Although Polestar may not be a brand familiar to many Australians, it is time for a change. The company has created an all-electric car that is by far the closest competitor to the Tesla Model 3.

Australia really lacks good options for electric vehicles, and all the necessary boxes need to be carefully considered. Fortunately, Polestar 2 has done a lot right and is ready to stand up and be counted.

The Swedish design is eye-catching and has a wide range. Although performance does not occupy the first place, it is lively enough to satisfy any ICE owner who upgrades to it.

After sitting in the driver’s seat of the Polestar 2 Long Range, Dual Motor in the past week, it’s time to detail how it competes with market leaders and tell you whether you should consider using this EV for your next car.

As we move to electric vehicles, the front end of the car is undergoing tremendous changes in response to changes in the cooling requirements (no radiator) of the front end that no longer requires airflow through the grille.

The front-end design of Polestar 2 is confident but not aggressive, combining a chicken-style grill, some very sexy headlights, and of course the Polestar badge.

In terms of design, I almost agree that the appearance of this car is more attractive than Model 3, and I agree. Compare with the headlights of Model 3, they look like they are attracted by children, while the eagle eyes of the prey in P2 are eagle eyes.

Compared with the smooth lines of the M3, while creating an attractive front end, Polestar did accept compromises in terms of aerodynamic efficiency and final range, because the angle of the car creates greater resistance.

I think if you ask 99 out of 100 people whether they are willing to give up a few kilometers of mileage to get a better looking car, the answer is yes, but if you give up 10% of the mileage, the answer may be different.

These headlights use a Y-shaped design. When the car is powered on, the owner will see a light show animation from the headlights. It is certainly not unique to Polestar. Companies such as Audi have been doing this for years, but this is a welcome party trick, supplemented by animated taillights.

When driving at night, you don’t need to worry about the road conditions, these headlights are very bright and have automatic dimming, but sometimes I have to manually dim for oncoming vehicles.

Polestar 2 uses a traditional door handle. After basically everyone who gets on the car has to explain the Model 3 door handle, familiar things are really good. This is a double-edged sword, because the part protruding from the side of the car interrupts the key part of the air flow and creates resistance, which is why we see so many electric cars equipped with flush door handles.

Interestingly, Polestar 1 (hybrid car, just finished production) also has flush door handles, as does Polestar Precent (the concept of future cars). This makes me wonder why Polestar 2 has Volvo-style door handles, and engineers clearly know that they are not conducive to the range ambitions of electric vehicles.

Since there is no need to deal with all the components of the internal combustion engine, the all-electric car has extra space at the front end, called a front truck or frunk. Given the Polestar 2's long hood (or hood), I expect a fairly spacious space to increase storage space.

Unfortunately, when I opened the hood, the area was quite small compared to the top of the Model 3, and the area covered by the plastic cover was large, so I would like to know what caused this to be usable, but not completely Spacious space.

There is a small area on the top, but I'm not entirely sure what its purpose is. Its shape is very strange. Apart from a few bottles, I can't think of too many things I put there.

The trunk itself will hold a backpack, not more, partly because of the shallow depth, which is caused by hiding the emergency roadside tool box under the false floor of the trunk. This was a popular add-on feature in early Tesla cars, but it was then removed and then sold through their store as an option.

The trunk seems to have received more attention, and there are many powerful features that Model 3 does not have. First, there is a trunk divider that can be lifted up to separate the trunk (or suitcase) to prevent your groceries or purchased items from walking around while driving.

The touch of the elastic band and grocery hook at the bottom of the partition truly reflects the car owner's daily use of this car and the extra attention to this kind of practicality. There are some serious hinges combined with anchor straps that allow this divider to stand upright at 90 degrees. Even if you lift it up, you can easily put a suitcase behind it.

Then we move to the side of the boot, which provides a cargo net on one side that can hold any loose objects in the bay when you circulate at a speed of 60 km/h. On the passenger side, you will find another elastic strap to hold more items.

If you think this is enough, think again, Polestar has been moving forward, and this is a real credit to the engineers and designers working in the boot space. There are many fixing points in the boots, some are used for the top fixing points of the baby seat, but others are just there in case you need them, and they are affordable and really popular.

You can also forget that you need to buy any third-party LED lights to increase the lighting of your luggage. The attached lights are very bright to ensure that you can see and retrieve anything you need from the space.

When putting luggage in the suitcase of Polestar 2, shopping or shopping, the hatch-style opening makes it easy, although the suitcase of Model 3 does appear deeper. Like Model 3, there is another compartment hidden underneath. Since there is no exhaust system from the ICE vehicle, the EV also provides another compartment.

This area in Polestar is not rectangular, which indicates that they are working around components, but it is enough to store 240v charging cables. Again, this feels deeper on Model 3 and the shape is more practical. Some accessory manufacturers have even created built-in bathtubs to make bringing cold drinks to parties a breeze.

