Polestar 2 first drive: Why Tesla might not be the competition for this particular EV
Polestar, the one-time performance brand of Volvo, has now branched out on its own as a fully-fledged automaker.
It took a big step forward in its mission to be a real player in the electric vehicle (EV) space, with the introduction of its latest offering, the Polestar 2.
Polestar 1, which is only being sold in minimum quantities in the U.S. at a price north of $150,000.
GELYF] group, which owns Volvo] off the ground into the performance EV landscape. The Polestar 2 is meant to get the car into the mainstream electric market, and it’s a very compelling offering at that.
VWAGY) e-tron, Jaguar (TTM) I-PACE, BMW 3-series and Mercedes (DDAIF) C-class — you will be able to fully order the car online. You can also go to a Polestar retail experience, or a ‘pop-up’ outlet, to have a more traditional experience.
I first saw the Polestar 2 in the flesh at the brand’s pop-up location in midtown Manhattan. As we are still in the midst of the pandemic, precautions were taken for us to have our media debrief in a socially-distanced way, and each of us the use of the Polestar 2 for the day.
A little more about the Polestar 2. It has a dual-motor setup, producing a combined 408hp and and robust 487 lb-ft of torque. This can rocket the 4-door sedan with a hatch-like trunk to 0-60mph in 4.45 seconds.
(WLTP) certification gives the car a 291 mile range. The EPA has not conducted its testing yet, but Polestar believes it will be a little less than the WLTP figure.” data-reactid=”67″>At this time the Polestar 2 comes with a 78 KwH lithium-ion battery (75 KwH that is usable), which under the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) certification gives the car a 291 mile range. The EPA has not conducted its testing yet, but Polestar believes it will be a little less than the WLTP figure.
The Polestar 2 starts at an attractive $59,900 (and will include the federal EV credit of $7,500), and this gets you a “fully loaded” as Polestar calls it launch edition version.
This launch edition will come with a list of features, including a safety and assisted driving suite called Pilot Assist, Pixel LED headlights, WeaveTech interior materials (more on that later), Harman Kardon audio — and the premier of a highly anticipated rollout of Google’s Android Automotive.
The latter is a native operating system for the car (not mobile-based Android Auto) that is your primary way to interact with the car’s infotainment and general settings. It’s also powered by Google apps and services (Maps, Assistant) built-in. Also, the Google Play store can be used to download apps like Spotify and Waze. Polestar has worked with the tech giant on the design aesthetics to give it a nice cool, Swedish-inspired palette.
The Drive
I only had the car for a few hours, so my review isn’t as thorough as I would have liked (which would have included real-life scenarios like charging, seeing what it’s like to live with the car for a few days, etc.) Though my time was limited, I was impressed.
BWMYY) 3-series, or Tesla (TSLA) Model 3, either.
Now inside I found it to be a different story. Polestar took pains to make this car seem familiar, but also forward looking.
The materials and fit and finish are top notch — as you would expect for a car pricing it at around $60,000 — but everything felt even more dialed-in and premium. The WeaveTech material is vegan, meaning no animal products were used at all. It uses a high-degree of recycled materials, is durable and lightweight, but also gives you soft feel that has some grip. That’s important when you’re hustling this car around the curves.
The Harmon Kardon sound system is excellent, and Polestar engineers were able to hide the speaker behind dash and trim materials, giving you a very uniform look inside. The digital dash under the cockpit hood, and your Google-powered tablet-like center console, was fast, responsive, and easy to use.
However, there were some hiccups with pairing my iPhone via Bluetooth and using some of the software in the Android Automotive suite — but this was not surprising given that these cars were near production models. Also, some software issues were still being worked on. And yes, the Polestar 2 is compatible with Apple CarPlay.
Getting behind the wheel and getting started (there’s no start button or key fob that needs be placed somewhere, as the car is always ‘on’) is always refreshing in any EV. You push the gas pedal and it moves right away, with a really futuristic digital whirring sound.
Coming out of a traditional internal combustion vehicle into something like the Polestar 2, and you’re reminded that this really is the future – and I’m someone that loves a high-revving, naturally-aspirated engine.
The Polestar 2 is like entering another planet if you’re coming from a gas-powered car. The torque and low-end power is immense (like most electric cars), but what I really enjoyed about the Polestar 2 was the chassis and the tuning.
Polestar took pains to make sure the car was sure-footed and balanced (the car has a nearly perfect 50/50 weight distribution), and our launch vehicle came with race-inspired Öhlins Dual Flow Valves dampers (as part of a $5,000 performance package that includes Brembo brakes and 20” forged alloy wheels, among other things), which kept this car flat in high-speed corners.
The car felt light where it needed to be, steering was firm, and it could get you out of trouble quickly with a stab of the accelerator. But did I have any complaints with the car?
Just a few. The steering felt a little vague, but this is something most electric cars with fly-by-wire electrical steering have to deal with. At 6’ tall I found rear-seat headroom was decent, but legroom was a little tight when I climbed back there to check out the surroundings. Most people would likely live with these shortcomings, so I can’t fault the car too harshly here.
Polestar vs. the competition
Now – the question everyone is asking is can this car compete with the 800-pound gorilla in the room: Tesla?
On the face off it I find the Polestar 2 a VERY compelling competitor to the Model 3, which is a great car. Tesla will have the advantage, at least right now, in the range and performance department (with the Model 3 performance edition). That said, the Polestar 2 is no slouch and I think tops the car in interior creature comforts and styling.
We asked Polestar about Tesla, but the company said its data and research pointed out that Tesla wasn’t its real competition. It turns out Tesla owners and buyers interested in the brand only want one thing — a Tesla. They are not interested in cross-shopping when that car is the only option in their mind.
It turns out most of the people interested in a Polestar 2 were actually owners of other traditional luxury cars like BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and Lexus. These owners are now looking to get into EV ownership, and it turns out Polestar is coming up in their decision-making process.
So here’s lies a big opportunity for Polestar to “conquer” existing luxury car owners looking at electric cars. It won’t be easy, but as a relative first-mover here, there aren’t many options for these luxury car-buyers to go, save Tesla, Audi with its e-tron, and Jaguar with the I-PACE.
Polestar is hoping their retail experiences and online-ordering process will get these buyers in a new Polestar 2 this coming fall, when sales start here in September.
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Twitter and on Instagram.” data-reactid=”256″>Pras Subramanian is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter and on Instagram.
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