Let's start subjectively today. They do look good, don't they? You don't need to drive them to enjoy them, which is a good start.
Concept cars don't go into production very often as they are, because they usually have lots of details which are too complex or expensive for production.
For these two cars however, the manufacturers seem to have made an exception. The Lexus LC is the production version of the LF-LC Concept...
from 2012, and it's almost an exact replica. Even the weird headlight-units which mirror and look remarkable. They even kept the measurements...
which means the car makes quite an impression. Everybody turns their head, almost everybody loves the look of it and that's mostly because it's...
a typical coupé. Low, wide and a tad aggressive. I can imagine some people who find it's a little too much, but they tend to like the Polestar.
The Polestar is pretty much identical to its concept-version, which in this case is the Volvo Concept Coupé from 2013.
The shape is identical, the low roofline which could remind you of the P1800, and even the details.
Take these door handles for example. Not just regular door handles, but foldable ones. Lexus has those as well.
The hood also covers the whole front. On a Volvo, the bonnet stops here, but on the Polestar it goes up to here. That makes it look a tad tighter.
The same goes for the side-view mirrors. They look normal, but the glass is connected to the casing. So if you adjust the mirrors, the whole mirror...
moves. It wasn't a necessary feature and not a lot of people will notice, but they have installed it. And that's what makes this car special.
Another big difference between the Volvo Concept Coupé and this Polestar is the grille and the logo's.
Because this isn't a Volvo, this is a Polestar.
In the interior, we find a lot of Polestar-logo's as well. On the steering wheel, on the gear lever, but other than that it's all Volvo.
The base layout, and thus the whole dashboard, is the same as in other middle-sized Volvo's. Including the vertical screen,
the digital instrument cluster, and the whole way to operate it. Sure, Polestar has used some own details like colors, but other than that...
it works just like in a Volvo. That means the differences mostly are in the finishing of the car, and I can already tell you Polestar has done a good job.
Take this big, lit plate of carbon on the dash for example, or the panels in the doors. Lots of aluminium has been used, everything is covered...
with leather, up to the ceiling. However, the ceiling is made from glass. It also has a nice little bridge with the Polestar-logo engraved in it.
When it's dark, you can see the reflection in the roof. So they've put a lot of effort in the details. And the further you go back, the more...
remarkable it becomes. This part of the seat is white, whilst the rear part is black. All to let the seats jump out of the picture.
In the meantime, they've finished the rear very well. Especially for a place you won't spend a lot of time.
Take the aluminium strip for example. It starts in the door panels, goes between the rear seat and ends on the parcel shelf.
In the parcel shelf, you'll have lighting and speakers. And with that, everything you see has great finishing. It's a tad different than...
in a regular Volvo, but the atmosphere is very similar. If we move even further back, to the boot, it becomes even more...
impressive. Not because of the space of course, because both cars only fit around 150 litres of luggage space, which isn't a lot at all.
No, it's because of this lit glass window, which shows all kinds of plugs. It's Polestar's way of showing you you've got a battery pack aboard.
There's another one in the middle console, and together they produce 34 kWh and a WLTP-range of 124 kilometres. For an EV, that's not...
very impressive, but it is for a plug-in hybrid.
And that this is a plug-in hybrid, is quite remarkable to say the least. Polestar was presented in 2017 as the new brand which would solely...
focus on fast EV's. Fully electric cars, but this first car has a drivetrain which is very similar to the T8-drivetrains from Volvo. Or rather,
the T8 Polestar Engineered-models, because they bear the name for a good reason.
With those cars, it shares its 2.0-litre petrol engine and its 8-speed automatic gearbox.
However, the Polestar has gained quite a big performance boost. I already mentioned the battery pack, which is about three times...
as big as Volvo's regular plug-in cars, but it also produces much more power.
The biggest difference when it comes to power output, is the additional electric motor on the rear axle. That means each wheel has one,
producing 116 horsepower individually. That means that, combined with the combustion engine and another built-in electric motor,
the car produces 609 horsepower and 1.000 Nm of torque. That really is a lot.
On the other hand, it has to produce this much power, because the technology has added a lot of weight. 2.350 kg to be exact.
That's more than a Bentley Continental GT, which has a W12. And you feel that when you're driving, because it sometimes feels like a...
Volvo filled to the brim with all kinds of complex technology. However, that's not always the case, because the chassis knows a few tricks.
It has very special dampers which require manual adjusting, so by hand. They're found in the wheel arches at the back and underneath...
the hood at the front. They're in average-mode right now, which means it feels sturdier than a Volvo, but it's not too hard or anything.