After all, the storage space of Polestar 2 is really enough for a family with 2 adults and 2 children for a weekend. It is certainly not an SUV class that can support a week of travel and many holiday indulgences, but it is indeed very tolerant.

When you need to charge the car, you can use the included charger at home, or go to the DC fast charger. The car can be charged at a speed of 120kW and can be charged from 10% to 80% in a short period of time. Hour.

Given that the vast majority of electric car owners charge at home every day, DC fast charging may be of less significance to some or many potential buyers, but it does mean that you will stay longer than competitors such as Models on road trips. Time 3 supports up to 250kW, or the new Hyundai Ioniq 5 supports up to 350kW.

The charging door is located in the left rear (passenger side) panel and can be opened manually by simply pressing it. There is no option to open the charging door, truck or trunk on the screen, but there is a button on your key to open the trunk.

When you want to end the charging session, just press the button next to the charging port to terminate the charging. Once the light changes, you will know that it is now unlocked and can be removed. For most chargers, this position will work, but in some cases, you may need to stay on the rear bumper all the time to ensure that the cable arrives.

Big rims and big brakes

The basic model of Polestar 2 is equipped with 19-inch rims, but the top model (reviewed) is equipped with 20-inch forged wheels, which actually has a truly modern and attractive design, and is lighter and stronger than typical wheels. These are not conventional aerodynamic wheels optimized for every last mile, but some form rather than function.

These rims also show the world your super big four-piston Brembo brake calipers. Due to the extra weight of the battery pack and the rapid acceleration available, it is important to match the performance with the correct braking force. As far as Polestar 2 is concerned, it feels that their braking force may be a bit too much, but I'm really happy they did it.

Although there is no track mode in the software, if you bring it to the track on weekends, I doubt you will have a better stopping distance. The gold brake calipers, gold valve stems and gold seat belts are all matched to ensure that everyone knows that you paid for the quality (or at least the performance package).

You might be wondering the ride quality of 20-inch wheels... Fortunately there is good news here. The ride on the Polestar 2 is great, very comfortable, and there is not much body roll when turning at high speeds. There are many factors to achieve this goal, but for Polestar to achieve this goal, I suspect that they must have borrowed some time from Volvo engineers with many years of experience, which shows.

Another interesting design is the decision to put a label on the door to let everyone know the performance specifications of your car. The label says "Polestar 2, a pure electric car." 78 kWh/300 kW.

I think some people will hate this and will delete it immediately, while others may see it as a unique attribute that other car manufacturers should copy. Personally, if it is not a sticker (or vinyl) and is actually painted on the door, I would prefer it, but understanding the cost of doing this does mean that it will not be removed anytime soon.

Perhaps the best option here is to provide the user with an option at checkout, but there are some logistical challenges in terms of delivery, which means that automakers don’t actually want the vehicle to be unique in order to be able to replace the vehicle and avoid long one Months of delays new cars were manufactured and shipped just in case something happened along the way.

Although the side profile of most cars basically has 3 window parts, Polestar 2 has only two. The back door glass is the end of the story, it removes two pieces of glass, thus achieving a cleaner appearance design and lower cost. Given that these windows never really provided much visibility, their removal here feels like a victory.

The feeling of climbing in Polestar 2 is very different from any other vehicle I have ever ridden. The combination of materials gives you a very welcome feeling. Polestar chose to use sustainable materials in the interior structure of the vehicle, rather than plastic, and you will find textured fabrics on door panels, dashboards and center consoles. The only really hard surface is the area around the display and gear selector.

Part of the shift to electric vehicles is to increase environmental awareness and reduce emissions, and the choice of this material is certainly in line with this mission. These fabric items are easier to recycle, so at the end of the vehicle's life, most of them should be recycled (including batteries).

When you are in a car, an important part of how you feel is the seat. They are really comfortable and have some supports around you to hold you in place when turning at high speeds. These are certainly not racing barrels like Focus RS, but they do a great job and can hold you firmly, so when your right foot gets heavier, geforces come and you won't slip.

These front driver and passenger seats are heated and electronically adjusted, and equipped with wood controls. You can also manually adjust the length of the seat base, which helps to reduce the pressure on the calves and better distribute the weight, which is especially suitable for taller occupants.

The driver's seat profile is stored in memory, using one of the 2 physical buttons on the lower part of the driver's door. It seems that Polestar only needs 2 drivers instead of processing these driver files (and seat positions) in the software, which will benefit more drivers. This may be added with future software updates and can allow teenagers to learn from the driver, or in a work environment, multiple employees who drive the vehicle on a regular basis can be associated with each mobile phone paired with the driver's profile.

The steering wheel feels good in your hand and puts you in a dominant position above the vehicle. Although adjustments have been made on the Y-axis and Z-axis, this is done manually, which feels like a step backwards, once you use the electronic adjustment, but if you want to save money, this is not a bad place to do it .

