Currently reading: Updated Polestar 2 gets RWD layout and 395-mile range

Single-motor variant of Sino-Swedish brand's electric saloon now sends power to rear wheels for improved efficiency

Increased power, performance and range, as well as a move to a rear-wheel-drive layout, are key changes to the updated Polestar 2, which will arrive later this year.

Available to order now with a £2800 bump in starting price, the 2’s update is more than just cosmetic. Single-motor versions of the electric saloon are now rear-driven, having previously been front-driven, in a move to increase efficiency and improve range. 

Parent company Volvo has recently undertaken the same move with its XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge EVs.

This move to a rear-drive set-up has been something that Polestar has been looking at “for some years”, chassis-development head Joakim Rydholm told Autocar.

Polestar 2 2024 update detail front

The change has also helped with other aspects of the car, giving it “slightly improved comfort and handling” while “keeping the same DNA”, he said.

“We start from a very good platform; we were very happy. But now when we change the rear wheel, we have lifted comfort [and] improved the agility, the steering position and the speed of response at the front axle.

“The whole car feels a little bit more agile and even a little bit lighter.”

This is similar to the dual-motor version of the 2, which is now tuned with a rear-biased torque split that “increases driving pleasure and performance”. 

Polestar 2 2024 update side

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The four-wheel-drive 2 is also able to decouple its front motor for efficiency, thus creating a similar set-up to the single-motor 2. The front motor then re-engages when the driver wants more power. 

The refreshed dual-motor 2 is now boosted by 14bhp to 416bhp, while torque has been increased by 59lb ft to 546lb ft, thanks to a new rear motor – now the primary drive source – supported on the front axle by a new asynchronous motor.

This gives a 0-62mph sprint time of 4.5sec, 0.2sec swifter than previously.

A new permanent-magnet motor is fitted to the single-motor 2, which provides a significant increase in power and torque over the previous model, up by 67bhp (to 295bhp) and 118lb ft (to 361lb ft).

This means the single-motor 2 can now dispatch the 0-62mph sprint in a claimed 6.2sec, 1.2sec quicker than before. 

Polestar 2 2024 update detail wheels

New batteries also arrive with the refresh, with a 82kWh pack for long-range models providing a considerable increase in the 2’s WLTP range. It's up by 65 miles for the dual-motor variant (to 368 miles) and 52 miles for the single-motor (to 395 miles).

Long-range cars can now charge at rates up to 205kW, a 55kW improvement.

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The standard-range model retains its 69kWh battery capacity, but efficiency improvements provide a 25-mile uplift (to 322 miles). Charging speed has been boosted by 20kW to 150kW.

On the outside, the 2 gets a refreshed, more solid-looking front end, bringing it in line with the upcoming Polestar 3 SUV. This is due to the addition of Polestar's Smartzone, which hosts active-safety features including the front-facing camera and mid-range radar.

“Typically in the car industry, a facelift introduces superficial visual changes that often destroy the original intention of the car’s design theme,” said Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath.

“With the new-model-year Polestar 2, we rather went below the surface and upgraded substantial tech and mechanical components of the electric drivetrain.”

The updated 2 is available to order now, with first deliveries expected in the third quarter of 2023. Prices for the single-motor model start at £44,950, while the dual-motor long-range model starts at £52,950.

Will Rimell

Will Rimell Autocar
Title: News editor

Will is Autocar's news editor.​ His focus is on setting Autocar's news agenda, interviewing top executives, reporting from car launches, and unearthing exclusives.

As part of his role, he also manages Autocar Business – the brand's B2B platform – and Haymarket's aftermarket publication CAT.

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KeilaniZahra 24 January 2023

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xxxx 24 January 2023

Blimey, a post regarding the ID3 update made the point about it being a bit early, on par with a Mk4 Escort.

Anyway, following in wheel tracks of a Model 3, how did they get it so wrong.

harf 24 January 2023

Intrigued by the change from FWD to RWD. I remember reading Porsche stating it was a no-brainier to put a motor on the front axle as it was far more effective to recover energy.

xxxx 24 January 2023

Strange, why would Porsche say that when the 2wd version of the Porsche Taycan is RWD

harf 24 January 2023

It was relating to the Cayman size Mission R concept and the fact they made it 4WD. If it was only to be FWD or RWD I'm not sure Porsche could bring themselves to make a FWD car, whatever the stats said !!

I wonder if they've worked on efficiency, or just lobbed in a bigger battery. IIRC they were are least 20-30% less efficient  than a Tesla (tho so is everyone else in fairness)

Peter Cavellini 24 January 2023
harf wrote:

It was relating to the Cayman size Mission R concept and the fact they made it 4WD. If it was only to be FWD or RWD I'm not sure Porsche could bring themselves to make a FWD car, whatever the stats said !!

I wonder if they've worked on efficiency, or just lobbed in a bigger battery. IIRC they were are least 20-30% less efficient  than a Tesla (tho so is everyone else in fairness)

What about Audi?, the made an R8 RWD, what's the reasoning behind that?