Why everyone ALMOST buys this car - Polestar 2 (2023)

Polestar is a major competitor in the EV Sedan space with Tesla being their main competitor. Quite a few people here at LMG test-drove the Polestar and considered buying it, but ended up going with the Model 3 instead. Alex took the 2023 Polestar 2 with performance package to see if he would buy one or if this doesn't quite hit the mark.

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CHAPTERS
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0:00 Always the bridesmaid, never the bride
0:19 Exterior design impressions
2:47 Interior design and software impressions
7:46 Sponsor - XSplit
8:21 Testing the Performance Pack
9:55 Adjusting the dampers
12:16 Ride comfort impressions
13:09 Sound system and cornering impressions
14:53 Pricing and overall thoughts
15:52 Outro

[zachr]

As a car person having a manual adjustable dampen setting on a consumer product is wild. I would expect stuff like this on a more performance enthusiast product. Seems a little odd in this sort market.

[gregwisniewski]

I like Alex reviewing cars because he knows all the numbers and manufacturer talking points. BUT he also get appropriately annoyed at things like a cupholder or arm rest situation. I've test driven lots of cars, and the deal breaker is usually something like the mirror position, or passenger seat adjustment. The little annoyances are super important when thinking about a spot you'll be sitting in every day, and these reviews seem to call out all of those details.

[edamski]

I watched countless videos on the polestar before I bought one and you’re the only one that mentioned the weird ass ergonomics of the cabin, comfort wise and getting in and out of the damn thing, didn’t notice on the test drive (too giddy I guess) but these are very noticeable.

So thank you for pointing them out for anyone else in the future

[Gdank]

I've had mine since Oct 2020.

Apart from the left arm rest issue mostly everything is spot on.

The centre issue is easily solved, I left my wife so we don't have to fight over the 2nd cup holder.

Back to the arm left rest - I've done 18k miles in and not a had a problem, but if you did then definitely one for people to try out before buying one. Doesn't seem one size fits all.

Best feature is Google maps.

[RazorMouth]

In Ireland and UK we dont really use the door arm rest because we're sitting on the other side, we mainly use the centre arm rest for left arm while the right hand is on the wheel.
Youre just driving on the wrong side of the road 😂

[jamesgothard]

Having been a passenger in one of these during a serious crash that involved the whole right wheel and suspension being ripped off. I can confirm they are very safe cars. Got out without a scratch.

[thomasoldfield]

One test that would be good for you guys to test in these EV reviews is whether the brackelights function properly in one pedal mode. i.e whether they turn on under a partial lift off. Some don't!

[baitboy]

Aging Wheels did great coverage of the car, one of the biggest issues is that not all volvo dealerships can work on the car, it can only be worked on at official Polestar support dealerships, which are pretty rare

[TeddyBearGaming]

The fat center console is because the polestar 2 is based on a gas power platform, the same as the Volvo xc40, so you have a transmission tunnel there

[volvodashcam]

You don't need to "press" the handle first to unlock, just put your hand in the handle and wait for like 0, 2s before opening and it will unlock. The only time you need to use the touch button is when locking. ;)

[chton]

I get questions about my Polestar 2 all the time. People have stopped next to me in traffic jams just to ask what car it is. I can't do a border crossing without at least one border guard asking what brand it is. It's honestly the least anonymous car i've ever driven, i'm surprised LMG had a different experience!

[YuriThorpe]

I rented one for a month, it’s great. I drag raced so many people at stoplights. I drove it from Virginia to Kansas and back, I ripped it through the West Virginia backroads and it felt so planted with the wide tires and weight on the floor.

[EliotHochberg]

I rented a baseline spec polestar two, maybe a little bit higher than that, and I found it to be a very pleasant rental car. For the android automotive system, I actually found that the voice controls worked very well. I was very confused by moving around the touchscreen system. However, it seemed like it was difficult to find things and you kept going around in a circle to get back to stuff, a little weird. My biggest issue with the car was how it decides that it’s ready to start or stop. Instead of using the key fob or a regular key, which I know nobody wants to use regular keys anymore. Whatever, the seat is the button. So if you have the fob in your pocket or it’s in the car, and then you sit in the front seat, then the car is available to you to start listen the radio, whatever. That was confusing at first, but I got used to it pretty easily. What was more confusing was getting out of the car and hoping that it would Turn off. It did, but it wasn’t confidence inspiring that the car would actually shut off and lock when you left it. Several times I had to wait to make sure that the vehicle actually was locked and power down.