The disadvantage of not using electronic adjustment is that the wheel position is ultimately another driver’s preference, which cannot be saved digitally and adjusted automatically every time a new driver enters. If you buy this car and plan to be the only driver, you will have a great time without worrying about this, but if your car has multiple drivers, this can become annoying.

There are a series of buttons on the steering wheel and some fairly regular sticks, making it a fairly familiar experience, I believe many people will like it. Buttons with label icons are self-explanatory, such as the voice button that starts Google Assistant, which is ready to accept your voice request, but you can also simply say "Hey Google" without pressing any buttons, which is actually a transcendence Provided by Tesla.

There are many buttons on the steering wheel, which require trial and error to figure it out. On the left and right sides of the scroll wheel, you will find a plus pad, up, down, left, and right.

The left side focuses on cruise control. It took some driving to understand the different arrangements of how adaptive cruise works in Polestar 2, but the basics are like this. Press the center button (left) to activate the adaptive cruise control set at your current speed. Press the plus or minus sign (top/bottom buttons on the left) once to increase the set speed by 5 kilometers.

Although it is not marked, you will find that the right button activates Pilot Assist. This will be described in more detail in the "Features" section of this review. The 2x button on the right is closest to the central airbag (and horn) and can adjust the following distance between you and the vehicle in front. If you want to release it at any stage, you just need to lightly apply the brakes or press the cruise control button again.

The right side is actually to control your audio, manipulate the volume up/down and move the tracks in the playlist left/right.

At the bottom left of this button array, you will find a button that changes the appearance of the binnacle display in front of the driver. This allows you to hide or show the map on this monitor. If you already have Google Maps installed on the larger monitor, it certainly doesn’t make sense to install the map on both monitors.

After posting some photos of Polestar 2 on social media this week, I did receive feedback from some people. To my surprise, the car at this price does not have alloy pedals and is considered to be higher-end than the ordinary black pedals found here.

There are certain expectations to play at this price, so I understand this point of view, but I do think that your feet cover the pedal most of the time you are in the car, so if you have a few dollars you can save and invest in the battery , This is my choice.

As soon as you get on the Polestar 2, you will notice that the center console is very tall, higher than most cars, although it is quite common by sports car standards. This extra height is the result of Polestar's decision to place the battery in a configuration similar to a transmission tunnel.

This configuration has many effects, especially on the footwell at the rear of the vehicle. The passengers in the middle did not get that good flat floor experience, but had to cross the battery tunnel, which was unfortunate.

The center console has some nice tricks and some compromises. First of all, the amount of storage in the cabin is very limited, because this console has enough space for phones and drinks instead of many other things.

I have detailed some questions about the wine glass holder in the "Questions" section. If you want to know more, please jump there, but in the end, the daily driving experience is good, but long-distance trips with multiple people drinking may become a problem. If You happen to have a passenger in the middle of the back row, then the drink that opens the armrest to support the passenger will be placed on their lap, which is not a good solution unless Polestar really only needs 4 passengers.

The door pocket can support a slender bottle, but it can only be placed horizontally, so this means that things like Boost juice with a semi-safe lid will definitely be eliminated.

Although the angle of the phone charger on the Model 3 allows you to read the phone screen, perhaps to monitor notifications, Polestar takes the opposite approach, eliminating all the temptation to peek at the phone while driving.

Although I appreciate the 2 USB-C ports on the top of the console for charging, I am disappointed that there is only enough space for a wireless phone charger. The only other storage space (outside the glove box) is the small slot on the side of the console, roughly large enough to hold a cell phone or face mask (modern).

After driving Model 3 as my daily driver for the past few years, I never really missed the display directly in front of me, but after using Polestar 2, I really appreciate it. It's really convenient to see at a glance.

The reason Tesla can really escape without this fee is Autopilot. When I drive, it will read the speed sign, so it can automatically set the cruise control speed to the current speed zone. This means that the time I spend monitoring speed is very close to zero.

The main display is definitely the central display, which is placed vertically and runs Android Automotive (different from Android Auto).

Although this is definitely the first car I have experienced with the software, it can also be found in Volvo XC40 Recharge and the upcoming Cadillac Lyriq and many other ICE vehicles.

Recently, companies with hardware and software stacks have done a good job of providing an excellent customer experience. When asked about this, Polestar stated that they worked closely with Google in this regard and described the experience as a partnership, not just as a customer.

The operating system now feels rather rudimentary, hidden like the settings button I often need, and the PM (Profile Management) button appears on the top layer. Going home can only be done with a swipe up gesture, which can also serve as a better Layer 1 button.

The good news is that Google’s services are working well, Google Maps, Google Podcasts, Google Assistant, all of which combine to provide a good experience, and any Android user will immediately feel comfortable here. When you enter the Play Store, you will find dozens of applications, many of which you have never heard of and will never install.

