Polestar 2 Standard Range

Entry-level EV rated

It’s a simple proposition: the cheapest way into Polestar ownership. Step forward the 2 Standard Range Single Motor. Not for Polestar some overly complicated nomenclature, then. Quite the opposite: this car states its case with stark pragmatism.

With the model’s launch, Polestar has taken the number of variants of the 2 to, er, three: this one, plus a Long Range Single Motor (335 miles of range) and the Long Range Dual Motor (298 miles). Here the battery is still floor-mounted, but rather than the Long Range’s 78kwh, the Standard Range gets 64kwh, which equates to a respectable 273 miles.

Still, with a 221bhp electric motor powering the front wheels, our test car can manage 0-62mph in 7.4sec, aided in no small part by a significant weight advantage: it’s 173kg lighter than the dual-motor model.

Exterior differences are minimal, save for the letters on the sill by the door. So that means you get one of the most handsome electric cars on the market with a minimalist interior. Polestar’s ‘vegan-as-standard’ philosophy continues, but the cloth seats (‘embossed textile upholstery’ in marketing-speak) get a new design and there’s now 3D-etched panelling. Both look smart.

As you would expect from a car that gives away 181bhp to its dualmotor sibling, the acceleration is adequate rather than whip-crack. But the torque doesn’t tail off, so it pulls well to motorway speeds and there’s enough twist on tap that overtaking on back roads is easy. Truth be told, you don’t need much more.

The switch to a front-wheel-drive set-up is more noticeable, and there’s torque steer under full-throttle acceleration as the nose follows the camber. It’s not a tyre-scrabbler, but you certainly have to concentrate.

On ‘normal’ dampers (as opposed to the Dual Motor’s optional Performance Pack Öhlins set-up) and 19in wheels, the ride is softer but still not the last word in comfort. It rounds off the edges from bumps well, but the control that the Öhlins dampers give is missing.

PIERS WARD

Still, it’s an interesting addition to the 2 range. At £39,900, it offers a £3000 saving over the Single Motor Long Range, so a healthy chunk. Unless range is the hill you will die on, this base model is worth a look.