Hi, I thought I would share some information on the Polestar 2 as I did a test drive of one this past weekend. I live in Houston but was in Austin, Tx for the weekend and decided to schedule a Polestar 2 test drive since Houston doesn’t have a Polestar space yet. I was curious about the Polestar line and wanted to see how it compared to my Tesla.
(Jengtingchen, CC BY-SA 4.0 <Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International — CC BY-SA 4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
The overall test drive experience was good. The Polestar space is part of the local Volvo dealer at this time but I was told they are constructing a stand alone building now. I was immediately greeted and hooked up with the person that would conduct the test drive. The person conducting the test drive was not the main sales person but was reasonably knowledgeable. He didn’t know where the car was built but did answer most other questions with ease. We drove a dual motor with all available packages but the leather interior. It was the Midnight blue with the black cloth interior with Pilot, Plus and Performance packages. The drive wasn’t extensive but we did drive some city streets and highway. Overall the car was impressive. I have a 2020 MY Dual Motor, so performance was very similar. It did single pedal driving without issue. The ride was good but very firm since it had the performance package which has a more sporty suspension. It felt good to drive and I didn’t see much difference there between it and my MY. The interior was comfortable and everything was easy to adjust. Fit and finish was very good and there were no issues I could see. The doors open easily with the conventional door handles and close with a solid thunk. The frunk was manual (opened with a lever by the drivers foot well) and the trunk was powered. I would definitely say the Polestar 2 is more akin to the M3 than the MY. From the outside it looks (to me) larger than a M3 and maybe close to the MY. After sitting in it however, that isn’t true. The interior felt a bit cramped in comparison and there is less storage space all around. I have to say I did like having the conventional display behind the steering wheel. I didn’t like the fact there was only a single cup holder available in the console that was easy to access. Putting the second cup holder in the bin under the armrest seems a silly afterthought to me. The frunk and rear storage areas are smaller than the MY. Again, the 2 is much more like the M3 when it comes to front and rear storage space. The back seat was good as there was still plenty of room with the driver seat in my driving position (I’m 5’10”). I wouldn’t try to put three people back there. Also there is a center transmission hump in the middle that doesn’t make sense. The upgraded stereo was good. It was a quiet car, and seems to be a bit quieter than the MY. AC was good and we put it to the test since it was about 98 degrees when we did the drive. The interior controls are a hybrid of conventional buttons and touch screen. The touch screen response was good, no lags. I really didn’t like the side mirrors, as they seemed a bit too small for my liking. Rear visibility in the cabin was very limited but only a bit smaller than in my MY. Controls and other switch gear were good and very Volvo-esque. It can use your phone as a key and has a very Volvo like key fob. The traffic we drove through didn’t allow me to test any of the driver assist features unfortunately. I did like that it had a more conventional blind spot warning. All around there were only a few things I didn’t like about the car.
I had initially considered the Polestar 2 when I was looking to go electric but due to the fact there was no Polestar location in Houston, I ruled it out. I didn’t want to depend on a service center that was 160 miles away! I got my MY in June of 2020. At the time Polestar only had tan leather as an option with the ventilated seats. I really don’t like tan interiors. Ventilated seats and an all-around camera system are two of the main features I wish my MY had but the Polestar 2 still is not quite the equivalent of the MY so I’m not going to be changing anytime soon. My main issue with the MY is the ride, and to be honest, the Polestar 2 with the performance package was basically no different. Houston has horrible, HORRIBLE streets and at times my MY will beat you to death going down them. After driving the Polestar, I’m thinking that since the current BEVs are all very similar in design, large heavy battery pack located low and between the axles, they will all ride about the same on bad roads. In the 2 you could feel every bump, seam, etc. on the road, just like in my MY. I think the vehicles with adjustable suspensions handle this better (MX, MS) but the ones without don’t. I understand that a sportier suspension will not give a smooth luxurious ride and I have to say the Tesla is the best handling car I’ve owned but at times I just wish it was quite so stiff. Even with the 19 inch Gemini wheels, the ride can be rough.
I’ll probably take a look at the Polestar 3 when it comes out just to see what is is like. I think it would be a closer fit to a MY but if it drives and rides like the Polestar 2, it probably doesn’t stand a chance as a replacement. Hopefully by then there will be a Polestar space in Houston so I don’t have to go to Austin. My test drive host said they are going to have one open by next year. So, right now, the Polestar 2 is not what I would consider to replace my MY. With things like the better overall range, Supercharger network, local service and what I would consider the leading edge in self driving capability, Tesla still has the edge. If you are a stickler for fit and finish and like a more conventional car, then I would say you need to look at a Polestar 2. In my opinion it is a more conventional-style full electric car. There are some other cars I would like to test once I can get access to them but for now I think Tesla is still the leader in my book.