The puzzle part is here, but only through a lot of work to stimulate the developer community can produce the expected results, and this requires a potential source of income. There are some developers who started to develop new platforms very early, such as A Better Route Planner and Pocketcasts, etc. Both applications are in the testing phase and sometimes crashes do occur, so when the car is expected to ship early next year, I expect these early issues will be resolved.

In general, the touch screen is fast and responsive, and the standard panning around the map test is very effective. There is even a game, yes, it will be disabled when your car is in motion.

In the main interface, the application is divided into 4 quadrants, and the lower left corner is dedicated to the phone. However, there seems to be a complete lack of message support while driving. With the intelligence and powerful features of Google Assistant, this seems to be a feature that should lead the industry.

Both the car and my Android phone (Pixel 6 Pro) are listening to "Hey Google", and I did find that they are responding to requests, so this should also be resolved, I think this is a problematic face that iPhone users will not.

There is not only one but also two digital displays in the cabin, and sometimes you need to adjust the brightness. Adjusting one at a time can be very troublesome, and you may want to adjust them at the same time. To solve this problem, Polstar added a traditional dimming roller in front of the driver's right knee, which is a good solution. I wonder if this should also be a digital option in the central touch screen.

The gear shift of this car is done through a rather unique Polestar gear shifter. It is like a hollow diamond, placed within the reach of your left hand. To start, just sit in the car (close the door, fasten the seat belt), put your foot on the brake and change gears. From here you are ready to accelerate to leave.

It is easy to choose between Drive, Nuetral and Reverse, and it feels very natural to turn at 3 o'clock after a few days of use.

I did find that my brain expects to move forward, and I need to push the gear selector forward and backward to reverse gear, but it works (and is labeled) the opposite. Although it is not the most intuitive, the effect is very good, and the car reversing display reversing camera is displayed on the display screen.

Both drivers and passengers can enjoy the world around them in the stunning greenhouse provided by Polestar 2. The car is always well-lit, and with a panoramic glass roof, you will experience more of the world.

In the city, you will see the architectural design of the surrounding skyscrapers, in the countryside, you will experience the green canopies hanging over the road, and at night, you will appreciate the twinkling planets, stars and the moon above.

This top model, the long-range AWD variant, can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 4.7 seconds, while the lower-level model takes 7.4 seconds. Although these performance numbers will not threaten the best performance of Model 3 (0-100 km/h time is only 3.3 seconds), they may still completely blow away the transition of most ICE vehicles.

In terms of endurance, the long-distance FWD Polestar 2 has a very healthy WLTP rated cruising range of 540 kilometers. Compared with our dual-motor version, the performance is higher, estimated to be 480 kilometers, and an entry-level bicycle can provide a driving range of 440 kilometers. Toll. Any purchaser of an electric car will quickly realize that the rated range almost never reflects real-world driving conditions.

Although some test standards are better than others, in view of our different combinations of city and highway driving, different speeds, different climate control settings, and different locations (environmental temperature is important), our driving style is great Not the same, your mileage may vary, which is an understatement.

What I can tell you is that at the moment I entered Polestar 2, I took a picture of the display. It said that the battery power is 98% and the estimated cruising range is 398 kilometers. If you drive more cautiously, you might be closer to the advertised 440 kilometers, but I bet that most people who buy this model will enjoy more pressure than the minimum pressure required for the right pedal.

Personally, I would go home and see the people who live in a remote town about 130 kilometers away. With the available range in Polestar 2, you can travel back and forth on a single charge.

Another trip I take several times a year is from Wodonga to Melbourne. The length of this journey is about 350 kilometers. For this reason, a stopover at Euroa is definitely required for two-way charging, which will add a bit of time to the journey. Given that humans may need to stop every 2 hours to refresh, drink a cup of coffee, eat lunch or eat a snack, then the car is likely to be completed and waiting for you.

Although people may think of challenging the cruising range of this car, in fact most of us drive less than 50 kilometers a day, and the cruising range here is enough to meet 95% of daily/weekly driving needs.

When it comes to charging costs, you can usually think of it as about one-third of the cost of charging during off-peak hours and charging at home, and half of it can cost you as little as $12 (based on energy prices of about $0.20. Even per kilowatt The fastest charging option at $0.40 is still much cheaper than gasoline or diesel, helping to achieve a sustained cost that is much lower than that of electric vehicles.

When you really need to charge, you basically have 3 options. The most common is to use the included 11kW/hr charger overnight trickle charger. This is the slowest option, but it is also the cheapest, because installing a charger in your garage is free. When traveling, you can take it with you as a backup so you can charge it at any power outlet in the country.

