By Paul Gover.
There is a new electric car that you can literally drive by the seat of your pants.
There is no ignition key or start button in the Polestar 2 and you only have to sit in the driver’s seat for it to come to life.
When it does, this Volvo that’s not a Volvo – because it’s a Polestar – is one of the tastier battery-electric cars to hit the road in Australia in 2021 with an affordable starting price and a promised range that tops 400 kilometres.
The Polestar 2 is the first showroom model from a new brand that’s a collaboration between Volvo of Sweden and Geely of China, even if there were go-faster Polestar models in Australia in the past to polish the Volvo badge.
The design and development of the 2-car is Swedish and the technical package is Chinese, with the final result being built in China and shipped to Australia with pricing from $59,900.
Underneath, the basics for the Polestar 2 come from Volvo’s smallest SUV, the XC40, and that’s a good place to start. It’s been an award winner around the world and is one of the hidden gems in the prestige SUV class.
But things are very different for the 2 car, which is available in a range of formats – and prices – from a basic single-motor model through to a twin-engined long-range car that can top $80,000 with optional equipment.
My test car is the long-range single-motor model, which is the pick of the litter. It’s priced from $64,900 and Polestar quotes the range at up to 540 kilometres, a very long way by any measure.
The shape of the car is chunky, sorta Volvo but also different, and a mix between a baby hatch and an SUV. It’s not as funky trendy as the Ford Puma, but it looks good and is a compact size that works for city parking.
Inside, the emphasis on real materials and recycling is the best I’ve seen since the BMW i3 – also electric, but overpriced – with exposed raw wood surfaces, vegan leather and soft-touch recycled plastics.
Polestar has – like Benz and many others – copied the portrait-style central infotainment screen first seen in Tesla cars, and it also has a head-up display and quality controls.
Rear-seat legroom is surprisingly good for a compact car, although the boot is not that big.
To drive, the Polestar 2 is quick enough but missing the electrified impact of something like a Porsche Taycan. That’s good news for me, because it means the emphasis is on range and not showing off with a rapid sprint to 100km/h.
The car is quiet like all electrics, the power delivery is smooth, it has strong torque for overtaking, but the ride is spoiled by over-sized optional alloys. Once again, the Polestar 2 is proof that smaller-diameter wheels are better for Aussie roads.
Overall, the Polestar 2 is an impressive first effort. It is classy, it goes a long way between charges, and the pricing is sharp and attractive against the underwhelming Nissan Leaf and even the Tesla Model 3 that is the current battery-electric favourite in Australia.
Expect to see plenty of them on the road in 2022.
THE BASICS
Polestar 2
Price: from $59,900
Engine: single electric motor
Power: 170kW/330Nm
Transmission: single-speed, front-wheel drive
Position: compact electric SUV
Plus: great design, nice drive
Minus: small boot, new brand
THE TICK: definitely
Score: 8/10
