lucked out...thus far.

The Polestar is very clean overall, was always garaged, covered even. Obviously it has a couple of blemishes here and there but overall very clean (one small scratch on the driver's side rim and a couple of small dents at the bottom edge of the passenger side door which I missed unfortunately but no big deal).

The car came with the latest software update, all stuff reset, the three keys, a detail job, and all the original stuff included (plus the rubber floormats - the original cloth mats were never used).

Interestingly, the trip wasn't reset so it gave me a glimpse into the efficiency of the car thus far over the past 1820 miles which shows to be 17.2 kWh/100 miles. Seems rather optimistic frankly but perhaps you veterans can tell me. With my i3s, I was getting an average of 4.8 mi/kWh (or 20.8 kWh/100 miles) so there is no way in hell the P2 could do better IMO but I don't know.

Interior -

The car has a nice interior. Closed in but nice. It's going to take a little getting used to on my part because the amount of glass to see out of is DRASTICALLY less than my i3s's...by a WIDE margin. The i3s is like sitting in a huge glass shell...super open and airy and light in feel...and to be frank...ergonomically speaking superior to the P2's. It's amazing to think the i3's interior was designed over 10+ years ago...a truly incredible achievement design-wise and most definitely in top 5 best interiors ever made in a car. Definitely BMW's best IMO that's for sure.

It's too early for me to tell how well the interior of the P2 will hold up but so far, squeaks and rattles are hard to discern from background noise....so I'll know more as I become more familiar with the car.

Road noise is SHOCKINGLY high for this price point. The amount of tire and road noise even at speeds of 25-30 MPH over certain road surfaces is well beyond 80db which is...honestly..unacceptable for a car like this so I'm a tad disappointed in that regard. Yes I know, the car has 20 inch rims but so did my i3s and I can't imagine my BMW having more sound insulation than the P2...so I'm not sure why this car is so loud on the go.

One thing that I noticed at night that seems to be a glaring omission is that there is no backlighting on the stalks. I literally cannot see what I'm pressing or enabling on the stalks at night. It's a crazy omission IMO that I never noticed. I don't know you all feel about that but that to me is a bit of a let down.

So interior-wise and ergonomically, the P2 is a bit of a mixed bag for someone who's just jumped into it. How do you all feel about it?

Driving Experience -

So having the Performance shocks, this car is definitely on the firm side. The previous (and only) owner never touched the settings so they are probably on 8F/8R? Assuming of course they were actually accurately set during manufacturing.

The P2 has very different NVH and ride sound characteristics than my i3s did. The i3s is largely a carbon fiber frame/tub so the thumps and sounds that emanate from the suspension are less muted, a little harsher, more "plasticky"
The P2 has more subdued thumps and feels more like a regular car/BMW like you'd feel in a 3 series. While it's firm, it's not as crashy as our Tesla Model 3 that's for sure.

Being that the original owner never had the shocks adjusted, I'll take it in when due for a checkup and have the Space change the settings perhaps to slightly softer I don't know yet as it's too early.

The common issue that some seem to face about a rattling/loose sound/suspension issue doesn't seem to be present for me (yet) but I'm not sure honestly what to look out for and how to discern that sound yet as it's so damned loud inside sometimes that I can't tell between suspension thumps and something actually amiss. There certainly doesn't seem like there is any clicking when turning left or right so that's good.

Acceleration-wise, I've not gunned it yet but I can tell even at half throttle that this thing will haul ass and pick up and go when you need it to. I'm not an off-the-line kind of guy...much more a midrange type of person. So this thing definitely delivers the goods even at half pace. I'm contemplating on getting the power upgrade as well but will hold off for a bit before I do.

The exterior color is what I wanted - Thunder. It's truly a stunning color and matches the character of this car very well.

The setup of the infotainment was pretty straight forward but the phone app doesn't lock/unlock on approach. I have to physically touch the handles to do so OR use the app function to actually unlock/lock the vehicle. But it seems to drive fine without any keys in the car even though the onboard menu shows "No Keys Connected" or something like that.

The speed of the system is OK but reminds me of a previous gen tablet and could definitely be better. Can this thing be put into Developer Mode to make it seem a bit more snappy?

I've not really tested out the HK system yet but it is most definitely an upgrade from my i3s.