The next step is fast charging. Fortunately, the situation in Australia is changing rapidly. Third-party charging networks such as Chargefox, Evie Networks, and NRMA are launching charging points with a charging power of up to 50kW, and in many places, charging is free.

The third one is really designed for road trips, you need to recharge as soon as possible. Every electric car has a maximum charging rate, so even if you drive to the fastest 350kW charger, it will not harm the battery. Polestar 2 supports 120kW DC fast charging, which means that the car can be charged in about 40 minutes using the CCS2 port of the rear quarter panel.

Although this maximum charging rate is much lower than that of new cars such as Hyundai Ioniq 5, it is usually enough and will not be a problem. Staying here or there for 10 minutes will hardly break the deal.

Thanks to Harman Kardon’s 13 speakers, the audio system in Polestar 2 sounds great. It's hard to say that it is as good as the Model 3's highly regarded sound system, but it is there, and any car owner will definitely be satisfied with it. The system consists of 150mm full-range speakers in each rear door, 100mm midrange speakers in each front door, 19mm tweeters in each front roof pillar, a 100mm full-range speaker in the dashboard, and finally It consists of a 200 mm speaker. Air woofer under the hood.

Most of my audio experience is using Spotify, using Google Assistant to call up playlists and songs. This is a great place to listen to music, and podcasts sound great. For those looking for the best audio quality, this may be achieved through the Tidal app, but that is to say, as far as I know, none of my friends or family members have subscribed to the service, most of them are on Spotify.

One of my favorite audio quality demos is to play movie trailers from the latest Hollywood blockbusters on YouTube, but surprisingly, although Google makes Android Automotive, which runs the infotainment system of this car, and YouTube, But there is no YouTube application available. There is also no Netflix, and if there is one, the vertical screen may start to feel a bit awkward, with huge horizontal black bars at the top and bottom of the video.

After all, Polestar's audio sounds great, and you may be very happy, but there is a caveat. Indicator noise.

I'm not sure how the average car manufacturer makes a ticking sound when you turn on the indicator light, but what Polestar does is very different from any other car I've driven. When you turn on the indicator light, it sounds like a simulated noise generated by the speaker. At first I thought the speaker was popped up, but now it has the same indicator sound in two different Polestar 2s. This is obviously by design. . The click sound is almost distorted, not something futuristic or delicate. In fact, I think the traditional sound, using traditional methods will get better results. If it is indeed produced by the sound system, they may add some configurability to this in future updates, but I will not hold my breath for this.

There are many high-end cars that provide a 360 (or true top-down) view of the car, and Polestar also provides this feature. Obviously, there is no magical drone flying above the car to create it. Assembling various video sources from cameras around the car and creating a simulated 360 view around the car is a kind of technical magic.

I noticed from the week of using it that although the rear camera view was previously selected, the car likes to let you into this view whenever you reverse the car. In the top-down bird's-eye view, you can see things next to, behind, and in front of you, but the video source is so stretched that the objects in the shot are not clear at all. When reversing from our lane, I know that my wife’s SUV is behind the car, but in this view, all I see is a black rectangle on the screen, so although I know there are some solid objects that I don’t want to hit, I I don't know from the 360-degree panoramic camera that it is a blue SUV, it may be a car waiting for me to move.

Switching to the rear camera solved the problem immediately. The quality of the camera is amazing, the field of view is very good, and it is clear that the object behind is a blue SUV. The other cameras under the rearview mirror and the camera in the front grille can also be switched. Personally, I don't need a side-view mirror to park, but I appreciate that this may help avoid roadside rashes on the wheels. It does take a second or two to click on the 360-degree panoramic camera, and then select the appropriate camera, so I hope you are not in a hurry. A more intuitive operation is to automatically display the camera according to your turn signal.

The front camera is great for seeing directly in front of you, but there is a large window through which it is rarely used. I suspect that the most common use case is when you return to the car after shopping, you don’t remember if there is a parking space in front of you, so you confirm with your camera, and then drive forward out of the space where you would have been reversed. I'm glad this is available, but I can also do without it.

Many new Tesla owners report that they have missed the blind spot indicator in the side-view mirror in their previous cars. Polestar borrowed Volvo's technology here to include the blind spot indicator system (or BLIS) in the car. When there is a car in your blind spot, this diagonal line on the outer edge of the rearview mirror will light up, and it will attract your attention when you glance at the rearview mirror before changing lanes. This technology has saved many side collisions and will be welcomed by many people.

Tesla is going in a very different direction in this regard, offering automatic lane changes as part of its FSD upgrade package (additional AUD 10,100). This uses computer vision from the camera to determine if there is enough free space to merge, and only merge in a safe place. This eventually shifts the responsibility of changing lanes from humans to computers, and after using it, it is reliable and accurate, and fundamentally eliminates the need for BLIS, despite the additional cost.

