The 2024 Polestar 2 was introduced on Tuesday. The electric vehicle from the Swedish brand spun out of Volvo was updated mostly on the inside with new technology, more power in both versions and a longer range now estimated at 300 miles. The biggest change is the elimination of the front-wheel drive single-motor model for a rear-drive model.
"Typically in the car industry, a facelift introduces superficial visual changes that often destroy the original intention of the car's design theme. With the new model year Polestar 2, we rather went below the surface and upgraded substantial tech and mechanical components of the electric drivetrain. This is the best Polestar 2 yet, and with the updated front design with the new SmartZone, the best looking one, too," says Polestar CEO, Thomas Ingenlath in a press release.
That new SmartZone (debuting on the Polestar 3 SUV) houses some of the vehicle's most important active safety features, including the front facing camera and mid-range radar. It also includes a heating wire to help keep the area clear of snow and ice. Polestar used to say the nose of the vehicle was for "breathing," now it says, "it's for seeing."
The Polestar 2 also adds forged wheels cribbed from the Polestar 3 SUV, while all-season Michelin tires are now available for the standard 19-inch wheels.
"The Polestar 2's mid-cycle refresh goes far beyond the typical mild facelift that most vehicles get in the middle of their product cycles, demonstrating just how committed Polestar is to becoming a serious EV player," Ed Kim, president and chief analyst at AutoPacific told Newsweek.
"While Polestar sales have been gaining good momentum, the brand remains unknown to many shoppers. The introduction of the Polestar 3, the brand's first SUV, and the very meaningful updates to the Polestar 2 should go a long way towards getting the brand on EV shoppers' radar."
The new single-motor version is up 68 horsepower (hp) to 299 hp and torque is way up from 243 pound-feet (lb-ft) to 361 lb-ft. It can now sprint to 60 miles per hour in 5.9 seconds. The long-range version with the 82-kilowatt-hour battery gets the 300-mile range.
The dual-motor version also sees improvements thanks to retuning of the drivetrain and torque delivery. It now delivers 421 hp and 546 lb-ft (up from 408 hp and 467 lb-ft). It can get to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds and has a range of 270 miles (with a 78-kWh battery). That range is helped by the front motor that can disconnect when not needed to save energy.
Polestar is again offering a Performance Pack for the 2024 Polestar 2 sedan. That moves the power up to 455 hp and the sprint time down to 4.1 seconds. The Performance Pack can be downloaded via and over-the-air update after purchase and includes Brembo brakes, exclusive 20-inch forged alloy wheels, Öhlins dampers, the Polestar Engineered performance software upgrade and signature gold seat belts.
The Polestar 2 comes with new standard equipment including some Driver Awareness features. For North America, the long-range dual-motor version now includes the Pilot Pack as standard with Blind Spot Information System with steering support, Cross Traffic Alert with brake support, Rear Collision Warning Mitigation system, Adaptive Cruise Control, 360-degree camera, Pilot Assist, auto-dimming door mirrors and LED front fog lights with cornering assist.
The 2 continues using Android Auto as its operating system, including the whole suite of Google applications. A wireless phone charger is now standard across the board. An 11-inch display is the main point of control with navigation, entertainment, vehicle settings, and climate adjustments. It also has natural voice recognition for many controls.
"In a traditional internal combustion engined car, a switch from front wheel drive to rear wheel drive partway through its lifecycle would be unheard of. Yet the Polestar 2, already a very appealing EV with some of the most state of the art infotainment available and excellent handling even with front wheel drive, utilizes the flexibility of EV powertrain configurations to make that switch to rear wheel drive and with it, significantly more power and a new battery pack that gives it 300 miles of range and quicker charge times," said Kim.
"These are all significant changes that are usually reserved for full model changes, so this level of improvement at the mid-cycle is a powerful statement about Polestar's ambition and seriousness as an EV maker."
Polestar hasn't said the price of the 2024 model, but the current single motor 2 has a starting price of $48,400; the dual-motor starts at $51,900 before EV tax credits.
First deliveries of the 2024 Polestar 2 start later this year.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jake Lingeman is the Managing Editor for the Autos team at Newsweek. He has previously worked for Autoweek, The Detroit ... Read more
