It’s not that we notice the culmination of a Sino-Scandinavian partnership, but that’s precisely what Polestar 2 is. It is, as the call suggests, Polestar’s moment car, formerly Volvo’s functionality department, just as AMG is for Mercedes, but is now a sister logo that, like Volvo, belongs to the Chinese automaker Geely.
Geely also owns Lotus and London Electric Vehicle Company, London’s electric taxi manufacturers. But so Polestar gave him the autonomy to stand up and forge his own identity.
Polestar 1 is a delight for the new company. A limited edition of superior hybrid super saloon functionality with a six-figure label and charming maximum looks. I hope to have more than a percentage of it later in the year, however, for now, I have the Polestar 2 at my disposal, an all-electric mass-produced car that costs $63,000 in the U.S. And $49,900 in the UK matrix.
I expected to use a more descriptive word than “car” in this last sentence, but the fact is, I’m not sure what to call the Polar Star 2. He’s got a sedan, but he’s rarely a sedan, is he? It also turns out to be on tiptoe, its wheels intentionally not filling the arches and upper thresholds of what it looks like.
Fastback is probably the best word to use, describing a car whose roof slopes uninterrupted to the rear bumper. But I fear I’ve taken up enough of your time failing to describe how a car looks. You can see for yourself, it’s a handsome thing. It has presence without being intimidating or unnecessarily assertive, and looks thoroughly modern and futuristic without shouting about it.
One detail I like is the frameless external mirrors. Instead of the mirror moving its inner housing, the entire housing moves so that the mirror can oppose it. It is a small replacement of the norm, however, it makes a big difference and looks wonderful in a concept-auto-made-real type. The same goes for the huge panoramic glass ceiling and LED taillights that produce a series of sci-fi boots every time the car is unlocked.
Step forward and this theme continues with a cab that feels as bolted as any existing Volvo, but with fewer physical controls thanks to a giant portrait-oriented touchscreen in the middle of the board. Not only does it control the settings of navigation, music, radio, phone and vehicles the way everyone got used to it, but it is also guilty of air conditioning and is based on Google’s new Android Automotive.
Seen here for the first time, Android Automotive has a touch and intuitive voice interface through Google Assistant. We have been seeing voice systems in cars for years, however, no paint, as well as Polestar’s. It’s like the Google Assistant you use at home, but it goes beyond other automotive systems, with voice commands to adjust the air conditioning.
However, it’s still not the best and makes the kind of mistakes that Google owners have experience with. I drove the car only because of my social distances, but I suspect the assistant, who responds to the “Hello Google” command, might tweet while the driving force and passengers converse, as it does infrequently at home. At one point, the assistant taught me to say hello in Japanese, and I still don’t know why.
Although it is a Google product, the formula is also compatible with androids and iPhones, and Polestar says that Apple CarPlay will be coming soon for those who prefer to use this (and Siri) from Android Automotive.
As this temporarily becomes the norm, Polestar 2 will get live software updates over its lifetime. One of those updates that will come later this year is to turn the driver’s smartphone into a virtual key, using a secure Bluetooth connection to the car. As with the Tesla Model 3, Polestar 2 unlocks and starts when it detects that the phone is nearby.
The Polestar 2 runs on a 78 kWh battery that, unusually for an electric car, does not live on the ground. It is T-shaped instead of flat, getting larger in the middle of the car, where the transmission tunnel between the driving force and passenger seats would usually grow larger in the wide direction under the raised rear seats. This creates a relatively superior center console, which helps reduce driving force and gives the impression of sitting lower than in a relatively tall vehicle. It also serves as a convenient position to stabilize your arm while using the touch screen.
This battery pushes three hundred kW (408 horsepower) to the 4 wheels through an electric motor on the axle, and despite the heavyweight of 2.2 tons, serves a time of 0 to 62 mph of 4.7 seconds and a more sensitive speed of 127 mph.
As with maximum electric cars, the Polestar 2 delivers all its torque (660 Nm / 487 lb-ft) immediately, leaving the line as temporarily as you ever wanted to leave. It is not the unsightly acceleration thrust to the restriction presented through some electric vehicles, however, it is a lot for which it is sold in a different way as a practical car.
Despite the refreshing absence of a sport mode (or any other mode of driving, for that matter), the Polestar 2 can be purchased with an optional feature package. This includes the manually adjusted dual flow valve surprise dampers and Brembo four-piston brakes, such as 20-inch soft wheels, brake stirrups and seat belts finished in “Swedish gold,” which is much more aesthetically pleasing than it looks.
What’s strange here are the dampers. They offer 22 different settings to adjust their firmness, but this can only be done by removing bits of trim and tweaking them yourself, like you’re in a pit garage at Silverstone. Polestar says the performance pack has been popular with early customers, and while those with their own tools can adjust the dampers at home, a visit to the service centre is recommended. That said, the company also believes many will set-and-forget them once they’ve found their preferred setting.
For me, the default setting seemed a little too firm. This gives the car the perfect composure, admirably masking the weight and upper position, but at the expense of driving comfort. It is not too easy to drive, however, that firmness disagrees with the behavior of the car in a different way.
Polestar 2 has a 292-mile diversity that employ the WLTP verification cycle and 275 miles with the maximum and easy epa control in the United States. By comparison, the popular Tesla Model 3 handles 254 miles (WLTP), while the long-diversity edition extends it to 348 miles. So, at least in theory, the Tesla will be 60 to 70 miles more consistent with the charge. But, of course, you will never run any of the cars at 0 with a constant speed, and the diversity varies greatly depending on the location, the taste of driving and the consistent environmental climate.
In the real world, none of the cars inflict much anxiety of autonomy on their driver. More than two hundred miles of un prevented driving is enough for almost everyone. And while charging at home makes more sense, Polestar’s partnership with Plugsurfing (across the UK and Europe) means that an RFID tag on the keychain is all you want to recharge more than two hundred, 000 charging points. Tesla’s Supercharger network is hard to beat, however, projects like Plugsurfing eliminate many of the disruptions related to electric vehicle ownership.
In short, Polestar’s first attempt to make a popular car, and also an all-electric car, is something the corporation deserves to be incredibly proud of. Although subjective, I think design is one of the most productive for sale today, in all categories, while internal design is smart and the Android infotainment formula is an industry-wide lesson to follow. The car has all the functionality you realistically want, with enough range, many seats for 4 other people (three at the back can be just pressure) and enough space in the garage.
Reflected keys, such as frameless mirrors, the center console raised to help touch the screen, and the absence of a stop/power button (just press the brake to turn it on) provide a sense of cohesion. Polestar idea about every little detail, and it shows.
Driving a Tesla infrequently may seem like a beta test for a product in the long run. With its constantly changing autopilot, a lot of updated programs and software, they feel like a first look at what the car can be long-term. For some driving forces, and enthusiasts of the particular generation, this is precisely what they want. But for everyone, Polestar 2 offers a finished product. There are no video games or gadgets, it does not concentrate on an autonomous driving formula in progression and does not feel that the driving force is forced to adjust to a single view of what the long term deserves. By that I mean that windshield wipers are not inexplicably controlled via a touch screen as they are in the Model 3.
Polestar 2 is practical but desirable. It wears a suit intelligently adapted, is full of considered main points and offers degrees of generation and functionality that impress but never overwhelm. As the first electric car, from a new company, no less, the Polestar 2 is a remarkable achievement.
Fix: article updated on July 30 to update the reference to “PlugSharing”. This deserves to have read “Plugsurfing”.
I’m a journalist of a generation who has written for Wired UK and the BBC, and I have a long hobby for everything on 4 wheels.