Polestar's response to Tesla Autopilot is Pilot Assist. It uses a combination of camera and radar technology to lock the driver in the lane and automatically adapt to the vehicle ahead. I am really grateful that I have owned this car for a week because my evaluation of it will be poor in a few days, but after using it more, in more scenarios, I am really touched. Pilot Assist can track the route very well, there will still be some ping-pong phenomenon, it runs very well on the highway. Not only is it capable of handling many turns, but I have never trusted it like Autopilot.

Some of the remaining questions come from some inconsistencies in the location where Pilot Assist is provided. Sometimes it won’t drive on a road with the same structure and speed as the road I used to successfully use it a few minutes ago (80 kilometers of two-lane lanes with well-painted lane lines).

The good news is that this can be used not only on highways, but also around towns. I have successfully used it even in areas with paint lines at 50 km/h. What I like about this system is that it does not disengage the moment you turn the steering wheel. If the car is not positioned exactly where you want on the lane, you can almost guide the car. One of the best properties is that when you change lanes, you can use it, just instruct and make changes, and then it will automatically recover. This is in sharp contrast to the Autopilot included in Tesla, which allows you to disengage, change lanes, and then manually reengage. On long-distance trips that need to surpass slower cars, this will quickly become obsolete, and Tesla’s only solution to this is to purchase an FSD package.

Overall, in the context of the Level 2 driver assistance package, Pilot Assist has left a deep impression on me. Although Polestar is providing over-the-air updates to the vehicle, it seems unlikely that we will see a significant improvement in these features throughout the life of the vehicle, so you need to be satisfied with the content provided today. For long trips along the Hume Highway, this will be a lifeguard, making hard driving easier. All this is to reduce the driver’s cognitive burden so that if an accident does happen where they need to take action, they will do so more vigilantly, because they have not spent up to 2 tons of time dying in the past 3 hours The machine will not deviate from the lane to enter oncoming vehicles.

When getting in a car or any other electric car, the first thing you should do is to enable 1-pedal drive. This uses the car's regenerative braking to slow the car's speed and capture kinetic energy and push it back into the battery while reducing inertia. If you are driving in town, this will definitely help expand your range. I find that the standard regenerative setting is comfortable and effective in slowing down the car. Unless you ask another driver to do something unexpected, you can basically drive the car with only the accelerator and almost no brakes. For those who are not too concerned about the optimization range, you can choose to reduce the amount of regenerative braking, or turn it off completely.

This has another advantage, that is, your brake pads are much less used than ordinary ICE cars, which again means less maintenance costs, and the brake pads have a longer service life between replacements.

Although 1-pedal driving does take a few days to adapt, human adaptability is amazing. Once you start to act, it is difficult to use traditional technology to drive, which then becomes foreign experience.

For automakers, you are faced with a very difficult choice. Do you commit to adopting a third-party solution like Google’s Android Automotive that can keep up with the pace of innovation in the mobile sector, or try to own the entire stack. Each method has its advantages, but it is clear that Polestar believes that their ability to add value to the ownership experience is not to build an operating system, but to design an experience that runs on the platform. Polestar said that they have worked closely with Google on Android Automotive and they have been able to customize the experience for Polestar customers.

When you promise to use other people’s software, you do accept their specific release schedule, so if Polestar wants to make changes at a low level, such as how the network or Bluetooth stack works, then they may need to wait for updates from Google, Then reapply their customizations before testing and shipping to customers. And vice versa, if Android Automotive becomes a popular platform for many manufacturers (much like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay phone clones), then Android will be released, with features consumers want, and then have to wait to see OEMs apply its configuration and The time required for the update.

This is a delicate balance, but as a consumer, today’s experience is effective. Play Store provides the ability to install 3rd party apps (although the choice is small), which is a step forward that Tesla offers today step. Applications such as A Better route planner or Pocketcasts may be successful on such a platform, which has been adopted by multiple car brands. Once there are enough audiences and a reliable source of income, Android Automotive can indeed become a good platform.

I really want to know how many iPhone users will be scared off by this concept, even though they should not be scared off. Android Automotive will connect to your phone via Bluetooth in exactly the same way as Android. Given that most Apple users may also have a Google account (via gmail or YouTube), this is not a problem for many people. For new users of Google services, registration is free.

Google Assistant is really the star of the show here. You can simply enter and say "Hey Google", basically you will ask any questions about Google Home or Android phones, as well as some vehicle-related questions and commands. The integration with the car is very good, being able to use "Hey Google, set the temperature to 20 degrees" to adjust the climate control temperature setting. I really like that you can start Google Assistant without pressing a button, although you can use the buttons on the steering wheel. 'Hey Google' is more convenient and can be used by all passengers. It is great if you park and the kids behind want to change the music.

