carsly
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I've been following the reviews on the new entrants - the BMW iX3 and now the Volvo XC60.
BMW: in my eye, borrows too many styling cues from the iX (which I really don't like, inside or out) and tries to paste them onto a BMW X3 body (which I really do like). I owned a 2005 BMW X3 for three years (as well as a Macan S and Model Y Performance) so I get this form factor for daily/family utility, parking convenience and even shorter road trips. In Europe, this is even more true since mega-SUV's and daily driving pickups are not a thing. However, BMW's app connectivity and updates are weak - my 2023 X5 M just received it's first, and only, software update. To use PaaK you have to open Apple wallet, activate the BMW digital key, and then hold your phone next to the door handle to unlock it. WTF? Maybe it's better on newer models, but between that and the confused iDrive UI/UX that feels like it was built by 8 teams who never spoke to one another I think this will appeal to BMW owners, and that's about it.
Volvo/Polestar: I owned a Polestar 2 back in 2022 so really wanted to like the brand. Vehicle styling was fantastic, would get looks everywhere and people would ask what it was. Interior though was rental car grade - I don't want to sit on recycled plastic seats as I"m trying to avoid getting more plastic absorbed into my body. The seat were a bit too firm, foot box was super narrow and don't get me started on the software which, gently put, had issues. Phone as a Key worked 90% of the time which wasn't bad for back in the day. Handling was really quite good, better than the Model Y. Don't get me started on CCS charging with Electrify America. I think I was able to use my 'free EA charging' three times - most of the times the dispensers were broken, severely derated or had massive lines since most EA stations I ran into only had four stalls with 1-2 always out of commission and the remainder derated or subject to an ID.4 charging to 100%. I had a pre-order for a Polestar 3 (cancelled it) and XC90 (cancelled that too). Ultimately the recurring software fails and poor hardware/software integration have kept me from going back. I hope Volvo/Polestar figures it out - they design nice, safe, vehicles but need to get better about delivering a reliable integrated package.
Model Y: hard to avoid this. Not a fan of the bubbly styling but I owned a 2023 Model Y Performance for a year that I bought used. It. Just. Worked. App worked brilliantly, phone as a key was perfect, the car never set a wheel wrong and it had tons of storage space. Seats were okay, too plastiicy for me and the material didn't breathe at all which caused a lot of back sweat. Maybe TMI. The 2025+ refresh looks really quite good, fixed the seat issue with perforation and ventilation in the front and Supercharger plug-and-play access is the way it should be everywhere.
R2: can we talk about back seat room? wow! It looks to have more rear seat room than anything else in this class and probably even than R1S. With three teenagers who seem to grow by the minute rear leg room is key and R2 seems to have it in spades. Rivian's software continues to get better, and more stable, but it still has room to go. Missing blind spot cameras, issues with the backup camera, noticeable lag in the camera feeds, etc. aren't uncommon in my supposedly optimized 2025 Gen 2. With yet another fork in the code (R1 Gen 1 vs R1 Gen 2 and now R2) due to different steering wheel controls and different hardware (cameras/sensors, etc.) I wonder if this will make Rivian code less reliable since they are amortizing their software investments over a relatively small base of vehicles - tens of thousands a year vs a million+ for Tesla. Maybe the VW deal will help, or maybe it will cause even more problems with more vehicle platforms and configurations to design for and support. I'm optimistic, but realistic. Not looking to get a first-year R2 despite having an early reservation.
I'm sure we'll see more entrants into this compact EV SUV space. How do all of you see these stacking up on price/features/value/customer segments and are there enough annual sales to go around or do margins get competed away and the weakest players financially fade away? Yes, I omitted the GM EV's (including the Honda Prologue, which has found a niche). Choices are good, more choices are better. I do worry for Rivian that what looked like white space attacking Model Y has turned into a much more confused picture. Winning customers with a new brand and limited service footprint won't be easy.
BMW: in my eye, borrows too many styling cues from the iX (which I really don't like, inside or out) and tries to paste them onto a BMW X3 body (which I really do like). I owned a 2005 BMW X3 for three years (as well as a Macan S and Model Y Performance) so I get this form factor for daily/family utility, parking convenience and even shorter road trips. In Europe, this is even more true since mega-SUV's and daily driving pickups are not a thing. However, BMW's app connectivity and updates are weak - my 2023 X5 M just received it's first, and only, software update. To use PaaK you have to open Apple wallet, activate the BMW digital key, and then hold your phone next to the door handle to unlock it. WTF? Maybe it's better on newer models, but between that and the confused iDrive UI/UX that feels like it was built by 8 teams who never spoke to one another I think this will appeal to BMW owners, and that's about it.
Volvo/Polestar: I owned a Polestar 2 back in 2022 so really wanted to like the brand. Vehicle styling was fantastic, would get looks everywhere and people would ask what it was. Interior though was rental car grade - I don't want to sit on recycled plastic seats as I"m trying to avoid getting more plastic absorbed into my body. The seat were a bit too firm, foot box was super narrow and don't get me started on the software which, gently put, had issues. Phone as a Key worked 90% of the time which wasn't bad for back in the day. Handling was really quite good, better than the Model Y. Don't get me started on CCS charging with Electrify America. I think I was able to use my 'free EA charging' three times - most of the times the dispensers were broken, severely derated or had massive lines since most EA stations I ran into only had four stalls with 1-2 always out of commission and the remainder derated or subject to an ID.4 charging to 100%. I had a pre-order for a Polestar 3 (cancelled it) and XC90 (cancelled that too). Ultimately the recurring software fails and poor hardware/software integration have kept me from going back. I hope Volvo/Polestar figures it out - they design nice, safe, vehicles but need to get better about delivering a reliable integrated package.
Model Y: hard to avoid this. Not a fan of the bubbly styling but I owned a 2023 Model Y Performance for a year that I bought used. It. Just. Worked. App worked brilliantly, phone as a key was perfect, the car never set a wheel wrong and it had tons of storage space. Seats were okay, too plastiicy for me and the material didn't breathe at all which caused a lot of back sweat. Maybe TMI. The 2025+ refresh looks really quite good, fixed the seat issue with perforation and ventilation in the front and Supercharger plug-and-play access is the way it should be everywhere.
R2: can we talk about back seat room? wow! It looks to have more rear seat room than anything else in this class and probably even than R1S. With three teenagers who seem to grow by the minute rear leg room is key and R2 seems to have it in spades. Rivian's software continues to get better, and more stable, but it still has room to go. Missing blind spot cameras, issues with the backup camera, noticeable lag in the camera feeds, etc. aren't uncommon in my supposedly optimized 2025 Gen 2. With yet another fork in the code (R1 Gen 1 vs R1 Gen 2 and now R2) due to different steering wheel controls and different hardware (cameras/sensors, etc.) I wonder if this will make Rivian code less reliable since they are amortizing their software investments over a relatively small base of vehicles - tens of thousands a year vs a million+ for Tesla. Maybe the VW deal will help, or maybe it will cause even more problems with more vehicle platforms and configurations to design for and support. I'm optimistic, but realistic. Not looking to get a first-year R2 despite having an early reservation.
I'm sure we'll see more entrants into this compact EV SUV space. How do all of you see these stacking up on price/features/value/customer segments and are there enough annual sales to go around or do margins get competed away and the weakest players financially fade away? Yes, I omitted the GM EV's (including the Honda Prologue, which has found a niche). Choices are good, more choices are better. I do worry for Rivian that what looked like white space attacking Model Y has turned into a much more confused picture. Winning customers with a new brand and limited service footprint won't be easy.
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