2024 Polestar 2 First Drive Review: The Upgrade Everyone Wanted

If you've sat in a modern Volvo, the Polestar 2's interior, including the 11.15-inch portrait-mounted touchscreen running Google Android Automotive OS, will feel familiar. Standard equipment still includes an eight-speaker sound system, a Bluetooth-based digital key, and dual-zone climate control, but wireless device charging has been added for 2024. Just one update to the features list isn't problematic when the standard specification is as generous as it is here, with a 12.3-inch digital driver display, power seat adjustment, front, rear, and side parking sensors, a surround-view camera, and heated front seats. Safety assists are also numerous, meaning even the base model gets lane-keeping aid with steering support, road sign information, and forward collision warning.

No animal-derived products are used in constructing the Polestar 2's standard cabin, but sustainably sourced Nappa leather is available as an optional upgrade. Either way, all the materials look and feel high quality.

Our only issue with the Polestar 2's interior relates to the rear seating. Legroom is fine for tall passengers, but the curve into the roof puts taller passenger's heads close to the solid material, and sudden bumps can become sudden impacts.

Along with shifting the single-motor's drive to the rear wheels, it now delivers 299 hp and 361 lb-ft, up from 231 hp and 243 lb-ft. The Polestar 2 is still heavy, so while it's quicker than before, 0-60 mph comes in 5.9 seconds.

The second motor in the dual-motor setup is supplementary to the rear motor, and they combine to make 421 hp with 546 lb-ft of torque for all four wheels - also an improvement over the outgoing model. Zero to 60 mph comes in 4.3 seconds. This can be cut down to just 4.1 seconds with the Performance Pack optioned, as this increases horsepower to 455 hp. The Performance Pack also adds Ohlins dampers and bigger wheels and tires, but it isn't available for the single-motor version. When pressed, Polestar didn't want to say with absolute certainty it would be an option later on.

To get its 320 miles of range, the single-motor version gets a new 82 kWh battery, while the rest of the range uses a 78 kWh unit. The smaller batteries can charge using up to 155 kW of power, but the larger battery can accept up to 205 kW, with charging from 10-80% in 28 min for the bigger battery and 34 minutes for the rest. The automaker was keen to impress upon us that the new 82 kWh battery's carbon emissions during manufacturing are reduced by 1.1 tons to 5.9 tons per car due to improved cell chemistry.

As promised, the rear-wheel-drive single-motor version of the Polestar 2 has a whole new character on the road. Now that the front tires aren't doing the work of steering and laying the power to the road at the same time, it feels more nimble. Where the previous version would understeer, the new one is more inclined to hold its line under power and start pushing the rear end out. Whether it's more fun to push around a back road is a matter of preference, but to us, the new layout makes the single-motor Polestar 2 more sure of itself, whether just cruising or hustling a back road.

The extra power makes a difference beyond the 0-60 time being shorter, but it's mainly in the extra torque. Power comes instantly and helps dispatch slow traffic on shorter stretches of road where you may have held back before. Around town, the power has always been plentiful and instant, so there's no real noticeable difference.

Ride quality is comparable to the previous version, and it's perfectly comfortable and quiet for a relaxing drive while being firm enough to get a hustle on without pitching the driver and passenger around.

The upgrade in power on the dual-motor Polestar 2 is painfully apparent after driving the single-motor version. While the single-motor version is best described as swift, the dual-motor version is fast. The added power and traction and change in weight add up to something that doesn't hang around and will happily surge out of a corner with utter confidence. It's a joy to carve corners in with its sharp steering but predictable grip, and there's a ton of feedback to the driver through the chassis.

年代ome of that confidence comes from the Ohlins Dual Flow Valve dampers as part of the Performance Pack on our test car. They're a sublime upgrade to the vehicle in ride quality as much as performance, helping the Polestar 2 become one of the smoothest cars we've driven in 2023 - even on the big 20-inch wheels that are also part of the package, on top of the more sport-focused software tuning. Also part of the Performance Pack is a set of low drag Brembo brakes that have all the stopping power without feeling aggressive in day-to-day driving.

If you need outright range from an electric car and the Polestar 2 appeals at $49,900, then the single motor version is a solid option. It has plenty of power; it's smooth and comfortable but playful when pushed. However, if you don't need all that range regularly and the extra battery size and weight that comes with it, the dual-motor setup adds a ton of straight-line performance to the mix for a starting price of $55,300 - and according to the automaker, North American buyers get the Pilot Pack as standard. This adds a list of driver assists like adaptive cruise control, blind spot information with steering support, and rear collision warning mitigation.

When it comes to the Performance Pack, $5,500 seems like a lot until you've driven the Polestar 2 with it included - we feel the Ohlins dampers are worth the price of admission alone. Polestar is also offering a Plus Pack for $2,200, which includes a panoramic moonroof, a Harman Kardon sound system, WeaveTech seats with Black Ash deco inlays, an energy-saving heat pump, heating for the steering wheel and rear seats, and more. Whatever you add or don't add, the new Polestar 2 is a brilliant purchase.