2024 Polestar 2 Dual Motor Review - Not A Smart Time To Be Sexy Anyway
2024 Polestar 2 Dual Motor Performance Plus Fast Facts
Like it or not, electric vehicles are part of our world today. While I shall never tire of the sweet sounds and scents of internal combustion, a number of forces are converging to make it entirely possible that we shall see the end of the traditional gasoline engine as we know it within our foreseeable lifetimes. We may grasp onto our fuel pumps with our cold, dead hands, but for those who appreciate buying and driving new cars somewhat regularly, we need to get on board with the alternatives.
And maybe sock away something with an engine in a place, far outside the wire, that used to be a farm. You know, something to keep as new, from a better, vanished time.
Anyhow, it’s rather interesting that while most of the auto industry has been veering toward crossovers and SUVs for the past two decades, the most popular electric vehicles by far are, functionally, sedans. While this 2024 Polestar 2 is technically a hatchback, most visual indicators would put this in the sedan category. The Performance Plus package fitted here even makes this a sports sedan, or even a hot hatch. Does this get a charge out of you?
Yes, the Polestar 2 is a Chinese-manufactured vehicle. Looking through lenses both geopolitical and labor-specific, this could be problematic. I know that there are a great many readers who will never consider this or any Chinese-built car for those reasons. But at least for now, it seems as if a great deal of the raw materials going into electric cars are coming from China - so there may be a minor carbon footprint win in assembling the entire car where the batteries are made. That may be a stretch, I’m sure, but there may be an argument to be made in that realm.
Now, if you look at this Polestar 2 through another lens - namely, my Japanese-made Nikon lens used in these photos, there may be another conclusion. It’s very hard to call this an aesthetically-appealing vehicle. The slightly-raised ride height, paired with the high belt line, low roof, and stubby tail are unusual design choices, though Polestar’s sister company Volvo was not often known for (P1800 aside) stunningly beautiful exterior styling. I don’t love the look of the Polestar 2. But after a few days of driving it, the design becomes familiar enough, and while it’s not sexy, it’s serviceable and quickly becomes anonymous.
The interior, too, unsurprisingly reminds of modern Volvos. This is less of a bad thing than the exterior, as the minimalist interior here looks elegant and feels quite good. My tester had the $4000 optional Nappa ventilated leather seats, as soft and as plush as you’d hope for from a nearly seventy thousand dollar car. Not that the price is all that extravagant considering the average price of a new car, really, and if you want a more affordable Polestar 2 you can get into a more basic single-motor rear-drive model for a bit over $50k delivered.
The rear hatch area seems–on paper– a bit cramped at just over 14 cubic feet, but it’s a very usable space, made even better by rear seats that fold. I kinda dig the sturdy folding cargo divider, seen here deployed, which kept a load of lasagna I was delivering to two score hungry high schoolers from sliding about.
The infotainment is all Google based as in most Volvos, but it seems to have improved since the last time I’ve used it. Controls are a bit snappier than I’ve experienced in the past. I still hate that I must use the central touchscreen for basically any HVAC control, however. Tell 12-year-old Chris that one of his biggest gripes about new cars when he’s middle-aged is the lack of buttons, and he’d look at the dashboard of dad’s GM10 Pontiac and laugh you right back into your time machine.
About that price - yeah, sixty-nine grand is a big stack of cash for a compact-to-midsized sedan. Remember, however, that this is the dual-motor variant that gives you extra horsepower over the single-motor (272 to 299 horsepower, depending on battery selected). The dual motor can either be 421hp or 476hp like in my Performance Pack tester. But adding motors and power saps the range, as expected. A single motor variant can handle 320 miles on a single charge, where the standard dual motor is rated for 276 miles. This performance trim steps down even further to 247 miles. But it’s quick and handles incredibly well for what it is. Polestar quotes 40 minutes to charge from 10 percent to 80 percent at 150kW, which seems in line with how the car charged for me at a nearby DC fast charging station.
The adjustable Ohlins dampers on the Performance Pack do a remarkable job of keeping everything planted, though the ride quality does seem to get a bit jiggly when the roads become especially Ohio-like. Oh, and you get yellow seatbelts when you spend the extra cash for the Performance Pack, too.
If I’m buying a 2024 Polestar 2, I’m not choosing the Performance Pack. I don’t even need a dual motor variant, as I don’t need the ability to street-race out of a commuter. A single-motor, long-range Polestar 2 gives me 320 miles of range for about $55,000 once you add the $2000 Pilot Pack which gives you adaptive cruise control and pilot assist (basically, lane centering). That’s an attractive price compared to the established competition. It isn’t sexy. But it does the family commuter thing quite well.
[Images © 2024 Chris Tonn/TTAC.com]
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Some enthusiasts say they were born with gasoline in their veins. Chris Tonn, on the other hand, had rust flakes in his eyes nearly since birth. Living in salty Ohio and being hopelessly addicted to vintage British and Japanese steel will do that to you. His work has appeared in eBay Motors, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars, Reader's Digest, AutoGuide, Family Handyman, and Jalopnik. He is a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association, and he's currently looking for the safety glasses he just set down somewhere.
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- Mustangbear I was a young engineer at Ford in 1991, feeling very privileged to work on a team located inside the proving grounds. I remember seeing a group of people clustered against the windows at the side of the building abutting the high-speed track. As I joined them, I saw they were watching two very sleek coupes take a couple laps. Minutes later, the cars were in our parking lot, and everyone rushed outside to take our first look at the undisguised 1993 Mark VIII.
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- El scotto No, no, and once again NO! Here in the metro D.C. Kia dealers are advertising Tellurides with cash on the hood. Here's what makes people laugh out loud: "1.9% financing for well-qualified buyers"! So maybe, and I'm being very, very, very generous here; maybe .01 of 1% of Kia buyers can at least fill out the paperwork to be considered well-qualified. They are all low curdogs, Kia North America, their dealers, and those willing to pay extra for something that depreciates.
- Bd2 So sad, "Anal" is in here posting as himself and then calling himself out after the fact while pretending to be me. The Telluride has it's share of minor issues but is the best SUV from a "non-premium" brand even with higher MSRPs, the sales keep on rising even in the 6th year of production. The next generation will bring greater size, turbo engines, 2 hybrid variants, further improvements to the premium feel, and a definitive infotainment and safety suite.
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If I compare BEV to professional portable workstations (15/16/17in heavier laptops), I'd expect to see 60-75% off ATP in 24-28 months and rapidly depreciating thereafter (the Precision 5530 I'm typing on MSRP'd for $3600 but Dell plays loose with corporate discounts and thus the $320 I paid is probably less than 10% of it's ATP).
Using Random1's figures as an example, current trading for his MY21 with those miles is $20,9 thus that's 36% of the cited purchase price but I assume out of warranty. This one example is in line with the depreciation of professional workstations, what will be interesting to see is if it continues and drops harder to 20% of ATP in the next 24 months. Stepping into one of these as a commuter for $10K doesn't seem very unreasonable, as I imagine the batteries were designed for a ten year lifespan.
Loved the Rush "Red Barchetta" reference.