2024 Polestar 2 gets slight price increase and significant updates

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

Pricing for the entry-level, rear-wheel-drive 2 starts at $51,300 including a $1,400 destination charge. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive variant carries a base price of $56,700. In 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 select the all-wheel-drive 2 end up paying essentially the same price because the sedan now comes standard with the Pilot Pack, which cost $3,400 in 2023. It adds driving aids such as Pilot Assist technology and a 360-degree camera.

While a handful of subtle design tweaks set the 2024 Polestar 2 apart from the 2023 model, the most important updates are beneath the sheetmetal — and rear-wheel-drive is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The base version of the car gets a new motor 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 60 mph from a stop, which is a full second quicker than before, its estimated driving range increases from 270 to 320 miles, and it’s compatible with 205-kilowatt fast charging.

The all-wheel-drive 2 benefits from similar updates. Its dual-motor drivetrain 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 against, especially when it’s essentially free. If that’s not enough, the optional Performance Pack increases horsepower to 455 while adding Brembo brakes, package-specific forged alloy wheels, Öhlins adjustable dampers, and Swedish Gold accents on the seatbelts. Hitting 60 mph from a stop takes 4.3 seconds (or 4.1 seconds with the Performance Pack), and Polestar estimates that driving range will check in at up to 276 miles, though the EPA hasn’t tested the new 2 yet.

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

On sale now, the 2024 Polestar 2 will enter production soon, and deliveries are scheduled to start in August 2023. It’s too early to tell what the future holds, but nothing suggests that this is the sedan’s final evolution. Polestar has leveraged its over-the-air software updating system to make numerous improvements since production started. June 2023’s update notably brought in-car YouTube, among other new features.