As we stepped into 2020, some interesting changes have occurred in the electric vehicle industry. Pure electric vehicles no longer simply meet the needs of “policy” and “commuting”. Starting from NIO ES6 and new ES8, electric vehicles are becoming more and more luxurious. Starting from Porsche Taycan, electric vehicles are becoming more and more powerful. Starting from Tesla Model 3’s release of the racetrack mode, electric vehicles are becoming more and more fun.
In the pure electric vehicle category, more and more automakers are beginning to expand into niche markets. Starting from Polestar 2, electric vehicles are becoming more and more stylish and characteristic.
01
Designer’s car
Before, every time we introduced a car, we will prioritize “endurance” but after I saw Polestar 2, I want to start with design.
Friends familiar with Polestar may know that the CEO of Polestar, Thomas Ingenlath, is a designer by trade. Before becoming CEO of Polestar, he served as the senior deputy chief designer at Volvo Cars. Therefore, the importance of “design” for Polestar is self-evident. In the appearance and interior of Polestar 2, you can find many unique details.
At first glance, many people may think that Polestar 2 is a cross-style hatchback SUV, but it is actually a compact hatchback sedan.
Polestar 2 has a body size of 460618591482 mm (1473 mm after equipped with performance package), with a wheelbase of 2735 mm. The overall size of the vehicle is similar to the Lynk & Co 03. Polestar 2’s side adopts a high-waistline design, resulting in a high visual center of gravity, so many people will think this is more like a SUV.
When I first saw the picture of Polestar 2, I had a feeling that the car was not very harmonious. However, after seeing the real car, the only impression that was left on me was that there was no unnecessary lines on the car. All the designs were just right. Therefore, I suggest that anyone who is interested in Polestar 2 must go to see the car in person.
Let’s take a look at some of the design details on the exterior.
One interesting point is that all the colors of Polestar 2’s paint and logo are designed to be the same color as the body, which is very rare. All car companies, especially new brands, always hope that their logos are more eye-catching, so as to attract more consumers’ attention and increase brand exposure.
This is Polestar’s design compromise. Although it weakens the presence of the logo, the advantage is that the black paint matched with the black grille and logo make the front face of Polestar 2 very strong and particularly durable. There are not many cars that have been “blacked out” to this extent from the factory.
In addition to the logo on the front of the car, the logo on the rear of the car and the “Polestar” name in the bottom left corner are also designed in the same color as the body.
Polestar 2’s headlights use a design similar to Volvo’s “Thor’s Hammer”. The first edition model we test-drove uses matrix-style LED headlights. Each side of the headlights has 84 LED light sources, and the vehicle can intelligently recognize the front 5 target vehicles and adjust or shut off the light sources according to the position of the front vehicle, reducing the impact on the front vehicle.
As for the taillights, Polestar 2 also uses the same design language as Volvo. The pure black tail, combined with the full LED red taillights, has a very good visual effect, and the identification at night is also very high.
The first edition model of Polestar 2 comes with 19-inch wheels paired with Michelin’s PRIMACY 4 tires.
This is already a very large wheel size for the Polestar 2’s body, but if you feel like the visual impact is not enough, you can also choose to upgrade to 20-inch wheels.
If you opt for the high-performance package, you will get 20-inch forged wheels instead of the standard ones shown in the picture. At the same time, the brakes and suspension will also be upgraded accordingly, which we will talk about in driving impressions later.
The slow and fast charging ports are located on the left and right sides of the rear of the car.
Entering the cabin, you can feel that this is also a very well-designed interior.
The center console is divided into three sections from top to bottom, each with a different material and color. The infotainment screen uses a floating design. Although the large screen takes up most of the space on the center console, the designer did not destroy the original design. The air conditioning vents are not simply crammed below or on the sides of the screen, but rather placed in a unique position above the center console. As for the effectiveness of the air flow, it remains to be seen.
Below the center console screen, Polestar has a very practical storage space, which not only supports wireless charging for mobile phones, but also has two Type-C ports. It is very convenient to put phones or wallets here.
The design of the electronic gear shift is unique, and the damping feeling of the gear lever is very heavy. The surroundings of the gear lever are decorated with piano lacquer panels, which has a nice visual effect. However, it needs to be carefully maintained, or it will easily become a fingerprint collector.
The outer edge of the piano lacquer is designed with hollowed-out patterns, matching the light-colored wood panel below. When the interior ambient light is on at night, the sense of luxury is full. The only downside is that the concave design is not conducive to later maintenance and is very easy to collect small items. From here, we can see that in the eyes of Polestar designers, sometimes “practicality” needs to make sacrifices for “design”.
Of course, “practicality” is not always “sacrificed”. There is a cup holder behind the electronic gear shift lever, and there is also a small storage compartment under the central armrest.
In terms of materials, the real-time shooting vehicle in this article is equipped with a 50,000 RMB ($7,843 USD) option for the large barley-colored Nappa leather interior. The seat padding is relatively soft and has a certain degree of wrapping feeling. It also supports seat ventilation and heating. However, the option price of 50,000 RMB is not cheap.
Finally, let me introduce two unique designs of the Polestar 2.
The panoramic sunroof is available on many models, but the Polestar 2 has its own little trick. The central reading light on the roof adopts a suspended design. Behind this area, Polestar has designed a spotlight that can project the “Polestar” logo onto the glass roof of the car, which is very eye-catching for passengers sitting in the back seat at night or from outside the car, setting a stylish tone.