I want to see them speed up the time between pressing a button or saying "Hey Google" and the system responding. It feels close to the second delay before you hear the beep and see the visual cue that the car is listening to your commands. At that stage, you may have started to provide it with a destination to navigate to. If anyone at Polestar has driven a Tesla, you will know that the moment you press the right scroll wheel, the car is ready to accept your orders, so let us speed up Polestar, it will make this feature great ,marvelous.

The core premise of the Android operating system in Polestar 2 is centered on the 4-pane design. Navigation (and games) in the upper left corner, Google Assistant and Range Planner in the upper right corner, My Phone (no messaging application yet) in the lower left corner, and the music application you are currently playing in the lower right corner. Many of them have shortcut buttons that can link you deeply to the app, such as the location of the charger on a map tile, or a contact on the phone app.

I find it strange that the icon selection at the top. Driver Profiles is in the upper right corner, but you almost never use it, so it feels like someone on that team had a Red Bull half before that decision meeting. The settings are hidden in the lower column of the application screen, I think the DP shortcut should be used to switch.

The other thing is that there is no home button, which confuses many people, so if you are looking for this, just swipe up from the bottom of the display. This does allow you to use climate control, heated seats, heated steering wheel settings, etc. Swiping down from the top of the display will take you to notifications, many of which require authorization to be useful (i.e. play text messages).

Overall, Android Automotive has shown promise and flexibility in a variety of aspect ratios. On this vertical screen of Polestar, it works well, but it requires more applications.

Polestar Mobile App-Digital Key

Unfortunately, this is one of the product areas I haven't tested because the car will not be officially launched in Australia until early 2022, but the features listed in the Polestar app are quite obvious and I expect it to work as advertised. You can Connect your phone to your driver profile, which means you can unlock the car, check the charging status of the car, and more with just your phone.

When I started driving an electric car, I no longer carried my keys. In the past 2 years, the payment has really been transferred to my mobile phone, as well as my keys, which frees my pockets (just need Victoria’s digital ID and the wallet will follow). I'm really happy to see Polestar understand the owner's experience and list it in the list, tick as many items as possible to provide an excellent ownership experience, and the digital key is undoubtedly an important item.

There are many driver preferences saved in your profile. When you use the Polestar app to unlock the car, (basically get into the car) your car will remember you and return to the playlist, app, volume you previously selected And settings.

This is a technique I didn't expect. If you fold up the beverage tray of the rear seat, raise the headrest in the middle, and fold the fabric curtain, you will find a door. If you enter the trunk, you will find that you can open that door and reveal an opening between the trunk and the second row. This tunnel can be used to store longer items (presumably to accommodate the designer’s skis during a difficult day in the Swedish Alps). In Australia, we are more likely to carry such items on the roof rack, especially In a beautiful high-end vehicle like this, I suspect someone will go to bunnings and buy some 4×2.

12V in the rear seats and trunk

The last feature I want to discuss is the 12v power option in the rear seats and luggage compartment. Although some people hope these are more USB ports, there are many 12v accessories, and I can see myself using the one in the trunk to charge my drone when driving between different locations. One of the rear seats is under the vent. If you have a 5th occupant, I can see that the length of the 12v adapter used here may be a problem, but Polestar seems to really want to usually have 4 at most. The 12v connection is a good whole, and what surprises me is that there is no other one in the trunk.

Obviously, Polestar has done a great job in the design of this car, and almost everyone who saw it commented on how good it is. In other words, it is not perfect.

Although most of the design is meaningful to me, I think there is one aspect that can be better solved. This is the area where the hood meets the front door. The body color is integrated into the black edges of the door and window frames, which looks better if the hood is bent down to meet the top of the door. This is certainly not a deal breaker, but a strange solution that brings these components together.

After living with a car for a week, you will indeed notice something less obvious. This is definitely a small difference, but it is worth noting. When you adjust the seat position, there are actually two aspects-the horizontal position of the base and the angle of the backrest. In Model 3, I can adjust these two at the same time, while in Polestar, these need to be done one at a time. When you think about this, pressing the button ultimately calls the software to order the actuator to adjust. So what is the programming method of Polestar, which means that these requests need to be sequential, not parallel?

In fact, this also works when you switch between driver profiles, the chair first moves forward or backward, and then the backrest adjusts accordingly. Although this may never happen to some people, I have actually used these controls at the same time in my Model 3 semi-regularly to move the passenger seat and backrest forward to prevent my daughter from kicking the front Seat. It just takes longer in Polestar, I don't know why.

On the center console, you will only find a cup holder, unless you open the armrest to provide passengers with a second. Although this method does solve the problem of both drivers and passengers drinking, it does feel like a huge compromise. Folding the armrests back not only means that there is not enough room for passengers in the rear (especially anyone in the middle), but it also means that you have lost the center armrest.

This is in contrast to almost all other vehicles, which begs the question, why would anyone design it into their vehicles?

