The Polestar brand is an offshoot of Volvo and has been positioned as a standalone range
of performance electric vehicles.
At launch the price started at $59,000 but as is often the case the price has gone up. The
single motor, standard range, front-wheel drive model is now priced from $69,335
driveaway.
The long-range single motor version is $74,060 driveaway while the range-topping long
range, dual motor model, with all-wheel drive is $79,310 driveaway.
Metallic paint is standard and all models start with the same basic range of equipment.
Standard kit includes embossed, textured leather upholstery and two-zone climate air
conditioning.
STYLING
Polestar 2 has a sloping tailgate that rises to reveal a long but shallow luggage area, with
a hidden storage underneath.
Polestar 2 was designed by Thomas Ingenlath alongside the Volvo Concept 40.1 which
later became the basis of the XC40.
In hindsight the decision to incorporate a radiator grille was a good one, because it avoids
the goofy look that some EVs project. It looks classic and classier.
There are 19-inch alloys, LED headlights with active beam, adaptive rear LED lights,
retractable frameless mirrors, auto lights and wipers, auto-dimming rear view mirror, front
and rear park sensors and a foot operated tailgate.
Additional features can be added to single motor models with the $3400 Pilot Lite pack or
$6000 Plus pack.
Pilot Lite Pack adds Adaptive Cruise Control and Pilot Assist, auto dimming for side
mirrors plus a further four parking sensors and 360-degree birds eye camera view.
Plus, it adds a heated steering wheel, full power seat adjustment, an energy-saving heat
pump, air filtration system, wireless phone charger, 600 watt 13-speaker Harman/Kardon
audio along with a full-length panoramic glass roof.
Our test vehicle was fitted with the Plus and Pilot Lite packs as well as ventilated Nappa
leather, the latter an additional $6000.
Like many manufacturers Polestar has not escaped the global shortage of electrical
semiconductors.
The car we drove was fitted with LED pixel headlights with adaptive high beam. It’s been
forced to replace this with less sophisticated LEDs with active high beam (minus cornering
functionality).
Welcome and farewell light sequences have been replaced with fade in/out animation.
All of this puts the car a fair way up the food chain and a long way from the entry level
model we had anticipated, taking the price as tested to $83,800 plus on-roads.
Buying a Polestar is a bit different too. The whole process takes place online from order to
payment.
What about a test drive, I hear you ask? You can book a test drive here, either at a
designated ‘space’ in each capital city or at a location of your choice.
Polestar offers a five warranty, along with five years complimentary servicing and roadside
assistance. The battery is covered by an 8-year/160,000km warranty.
INFOTAINMENT
Infotainment is dominated by a huge Tesla-like 11.2-inch portrait style touchscreen.
High Performance Audio delivers 250 Watts through eight speakers, including a bass-
boosting air woofer mounted under the bonnet — just below the windscreen.
Polestar 2 is the first car to come with a built-in Google infotainment system. It includes
Google Assistant, Google Maps, with charging options and Google Play Store, which
offers optimised in-car apps for seamless integration.
iPhone users have not been forgotten, with Apple CarPlay/Siri now included. The system
is connected to the net and receives over-the-air updates like a phone.
Polestar 2 makes automatic emergency calls in the event of a crash or if the car has been
stolen.
There are two USB Type-C connections in the front and two more in the rear of the car.
You can use them to charge compatible devices, but they do not offer a data connection.
POWERTRAIN
With a 78 kWh Lithium-ion battery, 75 kWh of which is useable, the electric powertrain in
this particular model produces 170kW of power and 330Nm of torque, with drive to the
front wheels through a single reduction gear transmission.
SAFETY
Safety is surprisingly something of a grey area.
Polestar 2 gets a full five-star crash rating from ANCAP, with a rear-view camera and
seven airbags including a centre airbag.
There’s also autonomous emergency braking (Car-to-Car, Vulnerable Road User and
Junction Assist) as well as a lane support system with lane keep assist, lane departure
warning and emergency lane keeping and an advanced speed assistance system.
What you don’t get as standard are blind spot warnings, cross traffic alert with brake
support, rear collision warning and mitigation, nor adaptive cruise control – which are all
part of the $3400 Pilot Lite pack.
Just as surprisingly, there’s no head-up display for the windscreen either.
I guess the Polestar brand doesn’t share Volvo’s emphasis with safety?
DRIVING
Driver and front passenger seats are heated and partly power adjustable, with four-way
power lumbar adjustment for the driver. The angle of seatbacks must be adjusted
manually however.
