Only a few years after it hit the market in 2021, the Polestar 2 has received a series of updates for the 2023 model year, including new interior materials, new wheel options and paint colours, and a standard body-coloured roof panel.
It has a starting price of $58,950, but options quickly pushed the price of our tester to $74,590.
Most of that was from the three packages added: Pilot ($4,700), Plus ($5,700) and Ventilated Nappa leather seating with light ash trim in the cabin ($5,000). The remaining $3,000 was equally split between the Thunder exterior paint choice and 20-inch 5-V Spoke Black Silver alloy wheels.
The Pilot package adds extra safety features such as Pilot Assist, Cross Traffic Alert with brake support, 360-degree camera visibility and more.
The Plus option adds a premium Harman Kardon sound system, a really cool full-length panoramic sunroof – with an illuminated Polestar logo visible from inside – and WeaveTech seats.
The Plus option also adds an upgraded heat pump for the Polestar, helping to increase its range by about 10 per cent.
The one package our tester did not have was the Performance Pack, which adds even more power to the Polestar 2.
Powertrain: The all-wheel drive dual motor Polestar 2 has an estimated range of 418 kilometres thanks to its 78 kWh battery pack.
The cold winter weather will impact your actual range, however.
Power numbers even without the Performance Pack are pretty impressive.
402 horsepower and 487 pound-feet of torque mean the Polestar 2 can still get moving in a hurry and the vehicle is quick to respond to driving input.
The dual motor Polestar 2 can go from 0 to 100 km/k in 4.7 seconds, with a top speed of 205 km/h. Surprisingly, it also has a towing capability of 900 kilograms.
The driving feel can be adjusted via on-screen menus, where you can set the one-pedal driving sensitivity, steering feel and whether you want the vehicle creep on or off.
When it came to the one-pedal feel, I found the ideal setting was standard, which did a very good job of stopping the Polestar 2 effectively using the regenerative braking without jerking you around too much inside the cabin.
If you are looking for a start/stop button in the Polestar 2, keeping looking. The vehicle automatically turns on when your sit inside with the key fob, and will turn off by itself when in park and you exit the vehicle.
Exterior: The Polestar 2 is a nicely designed vehicle and I really liked the optional Thunder paint colour – essentially a dark grey.
The hatchback design leaves the Polestar 2 with very short front and rear overhangs, and it features clean lines that speak to the brand’s luxury status.
The design of the Thor’s Hammer feature of the headlights is replicated in the black trim in the front fascia.
At the back, a lightbar across the lower hatch lid unites the wraparound taillights in a very clean look.
And those optional wheels are a very nice way to cap off the exterior look.
Interior: Inside, the cabin is nice but not as luxurious as I would have expected. Hard surfaces abound, but the overall look is modern and it works for the Polestar 2.
The Nappa leather seating, by contrast, is super soft and comfortable and very much what you would expect of a model in this price bracket.
It is a very clean design, with almost no buttons in the dashboard or centre console as everything is digitized for the Polestar 2.
Oh and at night, the accent lighting in the Polestar 2 is on point!
A drawback to the hatchback design is a lack of headroom and legroom for passengers in the back seat, and there is somewhat limited storage space in the trunk area.
Infotainment: The brains of the Polestar’s infotainment system is Google, as the first vehicle to have Google Automotive Services built in. That means things like Google Assistant and Google Maps work together and can easily plot your drive taking the battery level and charging points into consideration when plotting the route.
The 11.2-inch vertical screen in the centre stack is nicely divided into four quadrants to display different menu functionality, making it easy to navigate through once you get used to the interface.
Drive: Like all EVs, the Polestar 2 is a very quick mover off the line. I found the handling of the vehicle to be decent and there were no issues driving on snow-covered roads. The suspension did a good job of keeping occupants well isolated from pavement imperfections, of which there are many in Montreal.
You can adjust settings for the Polestar 2 in the centre screen, including the steering feel to better meet your liking. Your options are light, standard, and firm.
Overall, the Polestar 2 was an enjoyable drive that definitely offers good power and is well set up to handle every day driving with gusts up to performance when called upon.
Conclusion: The upscale Volvo brand is slowly gaining in popularity and I came across several Polestar 2 models during my time with the vehicle. It’s easy to see why it is gaining traction.
2023 Polestar 2 Dual Motor
2023 Polestar 2 Dual Motor
2023 Polestar 2 Dual Motor
The styling is quite nice and definitely more of a standout look that some other luxury EVs on the market.
The dual motor version has loads of power and really good range numbers, aided in 2023 by the revised heat pump.
While I might have welcomed a bit more upscale materials in the cabin, the overall look and feel of the interior still a very good offering.
2023 Polestar 2 Dual Motor
Price as tested: $74,950.00
Freight: $2,300.00
Configuration: All-wheel drive
Battery/transmission: 78 kWh/ Single-speed automatic
Power/torque: 408 horsepower/ 487 lb-ft of torque
Estimated Range: 418 kilometres
Combined energy economy ratings (Le/100 km): 2.3
Warranties: 4-years/80,000 km (basic)
Competitors: Audi Q4 Sportback E-Tron, Mustang Mach-E, Genesis GV60, Volkswagen ID.4, Volvo XC40 Recharge
Website: Polestar Canada