Compare the2023 BMW i7VS 2022 Polestar 2

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the i7 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Polestar 2 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The BMW i7 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Polestar 2 doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, Full-Time Four-Wheel Drive is standard on the i7. But it costs extra on the Polestar 2.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the i7 has standard Cross Traffic Warning and automatically engage the brakes. Polestar charges extra for rear cross-path warning on the Polestar 2.

Both the i7 and the Polestar 2 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The BMW i7 weighs 1203 to 1521 pounds more than the Polestar 2. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Warranty

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the i7 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. BMW will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Polestar doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the 2.

There are almost 14 times as many BMW dealers as there are Polestar dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the i7’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that BMW vehicles are better in initial quality than Polestar vehicles. J.D. Power ranks BMW above average in initial quality. With 163 more problems per 100 vehicles, Polestar is rated below average.

Engine

The i7’s electric motors produces 305 more horsepower (536 vs. 231) and 306 lbs.-ft. more torque (549 vs. 243) than the Polestar 2 Single Motor’s standard electric motor. The i7’s electric motors produces 128 more horsepower (536 vs. 408) and 62 lbs.-ft. more torque (549 vs. 487) than the Polestar 2 Dual Motor’s standard electric motors.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the i7 xDrive60 with 19" Wheels gets better mileage than the Polestar 2 Dual Motor (87 city/92 hwy vs. 94 city/84 hwy MPGe).

The i7 can travel longer on a full charge than the Polestar 2 on a full charge:

			Miles
i7
	AWD	19" Wheels Electric Motors	318 miles
		21" Wheels Electric Motors	308 miles
		20" Wheels Electric Motors	296 miles
Polestar 2
	FWD	Single Electric Motor	270 miles
	AWD	Dual Electric Motors	249 miles

Transmission

The i7’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Polestar 2 doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the i7’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Polestar 2:

	i7	i7 M Sport	Polestar 2	Polestar 2 Performance Pack
Front Rotors	14.7 inches	15.6 inches	13.6 inches	14.8 inches
Rear Rotors	14.6 inches	14.6 inches	13.4 inches	13.4 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the i7’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Polestar 2 (F:255/45R20 & R:285/40R20 vs. 245/45R19).

The i7’s optional 285/35R21 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Polestar 2’s optional 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the i7 offers optional 21-inch wheels. The Polestar 2’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

Suspension and Handling

The i7 offers active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Polestar 2 doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The front and rear suspension of the i7 uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Polestar 2, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The i7 offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Polestar doesn’t offer an active suspension on the Polestar 2.

The i7 has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The i7’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Polestar 2 doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the i7’s wheelbase is 18.9 inches longer than on the Polestar 2 (126.6 inches vs. 107.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the i7 is 2.3 inches wider in the front and 3.3 inches wider in the rear than on the Polestar 2.

The i7 xDrive60 handles at .95 G’s, while the Polestar 2 AWD pulls only .92 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

Chassis

The i7 uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Polestar 2 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the i7 a Large car, while the Polestar 2 is rated a Mid-size.

The i7 has 16 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Polestar 2 (112 vs. 96).

The i7 has .2 inches more front headroom, 6.4 inches more front shoulder room, 1.6 inches more rear headroom, 8.9 inches more rear legroom and 3.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Polestar 2.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the i7’s available rear seats recline. The Polestar 2’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the i7. The Polestar 2 doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Polestar 2, the i7 has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position, outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The i7’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Polestar 2 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The i7 has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning, navigation instruction and incoming text message readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Polestar 2 doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The i7’s optional power side swing out doors make it much easier to load and unload kids and cargo. One touch opens the door, before you even get to the car. The Polestar 2 doesn’t offer a power rear door.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the i7 has standard extendable sun visors. The Polestar 2 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

A power rear sunshade and rear side window sunshades are standard in the i7 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Polestar 2 doesn’t offer a rear or rear side window sunshades.

The i7 has standard front air conditioned seats and offers them optionally in the rear. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Polestar 2 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

The i7 has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Polestar 2.

The i7 offers optional massaging front and rear seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Polestar 2.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the BMW i7 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console and one for the rear passengers. Wireless charging costs extra on the Polestar 2.

The i7’s Parking Assistant can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling the transmission and speed with the brake pedal. With its available fully controlled system, the driver just activates it and it parks autonomously, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Optional Remote Control will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Polestar 2 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.