Polestar 2 features frameless rearview mirrors, which reduce the mirror volume by 30% and correspondingly decrease the wind resistance while maintaining the original visible area of the mirrors. The viewing experience from within the car is also stunning.
However, the space is not Polestar 2’s strength. First of all, Polestar 2 has a vehicle length of only 4606 mm and a wheelbase of 2735 mm, which is a compact car model. While there are no problems with the space in the front row, the space in the rear row is relatively cramped, especially for a person with a height of 178 cm. Nonetheless, the seats are overall soft and with some support.
Furthermore, Polestar 2 is a pure electric sedan based on the CMA platform. To be compatible with the structure of “fuel” and “hybrid” models, the battery of the pure electric model is designed in a T shape, resulting in a large hump on the rear floor. However, this does not affect much on the daily experience if using the car for 1-2 people.
In terms of storage space, Polestar 2 has designed many useful details.
Trunk supports 4/6 fold down ratio.
Storage space under the trunk floor.
There is a flip-up divider on the trunk floor, which can separate the space of the trunk. There are also some hooks on the divider and bungee cords for fixing.
Polestar 2 has a small front trunk that opens in the same way as the hood of a gasoline car, which is not very convenient. Therefore, it is more suitable for storing some items that are not used often. The floor below the front trunk is equipped with tire repair liquid, tow hooks, and warning triangles.
02
A Fun Car?
If we look back at Polestar’s history, we can find that Polestar is not a brand that originates from “cars”, but from “tuning”.
Polestar’s history can be traced back to the 1990s, when it started as a tuning brand for Volvo cars. Later, after being acquired by Volvo, it became an independent car brand in 2017. Therefore, “sportiness” is another characteristic written in the Polestar genes besides “design”.
Polestar 2 is the second model of the Polestar brand and also the first pure electric vehicle of the Polestar brand.
The first edition model we test drove uses two 150 kW permanent magnet synchronous motors, with a maximum output power of 300 kW (408 Ps) and a maximum torque of 660 N·m. It can accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 4.7 seconds, and is equipped with a 71 kWh battery that can achieve a NEDC range of 450 kilometers.
Meanwhile, Polestar also offers a “High Performance Package” priced at RMB 42,000. Don’t be too quick to say it’s expensive, as this optional package includes a set of 22-level adjustable Öhlins dual-flow valve shock absorbers, a set of aluminum caliper 4-piston Brembo braking system, a set of 20-inch forged wheels, and yellow safety belts.
To put it into perspective, a full set of Öhlins shock absorbers alone costs at least RMB 20,000. Therefore, considering the price, we strongly recommend that Polestar 2 users opt for this high-performance package.
Due to the limited test drive time, I only briefly experienced the driving performance of the Polestar on the track. I will briefly talk about the most impressive aspects.
In terms of power, the acceleration of 4.7 seconds may not be fast compared to other electric cars, but achieves a very “performance” result. Moreover, ESP can be directly turned off from the Polestar 2 infotainment system.
In terms of braking, the braking pedal of the Polestar 2 is slightly hard, but very linear. During intense driving, it is very controllable, and the driver can precisely control the braking force.
What surprised me is that not only can the regenerative braking force be adjusted from the Polestar 2 infotainment system, but also the creep mode can be turned off, achieving completely “one-pedal” driving. For electric cars, this can not only improve energy utilization but also greatly reduce wear and tear of the braking system. On this point, Polestar 2 has done a very pure job.
Regarding the suspension, the Polestar 2 equipped with the performance package comes with a set of 22-level adjustable Öhlins dual-flow valve shock absorbers. Drivers can adjust the softness and hardness of the front and rear shock absorbers from outside the car. Every driving enthusiast can tune it to the most suitable setting according to their own preference. In summary, this is a very fun suspension system.
03
New attempt on the infotainment systemThe in-car system is also a highlight of the Polestar 2, as it is the first car to use the Android Automotive OS for in-car system, which is the first in-car system developed by Android for driving scenarios. Moreover, Polestar has integrated localized applications such as Amap, iFlytek, and Huawei App Store into the in-car system. However, it is regrettable that the vehicle we tested was a prototype, and the software was not the final version. Therefore, we will not introduce too much here, but interested friends can refer to this article: Will the first Android Automotive system endorsed by Google become the biggest selling point of Polestar 2? | CES Asia (in Chinese).
Final Words
After seeing the exterior and interior of the Polestar 2, I spent a lot of time introducing the design of the car, because it is an extremely attractive model. When you see this car, your first thought is not how many kilometers the car’s battery can last or what its driving assistance capabilities are, but to quietly enjoy the car and find the small surprises that the designer left for you in its exterior and interior.
On Tesla, OTA updates can indeed bring many surprises, but these surprises are more “geeky”, while the surprises on the Polestar 2 are what I define as “tone”.# Polestar 2 – Finding a Blank Area in the EV Market
Returning to the rational level, let’s take another look at Polestar 2. With a length of 4.6 meters, a 71 kWh battery, a maximum output power of 300 kW, and a NEDC range of 450 km, although the data is not outstanding, Polestar 2 has hit Tesla Model 3’s weaknesses in interior workmanship and materials, and design, avoiding the traditional “long board” strategy. Polestar 2 has found a blank area in the EV market, satisfying consumers’ diverse preferences.
Author: 63
Editor: Daji
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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.