In 2017, Polestar was separated from Volvo and continued as an independent brand of fast, electric cars. Yet the first model, the Polestar 1, resembles a Volvo like two drops of water and is not an electric car, but a plug-in hybrid. Is his special name worth anything after all?
We can assume that car brands do long and in-depth research before taking the big step towards a new brand, so it is clearly worth the gamble. It has to be said: those unknown logos give the Polestar 1 something mysterious. Young and old yawns at the car. The Polestar is certainly not loud, but due to the sleek, tidy and well-proportioned body, it is to the taste of a large target group. The voluptuous sides and clean lines are one-on-one taken from the 2013 Volvo Concept Coupé, but the grille and logos are of course new. Yet it is striking how Volvo and therefore Polestar lives in the Netherlands, because most bystanders know roughly what it is.
The 309 hp 2.0-liter petrol engine, like the automatic eight-speed gearbox, is transferred from the T8 Twin Engine models. Yet there are also major differences. Where the Volvos with the ‘Polestar Engineered’ label deliver a maximum of 405 hp thanks to the help of an electric motor at the rear axle, the Polestar is assigned its own motor for each rear wheel. Together with a starter / generator linked to the petrol engine, the total power comes to an impressive 609 hp, with a torque of no less than 1,000 Nm. Supercar-like values, but the weight is also impressive. The fact that the Polestar 1 weighs more than a full-size Range Rover in diesel trim, is mainly due to the battery pack. The unusually large capacity of 34 kWh for a plug-in hybrid, the 2,350 kg coupé can theoretically drive 124 km electrically. In practice, we got just under 100 km, still more than enough for most daily journeys and more than ever before in a hybrid. The batteries are tucked away in the middentunnel and the trunk and eat a lot of storage space in both places. Under the armrest you can at most store a pair of sunglasses, while the possibilities of the trunk with 143 liters are very limited. Still, opening the lid is a joy every time, because Polestar has turned the rear battery pack into a true feat; you see an illuminated shop window full of plugs and cables. And that’s not the only detail that makes the Polestar look like a prematurely escaped concept car. The unframed, fully adjustable exterior mirrors are also unique, as is the particularly beautiful way in which the rear seat is optically fused to the rest of the interior. The golden yellow belts, a typical Polestar joke, also provide a striking contrast.
Still Volvo
Despite the special and high-quality details, the Polestar interior is very Volvo. From an objective point of view, there is all little to criticize, but it is a pity that a car of this level can hardly be distinguished from a middle class sedan from behind the wheel. The differences get bigger while driving. The maximally boosted powertrain produces a nice ‘spacy’ sound during quiet driving and the steering and chassis are noticeably sharper than with Volvo. The at all times sturdy damping is adjustable, but for that you have to dive under the hood or the rear wheel arches. In electric mode, the Polestar with over 300 hp is powerful enough to smoothly through traffic, although you should not expect any violence. That violence only comes when things are put in ‘Power’ position and the gas is pressed full. The intermediate sprints in particular are dizzying, as is the infinite amount of grip. Even when accelerating out of a bend, the car is not fooled, partly because the two rear electric motors distribute the clear signal from the driver in an optimal way to the rear wheels. At the same time, the Polestar feels like the massive tech bomb it is. The car copes well with its overweight, but does not completely camouflage it.
Polestar is asking € 159,500 for its launch model. By default, it is so packed with amenities that you cannot order anything at all. The lack of seat ventilation is made up for by advanced driver assistance systems, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Exclusivity is also standard, because only 1,500 copies of the ‘1’ are built and the Netherlands is one of the first countries to receive it. The Polestar is guaranteed to remain special. Nevertheless, we find the added value of the separate brand somewhat questionable; the Volvo content remains high anyway. It is therefore a car for a select group of enthusiasts who are happy to pay for exclusivity. Fine, because that is how the car is intended.