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Driving an EV for the first time: My experience with the Polestar 2

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I had the opportunity to drive a Polestar 2 for a couple of hours and for a distance not exceeding 100km. These are some observations from the drive.

The car is the base variant of a Polestar 2. Brand spanking new. Had less than 300km on the odometer. The car provider was Mevo which is a self-drive vehicle provider. They have a few gas cars on their fleet. The Polestar 2 is their first electric option. This Polestar 2 is the base variant with a 69kWh battery, single-motor front-wheel drive and a claimed WLTP range of 470km. 231Hp and 330nm of torque.

From the looks department, they've played it conservatively. Nothing WOW here. The proportions are nice and the design is elegant. It's classified as a sedan though it sits higher than one. When viewed from the IRVM of another vehicle, you can mistake it for an SUV due to the high stance. The car has a fairly wide footprint when you look at it. Ingress and egress are easy. I'd say the rear of this car stands out more than the front. The long red light bar on the boot is real class. Those outside frameless mirrors look beautiful. The boot lid opens like a liftback. Heaps of space and depth to take on luggage for four with ease and still have space left for a few soft bags. The windshield wiper arms integrate nozzles for the washer. When you hit the windscreen washer, you see a trail of water as the wiper arm moves across the windscreen. Paint quality is top-notch.

The conservative approach continues on the inside. Materials are different. Nothing premium to touch or feel. It's a black and grey interior and looks built to last. Folks expecting the German class of interiors are not going to find this vehicle all that appealing in terms of interior appointments. You'll find materials in a Volvo superior to a Polestar 2. I don't think the intention was ever to be flagship-grade in this vehicle. Perhaps the higher trim sorts this out to some degree. Even the seats are not your typical Volvo. It appears as though they copied the design (Volvo seats are known for their excellent comfort and support) and stripped a lot of padding in the process. Under thigh support for the driver's seat is okay. I wish the seat base was a bit longer. Drivers >6ft will notice the lack of under-thigh support, especially on long drives. Heated front seats are standard. Rear seat space is okay. As with most cars these days, more a 4 seater than a 5.

I'll get two minor negative bits out of the way first. Could be a deal-breaker for some.

  • I could not find the full electric seat operation for the driver's seat. The seatback recline was by the old school rotary knob. There were buttons for memory seats so my guess is, there is a way to adjust the seatback electrically. I could not find it.
  • I could not figure out how to get auto wipers to work. I did not find an Auto position similar to what was there on the Lights stalk. I had to manual wipe or set it to intermittent mode.

Driving Impressions

All you got to do is jump in, engage D and move. There is no Start-Stop button. Your drive or gear selector is all there is. When you want to park up, you engage P, hit the electric Parking brake and step out.

This was the first time I was behind the wheel of an electric vehicle. Before I meddle with anything, I thought, let me drive it in whatever mode it is and see what it feels like, as that is how most folks will drive. Took a moment to understand what this car will do. There was no movement after I engaged D so I decided to feather the gas pedal and we were off.

It's eerily quiet on the inside. It was apparent from the get-go that one-pedal driving was set to a high level. I got used to it in a short while. A sense of calm is what you notice first. The lack of any drive train noise or vibrations is to be experienced. I don't believe any gas engine can beat an electric one for this.

Stop and go acceleration is where this Polestar excels. It is fast off the mark. You will be first off the line at any traffic light. It is fun. Floor it and you've built up a gap of over a car length with the car that was beside you. I used Adaptive Cruise even within the City, setting a speed of 50kmph. The car accelerated and stopped all by itself. All I did was steer the car.

The software is intuitive. Hit one button on the steering wheel which triggers adaptive cruise with the option of Pilot Assist. Pilot Assist keeps the car within the lane and makes minor steering adjustments. I stuck to the former.

On narrow roads with a lot of blind bends, the car tends to slow down a lot more than one would like, especially if there are parked vehicles on the side. I guess it's being cautious or the system can't see or detect too far ahead when there are obstructions. It is best to take over driving controls in such situations. I may never give into 100% autonomous driving but something like the adaptive cruise is useful in the city cycle too. Makes driving effortless.

