A QUANTUM LEAP FOR INFOTAINMENT?
The Polestar 2 tested by P3 UX experts
P3 USER EXPERIENCE
The Polestar 2 tested by P3 UX experts
Sept. 22, 2020 | F. Hillig, A. Bachmann
The current user experience of many infotainment users in the vehicle is characterised by weaknesses: slow start-up behaviour or system performance, outdated interfaces, or poor design and sometimes no online functionalities at all. Lack of infotainment’s adaptability to one’s own habits, which is mostly shaped by smartphone use, also confronts users with the feeling that few innovations are being introduced to simplify complexity in the vehicle.
The reasons for this lack of adaptability usually lie in the long lead times that car manufacturers have to plan their products in advance, coupled with the high safety standards for over-the-air updates that would allow new content or adjustments in the vehicle. (Read more about the security requirements of updates here)
The Polestar 2 should now put an end to this, at least according to press reports:
„As far as operation and connectivity are concerned, the new Polestar 2 (2020) sets the benchmark across all classes and manufacturers … [and makes] … other manufacturers look old.“ ¹
“The Polestar 2 is more comfortable, seemingly better built and has a better infotainment system than the Tesla Model 3.” ²
“This for me is the best infotainment system in any car right now.” ³
Youtubers and the press agree: The above-average performance of the system, including the Google PlayStore, will be particularly well received by customers. A navigation system with Google Maps will even delight customers. Therefore, we as P3’s connectivity experts approach the vehicle with high expectations. These expectations are an important part of the overall user experience, they form a kind of target framework with which the future user compares his experience.
We as P3 had the opportunity to pick up the 4th car at the dealer in Germany. Our findings refer to the first four weeks of use. We focus exclusively on the infotainment system; the driving characteristics are not considered. Even if you look at the market launch of Polestar 2, you will quickly realise that infotainment is the focus here. For the first time a car is equipped with an operating system from Google, which we can expect from other manufacturers in the future under the name Android Automotive.
Now to our infotainment experience:
The first moments in the Polestar 2 are described in a reassuringly unspectacular way: clear design in a large tile design with a black background make the 11-inch display look minimalistic. Four main tabs with icons divide the system into the areas “camera view, driving characteristics, apps and driver profiles”. The start area can be accessed at any time by clicking on the home button at the bottom.
What is particularly noticeable:
Despite all the criticism that we as car testers attribute to the vehicle here, we give a not too negative testimonial, including the expected future outlook: The biggest points of criticism prove to be in the areas of navigation and apps. Here we give a system with a large share of Google functionalities a certain “leap of faith” that these errors will be corrected as quickly as possible.
If larger volume brands implement embedded Android automotive systems, the Google Automotive PlayStore will also become more interesting for app providers. Thus, the Polestar 2 infotainment system presents itself as network good 4 in the narrower sense. These net goods increase their benefit for the customers by the fact that more customers use the solution and thus the offer increases. The Polestar 2 therefore behaves in a similar way to the introduction of a game console, for which there are almost no games available yet.
The quantum leap has so far been less about content than about look and feel and the similarity to a mobile phone. It will therefore be worthwhile to re-evaluate the quality of content and implementation at regular intervals, especially with this Android-based system.
