Polestar 2 test drive and comparison by Mach-E owner

Mach-E VLOG

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Last week, Polestar dropped off a test drive car for @Liv and me to check out. Check out the video below to see our full review.

Pros:
- It's fast!
- I like Android Automotive
- More supportive seats

Cons:
- Cheaper feeling materials
- Road noise
- Too small for us
- Center console is huge!
- More supportive seats

When I first got in, it felt very nice. I like the feel of the volume knob for example. But upon closer examination, it seemed like they used cheaper materials and more hard plastic.

And, yes, the seats are listed as a pro and a con!

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SteelMach

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Con: dealer support network?

How rapidly is that expanding?
Huge mistake for them (IMO) not just using the existing Volvo dealer network for deliveries and service. I couldn't even consider a Polestar due to the day long drive to a dealer.
 
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Mach-E VLOG

Mach-E VLOG

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Con: dealer support network?

How rapidly is that expanding?
That was the number one reason I eliminated it from my choices when looking at EVs. I figured I'd keep this review to just being about the car, but hopefully people will realize on their own how problematic that will be.
 

trutolife27

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Last week, Polestar dropped off a test drive car for @Liv and me to check out. Check out the video below to see our full review.

Pros:
- It's fast!
- I like Android Automotive
- More supportive seats

Cons:
- Cheaper feeling materials
- Road noise
- Too small for us
- Center console is huge!
- More supportive seats

When I first got in, it felt very nice. I like the feel of the volume knob for example. But upon closer examination, it seemed like they used cheaper materials and more hard plastic.

And, yes, the seats are listed as a pro and a con!

amazing video you do a great job.
 


Kamuelaflyer

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That was the number one reason I eliminated it from my choices when looking at EVs. I figured I'd keep this review to just being about the car, but hopefully people will realize on their own how problematic that will be.
For some and In a sense, Polestar is in the same situation Tesla is; whether you're willing to consider the car could very well be determined entirely by the distance from the service center. For a lot of people though, it's another choice though.

Based on your video though, and speaking strictly for me, I prefer the Mach-e. Polestar isn't an option for me anyway. No dealer -- no Volvo or VW dealer either for that matter.
 

GoGoGadgetMachE

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Finally had time to watch this - good job @Mach-E VLOG and @Liv !

warning: rant coming about the car (not the video):

One thing that actually concerns me, and I admit concerned me when I heard that Ford was going the Google route in Sync, is that the console feels very Google, and that is a bad thing (note: personal opinion, not stated as fact :)).

for example, this:

Ford Mustang Mach-E Polestar 2 test drive and comparison by Mach-E owner 1616766852152


there's like 5 or 6 different text sizes and there's no obvious reason for any particular size on any particular text. It's like they just said "make it as big as fits in any particular space" but that means that for example on the left, "Rear defroster" is so small, that it is basically not worth putting there. There's a reason other cars say "REAR DEF" and it's not because they are worried about running out of button ink. And the lower-left has "OFF" (rather than "Off") and the lower-right has "MAX" instead of "Maximum", so it's clear that whoever wrote it "knows" how cars do this. They just didn't give a damn enough to be consistent.

The selections along the top - presumably that's three tabs - are also not clearly differentiated enough, at least not for me. I know I'd get used to it, and I think that there's supposed to be the subtle hint that a capital letter and the somewhat extra space (vs. the insufficient space between the "n" and "c" in "Main climate") are supposed to be my visual cues, but some lines would go a long way to offering clarity over "pretty", especially when the mess of random font sizes make it clear "pretty" isn't actually on the table.

and then there's this screen, with an ugly-ass mess of static icons, because it's like Windows 3.1 up in there:

Ford Mustang Mach-E Polestar 2 test drive and comparison by Mach-E owner 1616767142508


there's a reason widgets exist on Android (and finally, after over a decade, iOS)... the OS knows how to make a launcher that is actually functional as well as just grids of buttons. Why hide that? Why make me change contexts?

and yes I know someone will want to say "look at these inconsistent fonts on Sync 4" or whatever but we all know that's a dead end now, so I'm looking at what "the future" looks like, and it's just gross.

