POLESTAR 2 ON THE TEST TRACK: AN ELECTRIFYING WINTER PLEASURE!
(Article published in Automotive Innovations magazine, March 2023)
By Isabelle Havasy
The snowy, icy tracks of the Mécaglisse Circuit, located in Notre-Dame-de-la-Merci in the Lanaudière region, welcomed media representatives during the Polestar Arctic Circle Experience at the end of February.
“This is the first time we’ve put together an exclusively electric winter driving program in Canada,” said Philippe Létourneau, president of PLB Autosport, when he presented the day’s program. For the occasion, he had assembled a squad of accomplished drivers to accompany the participants. “The Polestar 2 is a car for people who like to drive,” he added, before pairing us with a teammate and an instructor.
Testing the Limits
Philippe and his team had prepared various courses to help us discover the dynamics of the Polestar 2. On the menu: slalom, power circles, and the ‘Scandinavian flick,’ a technique popularized in the 1960s by rally drivers that exploits the weight transfer induced by oversteering to carry the vehicle more efficiently through a turn, while simultaneously reducing speed. This series of exercises was designed to tame and sometimes test the limits of the beast in winter conditions.
Equipped with the Performance Pack, the Polestar 2 was powered by a 78 kWh lithium-ion battery that gave it 476 horsepower and 502 lb-ft of torque. It also came with all-wheel drive and traction control, a function that cannot be completely deactivated, but which can be minimized in Sport mode. The primary objective? To have fun, of course, but also to understand and practice driving techniques, many of them counter-intuitive, in a controlled environment. Acceleration, deceleration, modulation, emergency braking, understeer, oversteer… you name it: if it involved gaining or maintaining control of the vehicle, we tried it.
Driving With Confidence
Fitted with 20-inch Michelin X-Ice Snow tires, the Polestar 2 impressed with its handling and stability, thanks to its low centre of gravity. It had a good grip on the increasingly icy trails as the day wore on. Although a novice in the art of ice driving, I never felt like it was going to start drifting. It performed emergency braking without its hindquarters wobbling, while skillfully maintaining its trajectory. As the exercises progressed, the Polestar 2 was quickly tamed and surprisingly easy to handle despite weighing in at 2,113 kilos.
To conclude the journey, we had the privilege of driving the Polestar 2 Arctic Circle Special Edition. Brought from Sweden specifically for the occasion, this dual-engine extended-range Polestar 2 has the same Performance Pack as the vehicles we tested. However, it owes its increased agility on snow and ice to special modifications such as a body lift, increased horsepower and torque, the addition of 19-inch studded winter tires, and Öhlins shocks tuned specifically for this unique version. From the outside, it features OZ Racing wheels, LED headlights, and matte grey and white trim, while the interior includes Recaro bucket seats that hold you in place even in the tightest corners. Inspired by winter rallies, it offers exceptional handling that definitely makes you want to go out and play!
