I Don’t Want To Drive Polestar Anymore
Flash back to September 1st, the beginning of the school season.
While managing the company’s social media accounts, I accidentally stumbled upon some post-00s netizens posting about their fondness for summer vacation and their disdain for studying.
However, I began to realize that I, as a member of the first group of people born after the 1990s, was more dissatisfied than those students who were whining online but still went to school in reality.
As indications of aging began to surface in my body, specifically in my knees and ankles, and the sharp edges in my heart were ground down by the harsh realities of society, carrying my Macbook in my bag on my way home seemed to imply that there was never-ending work in my life and weekends were just a myth.
While I was still caught up in the frustration of the modern working class, a Wechat message brought me back to reality.
Test drive of Polestar 2, want to go?
To be honest, I refused it because I didn’t care.
I had already driven the fully loaded Polestar 2 in June and Polestar 1 in July, so I no longer felt the novelty of the brand. Moreover, I didn’t know where to start with the product promotion because I felt like I already knew the essence of Polestar. (For those who want to review the essence of Polestar, there is a link at the end of the article.)
Just when I was about to decline the invitation to test drive the single-motor version, they said:
Come to Haikou on the 10th, and feel free to have fun on the 11th.
Well, even though I hate to admit it, the keyword Haikou still gave me second thoughts. After all, it was summer, there was the sea, and it was in Hainan.
After more inquiries, I finally decided to attend the event in Hainan, and I brought a new colleague from the company named Jiaming. This guy was interesting, and his catchphrase was the Shanghai dialect phrase “tei 🐂 le” (meaning awesome!). You can look forward to his first media test drive vlog.
Lack of Öhlins support surprised me
Is This Configuration Okay?
At the workshop on the first night, Nathan Forshaw, CEO of Polestar China and Asia Pacific, talked about the environmental performance of electric vehicles. Honestly, I didn’t pay attention.“`
And I’m not really interested in this “zero-carbon journey” because, as a carnivore who eats and farts and loves to burn rubber, I basically cancel out any environmental efforts of driving an electric car. However, to be honest, Polestar does have some good ideas when it comes to public welfare. Their approach of putting the tracing information of cobalt and other battery core materials on the blockchain for storage and authentication is indeed quite interesting. I hope everyone can take it into consideration and reduce the purchase of “blood cobalt” obtained through labor exploitation.
The time came to the second day, and as a cameraman, I felt particularly relaxed. I was originally thinking of taking a photo of the Öhlins shock absorber and posting it on my WeChat moments to show off, but then I found out that it didn’t exist. Similarly, the Brembo brake calipers were also gone, and even the rear axle motor was missing! Although this trip was for Hainan itself, not for driving. The gold under the knees of men was thus maltreated. In that instant, I developed a contempt for this ride.
Because in car chassis configuration, my least favorite combination is the MacPherson + front-wheel drive, which is an architecture with no high-end feel or performance limit. Stripped of its Öhlins halo, and with a 7.4-second 0-60 mph acceleration configuration, the Polestar 2 was rubbish to me!
So I sat in the passenger seat with a face of contempt, put on my sunglasses, and began to doze off. However, after a few bends and a few shakes from the bumps on the road, I wasn’t sleepy anymore.
It’s not because this electric car is so uncomfortable, but because of the quality of its chassis, which is so much like the top-of-the-line Polestar 2 with dual motors and Öhlins I drove in the night in Chongqing.
This can’t be possible!
Since this chassis system does not have Öhlins’ DFV technology, which adjusts the damping gain based on the speed of the road impact, it really cannot maintain a more advanced feel by filtering out minor bumps while maintaining a thinner tire wall and better suspension support, as the Öhlins version can.
“`Although the stiffness and low-speed damping of the spring are not as great as the Öhlins version, the overall seasoning of the “grocery-buying version” Polestar 2 is still firm and crisp. It can quickly shrink the wheels to cope with uneven road surfaces. In general, the driving experience is similar, but less powerful.
