Polestar 2 Test Drive

I've been watching for other new mass-market BEV's that are coming on the market, defining mass-market as priced under around $65k. Polestar is essentially Volvo's electric car company (although Volvo is now owned by Geely Automotive of China). The released the Polestar 1 hybrid in 2017 as a small sports coupe, and now are preparing to manufacture the Polestar 2 BEV as a 2020 model with deliveries expected to start in November. I had the opportunity to test drive one on August 27 in New York City, and my impressions follow.

The Polestar 2 is smaller in person than it appears in pictures. It is shorter than the Tesla Model 3 by about 20 inches, narrower by 3 inches and height is less by about 3 inches. It is definitely smaller inside, with a larger center console and a tall body-short greenhouse look that somewhat limits outward visibility, especially to the rear. That said, I liked the styling a lot, having a definitely 'Volvo' look recognizable by those of us that have owned one - especially the C-pillar and upright front and rear - but updated in a 'Euro-sleek' way. The interior is also very nice, with what feels like high quality materials and vegan as well. It feels like it will wear very well but looks classy. I also liked the more traditional instrument panel, which combines an iPad-sized center screen with a panel in front of the driver that displays speed, navigation, charge status and a few other items. Buttons are few and mainly on the steering wheel for cruise control and phone, and the voice command is Google's Alexa-based. The main issue is that the view out the front is much more cluttered than the Tesla M3/Y, and raising the seat means that the roof gets closer - and I'm only 5' 8'. The roof is glass with a partition in the middle, like the M3, but seems to be tinted a bit darker. And exit and entry into the rear seats is compromised by the rear wheel well, although the room back there is good. You do feel the narrowness of the car; 3 across in back for a trip would be tight.

The Polestar 2 does have a hatchback, which is well disguised to look like a trunk. And unlike the Model Y, it has a cargo cover, a major lapse in the MY in my view. Cargo area is definitely less but could fit my open house signs which is my new standard for rear room. ;-) The space under the trunk floor is very small, and there is no spare tire. The frunk is also smaller than the Model 3/Y - not as big and not as deep. The showroom model had a charging cable in it and it took up much of the space (as seen in pic below).

But enough about static impressions, how did it drive? Like the Tesla Model Y, very impressively. I had the drive mode set to 'standard' and the braking mode set to 'Hold', which allows for one-pedal driving (see my last post for explanation, but essentially allows the car to use regenerative braking to slow the car to a stop and hold there). Since I was driving mid-afternoon in NYC, there wasn't really a lot opportunity to test the acceleration, but I did have the chance to floor it going up Park Ave with no traffic and several green lights ahead, and it was nice and smooth - and silent, of course. The sound insulation seemed pretty good as very little traffic noise made it's way into the interior. I did not listen to the radio but the sound system has gotten good reviews. I do like the navigation in front of you, especially when you're dodging double-parked cars, cabs scooting in and out and buses. Much easier to focus on the potential hazards and the navi when it's in front of you! Handling was difficult to judge other than when I swerved to avoid one of those articulated buses where the driver doesn't particularly care who is beside him.... The ride was very comfortable - more so than the MY I drove in July (but that, of course, was a MY Performance with a stiffened suspension - and I did not find that objectionable). Overall, the car felt 'of a piece' - maybe a bit more than the MY from that perspective. The 5-mile loop didn't really test the range, other than noting that it started at 180 miles and stayed there the entire time (was not fully charged). Given that the rated range is 275 miles, real world is probably more like 240 - 250, which is unfortunate. And the MSRP of $59,900 for the base model is problematic for me, as in addition to being more expensive than the MY, it would not qualify for the New Jersey $5k BEV rebate, meaning the price differential between a Long Range AWD MY and the Polestar 2 grows to almost $10k. Edit: It would probably qualify for a Federal rebate of $7500, assuming the government continues that program. So that would reduce the price discrepancy to around $3k.

Pros -

- Instrument panel in front of driver

- (Perceived) quality of the interior

- Styling, both interior and exterior and cool shifter

- Heated steering wheel

- Very solid feel

Cons -

- Visibility esp to the rear

- Range (rated 275 238 vs 316 for MY)

- Interior space

- Awkward access to rear seat

- Price 

- No Tesla Supercharger network

UPDATE 10/8/2020 - The EPA has released it's official range for the Polestar 2, and it is very disappointing - 238 miles, which means a real-world rating of more like 220 - 225. 

Pictures follow - I drove the light grey standard version car, the dark grey one on the showroom floor has the Performance Pack, a $5k upgrade.