LIKES
- Alluring style
- 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds
- Sustainable spin on luxury
- 270-mile range
- Performance pack upgrades
DISLIKES
- Feels like Volvo’s R&D arm
- Isn’t Volvo going all-electric?
- Limited cargo room
- Battery pack layout cramps interior
BUYING TIP
The Polestar 2 bridges the difference between hatchback and crossover, prioritizing performance and style over space.
What kind of vehicle is the 2022 Polestar 2? What does it compare to?
The 2022 Polestar 2 is an electric fastback sedan. The first electric vehicle from Volvo’s dedicated electric brand, the Polestar 2 compares to electrics ranging from the Tesla Model 3 to the Ford Mustang Mach-E.
Is the 2022 Polestar 2 a good car?
Mostly. The alluring style and impressive performance compromise interior space due to the battery layout and roofline, but it comes well equipped. It earns a TCC Rating of 8.0 out of 10.
What's new for the 2022 Polestar 2?
It’s all new, though early Launch Editions were designated a 2021 model.
Unlike most other electric crossovers, the Polestar 2 base model has a 78-kwh battery pack powering a 231-hp single motor on the front axle for front-wheel instead of rear-wheel drive. It trades performance for range, with a 270-mile rating and above average efficiency compared to other electrics. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive version balances performance and range a little better: it has a 249-mile range, but its 408 hp and 487 lb-ft of torque launches the Polestar 2 to 60 mph in less than 4.5 seconds. Having more weight at the rear makes for better handling, as well, especially when equipped with the Performance pack and its 20-inch wheels wrapped in summer performance tires, and manually adjustable dampers.
The problem with the Polestar 2 and related Volvo XC40 Recharge sharing a platform with cars with engines and transmissions is the battery pack layout. The I-shape with packs running down what would be the transmission tunnel limits interior roominess with a broad center console and impractical middle seat in back. The fastback roofline eats into cargo space, as well, which tops out at a very trunk-like 14.3 cubic feet.
The layout helps reinforce the structure to make it safer, however the IIHS and the NHTSA have not crash tested it yet.
How much does the 2022 Polestar 2 cost?
A base model for $47,200 (including $1,300 destination) is expected in January, 2022. It will have heated power front seats, LED headlights, remote start, keyless entry, Google Android infotainment running on a 11.2-inch touchscreen, hands-free liftgate, and dual-zone climate control. 4-year/50,000-mile warranty with scheduled maintenance for 3 years or 30,000 miles.
A $61,200 Launch Edition comes with dual-motor all-wheel drive, a heat pump, heated rear seats and steering wheel, adaptive cruise control, a glass roof and a bunch more.
Where is the 2022 Polestar 2 made?
Made in China, inspired by Sweden.
Styling
The fastback style draws attention as much as the unique badging on the Polestar 2.
Is the Polestar 2 a good-looking car?
The sleek fastback shape of the Polestar 2 prompts passersby to comment and neighbors to compliment unlike other cars, electric or otherwise. There’s a novelty to it, but much like when the Tesla Model S came out, the appreciation for alluring design won’t fade as more of them appear. It gets two points for its shapely exterior and one for its interesting interior. It’s an 8.
The Polestar 2 is as much a fastback as a hatchback. The minimalist crossover embraces Volvo’s style with subtle flourishes, such as a lower front fascia that appears to be smiling with triangular fog-light housings. A modified version of Volvo’s “Thor’s hammer” LED headlights flank a black-on-black checkerboard grille plate. In profile, the muscular haunches and 20-inch wheels could easily be mistaken for a sedan, if not for the triangular roofline cut down to the hatch.
Performance
The Polestar 2 sprints to 60 mph in less than 4.5 seconds.
Lurking beneath the Polestar 2’s attractive but unassuming body are two motors that provide gut-dropping acceleration, good balance, and a ride tuned to the firm side. It’s an 8.
Is the Polestar 2 4WD?
The Polestar 2 comes with a single motor in front-wheel drive or dual motors with all-wheel drive that adds $4,000 and is the basis for our rating and testing.
It’s breathtakingly quick. The Polestar 2 uses 75 kwh of its 78-kwh battery pack and in base form, a single motor powers the front axle, instead of rear-wheel drive like most other electric vehicles. The seamless output of 231 hp and 243 lb-ft of torque provides brisk acceleration to 60 mph in 7.0 seconds, but its front-wheel bias leads to understeer and its associated plowing when hitting turns at speed.
The dual-motor Polestar 2 mostly rights that wrong. With a permanent-magnet motor on either axle, the output reaches 408 hp and 487 lb-ft, which rockets the Polestar 2 to 60 mph in less than 4.5 seconds. The instant and abundant torque drops stomachs and lights up smiles.
