I must admit to having a soft spot for anything Swedish. I’ve had several business trips
there with Volvo and Saab and on a couple of occasions have stayed on at my own
expense to have a holiday after the official part of the event was over.
Sweden is in the forefront of thinking when it comes to global warming and is working hard
on reducing emissions from its vehicles.
Polestar is a sub brand of Volvo and shares some components with the Volvo XC40
Recharge that we tested recently.
The Swedish Polestar 2 is a pure EV, running on batteries without any internal combustion
engine to back it up.
Three variants are offered: Standard Range single motor, Long Range single motor, and
Long Range dual motor (our test car). Polestar quotes expected range of 474 km, 542 km
and 482 km respectively
STYLING
It’s a five-door hatchback and, in the Swedish style, is neat without being ostentatious,
when we road tested the Polestar 2 in our home area on the Gold Coast those who we
asked to comment on it liked the shape thought it was stylish, with a semi-sporty look.
The front has a sort of radiator grille, perhaps to suit potential buyers who aren’t keen on a
car that looks different from the norm.
At each side of the grille are the famed ‘Hammer of Thor’ shaped lights as used in all
Volvos.
INTERIOR
The seats are large and comfortable. However, the foot space in the front isn’t as wide as
we expected, probably due to the fact that it’s based on the similar platform as the smaller
Volvo XC40.
The panoramic roof is huge, there’s even an illuminated Polestar logo reflection, but you
can only see it from the back seat.
The roof is tinted, but there’s no blind or electro-chromatic setting to lessen the amount of
light and heat that can be come through on a sunny day. This wasn’t a problem as we
tested the Polestar 2 in winter here on the Gold Coast. We will try to get another one in
summer and see how it feels.
There’s a real look and feel of upmarket luxury inside, the soft-touch fabrics and other
materials around the cabin are that well-mated and blend of high-quality minimalism.
INFOTAINMENT
The Polestar uses a Google-sourced Android Automotive infotainment software. It works
very well around town.
The Hey Google voice assistant and control some of the car’s functions as well as the
infotainment and navigation features.
If you log in with your Google account, you can search for things on your phone and have
them available in the car seamlessly.
POWERTRAIN
Polestar 2 is offered with in three models; single motor and standard range, single motor
with long-range and dual-motor with a long-range battery pack.
The Polestar 2 we tested is the “big gun model” had dual electric motors and long-range
batteries. Its official range is 480 kilometres, but see the notes in the Driving section of this
review.
SAFETY
Polestar is closely related to Volvo and that company has had safety built into it’s vehicles
for many decades. It has a five-star safety rating .
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags are standard.
A centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact
crashes is standard on all variants.
Autonomous emergency braking (Car-to-Car, Vulnerable Road User and Junction Assist)
as well as a lane support system with lane keep assist (LKA), lane departure warning
(LDW) and emergency lane keeping (ELK), and an advanced speed assistance system
(SAS) are standard on all variants.
DRIVING
When we got into the car we looked in vain for a Start-Stop button. Only to find it doesn’t
have one. Put your foot on the brake pedal and select either Drive or Reverse and the
Polestar is ready to go. It’s a bit spooky at first because there’s no noise, but you soon
adapt the brain to it.
Handling is generally neutral as the centre of gravity is lower than in a petrol- or diesel-
powered vehicle. It’s a fairly heavy vehicle because batteries have a lot of mass and it
weighs in at 1.9 tonnes. This does give it a slight reluctant to change direction.
Country running on twisty roads is good but you wouldn’t put it in the sports coupe
category.
The excellent instant acceleration that we love in all pure electric vehicles is a major
feature. It will beat anything off the line that’s powered by a V8 or hot six-cylinder petrol
engine.
Around town and in the suburbs there’s little noise inside the Polestar 2. On the motorway
section of our road testing the noise did penetrate more and disturbed the serenity.
There’s some tyre bump thump when crossing bridges.
Energy consumption is officially rated at 19.4 kWh per 100 kilometres. We averaged 16.8
kWh during our road testing of the Polestar 2 as we did a fair bit of suburban running and
the vehicle charges itself when slowing down. Indeed, on our run over the high Gateway
Bridge it’s indicated range increased when we freewheeled in on the down slope.
I do drive economically and have a Guinness Book of Records entry for the greatest
distance travelled on a single fuel fill. Perhaps I should try for an electric vehicle Guinness
Record, let me think about it and get back to you…
SUMMING UP
Polestar 2 gives us a strong insight as to what motoring will be like in the future. It’s low
running costs and strong performance are impressive. Will we replace our Volvo XC40
with a Polestar 2? Not at this stage, we will wait until prices come down and charging
times are shorter.
RATINGS:
Looks: 8/10
Performance: 9/10
Safety:9/10
Range: 8/10
Practicality: 8/10
Comfort: 7/10
Tech: 9/10
Value: 8/10
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
Polestar 2 Standard Range single motor: $63,900
Polestar 2 Long Range single motor: $68,400
Polestar 2 Long Range dual motor: $73,400
Note: These prices do not include government or dealer delivery charges. Contact your
local Polestar / Volvo dealer for drive-away prices.
SPECIFICATIONS (Polestar 2 Long Range dual motor)
POWERTRAIN:
Maximum Power: 300 kW
Maximum Torque: 660 Nm
Energy Use:19.4 kWh per 100km
CO2 Emissions: Zero
Range: 484 km
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
Fuel Tank Capacity: litres
BRAKES:
Front: Ventilated disc
Rear: Ventilated disc
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Five years / unlimited kilometres
