Review: Polestar 2 – Dual Motor. An EV for Drivers.

As I write this review the copious talents of composer Alan Silvestri fill my head.

For those of you born on the near-side of the Millenium, Silvestri wrote the music to the Back To The Future trilogy, amongst other iconic scores to cinematic masterpieces of my – X – generation.

Such iconic music is massively enhanced via the Harmon Kardon sound system found in the Polestar 2 pumping (at least) 250 watts of power through eight speakers on a rainy mid-week night in Sydney.

For the uninitiated, Polestar is to Volvo what M is BMW or Overfinch to Land Rover. That is, the enhancement to the best the factory can do. That little – or often a quite significant – something extra.

The Polestar 2 Electric Vehicle

In the world of electric cars, you might think that Volvo is an old dog with limited tricks. After all, Polestar’s first plug-in car was introduced 5 years ago and it hasn’t exactly been leading the pack with new models since then. That changes in 2022 with the car manufacturer releasing its latest offering: The Polestar 2.

The Polestar brand is a sub-brand of Volvo Cars dedicated to high performance electric vehicles. In the past few years, the brand has released two different models – each one more advanced than its predecessor. This success is evident from the moment you get behind the wheel of either one of them. With their combined powertrain and chassis, this is as good as an electric car gets in terms of driving satisfaction and refinement.

Polestar treatment is not as savage as BMW M or AMG – the enhancements to the Volvo XC60 were amongst the most beautiful and purposeful I’ve ever seen.

What is the Polestar 2?

First and foremost, the Polestar 2 is a high-performance electric car. It can go from 0 to 100 km/h in under 5 seconds and top out at an impressive 255km/h. Its powertrain with the Long Range Dual Motor option puts out an impressive 300kW of power and a mountain of torque — but the Polestar 2 is so much more. Visually it has what appears to be a very small footprint measuring 4606mm in length and 1859mm in width. Yet it’s still able to seat five people and carry as much cargo as a small SUV. It’s also packed with some of the most advanced technology available at the moment. The Polestar 2 features an all-new dashboard designed to give you the most information possible at a glance. It uses a head-up display that shows important information reflected on the windscreen. As expected, it has plenty of safety features to keep you and your passengers safe on the road – striding effortlessly to a 5-star ANCAP rating. It has near semi-autonomous driving capabilities up to 130km/h and can also detect and avoid objects such as other cars, pedestrians and cyclists.

What’s the Polestar 2 Like to Live With?

This, ultimately is why I love reviewing cars like the Polestar 2. A car with what some might say is a very narrow niche that might not have too many buyers. I beg to differ. On more than one occasion during my four days with the Polestar 2, the car was accosted by ‘motoring enthusiasts’ keen to know more and have a look inside. In these situations, I am more than happy to oblige.

You see, a couple of weeks prior to picking up the Polestar 2 for my review, I spent a few days with a Tesla Model 3, so reviewing these two EVs back-to-back (so to speak) was always on the cards. It wasn’t until a few weeks after I handed back the keys to the Polestar 2 did it hit me – the real difference between them and it’s this:

Anyone who buys a Tesla, doesn’t really like driving.

Tesla buyers treat a car as a ‘necessary evil’. Something to get you from A to B with a minimum of effort and environmental impact.

This is not the case with the Polestar 2. Yes, it’s all-electric – so kind to polar ice-caps – however, this is how an EV should look, and behave, and most of all – how it should make you feel.

On the road, the Polestar 2 has all the characteristics of a Volvo – even down to the transmission tunnel hump on the floor in the rear which is used for wiring looms and other efficient housing of essential features.

The steering is direct and true. The single-pedal driving mode is less binary than on other EVs and the weight transfer in sharp bends or under heavy acceleration is far more balanced thanks to the Öhlins dual flow valve dampers in each corner.

Why You Should Definitely Consider the Polestar 2

This is a question that comes up a lot when people think about electric cars. After all, there are plenty of other options available. In this case, the answer is simple: the Polestar 2 is one of the best-looking electric cars on the market today. It offers all of the benefits of electric driving — no fuel costs, ticks in all the environmental boxes, attractive from any angle — without any of the drawbacks. Its powertrain is powerful, quiet and has very little lag between when you press the accelerator and when you get to feel the power come through all four wheels. Its interior is a sophisticated exercise in tech and luxury with lovely little attentions to detail such as the yellow seatbelts and the ‘SINCE 1959’ homage to the invention of the three-point seatbelt by Volvo which was immediately made free to the world’s car manufacturers.

The Polestar 2 offers all of the comfort and refinement you would expect from a Volvo and then it goes that little bit further.

There are wonderful little highlights everywhere. A stunning panoramic glass roof and sensational LED headlights – great for urban and country roads. Even the dust caps on the tyre valves are made of a super-lightweight alloy and contain a small rubber seal to ensure complete protection of the air valves.

Then there are the 20” forged alloy wheels that shroud the massive four-piston Brembo brakes. Originally developed for racing cars, forged alloy wheels are lighter and stronger than conventional alloy wheels, which in turn improves handling and maximises road contact. Or there is the Tron style full LED tail light arrangement that does a wonderful animated sweep every time you unlock the car – which incidentally is one area where the Polestar 2 is let down. The locking mechanism sounds like something you would find on a tractor or in a prison. The very audible ‘clunk’ when the doors are locked or unlocked does raise eyebrows and can be heard for miles around.

Each of these wonderful dabs of ‘Swedish gold’ is part of the Polestar 2 Performance Pack which adds $8,000 to the price and are only available on the Dual Motor version.

Conclusion

The EV market is growing rapidly and new models and manufacturers arrive with high frequency. The arrival of the Polestar 2 holds a beacon to the virtues of styling and charisma of automotive design. Everything I love about all the Volvos that we have reviewed at SonnyDickson.com is embodied in the Polestar 2. This is an EV that you will be proud to own and drive. But most of all it’s a car that you will fall in love with and delight in driving every day.

The Polestar 2 Long Range Dual Motor with Pilot Lite, Performance and Plus Packs – Price as tested: $100,065.66 drive-away.