Polestar 2 - Review, Specs, Pricing, Features, Videos and More

Evolution is the name of the game at Polestar.

The start-up brand is on the verge of greatly expanding its lineup here, not only with the upmarket 3 SUV, but the more compact and affordable 4. After that, it’s back into clear six-figure territory with two EV sports cars targeting no less than the Porsche Taycan.

But the Polestar 2 is the bedrock of the brand’s foundation here in North America. Launched in late 2020, the high-riding sedan has come in for a round of updates for 2024. Rather than a stylistic exercise, however, this mid-cycle freshening up focuses on tech and efficiency, with a major change under the skin of the entry-level Polestar 2 that’s unexpected—and welcome.

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The Polestar 2 premiered earlier this year, proving the Swedish upstart electric car manufacturer can produce a powerful sports liftback sedan that can go toe-to-toe with the big brands.

Now the company is selling a frugal single-motor version with improved range, different driving dynamics, and most importantly, a lower price tag. The company threw the new model’s birthday party in the sunny high-desert haven of Santa Fe New Mexico earlier this month. I got to pilot the entry-level Polestar 2 along the twisty mountain roads near Los Alamos National Laboratory, the birthplace of the atomic bomb and other world-changing technologies. Does this new Polestar 2 model also irrevocably change the world’s technological landscape? Keep reading to find out.

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According to Google, it’s 231 miles (372 kilometers) from Toronto to Detroit. The Polestar 2 is rated to 270 miles (435 km); the BMW i4, 282 miles (454 km). Easy peasy.

Managing editor Mike Schlee and I are driving to the Motor City for the autoshow. Not only is it about the same total time as flying, but it’s an ideal opportunity to showcase these two entry-level premium EVs. The Polestar 2 Single Motor and BMW i4 eDrive40 are the respective anchors of their brands’ all-electric lineups. They also buck the market’s SUV trend, two honest-to-goodness sedans that offer seating for five and sizeable liftbacks.

Are these two battery-powered four-doors worthy of their premium status? Will they stay true to their range estimates—and will the charging network cover for them if they can’t? We set off at the crack of dawn to find out.

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If you’re a new manufacturer wading into the EV market, do you build a car or a crossover? Polestar’s answer is “yes.”

The brand previously known as the in-house go-faster outfit for Volvos has ventured out on its own. As an electrified brand, Polestar started out with the ulra-rare Polestar 1, a pretty (and pretty complicated) coupe. For its next act, Polestar is targeting a much wider part of the market—and going pure EV to boot. The 2021 Polestar 2 splits the difference between cars and crossovers, with a unique form factor that drew plenty of looks during our week together. More than that, however, it offers a smooth-riding package with a novel user interface that could prove a harbinger for the industry.

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(Cue Jan Brady voice); “Tesla, Tesla, Tesla!” When it comes to a sporty, entry-level luxury BEV sedan, that’s pretty much the only game in town, and why not? The Model3 is, by most measures (and JD Powers nit-pickery aside), a great car.

But we’re so spoiled here in the First World, ain’t we? We like choices, especially when it comes to cars. After all, a car isn’t just transportation. If it was, we’d all be driving Priuses, ammiright? And there are folk like you and me out here who want an EV that’s somewhere between the “we don’t need you, hu-man” impersonality of the Tesla and the “are you wearing those shoes on my gas pedal” snootiness of the E-Tron. Something that has some of the cachet and reputation of a legacy brand, but with Tesla’s startup-fueled boldness.

That’s probably why Volvo (and Geely, the behemoth Chinese car company that bought Volvo from Ford in 2010) bought Polestar tuning in 2015 and leveraged it to become its 100% electric brand. We’ve covered the creation of Polestar – as well as tested its first product, the Polestar 1 – but seeing its first battery-electric car brings into sharp focus the differences between Volvo and Polestar, and why the new brand was necessary.

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