Feeling beats horsepower

The motor industry has developed a remarkable talent: it can measure almost anything. Power, torque, acceleration, lap times. Yet when it comes to perhaps the most important aspect, things suddenly become surprisingly imprecise. That’s right: driving pleasure.

Yet the matter is actually wonderfully simple. 500 PS makes a car fast. But not necessarily desirable. And ever since electric cars have been delivering acceleration figures that used to require a supercar, good old-fashioned PS bragging has had a credibility problem.

Polestar now wants to get to the bottom of this. Together with researchers from the University of Oxford, the Swedish manufacturer sent twelve test subjects around the Gotland Ring racetrack in two versions of the Polestar 4. They were equipped with sensors to monitor heart rate, eye movements and physical reactions. The question: what actually happens to us when driving is fun?

The more powerful version not only impressed with 32 per cent higher peak acceleration during comparably fast laps, but also required 15 per cent less steering effort. Above all, however, the test subjects described the driving pleasure as a combination of concentration, confidence and control. It’s not simply a matter of kicking someone as hard as possible in the back.

Of course, twelve test subjects do not constitute a scientific revolution. And an elevated heart rate merely proves, at first glance, that the heart is beating faster – not that the person is happy.

Nevertheless, this experiment yields a rather lovely insight. Perhaps the car industry should, in future, think less about how fast its cars are. And more, once again, about what they do to us.

After all, as we all know, goosebumps don’t come with a horsepower rating.

→ polestar.com