Polestar may be a brand-new brand, but it has plenty of history just beneath the surface. The Polestar 1 is an exotic, limited production plug-in hybrid (PHEV) GT that draws much all of that history together in one gorgeous, fast and yes, expensive, package. 

An offshoot of Volvo, Polestar was once an outside tuning firm that built racing Volvos. As with Mercedes-Benz’s takeover of tuner AMG, Volvo bought Polestar in 2015 and spun it off into a new make in 2017. The company’s CEO is Thomas Ingenlath, who was Volvo’s design boss from 2012 to 2017. The Polestar 1’s exterior is a near carbon copy of the 2013 Volvo Coupe concept Ingenlath designed to set the direction for the current generation of Volvos.

 For its first effort, Polestar interpreted an older Volvo concept in sleek carbon fiber, gave it a powerful plug-in hybrid powertrain and christened it the Polestar 1.  Polestar

That coupe referenced the automaker’s classic P1800 of the 1960s, and Polestar dusted it off for its first new model. In bringing it to life in limited quantities, the Polestar 1 also calls to mind the 262C and 780 models, built in the 1970s and 1980s by Italian coachbuilder Bertone and aimed at Mercedes-Benz. 

Just 1,500 Polestar 1s were to be made from 2019 to 2021, and only 450 were allocated for the U.S. Its price tag is similarly exotic at $156,500.

This is a car designed to get people excited about Polestar, which already has a more attainable model, the Polestar 2, in production; plans for a pair of SUVs (3 and 4) and a fastback sedan (5) are in the works. Those vehicles will fall further from the Volvo design tree, but in the meantime, the company decided to showcase speed, style and efficiency with this halo coupe. 

Leather, carbon fiber and bright metal highlight the Polestar 1 interior but can’t hide the fact that most of it, including the Orrefors crystal shift knob and knurled start switch, was lifted from the Volvo S90 sedan.  Polestar

The Polestar 1 is based on the same architecture as the Volvo S90 and borrows its PHEV drivetrain and all-wheel drive (AWD) its cousin, but it turns up the volume on power and also provides much more all-electric range. In fact, the 1’s 52 miles of all-electric range are the best of any PHEV car on the market.

Power comes from a 619-horsepower, 738-pound-foot plug-in hybrid powerplant. The Polestar 1 uses dual electric motors, with a total of 232 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque on the rear axle and a 326-horsepower, 2.0-liter gas engine that’s both turbocharged and supercharged (a la Volvo’s T8 engines) up front. 

This setup enables different driving personalities in different situations.

The two torque-vectoring electric motors on the rear axle make the Polestar 1’s AWD setup one that’s fully electric. There’s no mechanical link to the forward engine, and in EV mode the vehicle is rear-wheel drive. In front, the gas engine has an integrated 68-horsepower electric starter-generator. Power is delivered to the wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. When only the gas engine is running, the Polestar 1 is a front-wheel drive car.

The Polestar 1’s trunk is really an afterthought, with less overall room than the Mazda Miata. The PHEV battery pack is to blame, so Polestar leaned into the issue and use it as a showcase to display the car’s electronics cables.  Polestar

The Polestar 1 has four distinct, diver-selectable driving modes: “Sport” for performance, “Hybrid” for daily driving, “Pure” to lock out the internal combustion engine for all-electric driving and AWD, which links the front engine and rear motors for full-time AWD. In the first three modes, the car’s computer decides if and when all-wheel drive is necessary.

On the road, the Polestar 1 simply goes wherever it is pointed, quickly and with no fuss. The standard suspension setting is skewed toward performance but provides for a fairly comfortable ride, but not a lot of steering feel despite three separate feedback modes. The Öhlins suspension dampers are adjustable, but most of their 22 individual settings are relatively firm. The car’s massive Akebono disc brakes haul it to a stop quickly and calmly.

Polestar says the 1 can sprint to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds, but some other reviewers have seen times as low as 3.8 seconds. This isn’t enough to keep up with the Porsche Taycan Turbo S or Tesla Plaid, but it’s fast enough to match vehicles like the AMG GT 53 Four-Door Coupe or BMW M8.

 Electronic all-wheel drive and low center of gravity help the Polestar 1 stick to even the slipperiest roads, as the company shows off during a Swedish winter road test.  Polestar

One reason it isn’t quite as fast? It weighs a hefty 5,200 pounds, even this it is dramatically shorter than the S90 and many of its steel panels swapped for lightweight carbon fiber.

Despite that heft, the Polestar 1 is an efficient machine. In our time with it, we consistently bested its EPA-rated 52 miles of electric range, recording several 60-mile all-electric trips. No other PHEV without an on-board generator, as on the Karma GS-6 and BMW i3, can do more than 47.

The EPA rates the Polestar 1 at a combined highway and city fuel efficiency of 26 mpg when its battery charge is depleted, and estimates its range on a fully charged battery and a full tank of gas (15.9 gallons – premium only) at 470 miles, far more than any other car in its class. In 275 miles of driving, we drained the battery and used 9 gallons of gas, averaging 30.7 mpg and 55 mph.

The 34-kWh battery pack takes about 3.5 hours to charge on a properly sized Level 2 (240-volt) home charger or, for road trips, just under an hour for an 80 percent recharge on a DC fast charger. The battery pack gives the Polestar 1 that amazing PHEV range, but it also adds weight and destroys cargo and interior room.

Open the trunk and you’ll see a cool view into the battery pack itself, but its presence means there are just 4.4 cubic-feet of trunk space, less than a Mazda Miata. The back seat is also comically small even by coupe standards, falling short of even the ultra-tight Lexus RC with just 20 inches of rear legroom. It’s better used to supplement that tiny trunk.

With its nearly 16-inch Akebono disc brakes—six-piston calipers up front, four-piston on the rear—the Polestar 1 has more stopping power than almost anything in its class.  Polestar

Front seat passengers, however, enjoy a world of comfort, with plenty of legroom even for tall folks, though, at 38 inches, headroom is typically coupe-like.

Interior design is Scandinavian minimalist, with leather upholstery, carbon fiber and chrome accents and a center-mounted 9-inch color infotainment screen flanked by the climate system vents. The driver gets a 12.3-inch information display, a color head-up display and a meaty, leather-covered steering wheel. Above lurks a standard panoramic sunroof.

The infotainment center uses Volvo’s older Sensus Connect system (not the Android-native setup in the Polestar 2) and many functions are controlled through the 9.0-inch touchscreen. That screen is small compared to the foot-wide and larger screens fast becoming the norm but the graphics are sharp and clear. There’s no wireless charging option, but Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, as is a Wi-Fi hotspot.

 Distinctive LED lights, a discrete logo symbolizing the polar star, a wide stance and a spoiler that automatically deploys at speeds in excess of 62 mph help set the Polestar 1 apart from its corporate cousins at Volvo.  Polestar

Visibility—forward and side view—is great and though the rearview is a bit obstructed by the C pillars and sharply sloping roofline, it’s easy to get used to. The standard 360-degree camera system and the front and rear parking sensors help a lot.

Limited production cars are rarely crash-tested, and the Polestar 1 is no exception. However, its platform mates at Volvo all get top marks from agencies like IIHS and NHTSA. It also comes with a full complement of active safety features, including adaptive cruise with lane centering and stop-and-go capability, forward collision mitigation with automatic braking, lane departure warning and lane-keeping assist and blind spot warning.

If you want one of these exotic machines, act fast, as production has already ended and 2021 is the Polestar 1’s last model year.