BMW IX vs Polestar 3

What's the difference?

When the BMW iX first showed up a few years ago, it was a promising look at what BMW seemed capable of when it comes to electric cars.

While mildly flawed, the iX was fast, comfortable and felt properly premium. Now it’s had a decent update, with the iX xDrive45 M Sport here to replace the former entry-level xDrive 40.

BMW claims among other mechanical and tech updates a power increase of 25 per cent, a 30 per cent greater energy content for the battery, a 38 per cent increase in driving range and a 17 per cent faster charging rate.

But in the time since the iX launched, there have been big strides in the premium electric SUV space, including new arrivals from European opposition like the Polestar 3; even a new American in the form of the Cadillac Lyriq.

Sometimes, a vehicle facelift doesn’t amount to much. Maybe a nip here, a tuck there, but to be sure you’re looking at the new version, you need to check the badges.

To be honest, the revised Polestar 3 SUV is a bit of that, with very little to visually distinguish the facelift from the previous car. But underneath there are some serious upgrades which, in that oh-so-Swedish understated way, serve to make the Polestar 3 an even more tantalising prospect.

The Polestar 3 has now moved to 800-volt technology which not only allows for faster charging, it also opens up the prospect of even more performance. A new generation of lithium-ion batteries also means greater range potential.

But it’s nice to see that Polestar hasn’t limited its attention to the drivetrain; there’s now a revised anti-roll-bar system and a recalibration of the power steering assistance. Which just goes to show that even though brands like Polestar trade on being an all-electric solution, there are still some engineers in Sweden who know how the rest of a car should work.

Meantime, the medium-large SUV space is a very crowded one right now, so the question is whether the new tech – invisible as it is – is enough to keep the Polestar 3 carving out its slice of that market.