First drive: 2022 Polestar 2 in the UAE

You may have already heard of Polestar. The performance wing of Geely-owned Swedish carmaker Volvo has now become a standalone brand, building electric vehicles. The brand recently partnered up with Al Futtaim Automotive to bring Polestar vehicles to the UAE. Their first order of business has been the introduction of Polestar 2 to our shores, set to take on the Tesla 3.

The Polestar 2 is built in China but its Swedish roots are evident. It sits on Volvo’s Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform, which is also used on the Volvo XC40. The front-end design almost has a Volvo look, minus the grille emblem. But while at initial glance it may look like a sedan, it is a 5-door hatchback. You will also notice it sits slightly higher than regular sedans.

The Polestar 2 can be kitted up with two different packs. The Plus pack includes items such as a Harman Kardon audio system and huge panoramic sunroof, while the Performance pack focuses on driving characteristics, and adds Brembo brakes, Ohlins dampers and 20-inch forged alloy wheels.

The base model Polestar 2 comes with a standard-range single motor with 69 kWh battery. This produces about 231 hp and has a range of 470 km. Then there is a long-range single motor model which gives about 540 km range.

The top model is fitted with a 78 kWh battery sending power to two electric motors located in the front and rear axles, and with a range of about 480 km. It is an all-wheel drive system and produces 408 hp and 660 Nm of torque. This is enough to send it from 0 to 100 kph in 4.7 seconds and can hit a top speed of 205 kph.

The test car we drove was the dual motor setup, and as expected with electric cars, acceleration was instant. The electric torque will push your head back every time you put your foot down and will have you grinning like a toddler.  There is no delay in the throttle response, and overtaking manoeuvres on the highway was a breeze.

We were driving the Plus pack so the suspension was setup more towards comfort, soaking up the bumps well on the road. The optional Performance Pack would’ve allowed the dampers to be manually adjusted to your liking.

Still, body roll was minimal during higher-speed turns. Steering feel is pretty much non-existent but there is a nice bit of weight and it increases stiffness as you go faster.

Another interesting thing about electric cars is the regenerative braking. The Polestar 2 has three modes for this — off, low and high. With the setting in “high”, you can pretty much drive while hardly having to touch the brake pedal, even coming to a complete stop at low speeds when you ease your foot off the throttle pedal.

The cabin is very quiet, with no fake engine noises from the speakers, and road noise is very low as well. Wind noise crept up only at speeds above 100 kph.

The interior is quite a minimalistic design. The frameless side mirrors are a nice touch. One of the key features is the 11.2-inch screen infotainment system with software provided by Google. The home screen is split into four quarters, showing Google Maps, Google Search, phone and media controls. Access to functions such as drive modes and cameras can be accessed through shortcuts. The climate controls are touch-operated as well, which may look good, but not the most ideal to use while on the move.

The car uses e-Sim for data usage which is currently not available in the UAE. However you can still access Google Apps by connecting your Android phone. One of the cool features in the navigation is it can set your route for the best efficiency, which might not be the quickest way to your destination but saves you the most battery energy.

The Polestar 2 we drove had the wetsuit-inspired “vegan” fabric interior option, but customers can opt for a leather interior as well.

The glass roof certainly gives an “airy” feel inside. There is no cover for it but Polestar assures us it blocks out heat and UV rays quite efficiently.

The Polestar 2 is a well-built car, especially when compared to Tesla, and certainly helped by its connection to Volvo who have been building solid automobiles for a long time. It looks good, drives well and is certainly quick. They have entered this market at a good time as petrol prices continue to soar.

The price of the Polestar 2 starts at a very competitive Dhs 161,900. The top-of-the-line Performance Pack model with the long range dual motor setup costs about Dhs 253,900. You can have a closer look at the car at their new pop-up store in Mall of the Emirates.

Check all the prices and specs in the Polestar buyer guide.