SPRIGHTLY & SOPHISTICATED
Speedy, sexy Polestar 1 sets standard for luxury vehicles of every ilk
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. Finally, a zero-emissions vehicle to inspire universal adoration. An electric vehicle that old pistonheads and nouveau riche Evers alike can lust for. A car that transcends all the electric vehicle hype and is, well, just a good car.
It’s Polestar’s new “1” plug-in hybrid, and it’s perhaps the most convenient car of all time.
On the one hand, thanks to its 34-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, it’s got 112 kilometres of electric-only — or, as Volvo calls it, electric-first — range. On the other hand, take to the open road, and after you run out of free electrons, you have a small, yet powerful inline four to keep you motoring. In fact, thanks to a sizable 60-litre gas tank and a little 2.0-L engine that fairly sips fossil fuel, its total range is a whopping 870 kilometres.
It has the convenience of an EV at home, the quick refuelling of a gas car on the highway, and an 80-85 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
But it gets even better. Being as this is a Polestar, Volvo’s premium performance brand, there are no fewer than three electric motors on hand, two of them at the rear axle alone. Factor in the engine, which thanks to being both turbocharged and supercharged, is good for 326 horsepower, and there’s a grand total of 619 hp underfoot, and even more incredibly, 738 pound feet of torque.
Now, here’s the kicker: The Polestar 1 is an all-around great car, regardless of whether it’s being powered by electrons, fossil fuel or, in its best formula, a combination of both.
It’s not quite as fast as those incredible horsepower and torque figures would seem to promise. Despite its much-ballyhooed all-carbon-fibre body, it weighs a fairly hefty 2,305 kilograms. And its 4.2-second run to 100 km/h would appear fairly sprightly on initial inspection, but it’s actually a little lethargic compared with other sports cars and GTS that boast similarly impressive horsepower stats.
In pretty much every other arena of performance, the Polestar PHEV excels. Even though the twin rear electric motors represent barely half the power available, when you’re in its battery power-only “Pure” mode, the Polestar is plenty sprightly. Top speed on lithium ions alone is 160 km/h, passing acceleration on the highway is more than peppy, and there’s more than enough torque.
And, unlike so many other plugin hybrids that pretend to be a true EV, the Polestar 1 really is a battery-powered electric vehicle. In “Pure” mode, it remains resolutely emissions free.
However, if you turn to the Polestar’s full “Power” mode, things get serious. First, the engine kicks in an extra 326 hp. Then an integrated starter-generator — yes, there’s a third electric motor connected directly to the crankshaft — kicks in another 71 hp. Blend all of them together and you have a 619-hp, all-wheel drive, torque-vectoring supercar.
It’s this last that is perhaps the Polestar 1’s outstanding feature. Its zero emissions capability was expected. But its exemplary comportment was unexpected.
Oh sure, it has Ohlins suspension and a rigid chassis, but in isolation, they hardly guarantee exemplary road holding. Rather, it’s the tuning of said suspension, a near perfect balance, and some pretty nifty torque vectoring in the rear that have the Polestar 1 clipping apexes as sharply as some supercars.
As if outright speed wasn’t enough, the Polestar 1 is also a model of sophistication. Its eightspeed automatic transmission is as smooth-shifting as any in the business. The gasoline engine is so devoid of vibration and harshness that it’s almost impossible to detect when it kicks in. And those Ohlins shock absorbers, so lauded for their race track-proven handling prowess, prove quite compliant, as well.
Indeed, seeing as how the Polestar 1 is also quite easy on the eyes, beautifully finished inside and commendably quiet, I could only really find two faults.
The first is a truly tiny trunk. Cargo capacity is just 125 L.
The second hole in the Polestar’s armour is the infotainment system that seems painfully outdated.
Oh, there’s one more thing: The Polestar 1 will set you back $199,000.
The crazy thing is, I think it’s worth it. Suave and sophisticated yet practical and pragmatic, the Polestar 1 is as convenient as an EV in town, as practical as a traditional gas-fed automobile on the open road, and as speedy and sexy as any super pricey gran turismo.
It gets my vote for the luxury car of the year, electric or no.
For more on electric vehicles, listen to Driving’s EV podcast Plugged In, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts.