24 hours with the Polestar 2

[Dangerous Fish]

I believe the whole setup is part of a specific sport package that includes the big brakes, special dampers, larger wheels, and sport seats.

I’m under the impression that the ride would be substantially smoother if the car was not equipped with this option.

None of the reviews I've seen so far have said what settings the dampers are on.
Ohlins are well known for offering excellent damping with compliance, but if they have set the press cars up at or near full stiff they are going to be a bit too much for most drivers used to a 'comfortable' ride.

On the other hand, if they are set to full soft they could be a but too 'bouncy' on some fast roads and motorways, so they really should have been a bit smarter in the way they released the press cars to journos.

Or maybe the PR company or whoever organised the press drives don't really understand how Ohlins or any other type of adjustable damper work and just gave them the cars with whatever settings they came with from the factory?

 

[J3ff]

Thanks for the detailed write-up

• Would be good to know about actual range and charging times as these are pretty critical to EVs
• Supercharging: if your review wasn't so comprehensive, I wouldnt bring up the lack of mentioning supercharger network that is doing a disservice to the Model 3
  • in your defense nobody in the comments mentioned it and hardly any articles / websites / media mention it either. I guess it's just one of those things everyone who buys a non-tesla will learn the hard way once they've committed to something else
    • also maybe they'll get saved by their brand paying Tesla to let them use superchargers with non-teslas

 

[LongRanger]

Would be interested @Generator in hearing what you miss (if anything) about the car having handed it back, slept on it and gone back to daily drive.

 

[MilliM]

This can only be true if there are cars tesla will not sell because of Polestar.
Which is a BS and therefore your final statement is a pile of hot steaming BS, same as with all current MM.
This point alone makes me doubt and disregard all of your other judgments on M3 and P2.

Not to even mention you managed to totally miss and ignore that scroll wheel on the steering column.
What else did you miss and misrepresent in polestar2?

Yes, you wrote a Wall of text, that ended up being total waste of my time.

I would take the P2 over either the M3 or MY if I wasn’t driving so little right now due to Covid, not to mention I’m waiting for my low RN# Cybertruck. I have little use for the Supercharger network (though it’s great that it’s there), the P2 performance beats anything I’ve ever owned and is already more than enough for me, what I’ve read/heard about the P2 makes it sound like an incredibly worthy competitor.

P.S. Who pissed in your Wheaties this morning?

 

[Neilio]

Wouldn't want to get to the south of France without the SC network, but an ev sale is an ev sale and therefore a good thing!

Are there not many public chargers down there? I'm planning a trip down there when the M3 arrives and covid dies down a bit and would hope there were a decent amount of emergency chargers.

 

[Generator]

Would be interested @Generator in hearing what you miss (if anything) about the car having handed it back, slept on it and gone back to daily drive.

Good question. There are a couple of things I really liked on the Polestar 2. Not deal breakers by any means, but they’d be nice to have.

The interior of the Polestar 2 wasn’t my cup of tea. It didn’t fit me, I found it unforgivably uncomfortable, and I really didn’t like the fabric finishes. What I did like about it though was that it was exquisitely designed and built. In much the same way as my old Audi the care and attention to little details adds something ‘special’. Coming from my Tesla the interior at first seemed fussy, cluttered and overdesigned, but there’s a certain tactile quality in manipulating something like a nicely designed and weighted vent that’s lost when your sliding your fingers around on a screen. The switchgear felt nice, and a nice action to it, and even the gear lever felt ‘right’ despite it not needing to be there at all. The Tesla interior is special in its own right, but I do kind of miss the way you interact with a more traditional interior. The touch points in the Tesla are very limited in number, but those that are left don’t have anything like the premium high quality feel that the Polestar has. The sharp ridge on the back of the indicator stalk has always grated on me... Its like the difference between a £15 Digital Casio watch and a Rolex. Both do the same job, and the Casio will outperform the Rolex in every meaningful and relevant way when it comes to the business of timekeeping. It’s vastly superior to the outdated, expensive, and hard to maintain mechanical movement in the Rolex. But it feels so much nicer on the wrist. The weight, the feeling of mechanical interaction when you inevitably have to re-adjust it after a day or two, completely unrelated to the job it’s doing, but vastly more desirable and appealing because if it.

Two other things I definitely miss. First was the headlights. I had matrix full beam headlights on my last car, and they were a revelation. Easily one of the best inventions I’ve used. The Polestar has matrix headlights on low beam as well. They’re lovely.

The thing I miss most though is the lack of BING BONG’s when engaging and disengaging autopilot, and the way the lane keeping system handed over to the driver and retook control with so little fuss and drama. It made the system so much nicer to use, even though the system itself is nowhere near as good as Tesla’s.

 

[Avendit]

Are there not many public chargers down there? I'm planning a trip down there when the M3 arrives and covid dies down a bit and would hope there were a decent amount of emergency chargers.

I'm sure there are plenty, but in terms of covering distance, 50kw charge Vs a 120kw supercharger at every second services will make for quite a different trip.

On the SC's you almost don't have to think about it. Plug in when you stop for a toilet break for 15 mins, carry on. Plug in when you stop for food for 40 mins and you can keep that pattern up to the south of France and get there. Hardly any change to your (well, my with family) travel pattern.

50kw charger you will need to stop for nearly an hour every 2-3 hours. It's certainly going to be a more leisurely trip...

Not sure what the distribution of faster than 50kw that aren't SC's is like, but they are rare in the UK just now.

 

[interbear]

Interesting review and entertaining read too

I’m all for the P2 as more credible alternatives is good news for the environment. It seems a genuine challenger too. I like the hatchback, I do miss that practicality with my M3. But I doubt I’d go with the P2 as I value the Tesla driving experience, updates and charging network highly. I also prefer that it’s a “ground up” EV with no ICE compromises such as transmission tunnel, internal layout etc. So I don’t think I’d be tempted to the P2 just for the hatchback. I know I could look at Tesla hatchback options but the MY design looks “off” to me compared to the sleeker M3 and the MX is too big and too expensive, so I’ll have to put up with my saloon boot on the M3 for a few years.

On Auto Pilot bing bongs, I have no problem with them as I rarely use it. I tend to stick to TACC and steer myself. I find the regular nags from Autopilot to move the wheel and the fact it deactivates on lane changes more annoying than simply steering myself. I’ll occasionally activate it on a long empty motorway when I can stay in a lane for ages but that’s rare.

Agree with the other posters point on volume control, I always use the scroll wheel on the steering wheel, never use the touchscreen for that. The scroll wheel works fine for me and yes you need to time it when the sat nav isn’t talking but my previous Audi was the same. If I had a user interface annoyance with my M3 its the fact I have to use the screen to open the glovebox. That niggles me every time. Oh and the buttons to open the door. Unnecessary, old fashioned levers would have been just fine.

 

[Generator]

Thanks for the detailed write-up

• Would be good to know about actual range and charging times as these are pretty critical to EVs
• Supercharging: if your review wasn't so comprehensive, I wouldnt bring up the lack of mentioning supercharger network that is doing a disservice to the Model 3
  • in your defense nobody in the comments mentioned it and hardly any articles / websites / media mention it either. I guess it's just one of those things everyone who buys a non-tesla will learn the hard way once they've committed to something else
    • also maybe they'll get saved by their brand paying Tesla to let them use superchargers with non-teslas

You’re quite right of course, but with limited time and lots to cover I didn’t actually get to put it on a DC charger of any kind. And here on a Tesla forum the Suoercharger advantage is something that kind of goes without saying.
That said, the supercharger network is the reason I have a model 3 and not an iPace. For the first tentative steps into EV ownership I put a huge value on the availability of that network. As it turns out I rarely use it, but I will end up driving to Spain at some point, and the assurance that I can rely on all the existing public chargers as well as the superchargers means that lack of volts is not a worry. How long Tesla can rely on this advantage to fuel sales remains to be seen, the other networks are catching up.

As for range, like the Tesla the Polestar recommends you charge to less than 100% for everyday use (the screen says 80% recommended). But when you do charge to 100%, you get this;

From that point I drove 50 miles, on varied roads including city traffic, motorway and spanking it down country lanes, and used 70 miles worth of range.

 

[MrBadger]

Thanks for the detailed write-up

• Would be good to know about actual range and charging times as these are pretty critical to EVs
• Supercharging: if your review wasn't so comprehensive, I wouldnt bring up the lack of mentioning supercharger network that is doing a disservice to the Model 3
  • in your defense nobody in the comments mentioned it and hardly any articles / websites / media mention it either. I guess it's just one of those things everyone who buys a non-tesla will learn the hard way once they've committed to something else
    • also maybe they'll get saved by their brand paying Tesla to let them use superchargers with non-teslas

Someone made a video of a Polestar 2 being charged on the European Instavolt network. I plotted the Polestar charge curve vs one our our Supercharges on our Model 3 LR - below. For 26% to 85%, the Polestar was 3-1/2 minutes slower, around 10%. Graph in attachment quoted below.

Values taken from above video (peak power at Soc at 1% intervals)

Time taken to charge
Polestar 2 / Ionity : 11% - 85% (74%) - 42:03 (as per video)
Polestar 2 / Ionity: 26% - 85% (59%) - 33:34 (segment to match below)
Model 3 / Supercharger : 26% - 85% (59%) 30:01 - 03:33 quicker for same SoC interval - so not much in it.


View attachment 569871

 

[Avendit]

Just running some calcs on a long trip on abetterroutplanner. Edinburgh to Carcassone (random choice in south of france).

All planning at 100% speed, 20 DegC, no wind, starting at 100% SoC. Driving time both at 18hr 35 mins give or take.

Tesla (my P-) - total of 21 hours 20 minutes, charging for 2hr 45 mins in 7 stops.
Polestar (alpha) - total of 22h 41 minutes, charging for 4h 4mins in 6 stops. One speed limited (to 75, so not too bad) section in the middle of France.

So, criticism of non SC networks withdrawn! That is approachably similar and essentially a rounding error as you would actually stop somewhere overnight on the way, or the ferry/eurostar timings would be the limit or you wouldn't actually leave an SC after exactly 16 minutes or something.

SC probably still easier, but I can see the planned networks from here and pre-sign up. Again, a bit extra effort, but livable with. And you would have a hatchback which would make loading and unloading faster ;-).

 

[GRiLLA]

Entertaining read.

PoleStar 2 is using MobileEye's self driving capabilities, so from the description it sounds just like the Pro Pilot on my wife's Leaf. She's entirely happy with it, I prefer the more assertive nature of AutoPilot. In a traffic jam she has to press a button for the car to move forward which seems dumb. Just to note, as I don't see it mentioned, if you flip the option for Joe Mode in the Model 3 and the bing bong is much quieter, in fact so quiet I couldn't really hear it (or the indicators). Lane changes are easy with FSD, which was a £4,900 option when I got my car a year ago.

I think for me this is what you are getting with the PoleStar, Google's Android Automotive centre screen, MobileEye's cruise assist, in a reused Volvo chassis. What's utterly unproven is if they can improve the car post purchase, as Jaguar and VW have shown having the idea of auto-updates is easier than the reality. Given no one else is shipping cars with Android Automotive, and only GM has indicated that they will how long will it last? Then what?

Things I would wait for

• An available mobile app, I use my Tesla app all the time, no way I could go back to popping out to the car to check it's charge level. I know it's coming, but as Nissan have shown it's also possible to make a truly awful app.
• Sentry Mode, I can't see this happening, and I value it when leaving the car outside my home.
• No one seems to mention the Polestars navigation other than it being Google Maps. Does it know the cars range to route appropriately through chargers, I can't imagine living without that. Given it's relying on public chargers, how's that going to work out without constantly checking using PlugShare to see if it's broken.

 

[browellm]

Entertaining read.

PoleStar 2 is using MobileEye's self driving capabilities, so from the description it sounds just like the Pro Pilot on my wife's Leaf. She's entirely happy with it, I prefer the more assertive nature of AutoPilot. In a traffic jam she has to press a button for the car to move forward which seems dumb.

• No one seems to mention the Polestars navigation other than it being Google Maps. Does it know the cars range to route appropriately through chargers, I can't imagine living without that. Given it's relying on public chargers, how's that going to work out without constantly checking using PlugShare to see if it's broken.

Volvo's stop-start is entirely automatic, so very much not the same as your wife's Leaf.

The routing based on chargers is shown on a lot of videos. The Germans have been especially thorough in that regard.

 

[Generator]

I believe the whole setup is part of a specific sport package that includes the big brakes, special dampers, larger wheels, and sport seats.

I’m under the impression that the ride would be substantially smoother if the car was not equipped with this option.

Quite probable. But we also have to take into account the current vogue for makers to build cars with suspension much stiffer than they need to be, simply because it gives a good first impression. It feels taut, sporty and responsive on your 10 minute test drive which helps to sell it, but it is ill suited for everyday use.

If I’d had more time I’d have wound the damping back a few clicks to see if it made the car more A406 and less Nurburgring.

It also brings to question the cost of the car. At a base price of £46,900 it's in line with a Model 3 long range at £46,990. It’s got similar performance as a TM3LR too.
Specify a metallic paint (£900) and the Ohlins shocks, gold tinsel, big brakes and nice wheels (£5000),a set of mats and a decent 3 phase charging cable (there’s a 16 amp single phase cable supplied, the chunkier 3 phase capable lead is extra), and you’re up to £53,310. For that money the extra £3k to get into a Model 3 Performance seems palatable. If you want rid of the cloth seats in the Polestar in favour of leather (astonishingly, this is another £5k) then the TM3P starts looking quite favourable.

Of course this doesn’t take into account any discounting, which everyone but Tesla seems to do to some extent.

 

[Neilio]

Just running some calcs on a long trip on abetterroutplanner. Edinburgh to Carcassone (random choice in south of france).

All planning at 100% speed, 20 DegC, no wind, starting at 100% SoC. Driving time both at 18hr 35 mins give or take.

