The limited-production hybrid sports car Polestar 1 won’t be available in 2022. Polestar is a Swedish performance automotive brand owned by Volvo, so their engineering and design solutions are strongly related. Polestar 1 has been in production since 2019, and you don’t discover these often because only 1500 units were ever made.
Many were judgemental about the Polestar 1 for its price being irrational. Let’s bring the controversial bits up to the surface and see if this discontinuance brings more happiness than sadness.
The worst part is Polestar 1 price
This grand tourer coupe from Polestar (Volvo) cost a whopping 155 000 euros. It definitely has features and gimmicks that petrolheads adore, but it shouldn’t blow a car’s value through the roof. The grand tourer even looks like a coupe version of a Volvo S90, which starts at 50 000 euros – same grille, tail lights, Thor’s hammer LED headlights.
When a relatively simple coupe costs way over a hundred thousand euros, everything in it seems meh. Its clever hybrid system can pull a 2.3-ton body from zero to hundred kilometers per hour in about 4 seconds, and the seats are plush. Other than that, the overall experience is mediocre.
Useless overengineering
Some people love over-engineered cars as they are comfortable and powerful. However, complicated solutions in Polestar 1 lead nowhere – everything still stays mediocre, but the overall car’s price overgrows. Here are a few areas where they put too much effort:
- Body panels are carbon fiber, but the car still weighs 2345 kilograms;
- The hybrid system uses both electric and internal combustion motors, which bloats the price a lot;
- The 2.0 L I4 engine is supercharged and turbocharged. It alone produces 300 hp but sounds horrible;
- Thanks to the hybrid system, boot space is limited to 143 liters – something a supercar with an engine in the back would offer.
Besides the fact that Polestar 1 accelerates well, this car is just an overpriced Volvo because it looks, corners, and sounds like one. Did they think that limited 1500-unit production would do the trick?
There are alternatives for everyone
Polestar 1 is hard to beat if you’re after safety, but so is any model from a modern Volvo lineup. When it comes to 150 000 eur sports cars, you’re welcome to look into Italian exotics and German engineering wonders like Audi R8, McLaren 570, Porsche 911, even a Bentley Continental GT, which offers twice as roomy boot space and a character like no other vehicle.
Polestar is a sturdy, well-made grand tourer, but not at this price. You can buy a new Volvo S90 with much more room inside, fewer gimmicks, and still have enough money left to buy a Lexus LC 500h or a Jaguar F Type R for some fun on a local track.