Out on the open road, that sense of calm continues. You can play your stereo at lower levels and still hear everything. It's these little things that stand out on an electric vehicle. There is some tire noise that creeps in at motorway speeds. I've been in some Lexus vehicles as a passenger where road noise filters were better.

The suspension is taut. I guess with an EV, they need to be. The car rides flat. I won't comment on handling as I never pushed the car into a bend. The 2-ton weight is evident. I don't think this is a car you will want to hustle around, even if you have the power to do it.

Braking feels almost natural, like a gas car. With brake regeneration at a high level, you can control this car with limited use of the brakes. Steering feel is good and is light to use. Acceleration at motorway speed is okay. You're not going to snap your neck muscles with 230hp. You'll get ahead of the vehicle in front without the rush.

It's a bit ironic as Polestar is (or was) supposed to be the performance wing of Volvo. That isn't applied to this car, or, perhaps the higher horsepower version can be true to what a Polestar was meant to stand. I don't think any of this matters though.

I did not explore the Technology side too much. It's a connected car like Tesla. Google comes built-in. There is no need to connect your phone if you want to use Google Maps or Spotify. I guess this is where the main difference is when you compare Tesla to any other Electric car. You're buying into an Ecosystem on a Tesla whereas the likes of Polestar and everyone else piggyback on Google, etc. If you are using Google Maps, the entire map can be mirrored on the instrument console. Other vital information about the car is kept to the corners of the screen. I'll hold back comments for the Stereo as the source was radio. There is supposed to be some Air Woofer technology placed below the windscreen.

I believe a car like this can take out the stress levels of a daily drive because it is quiet. Once you've experienced an electric vehicle, there is no looking back. Range was the least of my problems. I started off with 35% charge & paid the least amount of attention to the way I used the accelerator. The battery level dipped to 17% and I had a 100km range left when I parked. I doubt if you need any more range than this.

Polestar claims a charge time of 7 hours at a Standard AC, 3 Phase, 16 amp outlet. I understand these are manufacturer claimed rates. Even if you managed just 4 to 5 hours on the socket every 4 to 5 days, you'll have plenty of range to keep you going.

Pricing is good for the Polestar 2. In New Zealand, the car retails for $70,000 (NZD). A little less money than a Tesla Model 3. The other prime competitors are the Lexus UX300E, Mazda's MX-30, Peugeot's E-2008 and Hyundai's excellent IONIQ 5. The Lexus and Hyundai sell for $10,000 more! Compared to gas cars, it's cheaper than a new 320i by $10,000. For someone shopping for a new vehicle at this price point, there isn't much going for a gas car anymore.

There are currently 22 Battery EV (or BEV) vehicle models on sale in New Zealand. Another 43 are being added over the next two quarters. A sure sign of where the world is headed.

Overall, I enjoyed driving a Polestar 2. If I were in the market for an electric vehicle, this Polestar 2 will be one to consider, highly. I like the looks, it feels solid, is screwed together well and drives nice. This car can be your "do it all". You don't need a gas car in the garage, even for those long road trips.

The only real competition for the Polestar 2 comes from Tesla. Personally; I like the looks of the Polestar 2 over a Tesla. The latter needs a design refresh. The advantage Tesla has over a Polestar is when it comes to Software, their Charging ecosystem and mind-bending performance. This is where it gets to being a hard sell for a Polestar 2. Personally, I like a vehicle where I can jump in and drive (You can do this in a Tesla too). The fancy software bits are of little use to me. This is why I find more appeal towards a Polestar 2. The transition feels natural.

A sedan that sits on SUV sized 19" rims.

An interior that makes you feel right at home. Clocks are placed in front of the driver and all the Technology bits are focused on the center screen. The center console extends as an armrest too. Central aircon vents don't move all that much. I guess they can't cause they are already angled towards the roof.

The size of the boot is not very clear here. It can take a lot of luggage. Like a couple of other operational bits I could not figure out, I couldn't get the boot to open with the usual one-foot salsa move. The feature is present.

Room at the back is okay. You sit high up which is a good thing. Don't know why an electric vehicle needs a center transmission tunnel. It's got something in there as it's huge.

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