Polestar 2 2021 Review

From jandal-wearing rev-head to eco-sustainability campaigner, Polestar has gone full circle in Australia.

Five years after bowing out of a short-lived V8 Supercars experiment, the former Volvo tuner has returned to our shores in a completely different capacity: a standalone electric vehicle brand.

Now officially incorporated as a Volvo sister brand, the Chinese-built Polestar 2 is the first of four promised EV models from the car-maker between now and 2025.

It brings another option to the table for budding Australian EV buyers, and importantly does so at the more affordable end of the spectrum.

From afar, this latest Polestar incarnation brings a much more tangible, consumer-friendly bent than before.

Let’s see how the real-world translation fares…

The Polestar 2 will be sold via an online sales model in Australia, which is due to formally open in the coming weeks.

What remains largely unknown is how many vehicles the local operation can secure, and how long waiting times will stretch.

Polestar boss Samantha Johnson told us last month that first Polestar 2 deliveries will roll in from February – however, that guideline only applies to pre-configured vehicles.

For customers who want to choose specific colour combinations and/or optional packages, the waiting time is out to at least May next year.

In any case, the three-model Polestar 2 line-up kicks off at $59,900 plus on-road costs for the Polestar 2 Standard-Range Single-Motor – identical to the entry-level Tesla Model 3.

The front-drive entry car gets 19-inch alloy wheels, vegan upholstery, over-the-air (OTA) updates, LED headlights and tail-lights, Polestar’s signature frameless mirrors and 3D-etched decor panels.

The Polestar 2 Long-Range Single-Motor is priced at $64,900 plus ORCs – meaning both it and the base model will be eligible for $3000 EV rebates in NSW and Victoria, plus separate stamp duty, registration and ownership perks in various jurisdictions.

The Long-Range version upgrades to a more powerful battery, offering identical straight-line performance but longer driving range.

Sitting atop the Polestar 2 line-up is the performance-oriented Long-Range Dual-Motor variant, priced at $69,900 plus ORCs. The flagship shares the same battery as the mid-series variant but adds a second electric motor on the rear axle, thereby enabling all-wheel drive.

Range-wide standard safety features include eight airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with vehicle, pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane keeping with road edge detection, reversing camera and front/rear parking sensors.

The Polestar 2 carries a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating but is yet to be tested in Australia.

Reading through the catalogue fine print, however, Polestar has omitted some important equipment to get to its competitive starting price.

Namely, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert, which are part of an optional $5000 Pilot Pack that also includes Pixel LED headlights with LED front fog lights, Pilot Assist 360-degree surround-view camera and rear collision warning.

Separately, a $6000 Plus Pack adds heating for the front and rear seats, steering wheel and even the windscreen wipers, a full-length panoramic glass roof, premium 13-speaker Harman Kardon audio system, WeaveTech ‘vegan’ interior trim, Black Ash deco panels, fully-electric front seats with position memory and a new heat pump-based climate-control system.

Every Polestar model is backed by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and five years’ complimentary servicing. The battery is backed by an eight-year/160,000km warranty.

Unlike some rivalling car-makers including Audi, Polestar is yet to formally partner with a charging network to offer complimentary or subsidised charging rates.

The Polestar 2 is fitted with a tyre inflation kit, stored in the nose area along with requisite charging cables.

One of the headline features of the new 2021 Polestar 2 is its infotainment system.

The Swedish brand has sought to shake up the establishment by introducing an infotainment system powered Google’s Android Automotive OS with integrated Google Assistant, Google Maps and Google Play Store.

The thinking, according to Polestar, is the system mirrors the convenience already afforded by Apple CarPlay and Android Auto but goes a step further in offering additional voice command capability and integration.

For instance, you can ask Google to increase the fan speed via voice command, adjust the temperature and find nearby restaurants – among many other features.

Our test car wasn’t fitted with traditional Apple CarPlay, but Polestar assures us the first customer vehicles will offer it, courtesy of an over-the-air update expected to materialise before first deliveries.