I can’t stand it anymore
How about I drive for a while?
After all, the Polestar 2 was almost the car he bought before succumbing to the welfare of a certain brand’s employees’ family. His new colleague was very excited. Therefore, he did not drive the car economically. On the other hand, I was gradually gearing up for the activity since I knew that energy consumption would be recorded after the activity. So, my competitive spirit couldn’t be contained, I replaced him and got behind the wheel.
Without any film on the test drive car, it was indeed hot. The familiar fabric and suede spliced seats were still there. After adjusting to my comfortable position, I found that the ergonomics were excellent once again.
It is quite hard to sit on, but it feels like every height is closely attached to the spine without any discomfort.
However, the fabric of the environmentally friendly material is not very breathable. I would definitely choose to equip the car with Nappa leather seats. After all, I’m not a vegetarian, and I have eaten many cows in my life. I don’t mind if a few cows have their skin removed to enhance the driving experience of this car.
Perhaps this is just the car of environmentally friendly North Europeans. After all, it’s not particularly hot there. With this in mind, I understand why even the rear-wheel-drive version of the single-motor model is not necessary. After all, Polestar’s hometown is Sweden, a land of ice and snow. It’s not very wise to go out to IKEA in winter to buy a TV cabinet with a rear-wheel-drive car.
Without further ado, I stepped on the accelerator pedal directly.
Hmmm, it’s a bit slow…
Unfortunately, the power of this Polestar 2 is only equivalent to that of a 2.0-liter gasoline engine. The 231 horsepower and 330 Nm power index provide an acceleration experience that is uninteresting for someone who has already graduated from a “hot hatchback.” It’s just that as an electric car, the power response improvement without the need to shift gears is there.
However, I still like its power delivery style. The heavier pedal effort combined with the softer power output in the front and the gradually linear setting in the back stage are suitable for most daily driving scenarios and can also respond to aggressive driving.
You know, a car with true linear power delivery, that is, a car that gives you as much torque as the amount of pedal you press, is incredibly difficult to drive unless you drive it solely on a racetrack.“`markdown
When it comes to steering feel, it still has a familiar taste:
No false steering gain, no overly exaggerated steering ratio, and definitely no cheap and over-damped return-to-center. Although it has less power and lacks the sporty and inexplicably comfortable experience brought by Öhlins, the single-motor version of the Polestar 2 gives you a feeling of driving right away. Unlike many other electric vehicle models from other brands, it doesn’t lack seasoning ability and doesn’t expose poor quality acceleration and steering response.
This is the biggest advantage of Polestar, which far exceeds other brands in driving experience. And don’t forget, it is just a front-wheel-drive MacPherson suspension model. The engineers of Polestar really have magical operations to play this game well.
The Essence of Polestar
Is this the legendary Nordic style?
After experiencing the handling, I handed the driving rights to my new colleague who exclaimed how great it was. When I lay down the seat, ready to fall asleep, I found that the caffeine in the latte I just drank had already entered the capillaries in my head. Unable to sleep, I suddenly realized a fact: This is my first time driving the Polestar 2 during the day.
Under the influence of caffeine, I also realized that the interior of the Polestar 2 is so cool that even the Polestar 1 can’t compare. Although the latter is very outstanding in material and color matching, its overall design style still follows the taste of Volvo. In contrast, the interior of Polestar 2 echoes the straight-line exterior style, not warm but not cold. It turns out that this is called the Nordic minimalist style.
Especially in terms of color matching, it adheres to the principle of simplicity and not simplicity, mainly in black and gray. The dark gray fabric is similar to canvas texture, wrapping the soft instrument panel. The edges are also designed with chamfers, which are comfortable in visual and tactile aspects. The light gray fabric sandwiched in the middle creates a visual focus by using a larger mesh-like texture. Below it, there is a very low-key black ash wood panel. If you don’t look carefully, you can’t tell that the vertical texture is actually wood grain.
