The Polestar 2 has been updated for 2023. Is it any good though and can it beat its main rivals
Exterior – Front
So, lets start with the styling at the front and to be honest most of it is the same but Polestar have updated one big part that changes the whole look of the car. This is the grill. Gone has the black textured grill and in its place is this body colour panel that polestar calls the SmartZone. This hides all of the sensors and cameras that the Polestar needs for its safety and assistant systems. They have also made the car look more modern by doing this as it now looks like the upcoming Polestar 3. Everything else is kept the same. This means we get the same LED Matrix headlights with the thors hammer daytime running lights. We also get the same bumper with a normal central air vent and some side vents housing the fog lights.
Exterior – Side
Moving round to the side of the Polestar 2 and you will see that there are no changes. We did get some changes back last year as another update and that brought some new wheel and colour options. These have been carried over and in all it does make the car look more modern than before.
Exterior – Rear
Moving round to the back of the Polestar and to no surprise there are no changes. So, what do we get then. Well, we get some modern taillights with a lower lightbar which makes this car look unique. We also get this sporty looking bumper which is also very minimalistic. Finally, we also get a little top lip like spoiler to give this car a sporty look. Right, lets have a look at the new battery and motor options that the Polestar 2 ‘Facelift’ sorry update gets.
Car and engine specs and price
So, the biggest update to the battery and motor options is that now like the closely based Volvo XC40 Recharge it is rear wheel drive. With this there are some new figures as Polestar have tweaked the setup to make it more efficient. To start with the Standard range single motor gets a rear-wheel-drive setup and 268 bhp with a 0-60 time of 6.2 seconds battery size is 69 kWh giving this car a range of 330 miles. Next up is the long-range version which has slightly more power at 295 bhp which lowers the 0-60 time down to 5.9 seconds and the battery capacity has been upped to 82 kWh. The range of this model is now 406 miles which is very close to the Mercedes EQS. Next up is the long-range dual motor which is 4-wheel drive but rear wheel drive bias. This has 416 bhp and it can do 0-60 in 4.3 seconds with a range of 367 miles. You can also get this version with a performance pack which adds even more power. It is now 469 bhp, 0-60 in 4 seconds and a range of 352 miles. The only disappointing thing is that the top speed is limited to 127 mph on all the models. The price of the Polestar 2 stars at £44,950.
Interior – Design
So, moving inside the Polestar 2 and you are welcomed with a very familiar setup if you have owned a polestar 2 or even any Volvo. In front of the driver, we get this sporty looking steering wheel with some buttons on that are physical. We also have a digital instrument cluster, and this partially brings me on to the infotainment system. This is because the instrument cluster and infotainment system run Android Automotive. This means that the infotainment system is android based so you have your google play store, google maps, and google assistant-built in. to be honest this is the best setup that you could have. It makes it much easier using the car and google maps is much better than any other navigation software. You can also listen to YT Music or Spotify if you wanted to. Graphics are very crisp and clear, and the layout and software is very easy to use. The centre console also is quite sporty, and it makes you feel cocooned in the car as it is quite high. You do get some storage underneath it and there is a cup holder and some more under the armrest. The dashboard is also very modern and minimalistic with some nice premium materials. Talking of premium materials these Volvo seats are very premium looking and use vegan leather. Let’s have a look in the back seats.
Practicality
So, practicality in the rear is very good. Legroom is more than enough for a 6-foot person sitting behind a 6-foot person. The only downside is the headroom. Whilst it is ok for a 6-foot person, any taller and your head will touch the ceiling of the car. You do get an arm rest and some air vents though. You also get 2 USB C rear charging ports and rear heated seats. Let’s have a look in the boot.
Boot Size
So, opening the boot, rather than it being a saloon like its Tesla Model 3 rival, it is a hatchback opening. This makes it easy to load big items in. the size of the boot with the seats up is 405 litres which is less than the Model 3 but like I said it is easier to get items in. with the rear seats folded it extends to 1,095 litres. With the polestar 2 you also get a front boot. This is only 35 litres in size which is much smaller than the Model 3 but it is still enough to store your charging cables in.
Summary
So, what do I think of the Polestar 2 then. Well, it has always been an impressive car and these updates help make a great car even better and more modern which its extending list of rivals. Is this just an update or is it a facelift. Well moving the car to rear wheel drive from front wheel drive does make it a big update and more of a facelift doesn’t it.
Exterior 5/5
Interior 5/5
Practicality 4/5
Total 14/15
Model | Polestar 2 Long Range Single Motor |
Engine | 1 Electric Motor 295 bhp, 0-62 = 5.9 Secs |
Trnasmission | Automatic |
Price | £48,950 |
On Sale | Now |
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