Polestar is a subsidiary of Volvo Cars that produces performance electric vehicles. For the time being, the only vehicle they produce is this 2024 Polestar 2. For this model year though, it receives a few significant upgrades to make it an overall better EV than before.
Performance
Motor – The big change to the 2024 Polestar 2 is the placement of the electric motor on this long range single motor variant. Last year, it was powering the front wheels. This year, it’s powering the rear wheels. The dual-motor AWD variant receives slightly more powerful and efficient motors with total output now being 421 hp & 546 lb-ft of torque (314 kW & 740 Nm) without the performance package.
Getting back to this RWD single motor variant, there are two advantages to moving the motor in the back. You can find one of the advantages in the Handling section of this review with the other advantage being more power. The 2024 Polestar 2 RWD received a big bump with the motor now producing 299 hp & 361 lb-ft of torque (220 kW & 490 Nm).This extra grunt allows the 2,023 kg (4,460 lbs) Polestar 2 to accelerate from a stop to 100 km/h in 6.2 seconds and onto a top speed of 205 km/h. More than enough for a vehicle like this. Power is instant, like all other EVs, but you can drive this car smoothly around a bustling city.
Battery & Charging – Another change for the 2024 Polestar 2 is the slightly larger battery size. In Canada, we only get the “longer range” battery pack which is now 82kWh. The dual-motor variant is 78 kWh. This single motor P2 is rated for 515 km (320 miles) of driving range. However, in the infotainment system, it can display this standard range or a projected range. The projected range takes into account your driving style, climate control use, ambient temperature among other factors to provide a more accurate real-world estimated driving range. During the week of test driving this vehicle, temperatures were hovering around -10°C (14 oF) and with my driving style and heavy climate control use, I never saw the projected range go higher than 360 km (224 miles) when the battery was fully charged. That’s a pretty significant drop but at least it’s nice to know that it’s a little bit more accurate than the standard rated range. Additionally, I used energy at a rate of 23.3 kWh/100km (2.67 miles/kWh) during my time with the car.
It will take approximately 8 hours to recharge the battery from an 11 kW level 2 charger. Recharging speed for a level 3 DC charger has also been improved with the maximum charging rate now being 205 kW instead of 150 kW. Polestar estimates 10% to 80% can be achieved in 28 minutes at this higher rate. However, the dual-motor variant can only recharge at a maximum rate of 155 kW.
Braking – Unless you opt for the Performance pack which will add 4-piston Brembo calipers, the standard brakes on the 2024 Polestar 2 provide an adequate amount of stopping force. Pedal feel is progressive and firm without any odd pedal movement like in the Mercedes EQS SUV.
Like many other EVs, the Polestar 2 comes equipped with a one-pedal drive mode. You can select between Low & Standard regen braking. Low is similar to a strong engine braking mode and it will eventually bring the car to a complete stop. Standard smoothly and quickly brings the car to a stop and is similar to other EV regen braking modes. You can also select the creep function which will allow the car to creep, for a lack of a better term, at slow speeds or the car will stay stationary when lifting your foot off the accelerator pedal in the one-pedal mode.
Handling – The other advantage to moving the electric motor to the back wheels is improved driving dynamics. In very powerful FWD cars, the engine, or electric motor in this case, can produce so much torque that it tugs a little bit at the steering wheel. This normally happens under hard acceleration situations and the driver has to constantly fight against this tugging of the steering wheel. Additionally, all of the power is usually wasted with wheelspin.
Things are very different with a RWD vehicle. The front wheels only have to worry about steering the car while the back wheels provide the propulsion. It’s a perfect harmony. The RWD nature of this car lets you have a little bit more fun through corners. Upon corner exit, you can get the back end to swing out a bit. However, even with the ESC in Sport mode, the car will not allow you to lose complete control. There is no switch for completely turning off stability control. The car does feel fun to drive but the Jaguar I-Pace is still the king of fun among electric vehicles.
Comfort
Ride Comfort – The ride of the 2024 Polestar 2 is well balanced. It effectively absorbs bumps and road imperfections, offering a smooth and controlled ride quality. But it doesn’t feel overly soft to the point where it begins to feel floaty while driving on highways.
Interior Space – As per usual, front occupants have a lot of space. I am above average in height at 6’4” but I can’t complain about headroom or legroom. But one thing I will complain about is the hard plastic material to my right knee. Another thing I will complain about is the cupholder situation. There is one that is partially covered by the arm rest. Moving the arm rest back fully reveals it but then the arm rest is too far back to use properly. There’s also another cup holder when lifting up the arm rest but only smaller drinks will fit there and most likely if you close the lid, you’ll probably forget your drink there. Visibility is good out the front and side with a decent view over the left shoulder. Visibility out the back is a bit restrictive due to the roofline and it’s made worse by a person sitting in the middle seat.