The steering has been tickled as well. It's a tad heavier and more precise, but it still hasn't got a lot of feel to it. However, you're able to adjust it...
through the menu's. Everything put together, this is a car which is able to corner surprisngly quickly. Especially if you consider the weight it bears.
It doesn't really get spectacular, but you can feel it constantly calculating where to get the most amount of grip.
A very remarkable feeling. Also, because both rear wheels have their own electric motor, it means they always have the ideal amount of power.
And you'll notice. When you put your foot down in a corner, you can feel it calculating before it pushes you through the corner.
It won't break out or anything, because it's incredibly grippy, but you can feel the power moving through the car.
The same kind of goes for driving in a straight line. It does 0-100 km/h in four seconds, and that's not very impressive in Tesla-times.
I believe it's 4,2 seconds to be precise. However, it feels explosive. Because all of the powers coming together,
all of the power sources getting spooled up, it means you really get launched off the line. That feels very unique.
There aren't a lot of cars which come close to this concept when it comes to their drivetrain, especially if we consider this power output.
It really is a remarkable car to drive.
However, if you take it easy, it can do a lot of electric kilometres. With the current speed limits, you'll be able to reach the 100 km.
It also becomes a rear-wheel drive car, because all of the power output comes from the rear electric motors.
It'll still be rapid, only not as explosive as with the front motors running as well. Quick enough to go with the traffic flow.
Also, what's good to know, you're able to quickcharge it. Very unique for a plug-in hybrid. That means you'll be able to do a lot of your daily...
kilometres fully electric with this car.
You shouldn't worry about charging your car, because Lexus doesn't do plug-in hybrids. This is 'just' a hybrid.
However, it's the crème de la crème of what Lexus - or rather Toyota - has to offer. It's based on a 3.5-litre V6 with two additional electric motors,
but instead of an 8-speed automatic gearbox this comes with a 4-speed automatic gearbox and a planetary gear set.
A bit like a CVT-gearbox, but it has preset gears. That means you've got 10 gears to play with, despite being preset.
Just as much as in the regular LC500, with a V8. Everything put together, the drivetrain sends 359 horsepower to the rear wheels only,
as opposed to the Polestar's four-wheel drive. And there's isn't a lot to say about those 359 horsepower except for the fact it's just not a lot.
And you'll feel that. Sure, this is almost 400 kg lighter than the Polestar, but when it comes to speed, the Polestar is clearly quicker.
It's able to keep up going from 0 to 100 km/h, but inbetween sprints are easily won by the Polestar. That's explosively quick, and this is just quick.
It's not a car you'd put your windows down for when entering a tunnel, but it has a decent growl coming from the exhausts.
The preset gears were meant to give it a more natural feeling, like we're used to from big petrol coupé. That it shifts gear and such.
That it won't wheeze in higher revs, like a CVT always does. And they've succeeded, partly. However, you know what you get when you get a hybrid,
and the same goes for the Polestar. In here, it stands out a little bit more because it's more of a sportier car.
I won't call it a sports car, because that'd go a tad too far, but it's a very sporty GT. It has rear-wheel drive, you're closer to the tarmac,
there's much more feeling to the steering. It's a even tad more direct than the Polestar. Also, when you corner quickly, the rear wants to break out a little.
Of course, you're able to catch it easily, even in Sport-mode. But, it does make it a more playful and more fun car to throw around a bendy road.
The Polestar is much more of a beautiful piece of technology which offers fun because of the speed, whereas this Lexus...
is a sporty GT which offers a lot of driving pleasure and feels great to drive.
Another feature which makes the Lexus feel a tad more special than the Polestar is the interior.
I mean, let's be honest here. From the moment you get in, it feels like a special, expensive and sporty car.
You're engulfed by leather, nice brown leather in this car. The seats are deep, it feels wide, the finishing is great...
This really is an amazing interior, and that is quite the difference with the Polestar, in which I find it difficult to find the differences with a Volvo.
This is remarkable by itself. However, the ergonomics aren't very good. The touchpad still doesn't work properly, so I'd prefer the touchscreen...
in the Polestar. However, everything put together, this interior does make me feel like I'm driving something worth €100.000.
And the price tag is another drawback of the Polestar, because it'll set you back €160.000. You do get a fully loaded car for that price,
so you won't have to pay extra for colors, or wheels or anything. It's all-inclusive. But it's €40.000 more than the cheapest LC500h.
Sure, it's not as quick, but it feels like the better built, more special car. So the Polestar remains for a select group of enthusiasts...
which appreciate the high-tech personality and want a modest but very exclusive car. And that's good, because only 1.500 will...
be built. So the exclusivity is guaranteed.