Pushed: 2023 Polestar 2 BST Version 270 Is Restricted-Version Awesomeness

How does it drive?

Intermittent storms in the course of the launch occasion for the BST rained on our parade and saved the roads slicker than we’d’ve favored. Polestar’s occasion managers reminded us on multiple event that our automotive was allotted to a buyer, which roughly interprets to “please don’t damage it and make our lives tougher.”

Even within the moist and with a psychological warning flag waving, the BST was filled with character. An inch decrease to the bottom doesn’t appear that dramatic, however the decrease middle of gravity was evident virtually instantly. The automotive was joyful to vary path, and rapidly, too. For a machine weighing greater than 4,500 kilos, it disguised its mass to a really spectacular diploma, providing extra precision than a regular Polestar 2. We have been continuously brushing with grip limitations thanks once more to the rain, however within the dry, there isn’t any doubt that that they had considerably extra to supply.

Polestar makes use of a blended braking system, so that you’re getting a mixture of bodily brake pad and regen when utilizing the left pedal. Another EVs (just like the Mercedes EQS) do a poor job of creating this really feel pure, however the BST was spot-on. Full one-pedal driving is on the market, however we spent our time leaning on the upgraded calipers solely to seek out that they supply ample stopping energy.

With 476 horsepower on faucet, you’d suppose the powertrain can be a spotlight, however it performed a distant second fiddle to the suspension and brakes. Line up the BST subsequent to a Mannequin 3 Efficiency on a straightaway and it could be laborious to see the benefit; on a sweeping mountain street, the Polestar is a way more fulfilling product.

Solely round city does the BST lose a few of its sparkle, and that’s as a result of Öhlins dampers — the identical ones that include any Efficiency package-equipped automotive. They make the automotive trip harshly over bumps and street imperfections, particularly at low speeds. In equity, they’re adjustable to a softer setting, however on the degree Polestar recommends for on a regular basis use, we weren’t thrilled. When the street smoothed out, nevertheless, this subject subsided.