Polestar 1 Review: Plug-in Hybrid Luxury Coupe

This is the Polestar 1, one of the grand luxury coupes in the market, and the ultimate expression of low emission motoring. the car that you can’t quite see here is a plug-in hybrid coupe. 

Polestar 1 Specs Overview

It’s got 601 BHP motor power, a parked carbon fiber body, and 77 miles of electric range. it’s got 21-inch wheels. it’s got trick adjustable dampers. orange seat belts. and very nearly room for four passengers.

While the majority of new plug-in hybrid models these days are executive saloons like the Volvo S90 and Mercedes e-class or SUVs like the BMW X5. this car offering from Volvo’s performance. 

Company

The brand “Polestar” is something different, an elegant looking luxurious and high-performance coupe with numbers that will quite simply blow your mind. it’s also the first and last plug-in hybrid vehicle Polestar will make. the Swedish brand has already started its rollout of pure electric models making this halo car something a bit different.

Plug-in Hybrid – In Action

Despite the fact you’ll find a 2-liter twin charge petrol engine with 305 horsepower under the bonnet there’s also a huge 34 kWh battery. bigger than the one you’ll find in a MINI Electric. that’s what helps the Polestar to its mega all-electric range. a figure that if you take it easy isn’t beyond the realms of possibility.

Price

Polestar 1 has priced at nearly £140,000.

Exterior Design

Now from the outside, you’d never even know this thing was part electric would you? I mean, it has just as much presence as any petrol coupe. obviously, from the front, you’ve got quite a lot of Volvo influence with the headlights. but the grille that just gives it so much aggression.

At the down the side, the black 21-inch wheels just look mega the coupe roofline now that. surely is just as impressive as anything from BMW, Porsche, or Mercedes. frameless door mirrors, flush door handles, the coupe frameless doors, and there is a port where you charge the Polestar 1.

Charging

The Polestar 1 is actually one of the few plug-in hybrids that can charge at 50-kilowatt rapid charge points. if you find one of those, Polestar says that this car will top up 100% of its battery in under an hour with a 50 kW charger.

Using an 11 kW, a 3-phase wall box charger will 100% charge the battery in around 3 hours. 

Polestar company doesn’t provide us with numbers for a 3-pin plug charging time. but on our estimates you’re looking at around 15 hours. or if your plugin as soon as you get home at night then you’ll wake up with a full battery.

Boot Space

There’s a retractable spoiler on the boot lid. and well let’s just have a look in the boot to discuss the practicality. in there, you’ll find a meager 143 liters of boot space. may reduce to 126 liters if you carry the cable storage bag around with you. 

That’s poor by city car standards. let alone something more similar to a GT car. capable of crossing continents with minimal fuss. at least you get the novelty of having some of the car’s electrical systems showcased behind this clear panel complete with annotations.

Interior

Space

Technically, Polestar 1 is a four-seater. but you’ll be lucky to get a child in the back. let alone a fully grown adult. the front seats don’t even fold like you’d expect the positioning. to get things in the back is a laborious task of pressing buttons. and waiting for the chair to slowly edge forward. once you’ve done, that there’s a seat belt attached to the base of the front seat. no less to clamber over. if you ever want to use the rear seats, a Porsche Panamera is much more useful.

However, while it does feel spacious enough upfront. it never really feels worthy of its eye-watering six-figure price tag. now it feels a lot like a Volvo S90 up here. but I guess that’s kind of what it is it’s a production version of the 2013 Volvo concept coupe. 

Part of the reason the interior feels so underwhelming in here is because of the Polestar 2. that’s a car that despite costing a third of the price feels just that little bit quirkier and dare. I say it a little bit more luxurious.

Infotainment

Now another point of comparison with that Polestar 2 is this car’s infotainment system. Polestar 1 car uses a Volvo infotainment system. so it feels a little bit older now. it’s got plenty of functionality. and it’s responsive enough. but the graphics on the Saturn have looked a little bit dated. but as I say, it’s got everything you need including Apple Car Play and Android Auto.

Storage

Despite this being a 140,000-pound luxury coupe, the interior storage space is actually pretty good. you’ve got a couple of cup holders, there’s a cubby under there. it’s a little bit shallow but it’s got USB connectivity. and you can hide your key in there as well. there’s a decent size glove box and there are door bins that will easily hold a bottle of water.

There’s a couple of other things worth mentioning about this car’s interior. the first thing is the seats. they’re fantastic, they’re really comfortable, and really well contoured. 

The other thing is visibility. this car seems to have so much glass. that it really improves your field of vision. not only does that glass roof flood the cabin with light. the rear window’s huge which really helps when maneuvering. especially when changing lanes on the motorway.

Well Equipped Car

If you’re lucky enough to have the funds available to buy a Polestar 1 speccing one needn’t be a stressful experience. there’s only one model to choose from. and every car comes mightily well equipped. as you’d expect for almost 140 thousand pounds. 

Every Polestar 1 comes with these specs,

• LED active bending headlights – help you see around corners.
• 21-inch alloy wheels – wrapped in Pirelli P ZERO tires. 
• High-quality, huge braking system.
• Retractable rear wing. 
• Set of gorgeous frameless door mirrors. 
• Two-zone climate control.
• Heated Napa leather sport seats.
• Bowers and Wilkins 15 speaker stereo sound system.
• Heads-up display.

There’s also a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a portrait touchscreen. comes with Satnav and DAB. as well as Apple car play and Android auto as discussed. it’s an option in its Volvo donor car.

Performance

We’re not going to go into too much detail as to exactly how that hybrid system works. but suffice to say a 2 liter turbocharged and supercharged petrol engine, mated to a pretty big 34 kWh battery means it’s not lacking when it comes to performance. 

If you’ve got enough power in the batteries. the electric motor will power only the rear wheels. of course, that means it’s pretty much like any of its main rivals.

Handling

However, when you call upon the petrol engine, it ignites the front axle as well which gives it four-wheel-drive capability and plenty of grips. that grip linked to this car’s exceptional body control actually makes it quite good fun. 

Despite the fact, it’s quite so heavy. it’s actually really rewarding to drive. but this car’s left-hand drive and of course, all Polestar 1 cars are left-hand drive only. That means there are no right-hand-drive models. that’s because it’s built-in such limited numbers. on tight twisting country roads, you have to be really careful where you’re placing the car with. especially with things like trucks and buses coming towards you.

Polestar 1 is a bit fidgety certainly at slower speeds. but things smoothen out the faster you go and which is great. because actually on the motorway this is really refined. so while at times the Polestar 1 can feel a little bit confused. on the whole, it feels like something that the engineers have put a lot of time into something that’s actually really quite special.

Affordability and Expenses

This car isn’t cheap to buy. but has the potential to be a very cheap car to run. if you’re lucky enough to be able to choose one as a company car. you’ll save a pretty penny on your benefiting kind bill. plug-in hybrids. no matter their list price. 

Compare particularly favorably alongside the equivalent petrol car. so a higher rate taxpayer will fork out just 1,667 pounds a year for the Polestar. a BMW M8 which has a slightly lower list price. but far higher CO2 emissions. it will cost almost 18,000 pounds in BIK tax in the first year alone.

Final Takeaways

You get the impression with the Polestar 1 that you’re driving something really special. it makes even the flashiest BMWs, Mercs, and Porsches just blend into the background. and that trick hybrid system sets a high benchmark that thanks to the government’s push towards full electric, few others will ever meet. it’s a bit more sports coupe than it is a full-on GT car. and you know what it’s got the practicality to match. but if you can afford one, you absolutely will not regret buying it, for sure.