4S compared to Polestar 3 and 4?

[jdl30]

Has anyone compared the 4S to either the Polestar 3 or 4 and have any feedback?
I drove a Polestar 3 this weekend and followed it up with a drive of the 4S. I love the driving dynamics of the 4S and it's acceleration, but found it to be pretty loud inside in terms of road noise and wind noise at the A pillars. By contrast the Polestar 3 was super smooth on the road and really silent (helped no doubt by the active noise cancellation). The sound systems between the two were strikingly different as well. The 3 had the Bowers and Wilkins system and the 4S had the Bose.
I'm scheduled to drive the Polestar 4 in a few weeks once test drives open up so I have no comparison there yet.

I'm leaning very much toward the 4S, but still keep coming back to the 3 and curious if anyone else had compared the two and what their thoughts are.

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[Yves]

Driving dynamics … the Polestars are more for comfort, the Macan is the opposite. We have a Macan and an iX … I take the Macan every time, my partner prefers the iX … The downside is tires, I love accelerating out of a corner from standstill, the rear wheel steering and damp roads are to much fun, killed my tires at 15k km

 

[MatC21]

You are in a Porsche Forum, what replies do you expect. I find the Macan twice the fun of a Polestar, that is actually enough said. I would also not want to drive a (hidden) Chinese car.

 

[TiLaSoul]

I owned a Polestar 3 for three months but actually only had it for a week. It was delivered broken this time last year.

It had major issues with the camera and central computer systems. No auto cruise, no auto emergency brake, no speed sign recognition, no HD headlights etc etc. Polestar UK knew it was broken and delivered it to me anyway.

They then gave me a Polestar 4 for the next three months whilst they tried to repair the 3. This included a complete wiring loom and central computer replacement (which bricked the car....).

The 4 was fine. Very un-engaging drive, interior looks nice but is very plasticky when you really get into it. Scratchy plastics, hollow sounds etc. The best thing about it was the very good range.

Eventually, they bought the 3 back from me, paid me compensation and promised to deliver a new Polestar 3 two days before I had a holiday booked (where I was driving to Cornwall). The day before delivery, they sent a two line email saying it wouldn't arrive in time and they couldn't tell me when. I had to rent a car last minute.

Their sales lead for the UK then ghosted me. Screening emails and calls.

I ordered a Macan and didn't look back.

The cars are good looking, well equipped and good value but their customer service is the worst I've ever dealt with. People are still having software and hardware issues with them and I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy.

Never found out what the 'driving dynamics' were like as it never worked!

 

[TiLaSoul]

I only have two pics of my Polestar 3, one of it arriving, and another (7 days later) of it being taken back. Never saw it again.

 

[FirstEV]

Thermal insulated windows and 20” wheels will fix your issue. I’m Swedish, but I would never in a million years compare Polestar to Porsche. I remember the sales staff trying to make that comparison themselves when the cars launched at those high prices. In reality, even Swedish customers wouldn’t go near them — so Polestar dropped prices by up to 20% and now they’re pushing every possible offer just to move cars.

Long story short: the cars aren’t even remotely comparable. Either you enjoy proper drivers cars, or you prefer a ”sports car” look a like with now where near qualities as a Porsche.

 

[Jan_Macan4S]

Well … I don’t know what to said. There is no comparations in terms of …. Everything. !!!!
If you drive a Porsche is everything you need. I had a BMW 740i in the past and iX2. Wonderfull cars. I love BMW but when you drive a Porsche you drive ….. a different thing. Performance and driving experience.
If you want to listen music while driving don’t buy an Porsche
If you want a 75” Color display to have a lot of gadgets…. Don’t buy a Porsche
If you want to drive a legend buy a Porsche

 

[MKSZ51]

One thing a Polestar will never do - and that's drive like a Porsche.

 

[jwatte]

I agree with the suggestion to add thermal/noise insulated windows, and probably 20" rims so you get more insulation in the tires. I have both options, and the ride is nice and quiet. Certainly no worse in loudness than my son's Polestar 2.

 

[Fluff]

Really depends on what you want, long distance cruiser, soft ride? Or tight sporty ride that will go a long way if needed? I cant comment on the polestar, I came from a Jaguar I-Pace, and the macan 4 is a good replacement. Had an iX, lousy to drive, but if you have 3 teenage kids and 2 dogs its great. I'd imagine the Lotus is great, but by UK standards its huge.

As others have said, there are options in the spec if you need them.

 

[CJ-4S]

I took extended test drives of both the P3 and P4 before settling on the Macan 4S.
I did love the quiet ride and the B&W stereo on the P3, which in the end prompted me to option in the Burmester and Acoustic glazing on the Macan.

The 3 was really nice, but a bit softer than the Macan (smoother, but less engaging)
The 4 was surprisingly bland and drove like an appliance. The 3 actually felt more nimble and engaging to me which was unexpected.

In the end I spent a bit more, but am much happier with the 4S.
With the thermal/acoustic glazing it is very quiet - not as quiet as the 3, but still very good.
With the Burmester the stereo is amazing. I was a little underwhelmed at first, but it gives a very accurate and detailed sound. The B&W in the Polestar is more exciting (more bass impact, V shape sound profile) - but the Burmester for me gives a more accurate and audiophile sound. The HK in the P4 is just 'meh'.
But most importantly - the 4S is significantly more engaging, precise and fun to drive than either of the Polestars. I also optioned the Rear Axle Steering which makes it super easy to park in inner city garages as well (a common use case for me).

 

[Martin C]

I drove a Polestar 4 earlier this year- from the dealership at Battersea in London so mostly urban roads and a bit of A road (highway). I thought overall a decent product, interior was the basic cloth which I liked, screen took some getting used to and a lot of the driver aid software was very buggy. The car drove fine but not sporting. Room in the rear was huge- much bigger than our Macan. Given that these Polestar 4s can be leased so cheaply (UK) it was tempting but as we'd had 3 ICE macans once I drove the EV I new I would have one. We bought a 4 month old Turbo EV at good discount from new, it will be much more expensive compared to the Polestar. For the price the Polestar was good, if slightly dull and hopefully the software bugs are getting sorted (I spent some time on a polestar forum and it seemed that lots of cars had software issues- maybe better now, I don't know). PS- I also found the Polestar 4 too wide.

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