The 1, is it the one?

We review a lot of cars and most of them are very good but quite normal. Once in a while, though a car comes around that just stands out from the rest. A car with so many weird quirks and interesting features, a special powertrain and of course, an amazing price tag. The all-new 2021 Polestar 1 is one of those cars. It might‘ve gotten a lot of negative reviews from other automotive journalists, but we think the Polestar 1 is one of the most special cars we‘ve ever driven. One of those criticized points is indeed the price. It STARTS from 165‘000 swiss-francs. The good thing is, it doesn‘t get much higher than that, because the only option you can tick in the configurator is matte paint. Most people would say that you must be mad to spend 165‘000.- on essentially a glorified Volvo-Coupé, but we think not. Of course with that money, you can comfortably get a new 992 Carrera S or a Jaguar F-Type R and most people will go with that. We have driven both of these competitors and many more. But none of these cars gave us the feeling that the Polestar 1 gave us. A big talking point of the Polestar 1 is the powertrain. As most people might know about now, Polestar is an independent company now but is still relying heavily on Volvo powertrains. Thus the 1 has the same twin-charged four-cylinder engine as in most T6 and T8 Volvos. It powers the front wheels only. This is where it gets complicated. Its combustion engine produces 300 Horsepower and 370 NM of Torque. Adding to that engine, it also has a built-in starter motor at the front to help out the engine. On the rear wheels, it has two electric motors (one at each wheel) and both produce 235 Horsepower and an amazing 480 NM of Torque. This allows for torque-vectoring. Combined, the 1 produces a total output of 600 Horsepower and 1000 NM of torque. Quite some figures and you can certainly feel those numbers. The sprint from 0 - 100 km/h happens in 4 seconds. Of course, it doesn‘t feel Lamborghini Huracan fast (which has similar power), because it weighs over 2300 kg due to all of those heavy batteries. Those batteries allow the 1 to have a fully electric range of approximately 120 - 140 km, which is the longest range of any PHEV. So you can do more than just drive to the shops and back. While driving, the weight is noticeable but it‘s not getting in the way of some fun driving on windy backroads. The 1 is after all a GT car and not a Nürburgring track monster but it feels fun to drive. Most of the time you want to enjoy the smooth driving experience and the fact that you‘re sitting in 165k luxury. Sadly, most of the time with the 1 is spent on the inside but the part you want to be seeing is the outside. The 1 is simply the best looking GT car we‘ve ever seen. It‘s a fresh but familiar design, as classy as an Aston Martin but still as modern as all-new Volvo designs. You get stared at in the city and people take photos of it on the motorway. We even got some thumbs-up! Because of this new but familiar design, people don‘t know what you‘re driving. We both did 500 km road trips through Switzerland and we couldn‘t have been more comfortable in any other GT car. The 1 makes you feel special, unlike anything we‘ve ever driven before. It doesn't deserve the negative criticism, of course, the price is too high, but one doesn't think about the development of this car, the entire body is made from carbon fibre! The 1 will always have a special place in our hearts and is certainly a highlight of 2021.