“`In terms of plastic parts, I think the most creatively designed one is the air outlet on the dashboard that combines with the speaker cover. Its matte grey texture matches the dashboard levelly, and the simple combination of shapes and patterns slightly stimulates my visual “taste buds”. I don’t know why, but I just feel that it’s very appealing. As for the plastic parts that the fingers touch, such as buttons, they are shiny and black.
Take the dashboard as an example, the Volvo XC40 Recharge uses four different shades of grey corresponding to four different materials to create a unique temperament. In this era of nightclub style and chrome-plated parts, elegance and subtlety bring more dignity than the 128-color ambient lighting.
Straightforward!
Straight grille, straight roofline, straight shoulder line, straight waistline, and straight taillights make me marvel again. I have never seen such a straight-line exterior design that looks so good.
Everything is so simple that it’s refreshing, refreshing to the point of addiction. It’s like using a knife that has absorbed body heat to create a perfect cut on a whole piece of Irish grass-fed butter. Although it has no practical meaning, it’s beautiful, and I just want to cut a few more times.
The frameless exterior mirror is a feature of Volvo cars, but it wasn’t until this daytime test drive that I discovered that it can be adjusted by rotating the entire housing. The first time I noticed this detail, it was like playing with an interactive installation artwork. Although it’s useless, it’s beautiful, and I just want to play with it a few more times.
In fact, the groove above the housing serves as a guide to prevent raindrops from directly flowing onto the mirror and affecting visibility. So it’s unfair to say that it’s useless.
Therefore, when a linear-based product like this is placed in a specific scene, it will not blend into the background but rather cut into it.
The beauty of Polestar is a kind of aloof beauty that doesn’t need the background to stand out.
This is a brand that allows me to chat and laugh with the CEO
The night before, actually, I sat at the same table with CEO Nathan. This Australian, who has lived in China for many years, looks like a restrained version of Hugh Jackman. After a few beers and local rice wine from Hainan, we began discussing the Polestar brand.
As a car brand whose CEO is also a designer, Polestar’s design genes are clearly strong. At the same time, I also revealed a controversial professional secret:
I decided to use only official pictures from Polestar test drive events in my article.
In fact, I found that Polestar always uses the same photographer for every event. This photographer, who has worked for Volvo for many years, is clearly the best candidate for Polestar. He understands the visual language of Polestar and his photos all have the Polestar style.
Although I have been a teacher, as someone who hates being called “teacher” in other situations, I clearly do not have the same dedication as media teachers.
So, should I take pictures? Is there any meaning in taking pictures? There seems to be nothing good to photograph.
What’s wrong? That’s just how straightforward I am.
My flat attitude towards on-site photography is also out of respect and recognition for the Polestar brand. Anyway, CEO Nathan understood, whether my professional ethics are good or not is not important.
Hainan, a visit here
Summer without the sea is like August without summer holidays. It seems like a song says so. I don’t have a summer vacation anymore, so there has to be the sea, right? Does the pool count? Otherwise, it’s too trashy.
On the evening of the test drive event’s dinner, I slipped out and tasted the saltiness of the sea, and the trip was worth it.
At just over 250,000 yuan, we are squarely in the territory of the Model 3 Standard Range. If I had to choose between the two, I might be torn.
For me, one integrates cutting-edge technology into engineering, and the other integrates art and humanities into engineering.
If money isn’t an issue, I would take both.
Compared to the dual motor version with optional suspension and shock absorbers, there are certainly some things that have to be sacrificed on the single motor version.
Fortunately, these sacrifices are not enough to prevent you from experiencing the polestar’s car-making ability and attitude. Its high starting point also means that its lower limit is not very low.
The key is that you can now experience a piece of automotive art that can touch your soul in design at a lower price. If one day MoMA announces that the Polestar 2 will be a permanent display in its collection, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.