The hardware that facilitates the Google brains includes an 11.0-inch centre touch-screen, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and eight-speaker audio system.

The centre screen negates most of the traditional switchgear that would normally be located on the dashboard centre fascia, though you do get a traditional volume dial, which is convenient.

There are two USB-C ports tucked away neatly under the front screen, as well as an additional two ports located in the behind the rear centre console, where you’ll also find rear air vents.

A centre console, you ask? That brings us to the major sticking point of the Polestar 2. Being based on Volvo’s CMA architecture – a traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) platform – there are some unwanted legacies including a bulky transmission tunnel and front footwells.

The move has visibly limited Polestar’s design freedom and storage options, plus hindered the ability for novel EV-centric touches including the sliding centre console fitted to the considered Hyundai IONIQ 5.

The rear proportions are relatively compact, good for adults on shorter journeys and compatible with child seats, thanks to two outbound ISOFIX attachment points and three top-tether points.

Arguably the most troublesome element is headroom, which is compromised by the raked roofline. Passenger amenity in the back seat is also blemished by a high-set window line, which compounds the lack of space.

Another divisive element is the fitment of a panoramic glass sunroof which stretches the length of the roof, creating potential heat issues in summer.

Further back resides a 405-litre boot area that is accessed via a liftback-style tailgate and includes a 12-volt outlet. The area is big enough for a couple of full-size suitcases, with narrow proportions limiting the amount of useable space.

Aside from specification, each Polestar 2 model in Australia is differentiated by varying battery and electric motor combinations.

The entry Standard-Range Single-Motor produces 165kW of power and 330Nm of torque, feeding energy from a 69kWh battery and driving the front wheels.

The Polestar 2 Long-Range Single-Motor tested here offers 170kW/330Nm, using a more powerful 78kWh battery to extend range to up to 540km.

The 0-100km/h claim for both vehicles is 7.4sec, a time that reduces to 4.7sec for the 300kW/660Nm all-wheel drive Long-Range Dual-Motor version.

As far as charging goes, the Polestar 2 takes a claimed 40 minutes for a 10-80 per cent top-up using a 150kW fast-charger. The company says that using a 50kW charger more common in Australia will increase this to around 80 minutes, while an 11kW domestic wallbox takes around eight hours.

All three models are underpinned by MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension – a configuration that virtually mirrors the Volvo XC40 that sits on the same CMA platform.

Dimensionally, the Polestar 2 offers 167mm of ground clearance – a reflection of its slightly raised height.

It places a different spin on the traditional hatchback theme, at 87mm shorter, 10mm wider and 34mm lower than the Tesla Model 3 at 4607mm in length, 1859mm in width and 1479mm in height.

Weight for the Long-Range Single-Motor on test is listed at a not-insignificant 1995kg, or about 300kg more than a Model 3.

What’s becoming clear about this brave new EV landscape is that cars still have their own distinct on-road character. The new 2021 Polestar 2 is no exception.

If Tesla is the silent, otherworldly-fast accelerator of the EV crop, then the Polestar 2 takes a decidedly more considered approach heralded by linear acceleration and conventional steering response.

At least, that’s the initial impression from our mid-range Polestar 2 Long-Range Single-Motor.

As with the Tesla, once you’ve opened the driver’s door of the Polestar 2 it is simply ‘on’. Engage drive via a traditional shifter, release the brake pedal and it’s a very pleasant and comparatively traditional experience.

You sit low in the cabin, with a decent forward view and a slightly shrouded rear vista, courtesy of a small rear window and bulky C-pillars.

The drivetrain is subject to more whine than many traditional EVs. There’s also noticeable road noise entering the cabin; it serves as a possible portent to Polestar engineers’ desire to infiltrate more of the traditional feeling and feedback of an ICE car.

In the 170kW single-motor version, there’s the obvious immediacy of an EV, but without the violence: plant your right foot and the Polestar 2 responds with a linear and willing thrust forward.

