Polestar’s scarcely believable 1
What started as a badge on fancy Volvos has evolved into a manufacturer in its own right. Is Polestar’s first car any good?
You could have forgiven Polestar for playing it safe when it came to delivering its first model since becoming an independent manufacturer in 2017. A nice SUV – they always do well, don’t they? Maybe an electric version of one of parent company Volvo’s existing models? But no, Gothenberg decided that what the world really needed was a 592bhp, carbon-bodied plug-in hybrid GT. One that costs £139,000. Don’t you just love those crazy Swedes?
The Polestar 1 is intended as the brand’s halo car, designed to warm potential customers up for less expensive future models, starting with the Tesla Model 3-rivalling Polestar 2.
But what of the Polestar 1, considered in its own right – what’s it actually like to drive? And does it come close to justifying that giddy price, which puts it among such esteemed company as the Bentley Continental GT and Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe.
It’s certainly got the power to match both, backed up by 738lb ft of torque – enough for 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds and a top speed of 155mph. This comes about through a turbocharged and supercharged 2.0-litre petrol engine (borrowed from the Volvo XC90), two 85kW electric motors on the rear axle, plus a crank-integrated starter-generator.
The performance is not so much necksnapping as relentless, with the motors and engine working in unison to deliver you early for your appointment with the horizon. When you have a play with the drive modes (five in total) and select the Pure setting, you get to swoop along entirely in electric mode, with zero CO2 output, for up to 78 miles – more than any other plug-in hybrid. That long distance isn’t achieved by making you go ridiculously slowly, either – you can easily keep ahead of the flow of trac.
What’s more impressive, though, is the way the Polestar handles. Weighing 2.4 tonnes (and using the same platform as the Volvo S90), it has every excuse to feel like a tub of lard, yet it’s quite the opposite. Agile, lithe and deliciously neutral
through corners, the 1 is a real driver’s car. Thank the Öhlins Dual Flow Valve manually adjustable dampers and the brilliantly judged body control they deliver. Six-piston Akebono front brakes generate staggering stopping power.
Great-looking, fast and a peach to drive – what’s not to love? Actually, a few things. Ride comfort on the standard damper setting is firm – and switching requires a trolley jack. Not boneshaking, but lagging behind the standards of most other GT cars with adaptive suspension. Then there’s the cabin. It’s fine in the Volvo S90, but doesn’t feel like £139,000 worth. And finally, practicality. We’re not expecting XC90 levels of luggage space, but less than half the boot capacity of a Continental GT is disappointing.
First verdict
Not perfect, but utterly gorgeous and intriguingly di erent… just so long as you can stomach the price
The performance is not so much neck-snapping as relentless, an engine and two motors in unison