So What Do We Think Of The Polestar 2?

[Jason71]

I've followed a thread about the Polestar on Pistonheads, which is generally very anti Tesla and whose forum typically attracts a large proportion of the Internet's tossers and motoring bores.

And a lot of people have a lot to say about the Polestar, the Tesla and EVs in general.

What no one has touched on is that we actually know very little about the Polestar. It looks great, I'm sure it will be great and, in all honesty, it was only Tesla's Supercharger network that finally won me over.

But one advantage for Tesla, from the perspective of a potential owner, are the current owners. There are hundreds of thousands of cars out there, and a huge number of owners that are happy to share information. This arms us with essential technical information with regards to battery degradation etc. These things are so important when it comes to EV ownership, and are often overlooked by those that otherwise have so much to say - and is information that we just don't have about the Polestar.

I'm sure all of those who are gushing over the interior quality of the Polestar (and seem desperate for Tesla to fail), will feel very silly if the car proves to be horrendously unreliable or has batteries that die after 10 minutes.

(My point here isn't to bash the Polestar, I like the look of it a lot and could have been a potential customer - merely to point out that, when it comes to long term EV ownership, that there is a lot more to consider than a lot of the blowhards give credit for!)

I was going to post something similar in the Pistonheads thread, but couldn't be bothered with the inevitable bullshit that would arrive in response.

I was going to make a similar point about battery degradation. So many people lease that it's probably not concidered a big issue by many. But Tesla are a known quantity and have a decent track record for the most part. Everyone else is pretty much guesswork excep Nissan and the less said about their early air cooled packs the better

 

[bitmanEV]

Have seen now three german reviews and this wins it for us and indeed the only thing is a lack of SuperCharger infrastructure but if Polstar makes a deal with Ionity and the likes including a roaming card with good rates all good (all thou CCS doesn't need a RFID card to identify who's charging)

 

[mrobins64495]

I’ll share the quote details when it comes through.

TBH I’m hit and miss on the design, you can’t test drive them here in the U.K. and they’re not in show rooms which is stickler for me.

I think interior wise it’s ok, but add the nice leather and the price goes up, similar to Tesla’s.

The lease deal is pretty reasonable though. - can’t really fault that.

 

[mrbulk]

I wonder how well Volvo's TACC and auto lane-keeping performs? As a retired senior citizen I am relying more and more on auto lane keeping and TACC (iow Autopilot) for longer trips...

 

[MadScientist]

I believe the Polestar 2 lacks level 3 autonomy so no auto lane keeping unless it can come with an update.

 

[U_S_D]

I'd be amazed if there wasn't a level 3 update. Surely Volvo uses this tech in their cars?

 

[bitmanEV]

 

[kuruma]

If I wanted an around town EV it'd be a Smart. I've had four ICE Smarts and they are hard to beat for parking. Pa!try range not an issue. Cabrios are fun.

We test drove a Renault Zoe and I'd give one of those a go. Very fun to drive and not as crushed in there as in a Smart.

 

[EVMeister]

Posting over an hour of German video without a summary? Some English videos out there as well - Polestar 2 coming in September?. Although the German videos are undoubtedly more detailed, probably worth watching with subtitles for those interested in the car.

 

[browellm]

I think it looks wonderful. The interior looks fabulous and I wouldn't underestimate the number of ex BMW/Merc/Audi drivers who will be attracted to it just because they aren't prepared to deal with the hairshirt interior of the Tesla and the US interpretation of what "premium" looks like, or the infamous Tesla shutlines which haven't been seen since British Leyland were knocking around.

That said, the charging network and battery efficiency of the M3 are still compelling. I'm 50/50 on which way to go.

The German review video is excellent, by the way. The subtitles are really good.

Lease prices of the Polestar do indeed look excellent right now. About £50/m cheaper than the M3LR. See XLCR's website for examples.

 

[EVMeister]

I guess not everyone cares about this element, but the Model 3 seems to have superior handling as well as signifcantly better efficiency. The second point is widely discussed, the first one not so much but pointed out in some reviews. The Polestar 2 is a chunky-looking vehicle and apparently feels 'weighty' in corners as well. Not my cup of tea at all, but certainly the cup of tea for those who like a solid-looking and solidly built vehicle. Some other minor points include the transmission tunnel in the rear, which makes it less comfortable for rear passengers where the middle seat is occupied vs. the Model 3. And lower storage capacity (but easier access due to hatchback-style).