After sitting in the car one night of the week, I noticed that the seat was actually entered from the door, and I wanted to place it this way to increase safety. Then I started measuring. It was found that the edge of the seat of Polestar 2 was about 4 cm from the door. Then I measured the Model 3 with 2 cup holders, and when it was blown away, I found that it actually had a gap of 5 cm.

I also measured the distance from the center of the console to the outside of the door. The two cars are almost the same, about 90 cm. This means that there is really no good reason for this design decision, which is really puzzling, why someone would choose form instead of function to achieve this very important aspect of livability.

If you ever sit in the middle of the back seat, your comfort will be affected. This is the reality of most cars. Of course, it wasn't until we started to see completely flat floors in electric cars designed with skateboards.

Polestar's method of arranging the batteries is completely different. The battery tunnel used basically runs through the entire length between the motors. This explains why the position of the console is much higher than other cars, and why the bump on the rear floor still exists. If you are upgrading from a car with this feature, this may not be a big problem, but it does feel like a missed opportunity.

The battery capacity of Polestar 2 is 78kWh, while the battery capacity of Model 3 LR/Performance is 75kW, these extra batteries really need to go somewhere. When cleaning a car, the flat floor at the rear is great, allowing ordinary vacuum cleaner heads to fly directly over the surface.

This again shows that this car is indeed a 4-seater vehicle in most cases.

Polestar will copy one of Tesla's other important attributes and sell directly to consumers, skipping dealers. This means you will be able to customize your Polestar2 on the website.

In terms of pricing, Polestar will land at a very competitive price.

The cost will vary from state to state, but the online design center is now live on the Polestar website. For reference, the Victorian lane data is as follows:

In New South Wales and Victoria, both single-motor versions are below the $3,000 tax refund threshold for electric vehicles, as well as significant stamp duty savings.

Polestar 2 also offers 3 option packages:

These prices are indeed competitive, especially when compared to the market leader Tesla Model 3. Price alone does not explain all the problems. Range, acceleration, technology and charging options all play a role in the decision-making process.

There is no doubt that if there is no technology like Pilot Assist, the appeal of this car will be greatly reduced, so I strongly recommend that although the performance package may be a bit too steep for some buyers, it will definitely change the car. The visual effect, with larger wheels and brakes.

Unfortunately, things like panoramic roofs are not included by default, because this alone is enough to be a reason to upgrade to Plus Pack, and of course wireless charging should also be included.

If money is not a problem, and you use all 3 option packages (such as our evaluation unit) to maximize the use of the car, then you will see a price increase of the remote dual motor 69,900 5,000 6,000 8,000. The total starting price without on-road costs is 88,900 Australian dollars.

In contrast, Tesla's Model 3 Long Range goes one step further, with a driving cost of A$79,047 including Autopilot. This made the decision to choose Polestar 2 instead of Model 3 LR, which is a design choice, not a choice of performance and range.

If you decide to get the basic price option, standard equipment includes:

In terms of color, our evaluation unit is white, which Polestar calls "snow", and according to the ambient lighting, the real appearance is indeed quite different. Polestar 2 also has magnesium, thunder, moon, midnight and void.

Inside the car, interior choices include charcoal embossed textiles with 3D etching, zinc embossed textiles with 3D etching, Slate WeaveTech with black and gray decoration, Charcoal WeaveTech with black and gray decoration, or ventilation with reconstructed wood decoration Napa leather barley.

Polestar will offer the option of adding a tow bar, which is suitable for towing payloads up to 1500 kg.

In my opinion, the products assembled here by Polestar and Polestar 2 will undoubtedly attract many people. The designers at Polestar should take a big step forward because the things they create are impressive. Since I drove a Mustang, I have not seen so many people turning around and pointing at a review car. Even my Model 3 did not get that kind of attention.

After a week of driving, it is clear to me that this is the closest thing we have seen to a Model 3 competitor. Although it does not have a performance or range crown, it offers a very different design while maintaining all important metrics. Competitiveness.

From the bold appearance to the minimalist interior, technology and reasonable price (according to today's EV standards), Polestar 2 is ready to stand up and be counted.

When it was parked on the truck, I thought it was weird, like I would miss this car, even though there is a faster EV in the garage. I really believe that if Model 3 does not exist, it will be my next car.

Some people will never buy anything made by Elon Musk, while others will be attracted by Volvo's pedigree. Once a family decides to use an electric car in the next car purchase, the list of electric car options available in Australia is still very small, so I really appreciate that this will be launched in February 2022.

No matter what motivates you, Polestar 2 is definitely worth considering when you buy a premium car next time. I hope Polestar 2 will perform well in Australia, and I look forward to seeing more such models on the road in early 2022.

For more information, please go to https://www.polestar.com/au

Hi Jason, thanks for another very detailed comment. By the way, the upper space of the trunk is very small, and it seems that scissor jacks are provided in some markets and stored there.

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