A guy in my neighborhood has bought a car I've never seen before while walking past it. I totally loved the looks of it. Some days later I tried to get in touch with Polestar Switzerland and they kindly gave me the opportunity to experience the Polestar 2 for almost two weeks.
I didn’t have any expectations to the car. Although I had some experiences with Tesla before I might compare the Polestar 2 with the Tesla Model 3.
The test car is a Polestar 2 long range Dual motor with a range of 480km and 408PS. Base price: 49’900CHF. It is painted in the base black called “Void” and has the “Charcoal Embossed Textile with 3D Etched deco”. On top this Polestar 2 is equipped with the Performance Package. Which includes Öhlins suspension, Brembo brakes, 20-inch polished alloy wheels with cold wheel caps, better tires, and belts in “Swedish Gold”. So all in all it set you back close to 65’000CHF with all the options.
First impressions
Walking towards the car made me want to have a look at it every time. The Polestar 2 is so well proportioned. Some think it is an SUV. And it even looks so on photos. But it isn’t really. It just looks huge. Probably because of the slightly increased road clearance.
Let’s get in the car. Silence. Something you need to get familiar with! Interestingly I noticed that the electric car somehow calms me down and shows a different kind of driver in myself. I feel very chilled and relaxed.
What it’s all about
Comfortable and safe driving. As we know Volvo, I somehow feel the same philosophy. Getting you from A to B via C, D and E. A true companion for long-distance journeys and well-being, as well safe driving and traveling.
But as some of you might know, I’m not a huge fan of safety features which want you to drive like your grandparents. At least it’s possible to turn them off very easily. A mentionable safety gadget was the brake interruption while parking manoeuvres. It stopped the Polestar 2 immediately out of nowhere. Well: Because of a tuft of grass once and a chance of flooring twice. Something I really disliked. Because it really shocked me every time.
An advantage of driving an electric car is the somehow enjoyable silence which can be used to properly listen to some great music without any disruptive factors. The car shown had the optional Harman/Kardon sound system which is included in the “Plus” package. And God it is absolutely worth it.
Despite having the “Performance” package coming with that exact car, it is somewhere between a compact car and performance compact sedan. Mainly due to its weight. Over 2.1 tons for a slightly bigger compact car is immense! But the Öhlins suspension provides sportier driving compared to the regular one for sure. Still the car feels a little heavy in quick cornering. But way better when I remember the Jaguar F-Pace SVR. It is a great cruiser. Let’s leave it right there. And it mostly makes sense to use it in the cities because it has a truly great recouperation and makes one pedal driving 100% possible. Additionally an electric car does not need any electricity while standing still, where combustion engines still idling and consumes gasoline.
To the interior
Polestar proves to use consistent interior materials combined with great design. To be honest: The interior got me looks-wise. I really liked how they’ve put everything together. But some of the used materials in the centre console and door panels are rough. It leads to scrape off fine skin particles if you accidentally touch them with your arms or elbows. Discoloration remains in the fabric because of the scraped off skin. Something I haven’t seen before.
Another thing I disliked is the cheap and hard plastic centre piece of the steering wheel. And if you’re not that keen on having the ultimate materials, the interior might kick you to the moon. Such a great place to be for driving. Truly felt at home in that car.
Oh, and people might still look at you. Many still know nothing about Polestar yet. Let’s see how long Polestar’s exclusivity, rather rareness lasts. But it felt great to me to be different and be a part of the street’s variety.
Now what to buy
The Polestar 2 surprised me in so many ways that I became an obsession of it. Even though electric cars aren’t the main solution to save our planet I’m personally fascinated by their technology and get their advantages. Additionally, it doesn’t make sense to have such powerful electric cars. Indeed, it is highly impressive. I’d rather recommend buying a Polestar 2 long range Single motor with 540km range. And I’d even prefer it over the Tesla Model 3 which has a bad build quality and many useless gimmicks no one really needs!
I’d never buy a factory new electric car for sure because of their extremely high Gray Energy. But as a used car to use on daily basis or family car this could be an option for me. But only if I have the chance to drive something proper with a combustion engine, sound and a manual gearbox on weekends!