[Review] Test Driving the Polestar 2 Full Electric Car in Singapore

alvinology

Jan 1

Earlier in 2022, Swedish electric car brand, Polestar, opened its first official location at 45 Leng Kee Road. The Polestar Space is a 210 sqm showroom offering sales, service and test drives of Polestar cars.

Founded by Volvo Cars and its parent company, Geely Holdings, Polestar was first established in 2017 as an independent Swedish premium electric performance car brand. Polestar enjoys specific technological and engineering synergies with VolvoCars and benefits from significant economies of scale as a result. The company is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, and the cars are manufactured in China. Polestar vehicles are available and on the road in fourteen global markets across Europe, North America and China, and now, Singapore.

I visited the showroom in Singapore to collect the Polestar 2 for a test drive and was given an introduction to the space.

Polestar Space in Singapore

Clean, minimalistic showroom design

The clean, minimalistic design of the showroom follows the ethos of Scandinavian design, reflecting the roots of the brand. Colours were kept to a neutral palette from organic materials like aluminium, stone and glass. The use of art lightboxes that changes periodically gives it the feel of an art gallery. On the display wall, you will get to see the material and colour samples of the Polestar cars, as well as a showcase of car components from both the Polestar 1 and 2 models.

An interesting fact - the digital screen and music at the showroom in Singapore are connected to the Polestar HQ so that there is a seamless syncing for all content across global markets. This will make an OCD person very happy.

Tiles to showcase the available colours for the Polestar 2

"With Polestar's striking design, impeccable build quality and attention to detail, we are confident that the Polestar 2 will do well in the premium EV segment." Shared Andre Roy, Chief Executive Officer from Wearnes Automotive, the official retail and service partner to Polestar in Singapore.

Everything is tucked away and hidden, but pops out upon a touch

With a focus on experience rather than hard selling, Polestar Singapore is staffed by Polestar Specialists who are available to assist with the ordering process, answer questions and coordinate test drives with the brand's Polestar 2 dual and single motor variants.

If you are interested to experience the Polestar 2 for yourself, you can schedule a test drive with them.

The Polestar 2 Experience

To be honest, this is only the second time I have driven an electric car, so it was an exciting experience for me to try out the Polestar 2.

The Standard Range Single Motor version which I test drove features a 170 kW/ 330 Nm electric motor and a 69 kWh battery pack. I was told that this is the most popular and relevant model for Singapore drivers, given that we typically do not drive for long distances due to the small size of our country.

The Long Range Single Motor version increases battery capacity to 78 kWh and features a 170 kW/ 330 Nm powertrain. The top-of-the-line Long Range Dual Motor variant features two electric motors and a 78 kWh battery, with a total output of 300 kW and 660 Nm.

Long Range Dual Motor	Long Range Single Motor	Standard Range Single Motor
Power	300kW (408hp)	170kW (228hp)	170kW (228hp)
Torque	660Nm	330Nm	330Nm
Battery Capacity	78kWh	78kWh	69kWh
Charging (11kW AC)	8 hours	8 hours	7 hours
Range	482km	542km	474km

For the Standard Range variant, a full charge will allow you to drive for up to 474km. Polestar recommends a 90% charge to preserve the lifespan of the battery. If you follow their recommendation, this will reduce the range to around 427km instead, still more than sufficient to last over two weeks for day-to-day driving in Singapore. I got by for a week without the need for a charge.

The pricing of the Polestar 2 is very close to that of the mass-market Tesla Model 3 with COE. Comparing the two is like comparing a premium Japanese luxury car brand to the entry-level model of a European performance car brand, with the Polestar Star 2 being the former and the Tesla Model 3 being the latter. We all have our individual preferences, but for me, I am drawn to the former more as the lifestyle aspect of driving is more important to me than just performance.

Driving A Full Electric Car

It needs some getting used to, but you will be able to pick it up very quickly and make the changes intuitively over a few days. One main difference is when you step on the accelerator and brake pedals - for petrol-powered cars, you control the car with the accelerator more while for the Polestar 2, you control it with the brake more.

To ease the transition, Polestar 2 comes with a driving mode that mimics how petrol-powered cars drive. You can switch on this mode and gradually adjust the settings as you get used to driving an electric car.

Overall, I like how quiet the electric car drives and there is this technology play to it all which geeks like me totally dig. The experience of driving a Polestar 2 feels closer to experiencing the latest iPhone or other lifestyle tech gadgets than just assessing how fast or powerful the car moves.

Oh and if you do not know, as electric car do not need a chunky engine to be concealed under the front bonnet, there is extra storage space at the front where the engine usually sits for a petrol car:

If you still need more storage space, the car boot is available as well:

The Exterior

The first thing you will notice about the Polestar 2 is the absence of just about any chrome bits or the likes of fake vent pipes and other for-show features, giving it a clean, futuristic look. I love the Scandinavian design principles applied to the Polestar 2, presenting a minimalistic, but well-conceived ergonomics to accentuate only the essentials.

Even the Polestar logo is seamlessly integrated into the overall aesthetics:

The rear end of the car is a real beauty with its signature single band of light, clearly distinctive from most other cars on the road.

The exterior of the Polestar 2 is clearly a head-turner for its beauty and rarity, given that the brand is still relatively new in Singapore, with a small adoption rate for electric cars here.

If you are one who supports the electric car movement for a more sustainable mode of transportation and does not want to be too showy about it with a Tesla, The Polestar 2 will be the perfect electric car for you.

The Interior

Climb inside a Polestar 2 and it exudes an understated luxurious feel, exuding premium charms but yet not overly showy with unnecessary bells and whistles.

The interior of the Polestar 2 is decked out in an eco-friendly vegan fabric, in-sync with its sustainability narrative. Wood, fabric and plastic are integrated together in a simple, yet artisanal way, presenting clean lines, a neutral colour palette and minimal switchgear. You will not find any unnecessary design features, keeping to the minimalistic design theme, with each of the necessary knobs, buttons or gears fitted in a way that is intuitive to find or use at first glance.

Technology is at the forefront of the Polestar 2 experience, with the car's infotainment powered by its own Google's Android Automotive OS, allowing you to sync up your Google preferences with the car. Instead of pairing your mobile to your car system, you log in directly with WiFi into the car's software. You can download native apps like Spotify and Google Map into the OS and control them directly from the touchpad.

Other tech highlights include the Polestar App. The app incorporates the Polestar Digital Key, which lets you lock and unlock your car, as well as access information like the car's battery and charging status on your mobile.

For audiophiles, you will be happy to know that the Polestar 2 comes equipped with harmon/kardon audio to deliver top-notch car audio:

There are also many nifty safety features such as adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assistance, collision warning and braking assistance system to keep you safer when driving. I found these features to be extremely useful when parking in small spots or at awkward angles.

For those who like to drive with some sunlight in the car, there is a glass panel sunroof which you can tune to let in some natural sunlight:

Overall, the Polestar 2 is a very beautiful car from the outside and the gives a cosy driving experience, with tech features that are intuitively and seamlessly integrated. It offers an excellent alternative for those looking to switch to a premium brand electric car, but want something different from what the market leader, Tesla, offers.

Pricing and Availability

The Polestar 2 is available with 3 variants, with prices starting from S$219,000 for the Standard range Single motor; S$236,000 for the Long range Single motor; and S$263,000 for the Long range Dual motor, with an additional S$16,000 add-on for the performance pack.

Book a test drive here.