I don’t recall having the comfort problems that were noted in this review. I’m pretty sensitive to uncomfortable elbow issues. I did feel like the car was very Enveloping. Like everything seemed higher up than in other cars I’m used to. I didn’t use cupholders in there like that, so that may all be true.

But the one thing that this car absolutely excelled in, and it was not the top spec, Was in acceleration. Especially on the freeway. Going from 40 or 50 mph to 70 or 80 mph was ridiculously powerful. It was very confidence building to make passes. I never felt like I was waiting for anything, the surge of power was just really intoxicating. It worked really really well. I also didn’t have the sunroof, which I appreciated, I’m not a big fan of the current crop of glass roofs that seems to be the trend. I don’t really want the sun on my head all the time. Nobody sat in the back, so I don’t have any impressions of that, but I did have a passenger and they had no complaints either. Charging worked reasonably well, no problems that occurred had anything to do with a pole star, there were some issues with charging stations that didn’t seem to initiate or whatever, but they didn’t have any to the pole star.

But, the feature that told you were charging stations that were compatible Could be found work very well. I never felt like I wouldn’t be able to get to where I needed to go, even when they were problems with finding a charging station that was fully functional. And using the built-in, GPS navigation meant that I could say where I was going, and the system will give me several options for how to make sure I had enough charge to get there. I rented this for a trip from Los Angeles to San Diego and back, with one or two stops along the way each way. I never felt like I was going to be without charging, although I did end up at one mall where the mall itself closed while I was charging, and that caused me to have to walk all the way around the mall in a very strange way. But that wasn’t the fault of the car.

[TubaJesus]

I'm sure you guys already know this, but you should probably either repair or replace the sensor on the camera that was used here. There is a dead pixel in the lower left corner. Great auto review BTW. Loving it.

[Panamera]

I do own one, with the excellent Napa leather interior, performance pack, etc. Your review is pretty much spot on. A real drivers car, but finding that comfortable position can be a challenge, especially for taller drivers where your knee scuffs against the very high center console and the accelerator pedal is too far to the right, no room to rest your foot when using cruise.

Yes, damper adjustment really should be electronic. Rears are not as bad as you demonstrate, you don't need to remove the liner as there is a velcro like section You just separate.

Appearance inside and out is much nicer than the Tesla. I am glad I bought mine, but also understand why many buyers might prefer the Tesla.

[VLS-Why]

He should have driven one with the ventilated leather, the interior is extremely comfortable so you don't have the scratch arm wrest issue

[absaxoclar]

with so many electric cars being so tech forward i really like these reviews. stuff is pointed out that an enthusiast like myself wouldn't consider or car youtubers might not consider. i drove a polestar 2 and although the armrest wasn't an issue for me, i never considered the cupholders! still one of my preferred electric cars though

[ScottLeapman]

Put me down as a happy owner of a 2021 (launch edition) Polestar 2 without the Performance Pack. Mine has the ventilated leather seat and I don't have any dampers to adjust. I also applied the Performance Software Upgrade so mine has the extra 68hp and is now even faster. I'm on the shorter side of drivers and for me, the seats and seating position (including armrests and knee position) are completely comfortable. While there are a few small things that Polestar didn't get 100% right, I still find it a much more enjoyable overall package than its main competition (Tesla Model 3). No complaints and it still puts a huge grin on my face even for short drives to the grocery 🙂

[maximilianb]

One of the best looking EVs out there to me personally. Very excited for the other cars Polestar has planned.

[nothinglessthannumbers]

It's worth knowing the Polestar 2 was based on the Volvo 40.2 concept which debuted next to the 40.1 concept that would go on to be the XC40. While the production version of the 40.2 concept (the S40) was cancelled, it was then picked up by Polestar. Hence the smaller size