That’s the thing with automotive designers. Most of the time they are at odds with the engineers when it comes to whether a component should follow function or form. Polestar boss Thomas Ingenlath is a trained shaper, so the decision should be clear at Volvo’s electric subsidiary in such discussions. Not even close. “Thomas challenged us to make something special out of his Polestar 2”; says chassis expert Joakim Rydholm. The rally driver is at Polestar what Walter Röhrl was at Porsche for years. He gives the e-mobile the finishing touch.
So the Swedish engineers tinkered around to give the Swedish more agility. The requirement was clear. The electric car with 350 kW / 476 hp is less about upgrading the power and more about making the vehicle more light-footed. In view of the live weight of 2,113 kilograms, this is no trivial task. Especially since the Polestar 2 already has a fairly stiff body. True to the motto: The better is the enemy of the good, Joakim’s squad installed a strut brace in the front end of the boss’s company car to improve steering behavior, trimmed the chassis for attack with special shock absorbers and installed Akebono brakes. The basic idea was born.
The Swedes chased this first result of engineering doping up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2020 and nicknamed it “The Beast”. Perhaps a little optimistic given the power and weight. That doesn’t change the positive response that the first prototype of the Power Polestar 2, which Thomas Ingenlath still drives today as a company car, received at the PS class reunion. So the following year there was a sequel under the title Polestar 2 BST Experimental, before this year the production version of the Polestar 2 BST Edition 270 mimicked the summiteer. The strut bar has remained and the body whizzes 25 millimeters lower over the asphalt than is the case with the standard Polestar.
This is exactly the car we are sitting in now. In front of us, the Ascari Race Resort meanders through the plateau of the province of Málaga. “Open the bonnet, please,” is the announcement. Click, click, click. “We’re adjusting the dampers now,” explains Joakim Rydholm. We’re firing. It’s already clear after the first bends: The Polestar 2 BST Edition 270 is not a Taycan opponent. It shouldn’t even be, but a car that you can easily have fun with, on the street or on a closed race track. We have that! The top Polestar 2 can’t be disturbed by anything, neither by chicanes that provoke load change reactions, nor by robbing over curbs or corners at full throttle. Wow!
We roll back into the pits and criticize a slight tendency to understeer. Open the hood again, two hands reach in. Click, click, click. The twists change the setting of the Öhlins damper, developed exclusively for this Polestar 2. The first setting adjusts the compression, the second the rebound. Both at the front, where three oil circuits are installed per damper. Two external reservoir cylinders protrude into the frunk. The third number defines the rebound for the rear dampers. We did the first lap with the everyday setting 7-7-7, which we also used on the country road. The parameters 4-4-4 are the next step. The handling is noticeably different. The front end is light-footed, also because the rear is more actively involved in asphalt carving.
Now we go all-in 2-2-2 and the Polestar 2 sheds all Scandinavian restraint and whirls across the circuit. The chassis is even tighter and the rear even livelier. Despite this, the Swedish Dr. Jekyll not fully into a boisterous Mr. Hyde. Uncomplicated fun is still the top priority. In addition, the ESP always watches in the background, but leaves the rear so much twerk freedom that you could even drift. In combination with the 20 percent stiffer springs, the Öhlins dampers show their full potential. Even in the fire-free setting, the Polestar 2 always remains easily controllable and does not abuse the back excessively, but despite all its agility it can never completely hide its weight. Even the indifferent steering, despite all the precision, does not suit this car. On the other hand, the Brembo brakes with the 375 discs at the front and the Conti 340 discs at the rear give an all the better picture, can be dosed well and do not let up even after several hard braking manoeuvres. In any case, manually tuning the turning screws and working out the perfect setting is a lot of fun. Mainly because the driving behavior changes noticeably.
change of scenery. We’re driving the Über Polestar 2 on the country road. Again in the compromise comfort vote 7-7-7. This one-for-all vote fits pretty well, but the Polestar 2 BST Edition 270 is an everyday athlete and it shows. The suspension is firm and doesn’t leave the occupants in the dark about the condition of the road. Especially since the 245/35 21-inch tires don’t provide an excess of dampening rubber. Accelerating from zero to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds is completely sufficient for country roads, but the top model of the Polestar 2 series should have a top speed of more than 205 km/h. When it comes to consumption, the Swede shows his best side again. Polestar puts the average thirst for electricity at 20.2 kWh/100 km, with us the on-board computer spat out 20.4 kWh after a rather cautious driving style. According to Polestar, the 78 kilowatt hour battery (75 kWh net) is good for a maximum range of 462 kilometers (WLTP). However, the maximum charging speed of 155 kW is not exactly outstanding.
Conclusion: For a price of 77,400 euros, the Polestar 2 BST Edition 270 offers a lot of fun for the money. However, the 270 pieces will remain, Germany will get 30 copies. They’ve all been sold. But Polestar has already announced that there will be more special models of this type.
