The Polestar II EV Comes With an Electrifying Price Reduction for 2022

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The five-door hatchback Polestar II electric car was introduced in 2020, and it’s already been upgraded for 2022, with an available single-motor version and a lower price—starting at US$45,900. But the company, founded by China’s Geely and its Volvo Cars brand, is keeping the luxury appointments—and a lot of options that will quickly escalate the price. 

The Polestar II was always a good electric car, but the near-US$60,000 price of entry for the 2021 model was a turnoff for some buyers. A decontented and (slightly) longer-range version with respectable power will work for many potential customers. 

The dual-motor is a performance car, though not specifically marketed as such. At US$49,900, it offers 408 horsepower and 487 pound-feet of torque, with s range of 249 miles—up 16 miles from the 2021 version. It can reach 60 miles per hour in 4.45 seconds (4.1 in some testing). The version with one motor on the front axle offers an adequate 231 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque, and anticipated federally certified range of 265 miles. No zero to 60 time is available. 

On the road, the dual-motor is quite fun, especially in its rapid acceleration and sure handling. It’s a very capable grand tourer at speeds up to 127 miles per hour, though other
EV
s offer more range. The onboard 11-kilowatt charger takes up to eight hours on a home 240-volt charger, but can go from a 10 to 80 percent state of charge at a public DC fast charger in 30 minutes.

In the standard setting, the Polestar II offers full
regen
erative braking—useful for “one-pedal” driving—but there are two other settings. With regen dialed up, the car will come to a complete stop at lights without the need to use the brake pedal.

The interior has a clean and bright modern Scandinavian design cast to it. The digital instrument cluster measures 12.3 inches, and the central touchscreen 11.2. There’s 15.5 cubic feet of storage, with 1.2 of that under the hood. There’s some borrowing from the Volvo parts bin, but not all that much. 

Both iterations have a 78-kilowatt-hour battery, and both have full access to the full US$7,500 income tax credit. Polestar says buyers can get the entry 2022 Polestar II down to US$34,000 with a combination of federal, state, and utility incentives. It comes with vegan leather seating and a Google infotainment system that eliminates the need to plug in your phone for maps, voice commands or Google Play. 

But the Polestar II is quite upgradeable, and most buyers are going to want some of these features, like the 20-inch diamond-cut aluminum wheels for US$1,200. And the US$4,000 Plus
Pack
adds quite a bit, featuring an energy-efficient mechanical heat pump for the
HVAC
system that reduces drain on the battery and extends range on very hot and cold days by about 10 percent. This is the upgrade that includes the full-length panoramic glass roof that’s all the rage these days. 

Also part of Plus Pack is a 600-watt
Harmon Kardon
audio system with 13 speakers, and ordering the upgrade also enables the spending of another US$4,000 for ventilated Nappa leather seats. The US$3,200 Pilot Pack is mostly for safety, and includes active high beam for the LED headlights (a very useful feature), front fog lights that corner with the car, adaptive cruise control, blind spot information, cross-traffic alert with brake support, lane-keeping aid and rear collision warning.

Dual-motor customers can order the US$5,000 Performance Pack, which adds adjustable shock absorbers, gold-colored four-piston Brembo front brakes, 20-inch forged aluminum wheels, a high-gloss black roof panel and upgraded spring and stabilizer rates. It won’t go faster, but it will stop and corner better. 

The Polestar II has a companion car in the dual-motor Volvo XC40 Recharge, which has much the same drivetrain for US$55,300 in 2022.