So that's it for now. A VERY fresh and new perspective that I wanted to record for future updates and being able to look back and see how things change over time.

Any ideas, suggestions, comments, etc would be welcome and I hope we can work together and figure stuff out as they come along.

I'm glad to be part of this group! Cheers!

I'll put pictures up in a bit as well.

 

[Arm]

 

[eNate]

I owned my first i3 for about two years when my wife and I looked for a second EV.

The Polestar was top of the list (this was early 2021). We also looked at the Mach-e, Volvo XC 40, a Niro, and something else, maybe the Ioniq?

The big overview is the only thing the i3 and Polestar have in common is that they're EVs.

I too noticed the tightly enclosed cockpit, didn't like the hump on the floor, and the inability to close the glass roof was a big deal to my wife. It just didn't seem like the space in this car was used efficiently

But coming from a Volvo S60 sedan, she absolutely loved the way the Polestar drove. She said she wouldn't have hesitated if she was single or childless!

As it turned out after sitting in the fence for a month or so we ended up with an ID.4, which copies many of the i3's design aesthetics. But we're in close proximity to a couple of Polestars, and their owners seem generally really happy with their choices, with the service experience, and the OTA situation.

 

[Arm]

I owned my first i3 for about two years when my wife and I looked for a second EV.

The Polestar was top of the list (this was early 2021). We also looked at the Mach-e, Volvo XC 40, a Niro, and something else, maybe the Ioniq?

The big overview is the only thing the i3 and Polestar have in common is that they're EVs.

I too noticed the tightly enclosed cockpit, didn't like the hump on the floor, and the inability to close the glass roof was a big deal to my wife. It just didn't seem like the space in this car was used efficiently

But coming from a Volvo S60 sedan, she absolutely loved the way the Polestar drove. She said she wouldn't have hesitated if she was single or childless!

As it turned out after sitting in the fence for a month or so we ended up with an ID.4, which copies many of the i3's design aesthetics. But we're in close proximity to a couple of Polestars, and their owners seem generally really happy with their choices, with the service experience, and the OTA situation.

Thus far, it's been very nice. As you say, the interior is definitely less roomy or open as in the i3. And it feels heavy to when driving the car. But with the performance package and the upgraded shocks, it feels extremely planted and far less crashy than my i3s did. Weight has it's advantages and disadvantages for sure. But the car rides superbly without the nervousness of the BMW.

There are a couple of known issues with the Polestars that seem to persist and aren't really being issued as recalls but rather TSBs...which is disappointing. Quite a few owners complain of a strut creak or clonking. Apparently some tolerance issue with the strut bearing or something that causes clicking or knocking while under load. The other are the wheel bearing packs that require packing of grease now and then. I'm looking into getting an extended warranty for the car as I don't have think it'll be a cheap proposition to fix anything on this car out of warranty.

Much like the i3s, the tires and wheels are not to be rotated either.

 

[Arm]

BTW...if you guys think i3 tires are expensive....HOLY &^%....the tires on the P2 with the 20 inch rims are a heck of a lot more all around. And they don't seem to last very long either. 20K max I am reading and researching.

 

[tongsli]

I owned my first i3 for about two years when my wife and I looked for a second EV.

The Polestar was top of the list (this was early 2021). We also looked at the Mach-e, Volvo XC 40, a Niro, and something else, maybe the Ioniq?

The big overview is the only thing the i3 and Polestar have in common is that they're EVs.

I too noticed the tightly enclosed cockpit, didn't like the hump on the floor, and the inability to close the glass roof was a big deal to my wife. It just didn't seem like the space in this car was used efficiently

But coming from a Volvo S60 sedan, she absolutely loved the way the Polestar drove. She said she wouldn't have hesitated if she was single or childless!

As it turned out after sitting in the fence for a month or so we ended up with an ID.4, which copies many of the i3's design aesthetics. But we're in close proximity to a couple of Polestars, and their owners seem generally really happy with their choices, with the service experience, and the OTA situation.

How is the VW? Are the problems with their infotainment software as bad as folks have been reporting? Before the BMW, I was a life long VW owner and my wife still drives a 2004 VW. I wish the ID3 was available here.

