One Lap in the Polestar 1 on The Race Track!

[@theoosalyssa1158]

Your hair looks great

[@RouteHuntersMalaysia]

We had the S6 T8 Recharge to review last week and were blown away with its dynamics, but looking at the Polestar 1, its pretty obvious how far ahead its reach is….

[@darrenfelix6339]

Amazing run! Truly a GT car that defies physics

[@JasonLeiter]

That really is a pretty car...nice job avoiding the tractor like a pro. Loved watching that thing go around the track!

[@rbaaj7776]

That was fast 💨

[@ES-pt3mr]

Beautiful gt car!

[@OneLap]

It sure is!

[@scottysvensson]

%50 ? Why not fully charged? Btw great video will you try 1 lap w/ S60 T8 Polestar too 😀

[@keithmcdonnell4485]

You didn't mention the GOLD SEAT BELTS! How can you have an episode about the Polestar 1 without mentioning the GOLD SEAT BELTS?

[@OneLap]

You're absolutely right... This is so not me!! I only had 10ish minutes to shoot this so I totally skipped it -Kyle

[@bugandose]

Brasil aqui, carro foda

[@CFG39]

I literally have no idea why anyone would buy that car. It’s a Chinese made S90 T8 coupe essentially, but costs $200K... and it’s only FWD if the battery is depleted. Yuck. Does it at least have a power steering wheel? My aunt’s T6 XC60 AWD that cost over $55K doesn’t... nor does a P2. The Interior literally looks exactly like any Volvo. They have no unique styling traits between the models. That fake engine noise is a bit much.

[@lookcloser4536]

1/ carbon fiber polymer body 2/ advanced torque vectoring system 3/ >100 kms EV range 4/ outspeeds DB11s and Continental W12s, and has some pull times similar to a Veyron 5/ >10k suspension system 6/ brakes made by the guys who did the brakes on the McLaren P1 7/ months and months of testing in the cold depths of Sweden, Spanish twisty roads, etc 8/ one of the most beautiful coupes of the decade 9/ a power steering that is as sharp and connected as in an old BMW 10/ engineered in Sweden, assembled in a high-tech factory built specially for the occasion 11/ the battery cannot be depleted, so no FWD. only eAWD or RWD (ICE shut off in Pure mode) 12/ Genuine track abilities All of this, cheaper than its rivals. Stop hating because you don’t understand and be thankful we have cars like this instead of crap, « sporty » CUVs.

[@CFG39]

@@lookcloser4536 1. Where do you get your facts? There is no mechanical connection between the rear wheels and the engine. If the batteries are depleted the engine will drive the front wheels. This is how Volvo’s hybrid system works on every Plug in hybrid model they offer. Every single review of the Polestar 1 I have read has said the same thing (see example: www.autoweek.com/drives/a33228706/polestar-1-first-drive-review/) 2. $10K suspension system? It shares the overall suspension design (coil springs, control arm front/leaf spring rear) and manually adjustable Ohlins dampers with numerous other Volvo models. Why they decided to not make them electronically adjustable is a mystery. What Polestar owner is ever going to jack the car up off the ground, remove tires, and fender liner to adjust the dampers? None of them. Adaptive dampers have been electronically controlled for a reason for 30 years. Leave it to Volvo to think their idea is better... 3. It weighs over 5000lbs. 4. It’s FWD... 5. It has the nearly the exact same interior as a $40K XC40. 6. It has a tiny little trunk. 7. It’s not even that quick. An S60 T8 will accelerate just as quickly, while a Model 3 LR AWD will leave it in the dust, and the performance absolutely destroys it. 8. It’s made in China. 9. Polestar has had to recall all of the cars they’ve produced so far for numerous part and software failures. 10. It’s still got an ICE. 11. A MINI Cooper SE has a longer EV range. 12. The price is ridiculous. You could have a 911 Turbo, Taycan Turbo S, Model S Performance, or 99.99% of other cars on the road for similar money. 13. The repair bills are going to be a nightmare. Imagine taking Volvo’s not so good 2.0L I4 and putting a supercharger and turbo on it, then adding in electric motors, li-ion batteries, and all of the modules to control it all. I’d hate to work on this thing. 14. It has the same transmission used in a Toyota Camry... Aisin 8-speed Fwd Transaxle. 15. the sun visor only tilts down - it cannot pull out and twist to the side Other than that, it’s great... If they’d priced it at $70,000 that would be one thing, but asking over $155,000 for this is a joke. It’s like Volvo’s version of a BMW i8. I simply wouldn’t buy it just for the fact it’s made in China.

