Polestar 2 - To Infinity and Beyond
In my line of business, cars come and go on a regular basis. Last week a guy arrived and took my test car away. I knew another car would be arriving eventually (Kia EV6 GT - appearing on Driven very shortly), but I was tempted to chuck any sense of dignity into the bin and beg; ”please don’t take it away.”
It was a Polestar 2.
Yup, it really was that good.
I’ll go into a bit of background.
Polestar was previously the performance name used by Volvo on some of their cars. You could get a Volvo V60 Polestar for example. It was like that for around 20 years, but then Volvo decided to let Polestar float as a standalone brand, largely due to the company being taken over by the Chinese firm Geely.
Their first car was the drop-dead gorgeous Polestar 1, although it was a limited production run and available as LHD only. (Google it)
In mid-2019, the Polestar 2 arrived on our shores and it’s just been given a refresh. The business summary is that this is a terrific all-electric car and if you are considering going down the battery-powered route, then make sure you give the Polestar 2 a whirl. Here’s why.
The update hasn’t seen anything startling change in terms of exterior appearance. The only one you may notice is that the black mesh grille is now replaced by a colour-coded blank grille. Volvo has always been a master of understated style and their cars look smart, but not in a flash, look-at-me sort of way. No surprise that the Polestar 2 follows the same brief. You can be your own judge on this, but I think it looks really good.
The changes which have been made are important ones. Range and power are both up.
You can get various levels of power and performance in the Polestar 2. There are standard and long range versions - single and dual motor - and there’s even a Performance Pack model.
The entry level model (single motor, standard range, rear drive) develops 268bhp and has a potential range of 339 miles. 0-60mph takes 6.2 seconds and it costs £44,950.
Next up is the long range version which can now manage a seriously useful 406 miles. Power climbs to 299 bhp but your 0-60mph time drops to 5.9 seconds - all for an additional £4,000.
For an almost terrifying driving experience, head for the dual motor, all-wheel drive Polestar 2 which develops 416 bhp and can hit 60 mph from a standstill in 4.3 seconds. Its range is 368 miles and will cost another £4,000 on top.
And then finally, there’s the dual motor version with a Performance Pack which gives you 469 bhp and a 0-60 mph time of 4.0 seconds. The price for this one is £57,950.
All have the same top speed - 127mph. If you use a rapid charger, you’ll go from 10-80% charge in about half an hour.
Okay, it’s very tempting to point in the direction of the dual-motor flying machines because those figures are eye-catching, but for most of you, the entry level car will be perfect. There’s sufficient power to let you dart through traffic; overtaking is a doddle. The range figures are provided by Polestar, but on a chilly November day with a fair amount of motorway driving, I still managed 310 miles on a full charge.
The clincher is that the Polestar 2 can achieve these impressive range and performance figures while also being effortless to drive. You can even have one-pedal driving because the regen is nicely weighted and allows you to bring the car to a standstill. It takes a bit of getting used to but once you’ve got the hang of it, you’ll wonder why every electric car doesn’t have the same facility.
You can toggle the steering weight and select a ‘Sport’ option, but I just let the car sort everything out. The ride is a shade on the firm side at town speeds, but it’s never uncomfortable.
Oh and don’t bother hunting for the stop-start button. There isn’t one. The keyless entry works really well so the car knows when you arrive and depart. It turns itself on and off. You climb in, select D, dab the brakes, and you’re ready to go. At your destination, hit P, and get out. Simple.
The interior, like the exterior, is smart and understated. There’s a genuine look and feel of quality and it’s better than what Tesla has produced. Everything is dominated by the iPad sized centre screen which looks good and works well. The ‘Hey Google’ voice assistant was useful also. The seats are comfy and there’s plenty of room in the back with boot space similar to any hatchback of this size. To find the charging cables, simply look under the bonnet.
The Polestar 2 is really quite impressive. It looks great, drives well, and has excellent levels of performance and range. Unless you really must have the ultimate in terms of performance, I’d stick with the entry level standard battery, single motor model. Although if you do a lot of miles, the long range version might be worth opting for. It’s very quiet with only a tiny amount of motor whine and comfy and well equipped. Just what you need.
Bearing in mind this is still one of the early models to come from Polestar, I can’t wait to see future offerings but, for the moment, the Polestar 2 will do very nicely thanks.
Words: Graham Courtney
Pictures: Polestar