I would love nothing more to go back to VW but all their problems and the way you are treated by the dealership (common among them all) I'm hesitant.

Lito

Armond, thanks for keeping us up to date.

 

[eNate]

How is the VW?

VW deservedly earned the early hate, but I've been really happy with it.

I bought it just after launch, but my wife and I went in knowing the list of complaints, so we were both suspicious and on the lookout and didn't find anything terribly objectionable. The software has only gotten better, mainly bug fixes, but all-around it's a solid performer. And it seems with the higher-spec 2024 models, they've put that behind them.

The unanswered remaining question is whether VW can deliver on OTAs. After three years we've only just had our first (for some, first and second), and there's been no sign yet of an update for the '24 owners.

Most concise answer is I'm content and in no rush to replace it. A test drive would be revealing.

 

[Arm]

How is the VW? Are the problems with their infotainment software as bad as folks have been reporting? Before the BMW, I was a life long VW owner and my wife still drives a 2004 VW. I wish the ID3 was available here.

I would love nothing more to go back to VW but all their problems and the way you are treated by the dealership (common among them all) I'm hesitant.

Lito

Armond, thanks for keeping us up to date.

You're welcome my friend! I've still got to get around to posting a few pictures.

 

[Arm]

VW deservedly earned the early hate, but I've been really happy with it.

I bought it just after launch, but my wife and I went in knowing the list of complaints, so we were both suspicious and on the lookout and didn't find anything terribly objectionable. The software has only gotten better, mainly bug fixes, but all-around it's a solid performer. And it seems with the higher-spec 2024 models, they've put that behind them.

The unanswered remaining question is whether VW can deliver on OTAs. After three years we've only just had our first (for some, first and second), and there's been no sign yet of an update for the '24 owners.

Most concise answer is I'm content and in no rush to replace it. A test drive would be revealing.

It boggles my mind as to why other auto manufacturers cannot do what Tesla does when it comes to software and OTA integration or the app. My wife's Tesla isn't the car I pick to drive but definitely ranks very high when it comes to software, app use, etc. This is 2024 and Polestar also has their share of issues with the infotainment, digital key not connecting (i.e. the using the phone as key, etc.). I don't get it. Look at the Volvo EX30 debacle with its software issues.

 

[eNate]

My take is that Tesla understood what needed to be done from the start, and built their system ground up, designed in the tech center of the world

Other makers – not just VW, but Ford and Volvo and Hyundai, etc. – really scrambled to scrape together systems using legacy supply chains and know-how, and didn't fully comprehend the complexity they were up against.

They unwisely and naively pushed against short deadlines thinking software can always be fixed on the back end.

 

[alohart]

My take is that Tesla understood what needed to be done from the start, and built their system ground up, designed in the tech center of the world

Yes, my understanding is that Tesla designed and built most (all?) electronic modules and associated software on their vehicles, so Tesla has full control of the software and its updates.

Other makers – not just VW, but Ford and Volvo and Hyundai, etc. – really scrambled to scrape together systems using legacy supply chains and know-how, and didn't fully comprehend the complexity they were up against.

That's probably why BMW calls each system software update an "integration level". BMW must integrate software updates from various electronic module manufacturers with its own system software which must be fairly challenging to do correctly. Reports of problems that BMW dealers have with system software updates might be why BMW doesn't offer OTA software updates.

 

[robthebold]

They unwisely and naively pushed against short deadlines thinking software can always be fixed on the back end.

It is the hardware engineer's motto that "any hardware defect that can be fixed in a software update was never a hardware defect to begin with."

 

[eNate]

It is the hardware engineer's motto that "any hardware defect that can be fixed in a software update was never a hardware defect to begin with."

From that standpoint, at least with the ID.4, the hardware is solid, and as a car it's been great. My takeaway is that they were trying to achieve a level of hardware integration capable of over-the-air updates that was never originally intended from this collection of disparate parts (different vendors, different languages, not intended to communicate with anything other than the central ICAS computer). There's probably a whole lot more nuance to it than my simple take, but it's evident from VW's delay after delay with the successor platform and very public software struggles that they've realized this isn't easy. The ID.4 is fine as an early entrant to the $40k / 250 mile EV segment and the hardware changes for 2024 are justified to bring it up to speed, but ultimately this is still a dead platform that's just a place holder for their SSP platform.

