How The Polestar 6 Could Be A Bigger Hit Than The Tesla Roadster

2022-08-26 20:37:46 By : Mr. Peter Liang

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Polestar's first high-performance EV, the Polestar 6, is ready to take on the Tesla Roadster. We compare these EVs to see who takes the throne.

Elon Musk's Tesla has been one of the most successful EV businesses in the market. They have a decent lineup of electric vehicles and all of them offer great performance and features. However, in 2024 Tesla is set to launch their new flagship, the Roadster. According to Tesla, the Roadster is capable of hitting 0-60 mph in just 1.9 seconds making it faster than the Rimac Nevera.

Polestar the luxury EV division of Volvo, on the other hand, has recently showcased the Polestar 6 Concept EV. It will come with a powerful electric unit and is set to arrive in 2026. The Polestar 6 looks futuristic from the outside and offers a great cabin inside. It will also offer a healthy amount of features and will provide excellent safety. However, how will these loggerheads fare with each other in the real world?

Related: Why The Polestar 2 Is A Better EV Than The Tesla Model Y

The upcoming Polestar 6 will be built on a newly designed bespoke bonded aluminum chassis, underpinning the company’s future high-performance electric endeavors. The upcoming Polestar 6 will use two high-performance electric motors combined and stacked like an all-wheel-drive system.

The unit will be capable of cranking out a massive 884 horsepower and 663 pound-feet of punch. The Polestar 6 can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds and has a top speed of 155 mph. The chassis will feature a highly capable battery with an electric architecture of 800 volts, and it will offer a range of more than 370 miles on a single charge.

The Tesla Roadster is presently the fastest EV on the market. With a tri-motor AWD setup, the Tesla Roadster can outrun most supercars on the market without shedding a drop of sweat. While Tesla hasn’t revealed the exact power of the Roadster’s unit, we expect it to be around 1,400 horsepower.

With a massive 7,375 foot-pound wheel torque, the Tesla Roadster has gigantic capability. It takes just 1.9 seconds to clock the 60 mph mark, and it takes 8.8 seconds to cover a quarter-mile. It has a top speed of 250 mph and can travel up to 625 miles when charged fully.

The Polestar 6 looks exceptional with a shredded and futuristic design. The low-slung roof and the Targa-like styling give it a different flavor. The sloping windshield and the muscular bonnet not only deliver a sportier outlook but also help in optimizing air drag, which ultimately optimizes the car’s driving range and performance by improving the aerodynamics.

The front fascia gets new L-shaped angular headlights along with a sporty front bumper, which is designed to improve aerodynamics. In addition, the "Unique Sky Blue" color and the unique 21-inch O2 Concept wheels give it a strong and distinct character.

The Tesla Roadster, too, looks stunning and athletic from the outside. The fascia has a mean demeanor with a pair of triangular-shaped LED headlamps housing a set of tri-LED headlights. The sharp front apron features L-shaped vents to reduce air drag and improve the drag coefficient, offering better performance and range.

The lower ground clearance and the aggressive roofline look great. The 14-spoke Y-styled alloys and the contoured wheel housings complement the car’s sporty character. From the rear, the Roadster looks even more stunning with a small spoiler, triangular tail lamps, and a carbon fiber diffuser.

Related: Here's What Makes The Tesla Roadster The Best EV For Drag Racing

While the Polestar 6 is a high-performance EV, it offers a family-friendly cabin with plenty of features and creature comforts. The interior can seat four passengers, and both the rows are very roomy. The dashboard looks elegant with its sleek design and brushed aluminum trim. The doors are decorated with white leatherette trim and Polestar logo imprinted premium cloth accents.

As for features, we see the front equipped with two sports seats, which will supposedly offer power-adjustability, heating and cooling, and other features. The driver gets a double-flat-bottomed steering wheel and a thin digital cluster along with a HUD. The center offers a 15-inch portrait-styled touchscreen, an armrest, and a drive mode controller.

Tesla cars have always featured minimalistic cabins that look great and promise great build quality. And the interior of the Roadster is the same. It has a sporty ambiance and a minimalistic layout, delivering a driver-focused environment and sufficient space.

The front seats of the Tesla Roadster offer decent space. However, we expect the rear seats to offer less headroom due to the lower roof and less legroom because of the shorter body length. The Roadster cockpit looks like one from a spaceship, with a yoke-styled steering wheel, a slanted central touchscreen, and a button-free dashboard layout that reminds us of the interiors of a space shuttle in sci-fi movies.

While both the Polestar 6 and the Tesla Roadster are high-performance EVs, the Polestar 6’s interior will offer more comfort, better features, and friendlier ergonomics. Plus, we like the Polestar 6’s interior because it’s a better place for families, and possibly a larger cargo.

The Polestar 6 is set to arrive in 2026 with the name Polestar 6 Performance Roadster. While Polestar hasn’t officially confirmed the pricing, we expect the Polestar 6 to come with a base price of $150,000–175,000 and the price can reach as high as $200,000 for the LA Concept Edition.

On the other hand, the Tesla Roadster is expected to arrive in 2024. Tesla set the base reservation price of $50,000, and while the Roadster was expected to come with a hefty starting price of around $200,000, we now expect the price to be significantly higher due to inflation.

So, where we stand today, the Polestar 6 is what we recommend. While it is less powerful than the Tesla, the Polestar 6 is cheaper, offers great safety and reliability, and has a family-friendly cabin.

Sourav hails from Siliguri, a city very close to the Himalayas in the northern part of West Bengal, India. Anything that has to do with wheels fascinates him. He has a soft spot for Lexus and BMW. He rides a Royal Enfield Thunderbird and is often seen with his group of friends in nearby hill stations. He also loves doing photography and making music. After working with CARHP and CAR INDIGO for more than 15 months, he joined HotCars to continue in automotive writing. He's currently crushing upon the Triumph Tiger 1200.