Very nice; beautiful. Enjoy your Polestar!

 

Congrats on the new car! How quick was the turnaround time between ordering and taking delivery?

Per your original post, I'm still rolling around in both cars, but I'm curious to hear your take on the differences between the two.

 

double post

 

Thanks.
Actually the turn around was very quick. The car with the specs I wanted was available (Launch Edition/snow/barley interior without performance pack). I think it was delivered 2 weeks after placing my order. They could have delivered it more quickly but my Volvo lease was ending June 1st, so I delayed delivery until the end of May.
Being a previous Volvo owner, I really liked the design inside and out. I researched this car dating back 2 years before it's release. As I stated before, build quality was top priority. The Polestar 2 looks more like a traditional vehicle not trying to look too futuristic. It gets looks from others on the daily. The Polestar 2 is quieter inside and I enjoyed the driving dynamics more.
The interior is more premium, especially with the optional leather. Again, it's just my opinion, but 2 of my colleagues did the same having the choice of a Model 3. Both are extremely happy. The Polestar 2 is plenty quick (0-60 in 4.1 sec) so it's no slouch. I also heard rumors of potentially decreasing times with an OTA update like Tesla did.
There was an experimental high performance prototype which made it's debut @ the Goodwood Festival of Speed with 68 more horsepower with the same electric engines.
As for charging: I haven't had to charge outside my home. I plug in every night. Range is just fine for me, 249 miles with recent update.
My only gripe is that Apple CarPlay was supposed to be introduced this past summer, then fall, now due out in spring.

Loving Electric!

 

I didn't actually realize it was available nationwide. I've never seen one yet. I like the Google integration as a Pixel user, but maybe that's the source of the issue with carplay delays? Overall it looks pretty nice, probably would have at least gone for a test drive if it was available at the time.

I just configured one out of curiosity. What is the deal with Polestar dealers, I didn't know they had special ones for just polestar. Will they also service it at a Volvo dealer? The Tesla service center is a little farther than I would like, but having to go to Princeton is really pushing it for me.

My early Model 3 LR allegedly has the same motors as the performance, which is no longer the case on new ones. I think we started at 4.5 sec (same as what Polestar site says), and over the course of a few updates worked down to 4.4 and then 4.2. After that they got smart and said you can go down to 3.7 if you have $2k burning a hole in your pocket.

 

I think that there will be more and more Volvo dealerships that will service the Polestar.
1st scheduled service is 2 years.

 

Many folks know that I had a Model Y on order, but it has since pushed back from Dec to next April estimate. With my wife now commuting our son quite a bit to a private school 15miles out to and from home 2x a day, and the continually price increase on gas, decided to jump on a model 3 SR+ that appeared in their inventory suddenly as a good litmus car into all things Tesla and EV:

TL;DR : a game changing bev with good looks, good pricing, and that changes the automotive landscape now and possibly forever!

Good : surprising great acceleration by the instant torque from the EV with good sporty ride; $5 full superchargers that are everywhere around the Bay Area; awesome "scenic" internal view provided by the extreme cab forward design; readily subsidized by Cali with rebates, incentives, etc. for even cheaper cost of admission; awesome sound system (staging, bass, etc) that rivals the big names out there

Bad : great minimalist styling, let down by very spartan interior (even in white) w/ no tach; lead foots will see drastically reduced range; a dime a dozen in Bay Area

Ugly : had 2 minor paint defects on a supposed brand new car; needs nema 15-40 circuit otherwise can take days (!!) to charge.

Notes:

As you can see, I'm estatic about the Model 3, even in lowly base SR+ guise that I found quite entertaining w/ the lowest overall curb weigh (~3600lbs) in the Tesla lineup due to the rwd and low center of gravity. Ride is much more on the sporty side of things as opposed to my old Leaf. Acceleration is leaky but that I start torque let's you gun it easily from almost any speed.

It has a great minimalist design outside that is only let down by the legions of the same car all around the Bay area, and a very spartan (yet clean) interior. Speaking of which, although I don't miss the tach, my wife does and the big old center screen can be a little distracting at times. However, throw on your favorite beats and the stock system will wow you with accurate staging, precise highs, and nice punchy lows rivaling more expensive brands easily.