The Launch Edition includes the $5,000 Performance pack with 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped in grippy Continental SportContact 6 summer tires, four-piston Brembo calipers up front, and adjustable Öhlins dampers. The dampers are manually adjustable, and the testers leaned toward the firm side, which made longer highway cruises more taxing than usual. The cramped cabin doesn’t help. In most other situations, treating the Polestar 2 like a performance sedan in its unassuming body only adds to the joy of driving.
Comfort & Quality
The battery layout limits the interior space in the Polestar 2.
The Polestar 2 wears a tidy interior without ostentation or ornamentation in the vein of Volvo. That earns it a point here to a 6.
In its goal to produce climate-neutral vehicles, Polestar emphasizes sustainability both in its supply chain and factories, as well as inside its cars. The Polestar 2 features synthetic leather upholstery made of recycled materials that feels like outdoor gear: it doesn’t tempt fingertips, but it’s surprisingly comfortable.
The tiered dash features a step of black ash wood or available reconstructed wood (though that package comes with nappa leather), with vents recessed at the edges. A mixed material not unlike a canvas bag covers the recess and the door panels. It’s an interesting and alluring take on the typical luxury finishes, except for the gloss black surrounding the Volvo-like gear shifter in the console.
It cramps leg room to 33.9 inches in back, where the fastback roofline trims head room. The 60/40-split rear seats fold down to expand the narrow 14.3 cubic feet of trunk space, and the frunk adds another foot.
Safety
The Polestar 2 does not have crash-test ratings but it’s safe in the Volvo way.
How safe is the Polestar 2?
Without crash tests from the IIHS or the NHTSA, the Polestar 2 will not get a safety rating. Given its Volvo DNA, and Volvo’s model lineup earning Top Safety Picks and five-star crash ratings, the Polestar 2 should fare well in crashes.
It has standard driver-assist systems to avoid crashes such as automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection and active lane control, but it’ll cost extra for blind-spot monitors, adaptive cruise control, and a surround-view camera system as part of the $3,200 Pilot pack.
Features
The Polestar 2’s base model is the same as its top model.
Starting in January, Polestar will sell a well-equipped base model for $47,200 (including $1,300 destination). For now, the only available model is the $61,200 Launch Edition. Still, it earns a point each for its standard features on the Launch Edition, Android-powered infotainment system, and 4-year/50,000-mile warranty with scheduled maintenance for 3 years or 30,000 miles. It’s an 8.
The base model expected in early 2022 will have luxury features such as heated power front seats, LED headlights, remote start, keyless entry, Google infotainment, satellite radio, hands-free liftgate, and dual-zone climate control. There’s no AM radio.
The 11.2-inch touchscreen powered by Google Android will look and act familiar to Volvo owners, with its vertical orientation and lower climate bar and upper menu bar. Navigation and voice commands are excellent. Its clean design belies layers for more complex features beyond climate and radio, such as the driver-assist settings. Google Maps, Voice, and other features operate as seamlessly as on a smartphone or browser, and limit the need to pair a phone to phone calls only.
The Long Range dual motor with all-wheel drive ($4,000 more) moves us, and we’d be tempted by the following: a $3,200 Pilot pack with adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitors, auto dimming side mirrors, a surround-view camera system, and side park assist; a $4,000 Plus pack with a heat pump, glass roof, power front seats with 4-way lumbar support, heated steering wheel and rear seats, ambient lighting, and a wireless smartphone charger. That’s $59,700.
How much is a fully loaded Polestar 2?
That nearly sold-out Launch Edition costs $61,200 and has all of the above including the Performance pack with a black roof, manually adjustable dampers, 20-inch alloy wheels, performance summer tires, gold four-piston front calipers from Brembo, and gold seat belts. Any color other than black adds $1,200, and cooled seats with nappa leather and wood trim adds another $4,000. We appreciate the tidy numbers, though.
Fuel Economy
The single-motor Polestar 2 has 270 miles of range.
Is the Polestar 2 good on gas?
It doesn’t use gas, but it is only average with how efficiently it uses electricity. The single-motor Polestar 2 goes about 3.2 miles per kwh, and has a range of 270 miles. That trails the Tesla Model 3, which can go up to 4.1 miles per kwh, yet it’s better than the Volkswagen ID.4 (2.8 miles/kwh) and Ford Mustang Mach-E (same). The EPA estimates a miles-per-gallon equivalent of 107 MPGe combined.
The dual-motor set up uses about 2.6 miles per kwh, which is slightly less than AWD variants of the competitors mentioned above. It has a range of 249 miles, and the EPA rates it at 89 MPGe combined. It can charge in about eight hours on a Level 2 240-volt connection.
0 comments:
Post a Comment