Beyond the initial efficacy of the electrified drivetrain, acceleration tapers off quite noticeably beyond 60km/h yet continues to feel freely available during overtaking and hill climbs.

You’d naturally expect more fireworks from the 4.7sec Dual-Motor offering, but we’ll reserve judgement until we’ve driven it.

Three-stage regenerative braking conveniently offers different settings that promote either efficiency or driving feel. If, like your correspondent, you enjoy the freeness of driving a car at speed on the open road, you’ll likely gravitate for the path of least resistance, Low.

We found Standard too restrictive, and the One-Pedal mode simply car sickness-inducing: every time you moderately lift your foot from the accelerator pedal, the Polestar 2 is stilted by immediate braking. At least you can have a choice.

A Creep function is another handy fitment. Once engaged, it allows the vehicle to crawl slowly upon releasing the brake pedal from rest, almost akin to an automatic-transmission ICE vehicle. Approaching a congested roundabout, it streamlines the driving process and brings a sense of familiarity for long-time ICE owners.

That brings us to ride and handling. The Polestar 2 feels well resolved through corners, offering a reactive and balanced drive with decent grip and neutral handling in spite of its weight.

There’s dependable adhesion from staggered-width tyres as well as taut body control through fast changes in direction, and while feedback isn’t anything to boast about, the electro-mechanical steering is accurate and offers adequate weighting.

Polestar is making no apologies for a sporty focus in all of its vehicles – and that much is evident with the firm, at-times unyielding progress of the Polestar 2.

On billiard-table-smooth roads, there’s an inherent busyness with the way the raised sedan dispatches pitter-patter bumps. It never quite feels settled, niggling and tremoring over smaller obstacles.

It’s certainly not to deal-breaking extents, but this isn’t the smooth, serene ride that some EV buyers might be hoping for.

Highway passage offers a slightly calmer experience, the Polestar 2 smoothing out undulations at speed to offer a planted open-road stance and poise.

The most divisive element of the ride and handling mix materialises on B-grade country roads. The Polestar 2 simply struggles to control its 1995kg kerb mass and the damper stiffness employed to mitigate that body roll invokes quite a lot of vertical movement.

As a result, harsher bumps are prone to thudding and occasionally crashing through the cabin. Over pockmarked roads, the trait compounds existing road noise to create quite an industrious cabin environment.

Brake pedal feel is middle of the road for the EV class, better than some but not offering the feel and modulation of others.

As for all-important range, our test car displayed 430km worth of range on a full bank of charge – well short of the 540km claim. Over a 250km journey, the Polestar 2 at least felt good for those 430km, with no sudden drops in range irrespective of the occasional headier pursuit.

We recharged using a 50kW fast-charger, and found the 1hr20min 10-80 per cent recharge time is about right.

The 2021 Polestar 2 is a welcome addition to the burgeoning EV class and deserves to be considered on merit with the ever-popular Tesla Model 3 and the similarly-priced Hyundai IONIQ 5.

Ultimately, ICE legacies hold the Polestar 2 back from reaching its full potential. A firm ride and compromised cabin space can both be partially attributed to the car-maker’s use of Volvo’s CMA platform.

That contrasts with traditional strengths of excellent build quality, in-car technology and considered tuning of the Polestar 2’s key controls, so you take the good with the bad in some respects.

Ultimately, the Model 3 – judged earlier this year to be carsales’ Best Electric Car for 2021 – has less spatial limitations, a ride quality that’s easier to live with and more real-world range.

But clearly this is just the beginning for the reinvigorated Polestar brand. Exciting times ahead.

How much does the 2021 Polestar 2 Long-Range Single-Motor cost?
Price: $64,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Late 2021 (first deliveries from February 2022)
Powertrain: Single AC synchronous electric motor
Output: 170kW/330Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 78kWh lithium-ion
Range: 540km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 17.0kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Five-star (Euro NCAP 2021)