POLES APART
It looks virtually the same, but it’s all change for the new Polestar 2 – including a switch from FWD to RWD
Meet the new Polestar 2. How new? Well, our test car still had the plastic on the sills and seatbelts. That’s fresh. And in fact, New Zealand customer deliveries of this model don’t even start until March.
Even then, the neighbours may not be that impressed. The new
2 looks hardly any different to the old, save the addition of the SmartZone panel at the front in place of the faux-grille, which houses driver-assist sensors and the mid-range radar. It’s one visual feature that aligns the 2024 Polestar with upcoming models like the 3 and 4 SUVs.
But underneath, it’s all change. Incredibly, the single-motor 2 has switched from front- to rear-drive, with a new electric motor and new CATL battery modules. Capacity is up from 77kWh to 82kWh, with the new technology giving a claimed WLTP range of 655km – the longest of any EV currently on sale in NZ. So it goes 22 per cent further, is 9 per cent more efficient – and can now also charge 34 per cent faster, at a rate of up to
205kW.
There’s also higher power, up from 170kW to 220kW (so that spec sticker on the door is another key thing for Polestar spotters).
It’s 1.2 seconds faster to 100km/ h and with rear-drive, the idea is that it’s a whole lot sportier, making it a more convincing rival for the likes of the BMW i4 and Tesla Model 3.
With all this technical change and the demise of the Government’s Clean Car Discount comes a realignment of the range. Polestar NZ no longer sees a need for a sub-$80k model so the Standard Range (69kWh) is no more, making this Long Range single motor the entry point at $93,990.
Previously, Polestar NZ provided option packs to allow buyers to mix and match what equipment they wanted and still duck under that $80k cap. Now, the Pilot Pack (pixel LED lights, LED cornering lights, the complete suite of driver assists) is standard, although our car also had the $6000 Plus Pack, with panoramic roof, Harman Kardon audio, vegan WeaveTech upholstery, heated steering wheel/wiper nozzles, extra air quality assistance, power tailgate with foot sensor, heat pump, detail touches such as “lid in lid” boot storage and the Digital Key remote control phone app.
The dual-motor version has also benefitted from the about-face, in a less obvious way. Power is up 10kW/80Nm to 310kW/740Nm and there’s now a rear bias to the drivetrain. You can still tick another box and add the Performance Pack, which raises power to 350kW.
We got a chance to really settle into the 2 Long Range single motor, with a three-week loan period that allowed us a bit more of an ownership-type experience, with full access to the car’s online features, including Digital Key.
Dynamically, the change to RWD is immediately apparent. With the immediacy of torque available from a BEV, having the car pushed rather than pulled gives it an immensely more composed character.
The Polestar 2 still doesn’t set out to be deliberately sporting. There are no drive modes to play with beyond tweaking the steering weight and dialling back the stability control (you can also switch one-pedal driving on and off); but it’s still a really rewarding machine in the corners, with a beautiful sense of chassis balance and a naturally smooth gait. The previous FWD model was pretty slick in its own right, but this is something else.
With prices starting at $94k, the Polestar 2 is now positioned as a much more premium model. But this car carries it well. No major changes to the interior, but the cabin has the kind of understated class and quality of materials that makes many $200k luxury cars seem positively dowdy.
Full Google integration is brilliant and of course you can sign in with your personal account if you want the car to be a rolling portal to your digital life. YouTube is a new addition to the OS since our last Polestar 2 test.
If you’re an Apple type, there’s still CarPlay on offer (but you’re probably already using Google Maps anyway, right?). Speaking of being connected, we got fully hooked up with Digital Key. It’s a simple app with a tilelike appearance that mimicks the appearance of the car’s instrumentation (pop of colour, orange) and allows you to operate and monitor certain aspects of the car.
It’s literally a key: when you’re close to the car it uses Bluetooth to lock and unlock. When you’re not, it uses the cellular network and the car’s live connection for the same. And for basic functions like turning on the climate control for up to 30 minutes before you get to the car. Mostly, Digital Key works really well. Although the app did struggle at times transitioning between Wi-Fi and cellular (like when you walk out of the house and up the driveway towards the car). And we did get stuck once when we entered an underground inner-city parking building: when the app lost network connection it froze and as a result, it couldn’t lock the car even with Bluetooth. Luckily, we had the actual key with us (presumably a phone restart would have also done the trick). First world problems.
The 2 remains a fascinating design blend of sedan, crossover with slightly raised ride height and liftback. Attention to detail is everywhere: there’s an underfloor storage area in the boot (frunk up front, too), but when you lift it up there’s a little strut to keep it in place.
Given how extensive the changes underneath are, we’re surprised Polestar didn’t tweak at least a couple of things on top. It still has the Volvo-style Thor’s Hammer headlight signature, when we know that future models will have a unique dual-blade design; so why not change that?
And there’s still that cupholder annoyance that was so well publicised at launch. There’s one in the centre console but if you want another, it’s further back underneath a storage bin lid, which doesn’t make sense at all.
If you like your luxury cars to be a bit showy, this might not be for you. What other company would make such major changes underneath and do so little to show the world on top?
Polestar is all about understatement, with carefully crafted design and technology. This car just oozes sophistication and if there’s any model that comes closer to executive-EV perfection, we’re yet to drive it.