Why the Polestar 5 Weighs 1,000 Pounds More Than a Porsche Taycan
You might have seen the Polestar 5 by now and thought, “Wow, that’s actually pretty slick.” It’s arguably the best-looking of all the Polestars, which is saying something, and it makes 884 horsepower. The automaker itself says the 5 was developed as a Porsche competitor, and the stats put it in line with the Panamera as well as the Taycan. On paper, it looks like a close competition, but it’s hard not to notice just how heavy the Polestar 5 is at nearly 5,600 pounds.
The lightest rear-wheel-drive Taycan is 4,630 pounds, for comparison’s sake, and even the heaviest Turbo Cross Turismo wagon variant is quite a bit lighter at 5,196 pounds. There are a few reasons for this. In addition to the Polestar only being offered in AWD, it also has a larger battery and a GT car ethos as opposed to the Porsche’s more dedicated sports car makeup.
The Polestar 5 sports a 112-kilowatt-hour battery pack that should help it achieve 351 miles of range on Europe’s WLTP testing cycle; the Taycan, meanwhile, has a smaller 105-kilowatt-hour pack. While Polestar hasn’t announced the final weight of the 5’s battery, it’s very likely to be more than the Porsche’s, which tips the scales at 1,389 pounds on its own. The general rule is that each kWh of battery capacity adds 13 to 17 pounds, so a 7 kWh gap could mean 91 to 119 pounds of extra weight for the Polestar.
Then there’s the 5’s general construction. It measures 200.3 inches from nose to tail, versus the Taycan’s mark of 195.4 inches. The newly developed Polestar Performance Architecture that underpins it relies heavily on bonded and riveted aluminum, which is promising in terms of lightweight strength. It’s possible that the Polestar had to use more material to meet the manufacturer’s overall rigidity goals. In contrast, the Taycan’s lauded J1.2 platform is made from aluminum but also steel in the B pillars and roof to aid strength without excessive bulk.
And finally, there’s the simple fact that the Polestar 5 is a grand tourer while the Taycan has a more hardcore performance bent. In this sense, Polestar has created a car that will more squarely compete with the Porsche Panamera, which tops out at 5,302 pounds in Turbo E-Hybrid guise with its electrified V8. Like the Panamera, the Polestar 5 prioritizes spaciousness, acoustics, and comfort tech. It’s just about impossible to put a number on that, but you can bet it makes a difference in the overall curb weight.
The end result isn’t likely a surprise to anyone. If you want a dedicated performance machine that handles like a Porsche, buy the Porsche. But if you want a luxury GT car? Well, there’s also a Porsche for that, or you could be different and get the snazzy not-a-Volvo.
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