The Nice Folks At Consumer Reports Call The Polestar 2 EV Crossover A Failure

The Polestar 2 is really the first mass market Chinese EV being sold in the U.S. And it is just disguised as being Volvo/Polestar. Knowing this puts the Polestar 2's issues into clear view. The Chinese EV market is broad and very competitive, but in the U.S. the Polestar 2 is in a smaller EV crossover market, and compared to the Tesla Model Y and Ford Mach-E ironically Polestar doesn't have the experience in building and selling EVs, lacking Tesla's engineering innovation and Ford's vast automotive experience and dealer network.

Polestar did a great job in early promotion of their $155K Polestar One, halo car. With a lead-in to the production Polestar 2 crossover, and their connections to the legacy automaker Volvo. So it wouldn't seem like too much of a stretch to buy one, especially with the Polestar 2 being one of the only few new EV crossovers competing with the Tesla Model Y and Mach-E for 2021. The other obvious candidate for purchase and review is the upcoming Nissan Ariya. If they have good coverage online, they could recoup their costs quickly from YouTube revenue.

I find the review lacking credibility, because I've watched and read so many reviews for this car and this one looks past anything positive to then pick silly talking points. It's not difficult to fit child seats at all, the top tether point is clearly visible on the back of the seat and accessible through the trunk or by tilting the seat forward slightly during the installation process. Visibility is absolutely fine, not great for parking for short people but it has 360-degree cameras. The range has been confirmed by many people to be ~250 miles but of course it's lower when using it for stop-go journeys around town. As for the Android only issue, they chose correctly, Android has 86% market share globally.
I think CR wanted to 'fail' this car so they had it tested by someone who's needs are completely unsuited to it.

I found the CR review about as confusing and puzzling as they apparently found the car. I've owned a Polestar 2 (non-performance pack) for only about a month after trading in my Volvo XC40 (which I thought was a great car and they found not too bad as well). I don't want to seem to be a fanboy but as a parent with a couple of kids (still in car seats) and a couple of middling size dogs, a daily commute, a wife that keeps me busy with errand runs and chores I have to say that I just haven't seen the issues that they complain of. It's a fun car to drive, handles great, is quite comfortable (as nice as my XC40 on comfort setting anyway). It's practical enough - unless you had the mistaken impression that it's supposed to replace a minivan - and the buying process, while different than what we're used to, is not an entirely alien experience in an age when we buy pretty much everything from puppies to groceries to new homes online.

No, I don't have to drive 300 miles a day, no I'm not schlepping the entire little league team to and fro from home to field, no I'm not 5 foot nothing nor am I 6'6". Like most people I need to drive about 50 miles before plugging in for the night in my garage, I can see just fine, live in a fairly busy city and don't have a problem getting in and out of tight spaces without running into things. I'm fine with not having leather, find the surfaces in the cockpit more than acceptable in quality and as nice (to me) as my wife's X3. The Android system works better than any other infotainment system I've used (I'm talking to you BMW, Audi and Ford). It took about 5 minutes to figure out how it works

I've driven the Model 3 and Model Y. They clearly have the edge with range, brand recognition and the ability to slam your eyeballs into the back of your head but FSD is still at best a down the road promise for most buyers, the ride quality of the 3 and Y is, to be kind, an acquired taste and build quality doesn't come close to the Polestar - at least for a persnickety buyer like me who will run their finger between the body panels looking for uneven gaps and warbles when making their judgment.

Yes, I've taken a leap of faith that the service network will build out as promised and I may be sorry a few years from now but that's a willing decision on my part.
Only the EV gods know how reliable the car will turn out to be but if not for early adopters we'd still be living in trees. To be fair this car is not the spawn of some backyard start-up so any rookie mistakes in the roll out and subsequent servicing will be on the company. To Polestar's credit so far they have shown a reasonably amount of effort in dealing with the problems that have arisen.

All this is not to say that Consumer Reports' criticisms are unworthy of discussion. They are, at least in theory, unbiased by the desire for YouTube likes or manufacturer swag and I do think that they provide a much needed service giving an alternate, critical view point to all of the car reviewers out there on social media who tend to focus on looks and 0-60 times. Still, I have to wonder if they went out of their way to pick three reviewers who were so unsuited to the car in the first place, like asking my 80 year old mother with a bad hip to review a McLaren. . .

I drove two Polestar 2s this weekend for a few hours in various driving conditions. The first was the AWD long-range with the sunroof, 20" tires, and the Pilot Package. As I am a Volvo S60 T6 2019 driver with the Polestar chip for a little more punch, it is natural for me to look seriously into the Polestar. The pros and cons are all very well articulated by most reviews, from the great ride to the disappointing range. For me to transition into EV, it is about ride comfort. Both this Polestar and the Tesla Model 3 are too stiff for my liking when driving in the city or along regular, slightly bumpy roads. If I was on a smooth race track that stiffer suspension would be great. In the city, however, I don't need to feel every crack in the pavement. What no one reviewing this car spoke about was the optional ability to adjust the suspension in the Performance package at $5000. While they mention you can manually tune the suspension of each tire, I haven't seen anyone actually do it. So I asked the dealership if they can make that tight ride more soft, in the hope it approached my Volvo S60 for comfort. Guess what? On the softest mode, it was almost as comfortable as the Volvo. I really liked driving the Polestar 2 after that adjustment. But a $5000 optional upsell for a smoother ride? My other challenge with the Polestar 2 is that the Pilot Package is $3200 for safety items that really should be standard. And of course, the other huge disappointment is the heat pump option, with a few other items for $4000. Honestly? I want to tell the Polestar marketing suits to be realistic. Heat pump in Canada and USA should be standard equipment! While the lower distance range in the Polestar 2 makes the car a difficult choice compared to Tesla, now add to that having to pay extra for a heat pump and safety options that should be standard makes switching to Polestar a huge challenge. So distance aside, let me also point out that the beautiful panoramic glass roof does not open for fresh air and, if the sun is shining really strongly, it beats down on your head because there is no screen to slide protecting the driver from the sun's rays. The tinted glass isn't enough. So... Polestar 2 or Tesla Model 3, that is the question? I get the range from the Tesla 3 but the stiffness of the road is a turn off. Polestar 2 can be softened up but that's a $5000 upgrade. What do the readers here, think?