Swedes seek to answer the burning question of whether it’s possible to turn an everyday electric car into a high-performance handling hero
MATT SAUNDERS @thedarkstormy1
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Itremains to be proven what kind of high-performance derivatives EV enthusiasts will be willing to pay for. Most car makers are still preoccupied with more fundamental questions, after all. Can we make an electric car affordable enough but still desirable? Can we make it light enough? Can we make it look good? Can we make it go far enough between charges? For many, going beyond remains a challenge for tomorrow. But EV specialist Polestar is ready to address it right now.
Having such little brand baggage, the Sino-Swedish firm will, in the fullness of time, propose several interpretations of what high performance looks like in an EV. The super-aerodynamic, rangy grand tourer; the low-slung, two-seat supercar; the spacious, muscular performance crossover: some are already in the product plan, and who knows what else could join them?
But Polestar is experimenting first with a limited-run version of the 2 that has been given a particularly special suspension makeover to find out what kind of appetite there might be for an electric family hatchback with motorsport-style handling smarts – and what kind of driving experience might result.
For now, it needn’t be a big appetite. Polestar is making only 270 examples of the BST Edition 270 for the global market, 40 of which are coming to the UK and all of which have long been deposited on (ahem). On sales volume, that was a pretty easy target to meet, you might think. Then again, this is a £69,000 2, and it can be optioned up to Porsche Taycan money.
Unlike with the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT or Kia EV6 GT, you get no extra power to justify the outlay here. The BST uses the same Performance Pack-spec motors as the 2 Long Range Dual Motor, making 469bhp and 502lb ft of torque between them.
Polestar says that was a choice, not a restriction – that it wanted to focus on enhancements that would have a meaningful impact on the driver appeal of the car, rather than adding performance that the driver couldn’t ultimately use. It’s thinking you can easily approve of, especially if you already know what so many of these super-fast but often sterile EVs are like to drive.
Polestar has instead upgraded the 2’s suspension with plenty of commitment and with a little help from its friends. New 21in alloy wheels (forged rather than cast) are staggered in their width front to rear in order to improve handling st
