Polestar was established in 1996 and was initially known as Flash Engineering. The company was known for tuning Volvo vehicles and helping them during the Touring Car Championship. Since then, it has come a long way, and today it produces some of the most expensive and high-performance vehicles. The most recent is the Polestar 2, an excellent EV for the mass market. On the other hand, Tesla has been on a relentless charge toward the electrification of all automobiles. The company has a well-established fleet of vehicles, and the Model Y is one of its crowning jewels.
Although Tesla has conquered the EV segment, Polestar 2 is the latest entrant of the carmaker in this competitive EV space. The competition between these two manufacturers is cutthroat in design, practicality, and reliability. But we think the Polestar 2 is better than the established Tesla Model Y, and here's why.
Polestar 2 Vs Tesla Model Y: The Design
Polestar 2 is designed much like a traditional Sedan and gives a boxy and angular appearance. Its Volvo roots are immediately seen in Thor's hammer-shaped LED DRLs up front, and the top half of the headlamps consists of LED lights while the lower half consists of a projector setup. Polestar has used intricate design details for the grill upfront, which houses the 360-degree parking camera and radar sensors. Machine cut alloy wheels are 20-inches and fill up the wheel arches exceptionally well. With a length of 181.3-inches and a wheelbase of 107.7-inches, the proportions are reasonably large and liberate a lot of passenger and cargo room. The rear end is beautifully styled with a LED light bar that runs the entire width connecting the two tail lamps. If the Polestar 2 doesn't make you believe they are getting their designs right, we are sure the Polestar O2 concept sports car will definitely change your mind.
The design of the Tesla Model Y is heavily inspired by its younger sibling, the model 3. Compared to the 3, the Y is just bigger, wider, and taller, resulting in a very imposing stance. The wheel size offered by Tesla is 19-inches on the base trim, while the Performance trim gets 20-inches. The vehicle also has a sloping roof line that might infringe the rear passengers' headroom, but the 113.8-inch wheelbase should be more than generous. The car does get some signature Tesla design elements, such as the flush door handles and the iconic front end.
Polestar 2 Vs Tesla Model Y: Battery and Performance
The Polestar will be offered in two powertrains, one with a single motor and another dual-motor setup. The single motor will be mounted on the front axles producing a power output of 231 HP. The car is expected to make the 0 to 60 mph sprint in a commendable 6.8 seconds with this configuration. The powerful dual-motor model includes a motor sitting on each axle and has a power output of 476 HP. This setup is more powerful and allows the vehicle to make the 0 to 60 mph sprint in just 4.1 seconds. Both these powertrains draw energy from a 75.0-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Polestar claims that the vehicle has a range of 270 miles in the single motor setup and around 249 miles in the dual-motor configuration with a single charge.
The Tesla Model Y is offered in two trims: the Long Range and the Performance. Even the standard Long Range version can make the 0 to 60 mph sprint in just 4.4 seconds. The Performance trim does it even better in just 3.6 seconds. This blistering performance comes with a larger 80.5-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, and it also provides Model Y with a better range. The Long Range version offers 330 miles of driving range, while the Performance trim drops it to 303 miles on a single charge.
Polestar 2 Vs Tesla Model Y: Tech and Safety
The Polestar 2 is equipped with a 12.3-inch digital driver display, and 11.2-inches vertically mounted central touch screen infotainment system. The super sleek infotainment system runs the latest generation of Google Operating System. The Polestar 2 comes with many safety and driver assistance features such as autonomous emergency braking and a pedestrian detection system. Adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring are also part of the package.
On the other hand, the Tesla Model Y comes equipped with a gigantic 15-inch central screen that is home to all the controls. The screen has controls for every aspect, like folding the mirrors, and climate control, to name a few. Its interface supports apps such as Netflix and YouTube as default and gets over-the-air updates. Tesla is well known for its autonomous driving features. Many of these come as standard on the Model Y. Besides, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and autonomous driving are some of the standard safety features on the Model Y.
The Polestar 2 and the Tesla Model Y both compete in a similar space of EV. Both these vehicles have their bragging rights and bring a lot to the table regarding technology, features, and design. However, while they are evenly matched in many ways, the Tesla may be appealing, but the Polestar 2 manages to stand apart from the crowd. We firmly believe the Polestar 2 is a better choice all things considered for everyday driving.
Sources: Polestar, Tesla