UP and coming electric car company Polestar brings a whole new meaning to the phrase driving by the seat of your pants.

With the new Polestar 2 there's no start button, but as soon as your rear hit's the driver's seat a sensor in it activates and prepares the car to move off.

You simply put your foot on the foot brake move the gear shift to drive and you're away - in complete silence.

And that's just one of the surprises that comes with this new, high performance range.

Polestar, which was launched as a stand alone brand in 2017 by Volvo and its parent company Geely, currently offers a choice of three models at prices set to challenge its rivals.

Two are front-wheel drive single motor variants; a 224 bhp, 165kW standard range model and a 231bhp, 170kW long range version.

Both are hot hatch quick and share the same 0-62 miles per hour acceleration time of just 7.4 seconds.

Topping the range, however, is the 408bhp, 300kW all-wheel-drive, twin-motor flagship with its Tesla-challenging 0-62mph time of 4.7 seconds.

Whichever one you opt for the Polestar 2 is a stylish looking five-seater hatchback which has the distinct appearance of a saloon.

With its sleek front, swept back headlights incorporating Thor's hammer shaped daylight running lights - a nod to its parent company - and rear lights which span the entire width of the car it certainly stands out in the car park.

Oddly enough, however, the designers have opted not to put any name badges on it which is somewhat perplexing for passers by who are captivated by the car - and there were a lot during the time I drove it - but then can't find out what it is.

The Polestar symbol adorns both the boot and bonnet but for most people - other than perhaps my smarty-pants neighbour who knew what it was immediately - it just raises more questions than answers.

As soon as you get into the car the first thing that strikes you is the build quality. Everything is well put together and feels solid and the doors close with a nice satisfying clunk. Nothing flimsy here.

The electrically adjustable seats are sporting, comfortable if slightly on the firm side and have good side bolsters to hold you in place on fast bends.

The interior is dominated by a large, centre-set I-Pad style screen for the Google Maps satellite navigation system as well as most onboard features.

The screen immediately in front of the driver houses the digital speedometer as well as the vital information on how much charge you have and the expected range.

It's a neat if subdued looking cockpit with a minimalist theme and Polestar prides itself on the vegetarian aspect of the materials used.

There's generous space for five on board and a boot that will take 405 litres of baggage with the seat backs in position and 1,095 litres with them lowered so no problems with holiday luggage here.

The sharp angle of the roofline means vision through the rear screen is a little limited when reversing but this is more than made up for by a sharp camera which gives a clear view of what's behind you.

On the road the Polestar2 handles superbly. The suspension is on the firm side but that means it flows sharply through fast bends and corners with consummate ease and hardly any body role.

Unlike with petrol and diesel cars the torque is instant which makes this car ideal at busy roundabouts and junctions.

And while traditionally powered sporting cars are all exhaust roar and gear changes the Polestar2 does it all in a silent whoosh in a single gear, often taking unsuspecting passengers by surprise.

Who said electric cars are dull?

This is also a car you can set for single pedal driving so that as you lift off the accelerator you get a braking affect immediately and that regenerative braking puts charge back into the batteries.

It means more anticipation on the road but using it meant I only touched the footbrake once during a week of driving. For me it's one of the real positive features of electric cars.

For most people, however, it's range as much as performance that is the key factor when buying an electric car.

Polestar says its standard model has a range of 294 miles, its long range version - driven here - a range of up to 336 miles while its twin-motor model will cover a whisker under 300 miles which is more than enough for most people.

And with Polestar2 if you want reassuring while driving you can simply use the voice activated control system to ask how much range you have left.

And again - with reassurance in mind - if you set a destination in the sat nav it will calculate before you set off how much charge will be in your battery when you arrive. Clever stuff.

I'm not normally the biggest fan of electric cars, not because of the vehicles themselves but because of the lack of charging points near where I live.

But after an enjoyable week with the Polestar2 long range model I could just be changing my mind.

£45,800

231 bhp, 170kW single speed, single electric motor driving front wheels via automatic transmission

100 mph

7.4 secs

336 miles

35

0 g/km

2%

3yrs/60,000 miles

.