Polestar 2: carsales Car of the Year 2021 finalist

Few new cars released into the Australian market this year promise as much as the Polestar 2, an electric car with plenty of Volvo engineering DNA, but benefiting from the low cost of Chinese manufacturing to take on the Tesla Model 3.

Like the Tesla, the Polestar 2 starts at a price just under $60,000, which makes it very appealing to buyers in the market for an EV with some prestige cachet and more or less conventional passenger car packaging.

Unlike the Model 3, the Polestar 2 is a front-wheel drive model at this price point, although a flagship model with two motors and all-wheel drive is also available.

It’s difficult to discuss the Polestar 2 without mentioning its principal rival from America via China, and that’s probably what Geely (Volvo’s parent company) wants. The Polestar 2 threatens to disrupt the Model 3’s sales and marketing push in Australia and globally.

What better way to establish a new brand – and an important new model – than to piggyback off the established sales and marketing strategy of another disruptive brand with its own top-selling model?

But it’s not enough to quack like a duck; the Polestar 2 has to be competitive as well – and, overall, things look promising.

While RedBook has recorded a reasonably strong cost-of-ownership score for the Polestar 2, it’s the judges that have lifted the Swedish/Chinese EV into contention for the 2021 carsales Car of the Year, proudly presented by Bingle.

For the best part of a decade now, manufacturers of electric vehicles have shocked (and often dismayed) buyers with odd styling and freaky ergonomics.

The Polestar 2 goes against that trend, with modern, attractive styling that maintains a design link with Volvo, both outwardly and in the cabin.

There is also that hallmark of leading-edge (Tesla) EV design – a large, portrait-style infotainment touch-screen that subsumes most comfort and convenience functions, which would have been operable from buttons and switches in the past.

So there’s just enough techno-wizardry to convince buyers they can be early adopters with a focus on advanced ergonomic means to an achievable ecological end.

A key target audience will be eco-literate professionals – from singles to young families and middle-aged couples – who are concerned for the future of the planet, but perhaps readier to accept a zero-emissions car if it is adorned with a known badge from a prestige or near-prestige brand.

Although Polestar is not a ‘known’ brand as such, it will be a name familiar to Volvo enthusiasts, and that alone might be enough to drive success in Australia.

At entry level, the Polestar 2 Standard-Range Single-Motor variant is priced at $59,900 plus on-road costs.

For that sum of money buyers get a single motor producing 165kW and 330Nm to turn the front wheels. Power is supplied from a 64kWh lithium-ion battery, which is enough for a 440km range at 17.1kWh/100km.

Another $5000 brings the price up to $64,900 plus ORCs for the Polestar 2 Long-Range Single-Motor variant, with a 78kWh battery and a range of 540km. Power is tweaked slightly, up from 165kW to 170kW, but torque remains fixed at 330Nm. This is the specification chosen to compete for this year’s Car of the Year award.

Topping the range is the Polestar 2 Long-Range Dual-Motor flagship, with the same 78kWh battery, but range drops back to 480km at an energy efficiency rate of 19.4kWh/100km.

On the upside, the combined output from the two motors is 300kW/600Nm, for a sub-5.0sec 0-100km/h time.

Feature highlights offered on the entry-level Polestar 2 include 19-inch alloy wheels, vegan upholstery and over-the-air (OTA) updates. The infotainment system on board features an eight-speaker audio system and an 11-inch touch-screen.

Safety features fitted as standard comprise 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.

Buyers can enhance safety by ordering the car with an optional $5000 ‘Pilot Pack’ – which incorporates Pixel LED headlights with LED front fog lights, adaptive cruise control, Pilot Assist 360-degree surround view camera, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with steering support, cross traffic alert with brake support, and rear collision warning.

Two other option packs for the Polestar 2 are the $6000 Plus Pack and the $8000 Performance Pack, the latter offered on the dual-motor flagship only.

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

The warranty covers the Polestar 2 against defects for five years/unlimited kilometres – and eight years or 160,000km for the battery. The company also offers a five-year roadside assistance package and a complimentary five-year/100,000km service plan.

With the Polestar 2 a late starter in the market this year, the only carsales reviewer to drive it so far has been our UK correspondent John Mahoney.

“For those who struggle with Tesla’s desire to be different just for the sake of it, the 2022 Polestar 2 will provide a genuine alternative to the Model 3,” he said.

“From its intuitive infotainment system, cabin layout and general ease of use, to the fact it has a proper speedo, it all adds up to a premium mid-size electric car that’s more accessible and will be loved by EV noobs.

“Where it misses the mark is in providing the sportier drive and phenomenal performance, plus added range, that the Tesla Model 3 delivers in spades.

“That said, the Polestar 2 remains an utterly compelling alternative to not only the Model 3, but a host of other electric passenger cars and crossovers that are also vying for your attention.”

Aussie-spec cars will soon be arriving for the local launch – and evaluation for carsales Car of the Year 2021, proudly presented by Bingle.

Polestar 2 Long-Range Single-Motor at a glance:
Price: From $64,900
Powertrain: Single AC synchronous electric motor
Output: 170kW/330Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 78kWh lithium-ion
Range: 515km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 17.0kWh/100km (WLTP)