by Richard Lane
27 October 2020
What is it?
This is the Polestar 2 without the optional Performance Pack fitted to every example of this slick and very quick electric notchback that we've tried until now.
Let’s go straight in and first talk about what you don’t get, should you forgo the package. (If you’re unfamiliar with the Polestar 2 in general, you can catch up by reading our experiences driving a prototype in Sweden, our first taste of the car on British roads or a head-to-head with its closest rival, the Tesla Model 3.)
Most noticeably, you don’t get the supercar-spec 20in forged wheels with gold valve caps, the gold Brembo brake calipers or the sizable drilled discs they grip. And no doubt, without these, you also lose an appreciable portion of the 2's concepty visual clout.
Neither do you get the high-gloss black roof panel, nor the gold seatbelts, although interestingly the lovely panoramic roof is standard. This is just as well, because I suspect the cabin would feel a little too cosy without the skylight, as Polestar surely knows.
Most of all, by choosing not to have the Performance Pack, you go without the vaunted Öhlins dual-flow valve dampers, which are manually adjustable and paired with stiffer anti-roll bars and unique spring rates.
Öhlins, if you don't already know, is the Swedish brand whose expensive kit is frequently found on racing cars and supercars such as the Lamborghini Aventador, although it has also recently announced remote-reservoir dampers for intrepid Suzuki Jimny owners. In short, the Performance Pack dampers are anything but ordinary.
As for what you gain for resisting all that bling, there's a slight increase in ground clearance and therefore ride height, because the standard passive suspension uses longer springs than the Performance Pack suspension. You also get the standard 19in wheels, which aren’t so attractive but do wear tyres that are more generous of sidewall, which ought to improve the finer elements of the ride quality.
Last but not least, you’ll save yourself £5000.
As for interior, gold seatbelts notwithstanding, the two cars are entirely the same and, depending on your trim choices, there really are some lovely finishes available. The wood in this example imparts an especially warm atmosphere.
Now, the differences. You could argue that losing the lightweight 20in wheels and firmer Öhlins suspension drains away some steering feel, but there’s so little true feel either way that this is barely worth mentioning. The steering is accurate and sensibly geared, and that's it.
The big change is found in the character of the ride. It probably isn’t too simplistic to say that, for 90% of most people's day-to-day driving activities, the standard 2 is going to be the better option.
The Performance Pack dampers can deliver moments of magic, especially at speed, when they can cradle all 2048kg of the car's immense bulk so deftly that you would swear it were at least 300kg lighter.
Yet even before you consider the range-sapping implications of putting your foot down, this simply isn’t that kind of car. It’s not something that begs to be hustled, and the Öhlins dampers only really begin to deliver their unique brand of supreme cushioning and control once you really get going. Otherwise, there’s simply not enough load going through the hardware.
It means the Performance Pack merely enhances the 2’s occasional party piece, which is to move startlingly fast and with superb agility, but does so at the expense of everyday appeal. Even with the dampers set to their softest ‘click’ (which involves removing the rear wheel-arch liners), vertical suspension control is more reactive than necessary when you simply want to get from A to B and the low-speed ride conspicuously reactive unless the asphalt is conspicuously smooth.
Should I buy one?
Yes – if you like Polestar’s style and have the money to spend, although you might also consider the Tesla Model 3, which benefits from the Supercharger network.
However, think very carefully about going for the Performance Pack. I know: you need the pack to get those magnificent wheels, but if you’re doing plenty of mainly sedate miles, you will probably thank yourself for passing up the Öhlins dampers. They’re very good, but they knock the dynamic package slightly out of balance and, in all honesty, you’re unlikely ever to move them out of the softest setting. The 2 may have the spec-sheet numbers, but it's no sports car.
So, the real question is: just how badly so you want those forged wheels and gold calipers?
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