Autocar July 15, 2020

IT’S RARE THESE days for a car to be truly different. There’s usually an obvious rival, or the niche a new car fills is simply the merging of two existing bodystyles. But the Polestar 2 is just that: truly different. We’ve been wowed by the limited-run, ultra-expensive Polestar 1 coupé, but it’s the more mass-market 2 that marks the real arrival of the Polestar brand to wider public consciousness. Its shape and styling make it look like no other car on the road and, while we’ve found most electric cars to offer broadly similar driving characteristics so far, the 2 is also a step-change in that regard, as our first drive reveals (p16). Polestar’s first two cars have achieved that oh-so-tricky commodity: being interesting. Being interesting, however, does not always…

IT’S RARE THESE days for a car to be truly different. There’s usually an obvious rival, or the niche a new car fills is simply the merging of two existing bodystyles. But the Polestar 2 is just that: truly different. We’ve been wowed by the limited-run, ultra-expensive Polestar 1 coupé, but it’s the more mass-market 2 that marks the real arrival of the Polestar brand to wider public consciousness. Its shape and styling make it look like no other car on the road and, while we’ve found most electric cars to offer broadly similar driving characteristics so far, the 2 is also a step-change in that regard, as our first drive reveals (p16). Polestar’s first two cars have achieved that oh-so-tricky commodity: being interesting. Being interesting, however, does not always translate into being…

The new Nissan Ariya electric SUV features bold styling, a range of up to 310 miles and a 389bhp performance variant – and the car maker claims it will “mark a new era for electric vehicles” by combining high levels of tech with “exciting” handing. The crucial new model is set to go on sale next year as a rival to the Tesla Model Y and Volkswagen ID 4 and will sit above the successful Leaf in the Japanese firm’s EV line-up. The Ariya retains the bold styling of the concept unveiled at last year’s Tokyo motor show and showcases Nissan’s new brand identity with “seamless, elegant and fresh” styling. It’s the first model built on the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s new CMF-EV electric architecture, with Nissan operating chief Ashwani Gupta saying it represents…

The new Nissan Ariya electric SUV features bold styling, a range of up to 310 miles and a 389bhp performance variant – and the car maker claims it will “mark a new era for electric vehicles” by combining high levels of tech with “exciting” handing. The crucial new model is set to go on sale next year as a rival to the Tesla Model Y and Volkswagen ID 4 and will sit above the successful Leaf in the Japanese firm’s EV line-up. The Ariya retains the bold styling of the concept unveiled at last year’s Tokyo motor show and showcases Nissan’s new brand identity with “seamless, elegant and fresh” styling. It’s the first model built on the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s new CMF-EV electric architecture, with Nissan operating chief Ashwani Gupta saying…

Nissan launched the Leaf 10 years ago and has sold around half a million since then. It might not be as fashionable as a Tesla, but the electric hatchback is a true EV pioneer. Yet Nissan hasn’t really capitalised on its experience: it has taken a decade for the firm to launch its second production EV, during which time rivals have been racing to catch up. The experience of a decade of Leaf production still gives Nissan a huge edge, and there has been much anticipation for what was expected to be a ‘Leaf SUV’. It’s interesting, then, that the Ariya isn’t simply an enlarged, high-riding Leaf, but something much bolder. Nissan has gone for a distinctive, progressive design that gives the Ariya an identity of its own. That could make it harder…

Nissan launched the Leaf 10 years ago and has sold around half a million since then. It might not be as fashionable as a Tesla, but the electric hatchback is a true EV pioneer. Yet Nissan hasn’t really capitalised on its experience: it has taken a decade for the firm to launch its second production EV, during which time rivals have been racing to catch up. The experience of a decade of Leaf production still gives Nissan a huge edge, and there has been much anticipation for what was expected to be a ‘Leaf SUV’. It’s interesting, then, that the Ariya isn’t simply an enlarged, high-riding Leaf, but something much bolder. Nissan has gone for a distinctive, progressive design that gives the Ariya an identity of its own. That could…