· The first entirely new car from Polestar...
The first entirely new car from Polestar...
Overview
Polestar started life as a performance arm of Volvo, and if you’ve ever
seen bright blue Volvos with silver wing mirrors, you’ve been looking at a
Polestar version of a Volvo. Then, in 2017, Polestar separated from its parent
and became an electric performance brand, utilising Volvo underpinnings, design
and interiors for its first car: the 600 horsepower hybrid GT, the Polestar 1,
which made its global dynamic debut on the Goodwood Hill at the 2018 Festival
of Speed presented by Mastercard. The smaller, more mass-market pure-EV
Polestar 2 arrived soon after, but the Polestar 1 was delivered to customers
first, in early 2020.
A few startling facts about Polestar 1 before
delving into the detail. It costs £139,000, just 1,500 were produced globally
and it is not available in right-hand-drive. It uses a 2.0-litre super- and
turbocharged engine driving the front wheels combined with electric motors for
the rear. That means it’s a hybrid, which seems a strange way to launch a
pure-electric brand… However, the battery is good for 78 miles on electric
power only, at motorway speed, making this a peculiar hybrid which is unique in
being genuinely useable as an electric car.
We like
·
Beautiful steering, with positive torque vectoring
sharpening the drive through corners
·
Substantial electric range for a hybrid
·
Beautifully-appointed cabin
We don't like
·
Mechanical suspension thuds through broken surfaces
·
Uses a Volvo-derived design, could be mistaken for
a two-door S60
·
Not available in right-hand-drive
Design
The Polestar 1 is a collector’s item, with some amazing details. Then
again, it uses a design which launched the new face of Volvo a few years ago;
some at first glance might mistake this £139k super GT for a two-door S60,
which you really wouldn’t want.
The back wall of the boot has a glass window
running its width with the orange wiring for electric propulsion on display,
and backlit at night. Under the bonnet, there are beautiful gold metal knobs
for manually stiffening the dampers on the mechanical suspension while the rear
suspension is accessed under the wheel arches.
Performance and Handling
Electric propulsion suits this unusual GT. For a start, it gives out
1,000Nm (740lb ft) of torque off the start line. That’s enough to dig to
Australia. Silent driving enhances the sense of the futuristic and luxury
elements, which this car needs to feel sufficiently worth the price tag. We
didn’t mess around through the foothills outside Florence, or on the
autostrada, and comfortably covered 90 miles before the engine kicked in and
the digital graph showed the battery depleted. Put your foot down and the car
just keeps gaining speed with no pause for breath, the two induction aids
smoothing over any gaps in the delivery.
For manual drive mode selection, a silver rocker switches the powertrain
between hybrid, electric only and engine always on.
The steering is beautiful, with positive torque
vectoring sharpening the drive through corners. The cut-glass crystal
transmission selector feels satisfying in your hand. That mechanical suspension
is a brave move in a car that is meant to float over continents, and it thuds
through broken surfaces, but feels pliant at speed.
Interior
The cabin is beautifully appointed: everything is
black apart from two cream leather seats, with yellow seat belts. The small
rear-seat head rests are surrounded by polished chrome. There is a white LED
strip running along the doors, frameless wing mirrors and a glass coupe roof.
Technology and Features
In terms of onboard technology, the Polestar 1 is a
Volvo: on the driver interface you have the brand’s typical touchscreen with
options for Spotify, sat-nav, radio, USB, temperature and the usual, and same
knobs, starter switch and steering wheel.
Verdict
It’s a very strange car, the Polestar 1, offered
first to get the ball rolling for the brand and garner some much needed profit,
by sharing parts with Volvo, to spearhead the arrival of Polestar 2. Is it
worth the money? More than likely. It is a unique driving experience, and given
how few were made it’s likely to hold a solid fanbase for many years to come.
Specifications
|
Engine |
2.0-litre,
supercharged, turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid |
|
Power |
313PS
(309bhp) @ 6,000rpm 600PS
(441kW) @ 5,200rpm (326PS (240kW) engine peak, 232PS (170kW) electric motor
peak, 71PS (52kW) Integrated Starter Generator peak) |
|
Torque |
1,000Nm
(738lb ft) @ 2,600-4,200rpm 520Nm
(384lb ft) @ 2,600-4,200rpm engine peak, 480Nm (354lb ft) electric motor
peak, 161Nm (119lb ft) @500-2,500rpm Integrated Starter Generator peak) |
|
Transmission |
Eight-speed automatic, all-wheel-drive |
|
Kerb weight |
2,350kg |
|
0-62mph |
4.2
seconds |
|
Top speed |
155mph |
|
Fuel economy, EV range |
403.5mpg,
77 miles EV range |
|
CO2 emissions, charging time |
15g/km,
60 minutes to 100 per cent with a 50kW rapid charger |
|
Price |
£139,000 |
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