[@lookcloser4536]

@@CFG39 Having driven a T8 Twin Engine AND a Polestar 1 I can say that the battery will always have a reserve of electricity to provide power at kickdowns and at the rear axle. Combine that with the regenerative braking, it will never be purely FWD. And even if it was, it will be so only if you coast or drive calmly. When you need all out power, the electric rear drive units will function as it should. Sharing it with other Volvo’s (Polestar Engineered Volvo’s should I point out) doesn’t make it less expensive. Those dampers are at a steep price because they’re some of the best analog dampers you can find for sale currently. Those are the kinds of dampers you see on track builds if not race cars. Why they didn’t make them electronically controlled ? They did that as a statement of intent to remind of Polestar’s racing pedigree, and it’s partnership with Öhlins who don’t currently have electronic dampers. The overall suspension design slightly varies with Polestar, especially at the rear axle. 3. And ? Have you heard of batteries ? Having 2 powertrains in a single car won’t make it Miata-light. 5. With your logic, an Audi RS6 shouldn’t cost north of 100k because it roughly has the interior design as a vanilla-spec Audi A1. I went inside one of those and the quality, ergonomics are top notch. The only thing I would change is the piano black thingy in the center console. 6. Its batteries are over the rear axle, but I agree. 7. Uh...it has a 50-70 mph kick down similar to a Bugatti Veyron (source: Jason Cammisa, Car and Driver), will outpace after 100 km/h it’s GT rivals and will even outspeed cars such as the Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio/BMW M4 GTS in the quarter male, done in slightly under 12 seconds at 119 mph. 0-60 doesn’t make everything. 8. I won’t even debate on that point, you’re just being pedantic. 9. And ? They issued the recalls like a day after the first problems appeared. 10. Once again, and ? It’s still a genuinely good powertrain. I can smell your EV-leitmotiv from here... 11. The Polestar 1 combined range is well over 500 miles, if not 600. 12. You could, but why bother with other cars when a few do the trick ? You should accept the diversity of this price bracket instead of ranting about how pointless this car is. 13. The ICE powertrain has proven to be quite reliable and given Volvo’s experience on PHEVs, I’d say they’ve had time to fix everything. 14. An RS6 has the same gearbox as a Kia Stinger. An RS3 has the same gearbox as a vanilla-spec VW Golf. This point is just nitpicking. And have you ever heard of in-house calibrations ? Versatility, gear ratios sometimes, quickness, TCU...the Polestar’s gearbox will be miles off the one off a Camry. 15. Oh no ! I can fully understand why you’d disagree about this car. But please don’t diminish its value and the people who worked behind the curtains to make a car this intuitive, this thrilling and this good - despite what the Volvo Group had in mind with its whole 4-cylinder strategy and things like that.

[@CFG39]

@@lookcloser4536 that’s if you have charged the battery or are driving moderately. Try to drive WOT for even a relatively short period of time like on an autobahn or several laps of a track and you will certainly deplete the battery and be sitting in a 316HP FWD Polestar 1 within moments. Regarding the Ohlins dampers, I can’t think of a single review of either the T8 Polestar Volvo models or even the Polestar 2 with Performance Upgrade that has been that praising of the dampers’ behavior. Many of the reviews said the cars felt brittle over broken pavement while never feeling that exciting when driven hard. I can think of many other cars with better “analog” dampers that have no adjustments, and many better suspension systems with electronic adjustment. Magnetorheological dampers like what’s been used by GM on some performance products and other luxury cars provide an insane level of adjustment at the push of the button. Even many simple valved dampers like what VW uses on their MQB platform cars provide the driver ample difference between modes. On the Arteon there’s something like 16 different damping profiles to choose from. JLR’s adaptive dynamics works well too. I drove an F-Pace with 22” wheels that I thought was going to be an absolute disaster to ride in, but when the dampers were set to their comfort setting it rode better than an F-Pace on traditional fixed dampers with 19” wheels. My point is that there’s really nothing quite extraordinary about the Polestar. It takes a bunch of normal Volvo parts and mates it to a carbon fiber body that costs an arm and a leg to repair, and a price tag that only die hard Volvo fans would stomach. For my money, I’d have a Taycan, Panamera, 911, or myriad other cars that will undoubtedly be better made, retain their value much stronger and not be so complicated to repair. Merging an ICE and EV together means you get the worst of both... you’re lugging around a heavy engine when you don’t need it in EV mode, and then you’re also lugging around a heavy battery pack and electric motors when either being propelled solely by the engine or in hybrid mode where both systems are propelling the car. All that extra mass means the suspension components wear out much faster, efficiency is grossly decreased, performance is affected and complexity and possible causes for failure increase exponentially. That’s why I would only ever buy either a pure ICE or a pure EV. Putting the two together is a recipe for a disaster, especially for the second or third owner who has no warranty.

[@lookcloser4536]

@@CFG39 I get what you’re saying. Thing is, The P1 and the PE Volvo’s are different. They have different combinations, and the reviews of the latter were about the lack of steering feedback, not about the suspension, which actually felt composed. Having driven both, the P1 is miles off a Polestar Engineered Volvo when it comes to feedback, comfort and handling. And about the P1’s battery, when you’re in Power mode, the rear axle is always fed with electricity, even with the battery at its minimum. Recent Volvo’s and Polestar’s have a KERS. For the other things you said, that’s only up to you, it’s your opinion that I cannot change. I disagree but I can see your reasoning. Just don’t diminish the car’s value.