Inside, it’s very Swedish. Very minimalist, with wood veneer trim and a cabin that has a
light, bright airy ambience.
But it’s not all peaches and cream. My feet kept getting tangled under the pedals as I got
in and out of the car and my wife who spent a bit of time in the back tells me there’s not
much room back there.
The dash from 0-100km/h takes 7.4 seconds. Power consumption is listed at 17.1 to 18.6
kWh per 100km.
The standard range, single motor model has a range of 478km (WLTP), the long-range
model we’re driving gets 551km and the long-range dual motor is good for 487km.
Charging takes as little as 35 minutes using a public, high-powered DC fast charger or
eight hours with a home wallbox — that is if you have three-phase power.
No word on an ordinary 10A power point.
A seven-metre charging cable helps make charging more convenient along with the option
of Mode 2 and Type 1 connectors.
Although the range is listed as 551km, in reality the most we saw was 440km even when
the car was fully charged, considerably less than promised.
A trip into Sydney, a distance of about 160 km return, used about 30 per cent of the
charge – which in theory means you could do it three times before needing to recharge.
Like the XC40 Recharge we drove recently, there’s no key or start button. You just hop in,
put your foot on the brake, put it into drive or reverse and off you go.
Acceleration is quick, but not lightning quick. It’s fast enough however to make you think
you’re behind the wheel of something a bit special.
Helping keep the battery topped up is regenerative braking, which reclaims power when
the car travels downhill.
You can choose between two levels of regenerative braking and adopt a one-pedal form of
driving where there’s no need to apply the brakes. Lifting off the accelerator brings the car
to a stop. It takes some practice but may not be to everyone’s liking.
Because of the batteries, the car weighs over two tonnes, but has a low centre of gravity
which helps it to sit flat in corners. Pushed too hard however and it has a tendency to run
wide. The ride is sporty or in other words a little on the firm side, but can be jarring on poor
roads.
The weight gives it a big car feel in the way the suspension responds, taking a little longer
to respond to bumps.
At this point I should mention a major hiccup we experienced while driving the car. Waiting
for the lights to change at a major intersection, it took two rotations of the traffic lights
before we could get through.
When the lights finally turned green and we hit the accelerator, nothing happened. The car
had turned itself off, or at least had gone into park mode while waiting. The guy behind
wasn’t too impressed, let me tell you.
I’m not big fans of Google Maps, I prefer the more user-friendly Waze, which is basically
Maps with a different interface. Waze also supports speed camera warnings.
SUMMING UP
In the electric car world, it’s all about price and range.
The Polestar 2 looks the goods and ticks both of these boxes, but you might want to
consider this.
Until electric vehicle infrastructure catches up with petrol, you’ll always be planning your
life around the car. When and where it can next be charged and how long it will take to
accomplish this task.
Even if you shell out for a wallbox at home, it is still going to take several hours and to
keep ahead of the curve, you need to top it up as frequently as possible.
In real terms, however, Polestar 2 could easily replace that petrol-powered car in your
driveway.
Polestar estimates a six-month wait for delivery (more if you option the 19-inch 5-Double
Spoke Black Diamond Cut Alloy Wheel).
RATINGS:
Looks: 7.5
Performance: 8
Safety: 7.5
Thirst: 7.5
Practicality: 7.5
Comfort: 7
Tech: 8
Value: 7.5
Overall: 7.6
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
Standard Range (single motor): $63,900
Long Range (single motor): $68,400
Long Range (dual motor): $73,400
Note: These prices do not include government or dealer delivery charges. Contact
Polestar for drive-away prices.
SPECIFICATIONS
(Polestar 2, Long Range Single Motor, fully electric, five-door fastback)
PERFORMANCE:
Battery capacity: 78 kWh
Maximum Power: 170 kW
Maximum Torque: 330 Nm
Fuel Type: Electricity
Plug Type: Mode 2 and Type 1
Charging: Up to 11kW (AC) or 150kW (DC)
Maximum range: 540 km
Energy Use: 17.1-18.6 kWh/100km
CO2 Emissions: 0 g/km
DRIVELINE:
Single-speed reduction gear transmission, single electric motor, front-wheel drive
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4606 mm
Wheelbase: 2735 mm
Width: 1859 mm
Height: 1479 mm
Turning Circle: 11.5 metres
Kerb Mass: 2113 kg
BRAKES:
Front: Ventilated disc
Rear: Ventilated disc
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Five years / unlimited kilometres