Since I have the base model, it is rated for ~253 miles with the newer (cheaper) LFP batteries that should last longer and allow high SOC consistently. Even with this small setup, I found it hard to maintain high charge on my weak standard 110V setup (my solar is still in process of getting installed). Luckily, there are superchargers everywhere in the Bay area with a large (20+ stall) one only a few miles away from my house. The first time I charged there, I was blown away by the $5 charge for a "fill-up" (as opposed to a recent $85 gas up on our x3m).

So what are the bad things? Not much really, besides two minor blemishes in the paint (big knicks) on a supposedly brand new car. Would also be nice to have lower road noise given the isolation the EV affords, but I'm fine with it at any rate. And if you're a lead foot like me, you'll be wondering where that got there 250+ mile estimate from.

In the end, even after Supras, Evos, Lexus, etc., I am just in awe of this lowly Tesla that has somehow managed to provide everyday usability for basically any family out there. The 40k entry fee is basically a price of a higher spec Avalon, lower Es300 though with imho more style, more tech, and definitely more acceleration. Tesla is the world's richest automative company for a reason and they are disrupting all competitors with this completely package (and the model Y that Ppeases SUVs affecianados). They are such a game changer that I worry for my favorite old time car companies that haven't started to transition to EV yet and what will become of them (hi Toyco/Lexus). I'm even contemplating putting my 800hp Supra to pasture and getting a Plaid instead, or maybe even a Model 3 Performance for now....

 

congrats and thanks for the write-up!

 

I just test drove the Model 3 Performance and I agree with your assessment. It is a great car and I can overlook a couple small blemishes since I don't expect Lexus like paint quality. I felt the ride, even though it is sporty, is less firm than my M340 and the seats were very comfortable.

 

Congrats! You got a great value especially given that they recently increased the SR+ significantly. The LFP should last 500k miles with low degradation...and the only con is weight. What a great option! You'll never sniff that 250 mile range unless you drive at 60mph on the middle lane The good part is, acceleration doesn't really affect range that much...takes just as much work to get to 60mph in 4 seconds vs. 7 seconds I think if you drive aggressively, you'll get about 150 miles out of a full charge.

I have a Performance 3 and still love the car. In real world driving, EVs are the fastest cars on the road as there is no stress accelerating fast on the car. No 'mechanical sympathy' as there is no revving of engines or shifting...just smooth driving everywhere at any speed. Thats my favorite part of the experience. Surprisingly, I love to road-trip in the Tesla vs. even my minivan. Yes, the ICE will go further but my Model 3 will literally drive itself straight if I put it in autopilot and be much more pleasant overall. Every 2-3 hours, I stop to charge for 15-20 min which is perfect for a snack and bio break. Also, when you get solar, you basically drive the car for free

Also, I think you should keep the Supra as it has a ton of work done on it. You can get your ICE fix on the weekends

 

I have driven the Dual Motor Model 3 and it drives/handles great. The tech features and user interface is years ahead of other automakers.

The issue i have is the interior is utter trash from the styling to the seats to the fit/finish etc. If you’re coming from econobox, it maybe acceptable but not from a regular luxury car. For me, its a deal breaker but most ppl don’t care i guess. Sitting in the car was like wearing a polyester suit.

 

great write up, congrats on the car!

 

nop i absolutely don't care about the interior. it's functional and bring me from point A to B and back every day, that's good enough. for the price it is unbeatable imho. no need to pay for gas and maintenance, and at this rate when i sell mine next year i probably would lose very little (4 years ownership).

 

Compared to my (tuned 500whp) m340i, the M3 SR+ is :

- sportier ride and better handling- faster on the streets, slower in the highway
- cheaper to maintain (fuel, etc)
- slightly less build quality- about same room inside- better sound system vs HK- lower interior materials
I don't miss my m340i

 

Thank you! I changed my MYLR order to a MYP now lol....but I've seen folks fix up the M3P for track duties which seems interesting. Maybe that will replace my Zupra since I hardly drive it anymore ... Anything you don't enjoy about the m3P, save for random reboots at times (lol).