Polestar 2, first impressions in Norway.

I'm in love with Scandinavia, that's why I did my routine Scandinavian road trip to the beautiful west coast of Norway. Luckily for me, there's a stunning Polestar Space in central Bergen, which of course I visited. Obviously, I had to ask for a test drive with the all-new Polestar 2 and they could give me the car for a day. Here are my first impressions.

As neither of us has ever driven the 2, we didn't really know what to expect. We knew that it was different, very different. First of all, the interior is totally unique and distances itself from the Volvo-inspired interior from the (Polestar) 1. The central infotainment is bespoke with app icons and its very own operating system that's run by Android. In the center console, there's a black shifter with the Polestar Logo illuminated in the middle. The digital gauges are a very nice touch and they're now also being integrated into Volvo's new 2022 cars, but the design overall is more edgy and cool in the 2, the interior is a 10/10.

There has been some controversy about the raised ride height because it sits on the XC40 Recharge's chassis. But I think most people will like the raised driving position, that's what people are after nowadays. It doesn't feel in any way like an SUV though, this is a proper sedan. I liked the looks when I saw it first on the streets and it has intrigued me, even more, when I could get up close and personal. The awesome Swedish-gold Brembo brakes remain along with Swedish-gold valve stem caps and seatbelts. This new Swedish-gold accent color is growing on me, I love it. Just like the 1, the 2 rides on the manually adjustable Öhlins Coilover suspension.

My test drive only lasted for about an hour but the first impressions were very good. It does drive like a sportscar and I like that. The 1 was fast but kind of a hassle to drive around corners with. With the battery's low down in the car, the center of gravity is low and the car feels planted. There have even been instances where the tail wanted to come loose, something I have not experienced with the 1, at least not as dramatic. In town, driving was reserved for busy central Bergen where it behaved like every other EV. One thing I tried out was the one-pedal-driving mode, which immediately breaks the car when you lift off the throttle. The recuperation is severe and it's something you have to get used to, I switched it off because I only had about an hour of pure driving, but I'll try it when we receive a press car back in Switzerland. We're certainly looking forward to testing the Polestar 2 in Switzerland for more in-depth things like practicality, useability, and all-around comfort. Stay tuned!