At the Irish media launch of the new Polestar 3 and 4, Polestar Ireland also introduced the updated version of its Polestar 2 electric car, referred to as the ‘2025 model year’. Irish pricing has been confirmed and buyers will shortly have access to an updated online configurator to place an order in time for the “251” registration change in January.
Subtle changes on the outside
On the outside, the only really noticeable difference between new and old versions of the Polestar 2 is that the updated version gets the blanked-off ‘smartzone’ in the front in body colour as seen on the Polestar 3 - instead of the previous grille-like design. The smartzone is home to forward-facing radar and the front parking camera. It even gets heated elements so that the radar and camera don’t freeze up in the winter. Polestar is a Swedish brand, after all...
Switch to rear-wheel drive
More significantly, the Polestar 2 switches from front-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive, thanks to sharing a platform with Volvo’s EX40 and EC40, both of which pulled the same rear-drive switcheroo last year. The move to rear-wheel drive means more power, and more range thanks to improvements to the batteries and electric motors.
Improved one-charge range
The entry-level to the Polestar 2 lineup is now the Standard Range Single Motor version which costs from €53,195. Don’t let the ‘standard range’ bit fool you - it has more range than the previous “Long Range” model - a full 554km according to the WLTP test - thanks to a 67kWh (net) battery pack.
The new rear-mounted motor is the same as that used by the Single Motor Polestar 4, so there’s 272hp and 490Nm of torque, giving 0-100km/h in a very brisk 6.2 seconds. Polestar estimates the Standard Range model’s average energy consumption at 23.7kWh/100km.
More power
Then there’s the Long Range Single Motor model, which actually has more power - 300hp - but the same peak torque of 490Nm. Thanks to a bigger (75kWh net) battery it can go for a massive 659km on one charge according to the WLTP figures (with average consumption of 23.8kWh/100km). Thanks to the extra power, the Long Range model is slightly quicker to 100km/h, at 5.9 seconds. Irish prices for the Long Range Single Motor model start from €55,195.
Standard equipment includes 19-inch alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control, active lane-keeping, a panoramic glass roof, electric front seats (heated, of course), a digital key, powered tailgate and an air quality sensor.
There will also be four-wheel-drive, two-motor versions of the Polestar 2, with up to 475hp and 740Nm of torque, and 0-100km/h acceleration in just 4.0 seconds. The range for the two-motor models runs from 596km to 567km if you go for the Performance Pack. Irish prices for these versions haven’t been announced as yet.