Edit: Oh and the non-powered charge flap? Is that the case on all trim levels? Sad thing is that's something I really like about the Model 3 compared to the other EVs I've driven (I-PACE, LEAF, ZOE). I also love the visibility out of the front of the Model 3 and the lack of bulge due to the absent driver instrument cluster. I know some people miss that cluster, I don't and I love the minimalism in the Model 3. Sometimes it's the little things!

 

[Jason71]

I guess not everyone cares about this element, but the Model 3 seems to have superior handling as well as signifcantly better efficiency. The second point is widely discussed, the first one not so much but pointed out in some reviews. The Polestar 2 is a chunky-looking vehicle and apparently feels 'weighty' in corners as well. Not my cup of tea at all, but certainly the cup of tea for those who like a solid-looking and solidly built vehicle. Some other minor points include the transmission tunnel in the rear, which makes it less comfortable for rear passengers where the middle seat is occupied vs. the Model 3. And lower storage capacity (but easier access due to hatchback-style).

Edit: Oh and the non-powered charge flap? Is that the case on all trim levels? Sad thing is that's something I really like about the Model 3 compared to the other EVs I've driven (I-PACE, LEAF, ZOE). I also love the visibility out of the front of the Model 3 and the lack of bulge due to the absent driver instrument cluster. I know some people miss that cluster, I don't and I love the minimalism in the Model 3. Sometimes it's the little things!

Polestar is 15% heavier than an M3 LR so getting it to any given speed needs 15% more energy. You can't really overcome that. Doubt it has a better drag coefficient either.

 

[EVMeister]

Polestar is 15% heavier than an M3 LR so getting it to any given speed needs 15% more energy. You can't really overcome that. Doubt it has a better drag coefficient either.

For sure, the weight is a major factor. The "aesthetic grille" at the front, conventional alloys and conventional door handles will all negatively affect aerodynamics as well.

 

[LongRanger]

Keep an eye out for Autogefuhl on YouTube doing a full review - they usually have a lot of content worth listening to and really go to town on all elements of their review vehicles.

Autogefühl

 

[browellm]

I guess not everyone cares about this element, but the Model 3 seems to have superior handling as well as signifcantly better efficiency. The second point is widely discussed, the first one not so much but pointed out in some reviews. The Polestar 2 is a chunky-looking vehicle and apparently feels 'weighty' in corners as well. Not my cup of tea at all, but certainly the cup of tea for those who like a solid-looking and solidly built vehicle. Some other minor points include the transmission tunnel in the rear, which makes it less comfortable for rear passengers where the middle seat is occupied vs. the Model 3. And lower storage capacity (but easier access due to hatchback-style).

Edit: Oh and the non-powered charge flap? Is that the case on all trim levels? Sad thing is that's something I really like about the Model 3 compared to the other EVs I've driven (I-PACE, LEAF, ZOE). I also love the visibility out of the front of the Model 3 and the lack of bulge due to the absent driver instrument cluster. I know some people miss that cluster, I don't and I love the minimalism in the Model 3. Sometimes it's the little things!

*Some* reviews have have said the handling is better, *some* worse.

Complaining about a non-powered charge flap seems to be especially churlish.

 

[EVMeister]

*Some* reviews have have said the handling is better, *some* worse.

Complaining about a non-powered charge flap seems to be especially churlish.

I haven't seen any reviews say the handling is better. The ride comfort perhaps, but not the handling. I guess it's pretty subjective either way and it's something people would have to judge for themselves. With the extra weight of the Polestar 2 it doesn't make sense to me that it would feel better to fling around corners than the Model 3. Which is what I like when I talk about handling. And something the Model 3 is vastly better at than any other EV I've driven, including the Jaguar I-PACE.

I'm not sure how many EVs you driven or owned, but I can tell you that having a powered charge flap is a nice little touch. Not essential, which is why I said "it's the little things". I think your use of the word "churlish" there is entirely inappropriate and misplaced, not sure if you understand what the word means.