Tesla (my P-) - total of 21 hours 20 minutes, charging for 2hr 45 mins in 7 stops.
Polestar (alpha) - total of 22h 41 minutes, charging for 4h 4mins in 6 stops. One speed limited (to 75, so not too bad) section in the middle of France.

So, criticism of non SC networks withdrawn! That is approachably similar and essentially a rounding error as you would actually stop somewhere overnight on the way, or the ferry/eurostar timings would be the limit or you wouldn't actually leave an SC after exactly 16 minutes or something.

SC probably still easier, but I can see the planned networks from here and pre-sign up. Again, a bit extra effort, but livable with. And you would have a hatchback which would make loading and unloading faster ;-).

Yes but are all the polestars chargers located in the back parking lot of an Ibis? It’s something I’m curious about because when I stop to fuel, i won’t just want to sit in the car, so would plan a long journey around charging stops with facilities rather than use exclusively super chargers.

Just as an aside, you mean “eurotunnel” not “Eurostar”

 

[Avendit]

Yes but are all the polestars chargers located in the back parking lot of an Ibis? It’s something I’m curious about because when I stop to fuel, i won’t just want to sit in the car, so would plan a long journey around charging stops with facilities rather than use exclusively super chargers.

I only glanced at the Carcassone area and the place was littered with 4/11/22kw AC plug in options. I can only imagine the same is true up and down the country if you want to actually enjoy the trip rather than moving from A -> B as fast as you can - a 4 hour stop on an 11 or 22KW supply will get you 20-80%. Thats a decent lunch stop in France. ABRP managed to find IONITY or BP chargers that would max out the Polestar's charge speed most of the way through France. I think there are less super fast options in the UK, but they are coming.

Just as an aside, you mean “eurotunnel” not “Eurostar”

Cheers! Not genuinely looked at doing a driving trip like this since ~2012, although its on the cards for next year, while towing too. That will be an interesting challenge in the 3!

 

[browellm]

Quite probable. But we also have to take into account the current vogue for makers to build cars with suspension much stiffer than they need to be, simply because it gives a good first impression. It feels taut, sporty and responsive on your 10 minute test drive which helps to sell it, but it is ill suited for everyday use.

If I’d had more time I’d have wound the damping back a few clicks to see if it made the car more A406 and less Nurburgring.

It also brings to question the cost of the car. At a base price of £46,900 it's in line with a Model 3 long range at £46,990. It’s got similar performance as a TM3LR too.
Specify a metallic paint (£900) and the Ohlins shocks, gold tinsel, big brakes and nice wheels (£5000),a set of mats and a decent 3 phase charging cable (there’s a 16 amp single phase cable supplied, the chunkier 3 phase capable lead is extra), and you’re up to £53,310. For that money the extra £3k to get into a Model 3 Performance seems palatable. If you want rid of the cloth seats in the Polestar in favour of leather (astonishingly, this is another £5k) then the TM3P starts looking quite favourable.

Of course this doesn’t take into account any discounting, which everyone but Tesla seems to do to some extent.

I'm a bit disappointed they didn't supply more press cars without the Ohlins. The Brembos, while they look nice, would seem somewhat redundant in the days of regenerative braking, so if I was ordering it would definitely be the base car with perhaps a optional colour. I like the colours they offer, but that's just my dad sensibilities. Also, aren't the paint options in the Tesla slightly more expensive?

 

[Generator]

I guess the job of the press fleet is to build desire and anticipation, something that’s a little more difficult to do with a base model. The fact that you could easily hose an extra £12k over and above the headline price is a point rarely laboured.

Tesla offer a white Pearl metallic paint as standard, while the Polestar standard paint is the solid black. Other colours for the model 3 are £1000 (including the original standard no-cost solid black) with the exception of red, which for reasons I don’t know is £2000.

 

[browellm]

I guess the job of the press fleet is to build desire and anticipation, something that’s a little more difficult to do with a base model. The fact that you could easily hose an extra £12k over and above the headline price is a point rarely laboured.

Tesla offer a white Pearl metallic paint as standard, while the Polestar standard paint is the solid black. Other colours for the model 3 are £1000 (including the original standard no-cost solid black) with the exception of red, which for reasons I don’t know is £2000.

Sure, but options lists are hardly news. You could spend £10.5k more on a red M3 with white seats and FSD, but nobody is forcing you to.

 

[Avendit]

I guess the job of the press fleet is to build desire and anticipation, something that’s a little more difficult to do with a base model. The fact that you could easily hose an extra £12k over and above the headline price is a point rarely laboured.

Unless it's an Audi review... They are a bit famous for the base coming with 0 of the options that you might argue actually make it an Audi.