(Jengtingchen, CC BY-SA 4.0 <Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International — CC BY-SA 4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
The overall test drive experience was good. The Polestar space is part of the local Volvo dealer at this time but I was told they are constructing a stand alone building now. I was immediately greeted and hooked up with the person that would conduct the test drive. The person conducting the test drive was not the main sales person but was reasonably knowledgeable. He didn’t know where the car was built but did answer most other questions with ease. We drove a dual motor with all available packages but the leather interior. It was the Midnight blue with the black cloth interior with Pilot, Plus and Performance packages. The drive wasn’t extensive but we did drive some city streets and highway. Overall the car was impressive. I have a 2020 MY Dual Motor, so performance was very similar. It did single pedal driving without issue. The ride was good but very firm since it had the performance package which has a more sporty suspension. It felt good to drive and I didn’t see much difference there between it and my MY. The interior was comfortable and everything was easy to adjust. Fit and finish was very good and there were no issues I could see. The doors open easily with the conventional door handles and close with a solid thunk. The frunk was manual (opened with a lever by the drivers foot well) and the trunk was powered. I would definitely say the Polestar 2 is more akin to the M3 than the MY. From the outside it looks (to me) larger than a M3 and maybe close to the MY. After sitting in it however, that isn’t true. The interior felt a bit cramped in comparison and there is less storage space all around. I have to say I did like having the conventional display behind the steering wheel. I didn’t like the fact there was only a single cup holder available in the console that was easy to access. Putting the second cup holder in the bin under the armrest seems a silly afterthought to me. The frunk and rear storage areas are smaller than the MY. Again, the 2 is much more like the M3 when it comes to front and rear storage space. The back seat was good as there was still plenty of room with the driver seat in my driving position (I’m 5’10”). I wouldn’t try to put three people back there. Also there is a center transmission hump in the middle that doesn’t make sense. The upgraded stereo was good. It was a quiet car, and seems to be a bit quieter than the MY. AC was good and we put it to the test since it was about 98 degrees when we did the drive. The interior controls are a hybrid of conventional buttons and touch screen. The touch screen response was good, no lags. I really didn’t like the side mirrors, as they seemed a bit too small for my liking. Rear visibility in the cabin was very limited but only a bit smaller than in my MY. Controls and other switch gear were good and very Volvo-esque. It can use your phone as a key and has a very Volvo like key fob. The traffic we drove through didn’t allow me to test any of the driver assist features unfortunately. I did like that it had a more conventional blind spot warning. All around there were only a few things I didn’t like about the car.
I had initially considered the Polestar 2 when I was looking to go electric but due to the fact there was no Polestar location in Houston, I ruled it out. I didn’t want to depend on a service center that was 160 miles away! I got my MY in June of 2020. At the time Polestar only had tan leather as an option with the ventilated seats. I really don’t like tan interiors. Ventilated seats and an all-around camera system are two of the main features I wish my MY had but the Polestar 2 still is not quite the equivalent of the MY so I’m not going to be changing anytime soon. My main issue with the MY is the ride, and to be honest, the Polestar 2 with the performance package was basically no different. Houston has horrible, HORRIBLE streets and at times my MY will beat you to death going down them. After driving the Polestar, I’m thinking that since the current BEVs are all very similar in design, large heavy battery pack located low and between the axles, they will all ride about the same on bad roads. In the 2 you could feel every bump, seam, etc. on the road, just like in my MY. I think the vehicles with adjustable suspensions handle this better (MX, MS) but the ones without don’t. I understand that a sportier suspension will not give a smooth luxurious ride and I have to say the Tesla is the best handling car I’ve owned but at times I just wish it was quite so stiff. Even with the 19 inch Gemini wheels, the ride can be rough.
I’ll probably take a look at the Polestar 3 when it comes out just to see what is is like. I think it would be a closer fit to a MY but if it drives and rides like the Polestar 2, it probably doesn’t stand a chance as a replacement. Hopefully by then there will be a Polestar space in Houston so I don’t have to go to Austin. My test drive host said they are going to have one open by next year. So, right now, the Polestar 2 is not what I would consider to replace my MY. With things like the better overall range, Supercharger network, local service and what I would consider the leading edge in self driving capability, Tesla still has the edge. If you are a stickler for fit and finish and like a more conventional car, then I would say you need to look at a Polestar 2. In my opinion it is a more conventional-style full electric car. There are some other cars I would like to test once I can get access to them but for now I think Tesla is still the leader in my book.
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