 

[Arm]

As promised, I wanted to post a couple of pictures of the new car. Totally different feel from my i3s. I do miss my i3s in many ways. But this is a solid car in many ways.

 

[JamesInLondon]

Having driven both the standard version and the one with the Ohlins adjustable suspension, I would advise anyone who isn't a track racer to stick with the standard suspension version.

 

[Arm]

They are quite stiff if dialed up but I enjoy the tautness and ride of the Ohlins. They offer far better control in spirited driving than the standard version IMO. The car feels very much like the i3s in terms of ride but more muted and better rebound control. The standard car felt far too wallowy for me.

 

[ME2SC]

Thanks for all the intel, but I have a hard time believing that the Poledancer is getting better per mile effienceny that an i3.

Since I returned from my 3,000 mile slow-mo romp around the Eastern Seaboard I've been trying to see how high I can get my average. As an experiment, I've been driving my 60Ah BEV like Tim Conway's "The Oldest Man" walked, not using AC at all, and only operating in ECO+ mode, ringing up all 10 stars in the Driving Analysis within 15 minutes of leaving home ... and I can *barely* crack 5.4m/kWh.

If my math is correct 17.2 kWh/100m = 5.8m/kWh ... I would think 2.8 is more in keeping with a real-world average. I'd be interested to hear an update from your driving after you reset the trip computer.

 

[Arm]

Thanks for all the intel, but I have a hard time believing that the Poledancer is getting better per mile effienceny that an i3.

Since I returned from my 3,000 mile slow-mo romp around the Eastern Seaboard I've been trying to see how high I can get my average. As an experiment, I've been driving my 60Ah BEV like Tim Conway's "The Oldest Man" walked, not using AC at all, and only operating in ECO+ mode, ringing up all 10 stars in the Driving Analysis within 15 minutes of leaving home ... and I can *barely* crack 5.4m/kWh.

If my math is correct 17.2 kWh/100m = 5.8m/kWh ... I would think 2.8 is more in keeping with a real-world average. I'd be interested to hear an update from your driving after you reset the trip computer.

I don't know how the original owner was able to obtain that sort of efficiency over so many miles but it was on the trip to see.

I agree the car is heavy but also the throttle mapping is very aggressive compared to my i3s. Even a small input and I'm down to 1 mile/kWh. Definitely muscle car type behavior.

The power upgrade via software is reported to remap the throttle response so I'm considering doing that. That would cost me $1200 and boost power to 476hp and boost torque too but the curves change as well.

Here are images of what I've been getting so far.

 

[Mustrum Ridcully]

Thanks for all the intel, but I have a hard time believing that the Poledancer is getting better per mile effienceny that an i3.

Since I returned from my 3,000 mile slow-mo romp around the Eastern Seaboard I've been trying to see how high I can get my average. As an experiment, I've been driving my 60Ah BEV like Tim Conway's "The Oldest Man" walked, not using AC at all, and only operating in ECO+ mode, ringing up all 10 stars in the Driving Analysis within 15 minutes of leaving home ... and I can *barely* crack 5.4m/kWh.

If my math is correct 17.2 kWh/100m = 5.8m/kWh ... I would think 2.8 is more in keeping with a real-world average. I'd be interested to hear an update from your driving after you reset the trip computer.

In one of the magazines of my youth, there were references to a somewhat mythic early hypermiler of the first half of the 20th century: one Loyd ”balloon foot” Bodeen (that is from a roughly 65 to 70 year old memory so I don't attach too much accuracy to its rendition here). One thing. I do recall was his method of induction new acolytes to his craft. He would place a raw egg between the foot and the acceleration peddle of his student. Now I don't recall what penalties were awarded should the egg be cracked while honing these skills but I imagine the state of most roads during the the pre-WW2 period and the need to shift the three on the tree and manhandle the rather agricultural suspensions and non-power steering of the cars of the era whilst keeping the egg uncracked could not have been an easy task. With the advent of fuel rationing in WW2 his skills took on the aspect of something that most would aspire to.

 

[Trukinbear]

It's because our 10+ year old tire design doesn't even classify as a Low Rolling Resistance tire compared to the tires you can put on your Polestar today