 

[PR-UK]

After watching a lot of videos and reading I'm finding this car quite compelling.

It has a lot of tech in the car as standard, the pixel/matrix auto headlights, 360 cameras, electric boot with open and close, proper blind spot alert, cross traffic alert, auto dimming rear-view and wing mirrors, heated steering wheel, road sign recognition, climate control rather than just AC.

However the 150kw charging is a bit disappointing, one of the video reviews above show it dropping to 80kw when near 45% charge. The Android Automotive is a bit of a turnoff for me especially with the delay of CarPlay, the Google Maps in the reviews doesn't show satellite imagery (something I really like on my Audi A4 atm). Also the Google Play Store only is only showing a dozen apps, no Apple Music, and nothing containing video content such as Netflix, Plex, etc. there's also no mention of a web browser such as Chrome.

Google have a history of abandoning their projects and I could imagine in 12 months time them killing development of Android Automotive and being stuck with whatever you have. It also isn't clear what Polestar/Google plan, can we expect new features in the car in the future or just bug fixes and CarPlay?

It says the car comes with 3 years servicing but it's not clear if that means, yearly servicing for free or something else, also I can't find any details such as will the Volvo dealership down the road from me be able to service a Polestar 2 or is it going to be limited to certain service centres?

I'm also not entirely sure about the odd looking ride height, and from a purely personal thing, can't set the colours of the interior lighting, the blue and purple lighting in my A4 always makes me smile when I get in at night!

 

[mrobins64495]

After watching a lot of videos and reading I'm finding this car quite compelling.

It has a lot of tech in the car as standard, the pixel/matrix auto headlights, 360 cameras, electric boot with open and close, proper blind spot alert, cross traffic alert, auto dimming rear-view and wing mirrors, heated steering wheel, road sign recognition, climate control rather than just AC.

However the 150kw charging is a bit disappointing, one of the video reviews above show it dropping to 80kw when near 45% charge. The Android Automotive is a bit of a turnoff for me especially with the delay of CarPlay, the Google Maps in the reviews doesn't show satellite imagery (something I really like on my Audi A4 atm). Also the Google Play Store only is only showing a dozen apps, no Apple Music, and nothing containing video content such as Netflix, Plex, etc. there's also no mention of a web browser such as Chrome.

Google have a history of abandoning their projects and I could imagine in 12 months time them killing development of Android Automotive and being stuck with whatever you have. It also isn't clear what Polestar/Google plan, can we expect new features in the car in the future or just bug fixes and CarPlay?

It says the car comes with 3 years servicing but it's not clear if that means, yearly servicing for free or something else, also I can't find any details such as will the Volvo dealership down the road from me be able to service a Polestar 2 or is it going to be limited to certain service centres?

I'm also not entirely sure about the odd looking ride height, and from a purely personal thing, can't set the colours of the interior lighting, the blue and purple lighting in my A4 always makes me smile when I get in at night!

I looked at this, I wasn’t convinced it has that much as standard beyond a regular car.

It’s nice enough but the more I look at it, the less I like it. It’s a little boxy, a bit heavy and the interior whilst solid isn’t mind blowing.

That being said the cheap lease deals are alright and will be attractive.

 

[Jason71]

I looked at this, I wasn’t convinced it has that much as standard beyond a regular car.

It’s nice enough but the more I look at it, the less I like it. It’s a little boxy, a bit heavy and the interior whilst solid isn’t mind blowing.

That being said the cheap lease deals are alright and will be attractive.

I don't know much about leasing. How are the lease deals so much better than an M3 if the price is the same? Are the lease companies getting a discount or do they think the residuals will be better?

 

[mrobins64495]

I don't know much about leasing. How are the lease deals so much better than an M3 if the price is the same? Are the lease companies getting a discount or do they think the residuals will be better?

No idea. From what I understand it comes down to 4 factors.

1) residuals
2) car cost
3) discount
4) interest rate.

for Tesla I understand because they’ve shifted so many the residuals aren’t great as there are a lot due to come to the market shortly from old leases which has pushed this down. They also don’t offer discount so the lease companies have limited flexibility.

the only thing I can figure is Polestar’s is new so the residuals are higher as it’s unknown and they might be offering lease discounts for shifting them.