Yeah, it’s aero. A lot of the black parts are often plastic.

 

You can tell Polestar is a design led company because the original P*2 wheel designs prioritise aesthetics whereas most other manufacturers focus on aero efficiency. The newer MY23 wheel designs have gone more aero, and whilst I personally quite like the new non-PP 20” wheel design, I think they are a backwards step to the older 20” design aesthetically at least. I haven’t seen anything indicating an increase in range due specifically to the new aero design, but that maybe because it’s too early and no one has compared as yet. But regardless, for me personally I’d prefer to live with a slightly less aero efficient wheel design that looks significantly better. But that’s just me…

 

Not just wheels. Part of the reason many EVs don’t have door handles is because of aero. Ditto with non-flat grilles and the desire to have some swooping plastic monstrosity. Nice to have a company that is willing to give up a bit of the numbers game to make a better looking car.

 

I can't remember where I read it, but in some Q&A someone from Mercedes admitted flush door handles make virtually no difference.

 

Companies are also removing wing mirrors for cameras, apart from Aero it has the added benefit of having to work so once past warranty they can charge a small fortune for repairs.

As long as the car does 210miles (90 to 20%) in all weather and charges fairly quickly I’m happy for a prettier car than an ugly monstrosity that provides more range.

 

Yeah it’s a balance for me, and one of the key reasons I chose the P*2 is because I think it’s currently the most handsome car in its class. If maximum range was my primary criteria I’d have chosen a Tesla. As long as the range is good enough, then I’d always chose the car that makes me feel a bit more special driving around in it, or even just looking at it parked on my driveway. Much more important to me than a potential 10% extra range.

 

You cannot accuse the bst's wheels for being ugly aero design

 

You cannot accuse the bst's wheels for being ugly aero design
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You're right thee BST wheels are beautiful, but then again they are not an aero design. Unless I'm mistaken, they are the original wheels off the P*1 and essentially a similar design as the MY21/22 non-PP 20" wheels that I have fitted to my car:

The newer MY23 non-PP 20" and 19" are designed more with aero in mind. For me, they are okay but not as good looking as the previous designs:

 

…

 

Aero design wheels…

 

Aero design wheels…

 

These are aero wheels I can get onboard with:

Porsche 935 - was a poster car from my youth, and I made the 1:12 scale model too - loved it

 

In a Facebook post Polestar admitted the new wheel designs are for aero improvement (but didn't mention the impact on Cd or range) yet also noted the new wheels are heavier - so more mass to move around. Not sure if one trumps the other but it would seem at town speeds aero effects are negligible to non-existent but carrying more mass will be a net negative. Maybe it's a highway-only impact on range? But even then Polestar themselves did not quantify.

My take? It was largely a design decision to keep the car "fresh" in its third year out without having to make any changes to tooling, batteries, motors or electronics. Probably the most cost-efficient option by far to update a new car's look.

 

I like the 2023 19" Polestar wheels. They show up better in person than in pictures.

 

I believe the 20” non PP wheels are the best suit for the car and are close to the P1 concept…. Of course I’m not biased😀… if tyres inflated to eco settings they will knock the fillings out of your teeth though!

 

The MY21/22 non-PP 20 inchers are closest to the Volvo EV concept that eventually became the Polestar 2:

So you could say these were the wheel design that Polestar had in mind when they designed the car in the first place! I might be a little biased too

 

The chunky door handles are a real class feature.. going against the current trends but along with the clean solid lines give a great aura of strength and ruggedness.. ok so we might lose a couple of decimal points on the Cd rating but it dosn’t look like a cross between a frog and a fish… no particular car in mind☺

 

The chunky door handles are a real class feature.. going against the current trends but along with the clean solid lines give a great aura of strength and ruggedness.. ok so we might lose a couple of decimal points on the Cd rating but it dosn’t look like a cross between a frog and a fish… no particular car in mind☺

Completely agree .... my 13yro step-daughter also agrees .... "the car looks great, I thought the Model S was boooorrrrriiiiiing"

I loved my Model S - in dark metallic grey, black leather with the smoke grey arachnid wheels it looked great - but the Model 3s and Model Ys are just so plane and boring to look at ... great cars when it comes to performance & distance on a charge ... but so non descript ... from a purely design perspective the P*2 is just delicious ...

 

Love the wheels on my 2022 P2. Not “ugly” in the least bit.

 

At least wheels are easily swapped out. I must admit I don't like it that Polestar is going in that direction, the 2023 MY wheels don't do it for me at all. To enclosed. Not as bad as others on the market but a step in the wrong direction. What's next, a generic all plastic front? Throw some more LED lines along the front of the car? Weird non functional interiors? A skateboard platform with seats where I can lick my knees?

 

Ok but I think these look really good

 

Those 19” wheels look good . But personally I think these look better:

Just personal preference of course. Fully respect the opinion of anyone who thinks the opposite.

I will be fascinated to read a future direct comparison between these two wheel designs in relation to efficiency. Will the newer design be proven to deliver a perceivable increase in efficiency? It will be interesting…

 

My view is both old and new 19” look great.. old 20”s look great but new 20”s are virtually a copy of the BMW i4 and don’t suit the car… too flashy…. Shades of 1980s SAAB aero

 

Yeah the same config I ordered popped up as a preconfigured car on the website except it has the 20" wheels instead of the 19". I really don't like the 20" wheels and think I am just going to wait, even though I really want the car.