An Over-the-Air Update Gives Your Polestar 2 More Power

• An over-the-air update gives some Polestar 2 models more power.
• The update will cost $1,195.
• The changes are only available on Long Range Dual Motor models.

If you own a Long Range Dual Motor Polestar 2, you're about to be given an offer we find pretty hard to refuse. Polestar is offering an over-the-air (OTA) update that will give you more power, not dissimilar to what Tesla has done in the past with its models. While Tesla's updates primarily surround adding efficiency and range, the Polestar's update is all about performance.

The $1,195 performance update adds 68 horsepower and 15 lb-ft of torque to your Polestar and brings total output to 476 horsepower and 502 lb-ft of torque. The gains aren't insignificant, and Polestar says the 2 will now scoot from 0 to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, down 0.3 second from its pre-OTA 0-60 mph figure. Polestar also says 50 mph to 75 mph takes just 2.2 seconds, half a second quicker than before.

Given that the Polestar 2 starts at $54,600, an extra $1,195 (which amounts to just 2.2% of the purchase price) for the extra performance sounds like a pretty enticing deal to us — especially considering Polestar didn't mention any drop in the 2's maximum estimated range. In our real-world range test, a Polestar 2 in Dual Range Long Range trim traveled 288 miles on a single charge, 39 more miles than the 249 miles the EPA estimates it'll go between charging sessions.

Polestar's main problem is actually Volvo. Once the two brands both go electric, how will Polestar differentiate itself from the company that spawned it? The answer that Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath recently gave us was simple: performance. Volvos will be more relaxed places to be; Polestars will be for those who value performance and aren't afraid to compromise on some utility to get it. This over-the-air update only bolsters Polestar's case as a performance brand, and it makes the 2 just that much more enticing.

Edmunds says

As much as we like this idea, we're even more excited about the Polestar 3 SUV that's already on its way.