FiestaST
Honorary Master
BMW iX vs Polestar 3: battle of the posh electric SUVs
Polestar’s new 3 SUV meets BMW’s facelifted (and now less controversial) iX. Who builds the best big luxury electric car?
Movie soundtrack maestro Hans Zimmer’s suite of sounds are available to enliven the process but you can turn them off if they prove irksome. We rather like the rising sci-fi whoosh, and it’s far better than the nonsense others provide. It raises an important point, though: neither of these cars offers what you’d call genuine interaction, to the extent that they shun brake regen paddles in favour of a drive select mode in the BMW and a menu tile push in the Polestar. They work very hard indeed to counter the gripe that EVs are one dimensional, but there’s still a slightly synthetic sensation.
The Polestar, somewhat surprisingly, doesn’t have an 800V architecture, but it can still charge at speeds up to 250kW, faster than the iX manages. It also has a heat pump as standard, its slippery shape and aero numbers (it has a drag coefficient of 0.29) helping overall efficiency. Polestar claims 348 miles for the Performance Pack car but 280 is more likely. Experience with the iX tells us that its range display is usually bang on. This latest version should deliver in excess of 350 miles easily enough.
The Polestar 3 is a highly accomplished machine, and a seductive choice if design is one of your lodestars. Inside and out there’s an air of calm reassurance, a feeling that’s replicated in its polished dynamic demeanour. As expensive as it is, especially with some of the option packs added, it still undercuts the BMW. But the iX is as deeply persuasive an EV as exists. It’s hugely comfortable, clever, and, yes, characterful. Put simply, it’s now more impressive than ever.
Polestar’s new 3 SUV meets BMW’s facelifted (and now less controversial) iX. Who builds the best big luxury electric car?
Movie soundtrack maestro Hans Zimmer’s suite of sounds are available to enliven the process but you can turn them off if they prove irksome. We rather like the rising sci-fi whoosh, and it’s far better than the nonsense others provide. It raises an important point, though: neither of these cars offers what you’d call genuine interaction, to the extent that they shun brake regen paddles in favour of a drive select mode in the BMW and a menu tile push in the Polestar. They work very hard indeed to counter the gripe that EVs are one dimensional, but there’s still a slightly synthetic sensation.
The Polestar, somewhat surprisingly, doesn’t have an 800V architecture, but it can still charge at speeds up to 250kW, faster than the iX manages. It also has a heat pump as standard, its slippery shape and aero numbers (it has a drag coefficient of 0.29) helping overall efficiency. Polestar claims 348 miles for the Performance Pack car but 280 is more likely. Experience with the iX tells us that its range display is usually bang on. This latest version should deliver in excess of 350 miles easily enough.
The Polestar 3 is a highly accomplished machine, and a seductive choice if design is one of your lodestars. Inside and out there’s an air of calm reassurance, a feeling that’s replicated in its polished dynamic demeanour. As expensive as it is, especially with some of the option packs added, it still undercuts the BMW. But the iX is as deeply persuasive an EV as exists. It’s hugely comfortable, clever, and, yes, characterful. Put simply, it’s now more impressive than ever.