In the back seats, space is a little on the tight side. Legroom is not too bad with my knees right up against the back of the front seat behind my driving position. But my knees don’t feel squished at all. However, headroom is to be desired with my head touching the back of the moonroof. Also, there’s a giant hump in the center which most other EVs don’t have.
In the trunk, the 2024 Polestar 2 has 407 L (14.3 cu-ft) of space behind the rear seats and 1,097 L (38.7 cu-ft) with the rear seats folded. A divider with grocery bag hooks can be lifted from the floor and underneath the floor is just empty space for the charging cable. There’s also a little compartment under the hood that accommodates 33 L (1.2 cu-ft) of space.
Noise, Vibration, & Harshness – The interior of the Polestar 2 is well-insulated, minimizing external noise and vibrations. This contributes to a quiet and serene cabin environment, enhancing the overall ride comfort. The Polestar 2 doesn’t have any funky, futuristic EV noises to elevate the driving experience.
Odds and Ends
Pricing – This long range single motor version of the 2024 Polestar 2 starts at $54,950 CAD ($49,900 USD) which makes it eligible for government rebates. Up to $9,000 here in British Columbia. The dual motor version will cost you $63,950 CAD ($55,300 USD) but it is not eligible for rebates here in BC.
Gadgets – The Polestar 2 comes with a large 11.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system powered by Android Automotive OS but it also allows for Apple CarPlay connectivity. The system supports over the air updates and has some elements of Volvo’s version of the infotainment system. For example, the temperature controls are accessed the same way and through the touchscreen, not individual buttons. But the graphics and the menu design is a bit easier to navigate around than Volvo’s version. The layout and the settings are large and simply laid out.
The Polestar 2 does not have a push button start and instead is just like a Tesla with the car ready to go as soon as you put it into Drive or Reverse with the fob in the car. There’s also heated seats in all four corners, a heated steering wheel, wireless phone charger pad, surround view cameras, power liftgate, and the moonroof.
Interior Design – Like the Volvo of which this Polestar 2 is based on, it has a minimalist interior design that is dominated by the infotainment touchscreen. You’ll be hard pressed to find any physical buttons. There’s one on either side of the steering wheel, a knob for radio volume, and the button for Park. Everything else is controlled by the touchscreen.
The materials are a mix of gloss black plastic which attracts fingerprints and scratches and the rest of the materials are “vegan” with no animal-derived products. But you can option the Polestar 2 with leather upholstery if you want it instead of the standard embossed textile upholstery.Overall, it is a good looking design but like many other EVs, having commonly used functions buried in the touchscreen can be distracting while driving, especially over a bumpy road.
One design that I really don’t like about the interior has to do with the moonroof. Normally, I don’t mind them in cars because I can close the blind but this one doesn’t have one. It’s also not tinted enough like the moonroof in the Ford Mach-E nor does it have electrochromic glass like the BMW iX. So on really hot days, it can feel like a greenhouse inside the Polestar 2 which means the climate control has to work extra hard which in turn uses more battery electricity.
Exterior Design – The 2024 Polestar 2 looks like a sedan but it is based on the same platform as the Volvo XC40 crossover. So it is a bit larger on the outside than a more traditional sedan. It has elements of Volvo design with the daytime running lights which double as the turn signals. I do like the rear light bar and the side mirrors which are almost frameless and it’s something I haven’t seen in any other car.
Safety – Being based on a Volvo vehicle, the 2024 Polestar 2 is equipped with a wide range of active and passive safety features. Some of these features include a full suite of airbags and high-strength chassis, automatic emergency braking, blind spot sensors with rear cross traffic alert & braking, lane keeping aid with lane departure warning, and oncoming lane mitigation to name a few. One of the most impressive driver aids is the Pilot Assist that is also found in Volvo vehicles. It is not a hands-free system but it does provide gentle steering wheel inputs to keep the car centered in a lane and reduce driver fatigue. It also incorporates the adaptive cruise control and can operate from a stop up to 130 km/h (80 mph).
Warranty – The 2024 Polestar 2 is covered by a 4 year / 80,000 km new vehicle warranty. The battery is covered by an 8 year / 160,000 km warranty so long as the battery’s state of health doesn’t drop below 70% during that time. For more information on Canadian warranty, click here. For USA warranty information, click here.
Conclusion – The updates that the 2024 Polestar 2 receives make a good EV into a better EV. However, this electric car is not good in any one specific aspect, such as interior space or driving dynamics, but it’s an all-round good EV.
Thank you to Polestar Cars for providing the vehicle www.Polestar.com
2024 Polestar 2 Gallery