None of this would stop me from buying a car, but it would make me a little sad every time I drove it.

The driver instrumentation looks nice:

Ford Mustang Mach-E Polestar 2 test drive and comparison by Mach-E owner 1616767297213

and I assume that can be customized at least some so that the map isn't center stage, since in day to day driving that's just noise - you'd want speed, maybe audio information, etc. more up front than that giant map when you're just doing your weekly grocery run or whatever...
 
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Mach-E VLOG

Mach-E VLOG

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Finally had time to watch this - good job @Mach-E VLOG and @Liv !

warning: rant coming about the car (not the video):

One thing that actually concerns me, and I admit concerned me when I heard that Ford was going the Google route in Sync, is that the console feels very Google, and that is a bad thing (note: personal opinion, not stated as fact :)).

for example, this:

Ford Mustang Mach-E Polestar 2 test drive and comparison by Mach-E owner 1616767297213


there's like 5 or 6 different text sizes and there's no obvious reason for any particular size on any particular text. It's like they just said "make it as big as fits in any particular space" but that means that for example on the left, "Rear defroster" is so small, that it is basically not worth putting there. There's a reason other cars say "REAR DEF" and it's not because they are worried about running out of button ink. And the lower-left has "OFF" (rather than "Off") and the lower-right has "MAX" instead of "Maximum", so it's clear that whoever wrote it "knows" how cars do this. They just didn't give a damn enough to be consistent.

The selections along the top - presumably that's three tabs - are also not clearly differentiated enough, at least not for me. I know I'd get used to it, and I think that there's supposed to be the subtle hint that a capital letter and the somewhat extra space (vs. the insufficient space between the "n" and "c" in "Main climate") are supposed to be my visual cues, but some lines would go a long way to offering clarity over "pretty", especially when the mess of random font sizes make it clear "pretty" isn't actually on the table.

and then there's this screen, with an ugly-ass mess of static icons, because it's like Windows 3.1 up in there:

Ford Mustang Mach-E Polestar 2 test drive and comparison by Mach-E owner 1616767297213


there's a reason widgets exist on Android (and finally, after over a decade, iOS)... the OS knows how to make a launcher that is actually functional as well as just grids of buttons. Why hide that? Why make me change contexts?

and yes I know someone will want to say "look at these inconsistent fonts on Sync 4" or whatever but we all know that's a dead end now, so I'm looking at what "the future" looks like, and it's just gross.

None of this would stop me from buying a car, but it would make me a little sad every time I drove it.

The driver instrumentation looks nice:

Ford Mustang Mach-E Polestar 2 test drive and comparison by Mach-E owner 1616767297213

and I assume that can be customized at least some so that the map isn't center stage, since in day to day driving that's just noise - you'd want speed, maybe audio information, etc. more up front than that giant map when you're just doing your weekly grocery run or whatever...
I'm used to the Google way, so I don't think I noticed as much, but you make some valid points. I think the best thing is that the manufacturer can overlay whatever look they want for a large part of the interface. The screen with the icons was a bit Win 3.1, but at the same time, it was easy to see all the apps vs having to swipe left/right or up/down to find other apps. I blame Polestar for some the other issues. Why "Main Climate" instead of just Climate?

The center screen had a couple of options... the simple display that is similar to the Mach-E and the map screen.

I wish we would have had more time to explore the Android Automotive side of things. It was very, very smooth with no lag.
 

GoGoGadgetMachE

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I wish we would have had more time to explore the Android Automotive side of things. It was very, very smooth with no lag.
yeah to its credit it seemed everything you showed performed very well (from a basic speed viewpoint) which is good to see. :)
 
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Mach-E VLOG

Mach-E VLOG

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physib

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Ugly UI with questionable functionalities. Plus I don't want Google to run my car.
 
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Mach-E VLOG

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Ugly UI with questionable functionalities. Plus I don't want Google to run my car.
I'm curious what other manufacturers will do with the interface. I was looking to see if Polestar's China or European team designed the interface on the 2 but I couldn't find any info.
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