NEWCOMER SETS THE PACE FOR LUXURY SPORT EVS
No global EV startup is anywhere near finding its footing, save for the 800-pound gorilla that started it all. But even mighty and omnipotent Tesla is beginning to show a few fault lines, with suspect build quality and reliability issues starting to crowd out headlines about stock price and valuation.
Simply put, building cars is hard. It's complex.
Which brings us to the subject of this road test, the Polestar 2 Launch Edition. Yes, Polestar is, by definition, an EV startup. But no, the company doesn't lack capital, nor do the engineers and designers behind it lack experience. The company is part of the giant multinational Geely Auto Group, and many of the brains behind the vehicle are former Volvo employees who jumped at the chance to work for the new EV company while staying under the same auto group umbrella. And staying in Sweden, where Polestar is headquartered. The vehicles themselves are built in China.
The result is a stunning all-electric vehicle, and one that immediately puts Polestar on the shopping list of anyone looking to buy a luxury sport EV in the coming years. It compares more than favourably to the Tesla Y, and while I haven't had seat time in either the Volvo XC40 Recharge or Ford Mach-e, spec sheet comparisons suggest the Polestar 2 will compete nicely with both EVS.
As readers might recall, my carof-the-year drive in 2019 was the Polestar 1, the wildly expensive, plug-in hybrid limited-edition debut model for the brand that hinted at what was to come once Polestar pivoted to all-electric vehicles. And that was excellent performance and handling, a Swedish-infused cabin design and the kind of refined elegance that sister company Volvo has achieved with its latest generation of sedans and SUVS.
The first Polestar 2 to be available in Canada is called, fittingly, the Launch Edition ($69,900), and it comes loaded with standard features. The option list is short, but includes 20-inch diamond-cut wheels ($1,200), a Nappa leather interior ($5,000) and a Performance Pack ($6,000) that adds adjustable Ohlins dampers, gold four-piston Brembo front brake calipers, 20-inch lightweight forged aluminum wheels, bespoke Continental Sportcontact 6 tires, upgraded spring and stabilizer bar rates, a high-gloss black roof panel, along with gold seatbelts and tire valve caps. My tester came with the
Performance Pack, and I can't see buying this vehicle without it, because for the price, it really delivers in terms of driving dynamics and élan.
There are also a couple of industry firsts in the Polestar 2: an inner-side airbag, and most notably, the world's first usage of Android Automotive, a native operating system that features built-in Google apps and services. Volvo and GM have also secured rights to the system, so expect to see it roll out in many vehicles in the coming years.
The stand-alone system doesn't require your smartphone to operate apps; navigation, music and voice recognition are embedded in the Google system. You still need to connect your phone via Bluetooth to use the phone function, however, and a Google account is also necessary to get the most out of Android Automotive.
That unique operating system, as with most every other driver function, is accessed through the 11.5-inch centre display. It's intuitive and has, in my mind, the best drive-mode interface of any EV. It does away with pretty much every switch and control in the cabin, leaving a clean and minimal design.
Now to the true strength of the Polestar 2: driving. The Polestar 2 might not boast the off-theline acceleration of some EVS out there, but a sub-five-second 0-to-100-km/ h sprint more than suffices.
Where it really rises to the
The low centre of gravity adds to cornering appeal, and the ... body shape results in very little wind noise at highway speeds.
occasion is in its handling, those Ohlins dampers and Brembo brakes providing the kind of performance you would find in a sports car. The low centre of gravity adds to cornering appeal, and the aerodynamic body shape results in very little wind noise at highway speeds. By the numbers, horsepower rating is 408, torque is 487 pound-feet, and fullcharge range from the 78-kwh battery is estimated to be just over 400 kilometres.
My only complaint about the driving experience is that there's no regeneration shifter/paddle to use on the fly. Instead, you select which setting you want — Off, Low or Standard under the guise of “one-pedal drive” on the centre display — and stay in that setting until you change it.
The 2021 Polestar 2 certainly puts other automakers on notice that this EV startup is no inexperienced upstart.