Polestar 2: A New Vision On The Industry
First Impression: Polestar 2 is one of the newest players on the electric market but they have a few tricks up their sleeve to make their first all-new electric car feel like a mature product.
You might know Polestar as the racing team or the ones tuning Volvos but these days they're a separate brand that can rely on a massive heritage from 2 parties. Since Polestar is owned by both Volvo and the Geely. They have the ability to put a product in the market that's as premium as a Volvo but also as technically advanced as any other product Geely.
But did they actually manage to do so? Let's find out.
Pure Progressive Performance
That's the key value that Polestar is chasing. And when you look at the car, you can immediately see that. The car is beautifully sculpted, finally an electric car that doesn't try to look like it's from the future. Body lines are very contemporary and familiar (that's Volvo heritage for you). The frameless outside mirrors are also very elegant and a joy to look out of.
The car we drove had the optional Performance package. As you may or may not know, Polestar started as a racing team so they can't hide the heritage they have. The Polestar 2 comes with an optional performance package. This includes gorgeous gold-painted Brembo brakes, specialized Öhlins dampers, 20-inch alloys with gold valve caps, and gold seatbelts.
Throughout the interior, the car feels very familiar again but also massively different. Polestar is really proud to be the first car manufacturer to have Android-based infotainment.
The major benefit that this offers is that it doesn't feel outdated by any bit. The navigation is Google Maps so it's constantly updated compared to traditional navigation systems. The voice assistant works great and it's able to do so many things and it'll keep learning to do new stuff. Hey, she can even crack up jokes!
Dynamic star
The Polestar 2 is supposed to be a family fastback and the fact that it can be fitted with Öhlins dampers worried me at first. I thought it would be too harsh but I'm happy to say that it's extremely balanced. The ride isn't too firm but it can still corner very well.
One pedal driving becomes second nature because the pedal calibration is so predictable and gradual. Just before you fully release the gas pedal, the car already starts regenerative braking and gradually increases. You barely ever have to use your shiny gold Brembo brakes which will keep them clean for longer as well.
Ready to take on the world?
After this short day of getting to know Polestar 2, we had the opportunity to ask some questions to the people involved in developing the 2. They told us that the car will keep updating by over-the-air updates and more apps will be coming to the Playstore too like Waze,...
Also if you still think the Öhlins dampers are too hard or too soft for your liking. You can manually adjust them on the top of the strut.
Finally, they also changed how dealerships work and turned them into experience centers you can visit. Buying the car is done online so you're provided with a more stress-free environment.
The Polestar 2 really impressed us and we're interested to see how it will handle in a more day-to-day scheme. We didn't cover enough track or monitor the battery range but it kept us charged to drive around all day with plenty to spare!
