2024 Polestar 2 gets slight price increase and significant improvements AllNews.com

The 2024 Polestar 2 switches from front-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive, a major change that should completely transform the driving experience. It’s more powerful than the outgoing model and offers a longer driving range, but the price increase isn’t as steep as you might think.

Pricing for the entry-level rear-wheel drive 2 model starts at $51,300, including a $1,400 destination surcharge. The four-wheel-drive variant with two motors has a base price of $56,700. For comparison, the 2023 model cost $49,800 with front-wheel drive and $53,300 with all-wheel drive. But keep in mind that buyers who choose the all-wheel drive 2 end up paying essentially the same price, as the sedan now comes standard with the Pilot Pack, which will cost $3,400 in 2023. It adds driving aids like Pilot Assist technology and a 360-degree camera.

While a handful of subtle design tweaks differentiate the 2024 Polestar 2 from the 2023 model, the major updates are under the sheetmetal – and rear-wheel drive is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The base version of the car gets a new engine rated at 299 horsepower and 361 pound-feet of torque, up from 231 and 243, respectively, in the 2023 model. It takes 5.9 seconds to reach 100 km/h from a standstill, which is a full second faster than before, the estimated driving range increases from 270 to 520 miles and it is compatible with 205 kilowatt fast charging.

The all-wheel drive 2 benefits from similar updates. The two-motor powertrain is now rated at 421 horsepower and 546 pound-feet of torque, up from 408 and 487 respectively in 2023 – more power is hard to argue with, especially when it’s essentially free. If that wasn’t enough, the optional Performance Pack boosts horsepower to 455 while adding Brembo brakes, package-specific forged alloy wheels, adjustable Öhlins dampers and Swedish gold accents on the seatbelts. It takes 4.3 seconds to hit 100 km/h from a stop (or 4.1 seconds with the Performance Pack), and Polestar estimates that the maximum range will be 276 miles, although the EPA has not yet tested the new 2.

Pricing for the Performance Pack has not been announced, but Polestar reduced the cost of the Plus Pack from $2,400 to $2,200. It bundles equipment such as a heat pump that should increase the range, a Harman Kardon sound system, a panoramic moonroof and heated rear seats.

The Polestar 2 2024, on sale now, will enter production soon with deliveries scheduled for August 2023. It’s too early to say what the future holds, but there’s no indication that this will be the latest evolution of the sedan. Polestar has used its over-the-air software update system to make numerous improvements since production started. The June 2023 update notably brought YouTube into the car, among other new features.