Road test review: Polestar 2 Long Range

Thursday, 16 December 2021

The Polestar 2 has arrived in New Zealand with two of its three models eligible for the full Clean Car Scheme rebate of $8625.

POLESTAR 2 LONG RANGE SINGLE MOTOR
Base price: $78,900
Powertrain and economy: Single electric motor, 170kW/330Nm, FWD, claimed range 540km (WLTP).

Polestar is here, and it’s not messing around.

Vital statistics: 4606mm long, 1859mm wide, 1479mm high, 2735mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 405 litres, 20-inch alloy wheels.
We like: Fantastic build quality, great looks, drives well.

We missed out on the awesome PHEV Polestar 1 but the all-electric Polestar 2 is brilliant in its own right.

We don't like: The long range single motor version (tested) could be priced better, steering and throttle can feel a bit numb.

Polestar has arrived in New Zealand, and while we missed the awesome plug-in hybrid Polestar 1, the Swedish company has made it up to us with a genuine Tesla Model 3 competitor in the form of the Polestar 2.

Not a Volvo. See? Just ignore the ‘Thor’s Hammer’ headlights and Volvo platform.

What the heck is a Polestar?

Polestar used to be the performance arm of Volvo, like RS is to Audi, AMG is to Mercedes-Benz, or M is to BMW. It became its own brand in 2017, similarly to Cupra and Seat, making in-house hybrid and electric vehicles.

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It might be a front-wheel drive car in a world of RWD EVs, but the weight is kept nice and low, which means it handles well.

The 2017 Polestar 1 was its first vehicle, a 2+2 coupe with a Volvo-sourced plug-in hybrid powertrain making 450kW and 1000Nm of torque. It looks fantastic, apparently goes like hell, and we never got it in New Zealand. Sad.

The interior is full of sustainable materials.

But, thankfully, Polestar isn’t a one-trick pony. Two years after the Polestar 1, the Polestar 2 was announced, this one a four-door sedan based on the Volvo XC40’s CMA platform. There isn’t any combustion here either, with the 2 getting one or two electric motors, depending on spec. It might not be a supercar killer like the 1, but it looks absolutely fantastic and, more importantly, people will actually be able to buy it.

Apparently, Volvo’s exterior design chief, Maximillian Missoni, put extra effort into the taillights, grille and wheels to differentiate the Polestar 2 from its Volvo relatives, especially considering it descends from one of a set of twin Volvo concepts, the other eventually selling as the XC40.

The optional sunroof even has a projected Polestar logo.

Okay, so it’s an electric Volvo?

Not far off. It’s based on Volvo bones and has some Volvo interior stuff, but, beyond that, it’s all Polestar. It’s actually the first battery-electric vehicle from the Volvo Car Group (excluding other Geely brands, the parent company of Volvo), so it really is breaking new ground.

The driver’s seat is quite a snug place, with the centre console rising up fairly high. It does feel like a racing cockpit though, and that’s cool.

Somewhat strangely, using the CMA platform means there is a raised hump in the middle of the rear floor, usually concealing a transmission shaft or exhaust routing. Since the Polestar 2 is electric, there’s no real need for a tunnel here, but according to a Polestar exec speaking back in 2019, it was retained to add comfort for the rear passengers.

Another area where Polestar differs from some of the competition is in the motors. Specifically, the Long range single motor and Standard range single motor, which use just one motor but mounted on the front axle. Entry versions of rivals like the Tesla Model 3 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 put the motor on the rear axle, which I do prefer, but that’s obviously a personal preference.

What it does mean is the Polestar 2 can understeer slightly when pushed, especially in the wet, but considering understeer is easier and more natural to correct, the decision makes sense.

So does that mean it drives like a hot hatch?

It does make about as much power as a Golf GTI, but it weighs quite a bit more, with a claimed kerb weight of 2123kg compared to around 1450kg. While the two aren’t comparable at all, aside from which axle is powered and by how much..

It can take a fair stab at the go pedal to get things moving sometimes, but dial the regen back and it’s fine, though then you lose one-pedal driving.

Meanwhile, the steering can feel a bit numb and has a degree of artificial weighting. Nice for around-town stuff, but it’s not the most communicative.

However, that’s not to say the Polestar 2 is a poor car to drive. In fact, when you get used to it, it’s absolutely brilliant.

The weight is slung low, which means there’s barely any body roll, and while the suspension is a bit firm, it does a great job at keeping everything pointed in the right direction.

And, when it’s all said and done, the Polestar 2 is a quicker car than the Tesla Model 3 when corners are introduced to the equation, despite the American having more power. I’ll let that hang.

But Polestar is new, and comparatively inexpensive, so does that mean the quality suffers?

Definitely not. The biggest strength of the Polestar is how well it’s put together, tied with how freaking gorgeous it is.

Remember, this is a Volvo cousin, which means quality assurance is second only behind an almost worrying obsession with safety (five-star Euro NCAP rating, by the way).

There aren’t any wayward panel gaps in the sheet metal, and I particularly like the subtle sticker on each front door that denotes what powertrain is on board, as well as the frameless wing mirrors. I don’t need to go on about the looks, because there are pictures, and they tell a thousand words apiece.

The interior is full of sustainable materials which easily feel as premium as anything else on the market, and the Polestar 2 is the first car to come with a Google operating system from the factory, which is brilliant.

Everything is minimal without going overboard – there’s a 12.3-inch portrait touchscreen housing that Google system, which controls everything about the car, but there’s also a digital dash behind the wheel with typical vehicle readouts and a full-screen navigation map.

The tester model here does have the Plus Pack added, which replaces the standard roof with a fixed panoramic sunroof, heated rear seats, a 13 speaker, 600W Harmon Kardon sound system, wireless phone charging and powered seats, among other changes. That pushes the total price above the $80k point for rebates.

You could opt for the Standard range single motor version (around 440km of range, down from 540km) and add the Plus Pack for a total price of $75,900, or the Pilot Pack for $74,550, if you’re okay with dropping some features to save money.

For reference, the standard Long range single motor gets the Pilot Pack as standard equipment, which adds a bunch of extra safety systems like adaptive cruise, a 360-degree camera, cross-traffic alert and pixel LED headlights.

Any other cars I should consider?

The primary competitor is the Tesla Model 3, which trumps the Polestar on power and range but loses out on design, quality and kit. The only Model 3 to come under the rebate limit is the base rear-drive model, which starts at $66,900, while the dual-motor Long Range model starts at $82,900.