- Futuristic design and very stylish
- Impressive driving range between charges
- Dynamic handling, yet remains exceptionally comfortable and refined
- The lack of a rear window will divide opinion
- Optional packs result in a heavy price hike
- Physical controls are few and far between
Introduction
Minimalism is a word we are constantly hearing when new cars are launched these days. It seems the fewer physical buttons and screens, the better. But Polestar has taken this theory a step further by getting rid of the back window. Sounds bonkers, right? But the driver still enjoys rearview visibility thanks to a live camera feed onto a digital, rather than traditional, mirror.
It's something that will likely divide opinion – I know it did when we tested the car recently, but it does mean the designers could be given a free scope to develop one of the best-looking coupe-styled SUVs on the planet.
At launch, customers can choose between single or dual motor models that offer rear or all-wheel drive respectively. Both are Long range and feature the same 100kWh battery, but the Dual motor version gains lots of extra power.
Prices start from £59,990 for the lesser-powered Polestar 4 Long range Single motor and that’s the car we tested on a varied road route through the Cotswolds and into mid Wales.
Polestar is renowned for its elegant styling, but the Polestar 4 gives the term eye-candy a whole new meaning. That’s because it boasts a coupe-like silhouette but SUV space and practicality. That clever combination has been achieved in the main by introducing a panoramic glass roof that tapers away to the rear and by removing the back window completely.
Other design features include dual blade headlights with Thor’s hammer signature as a nod to the Volvo connection, flush door handles, an illuminated front Polestar logo and upgraded 21-inch alloys on our test car that looked a treat.
Move inside and you are greeted with a thoroughly modern cabin that is heavily focused on sustainability with animal welfare-secured Nappa leather seats along with tailored knit textile upholstery. The seats are powered and, along with the steering wheel and outer rear seats, can be warmed against the winter chill.
There is a clutter-free approach to the cabin design with very few physical controls. Instead, the main focal point is a 15.4-inch infotainment screen that offers access to almost every on-board feature, including adjusting the steering wheel, opening the glovebox, altering the regenerative braking settings and switching through drive modes.
It is also where all the on-board tech is controlled such as the sat nav system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connection, the Harman Kardon sound system, reversing camera, Bluetooth, along with Google Assistant and Google Maps.
So, back to that elephant in the room then. Without a rear window, how on earth does the driver see what’s going on behind the car apart from relying on wing mirrors? The answer is a roof-mounted camera that projects a live feed onto what looks like a normal rear-view mirror. This is definitely going to be the Marmite feature on the Polestar 4. It shows exactly what’s going on behind the vehicle in total clarity, but I found it was a bit of a distraction. It just seems too busy with so much going on in your eye-line, but it may be a feature that simply takes time to adjust to.
All the important driving data, such as speed, range and battery charge levels, are displayed on a clear driver information screen and there is a head-up display too.
On The Road
Handling & Performance
Powering the Polestar 4 Long range Dual motor and Single motor model, as tested, is a 100kWh battery (94kWh usable). With a motor on the rear axle for rear-wheel drive, our car boasted 272hp and 343Nm of torque which resulted in a 0-62mph sprint time of 7.1 seconds and top speed of 124mph. If you crave more power and speed, then the Dual motor version delivers 544hp and 686Nm of torque which brings the 0-62mph sprint time down to just 3.8 seconds.
The Polestar 4’s driving range between charges will eliminate any range anxiety concerns with the Single motor model achieving up to 385 miles and the Dual version 367 miles between charges.
Performance-wise, the car is sharp out the starting blocks and with instant power on tap, can make light work of overtaking slower-moving vehicles or joining a motorway from a slip road. It’s beautifully balanced through winding roads with excellent grip and no sign of body sway even at higher speeds.
It will cruise effortlessly at 70mph on a motorway and the steering weight, along with suspension can be adjusted via the touchscreen settings. Then in busy stop-and-go traffic, the regenerative braking levels can be altered (also via the screen) with single-pedal driving available.
The driver’s vision forwards and sideways is excellent, but that camera-feed mirror really takes some getting used to. It was a reminder to me just how much I use my rearview mirror in general day-to-day driving.
Space & Practicality
The Polestar 4 boasts an exceptionally strong road presence thanks to its dynamic styling. But it covers practicality bases well too stretching 4,840mm in length, 2,139mm across (including door mirrors), 1,534mm tall and with a wheelbase of 2,999mm.
Up front, there is bundles of space for two adults to sit comfortably and the powered seats will help you find the perfect driving position in no time. The mirrors and steering wheel are adjusted via the touchscreen and controls on the wheel which is a bit of a faff, but once it’s all set up the positions can be stored in profile settings. The Polestar 4 comes with a driver profile and five guest profiles which is handy if the car is shared. These can also store information about regular driving routes, screen and climate preferences, favourite radio stations and lots more besides.
Back seat passengers are well catered for too with ample leg, shoulder and head room for three adults to sit comfortably. These seats can be reclined and the completely flat floor means there is no tunnel for the middle occupant to straddle.
The boot, accessed via a powered tailgate, can swallow 526 litres of kit, including 31 litres beneath the floor. But drop the rear seats and that capacity increases to 1,536 litres. There is also extra space for 15 litres of goodies beneath the bonnet in a covered box. The boot with all seats upright is smaller than many rival models due to the sporty design of the car with the tapering roofline.
However, throughout the cabin, you will find a glovebox (opened via the touchscreen), a huge area between the front occupants, a central cubby, front and rear cup holders, door bins and a wireless charging pad.
When it comes to charging the car’s 100kWh battery, it can be boosted from 10 to 80 per cent boost via a 200kW fast charger in 30 minutes. A home charger will keep day-to-day running costs down and this takes about 11 hours to reach 100 per cent.
The Polestar 4 has a kerb weight of 2,230kg and can tow a braked trailer or caravan weighing up to 1,500kg.
Ownership
Running Costs
The Polestar 4 at launch is available with both single and dual motors for rear or all-wheel drive. The top-of-the-range AWD car costs £66,990, but our Single motor test car was priced at £59,990.
There were a number of optional extras that saw that price climb to £63,340 and these included upgraded upholstery, privacy glass, striking 21-inch black polished forged alloy wheels and a Pilot Pack. This brings a number of semi-autonomous driving features to the mix such as keeping the car positioned perfectly in the centre of the lane while automatically making any necessary steering and speed adjustments. In addition, it can help with parking and changing lanes automatically.
Included in the cost of our car was the Plus Pack which features a wealth of technology, such as a 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, a 14.7-inch head-up display, upgraded pixel LED headlights with adaptive high beam and a powered soft closing tailgate with foot sensor operation.
While the Polestar 4 is competitively priced for a premium EV it is still quite pricey. But owners will be able to claw back some savings via a number of government-led incentives. These include being exempt from road tax, Congestion Charge fees and Ultra Low Emission Zone penalties. In addition, there is no added surcharge for buying a vehicle costing more than £40k – ICE driven cars carry an annual charge for five years. However most, if not all, of these incentives are being reduced or withdrawn from next year.
If you are lucky enough to be offered the Polestar 4 as a company car it has an attractive 2 per cent Benefit in Kind tax rating and the vehicle comes with a standard three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, increased to eight-years or 100,000-miles for the battery.
Verdict
The Polestar 3 and 4 are the first cars to be launched that are not electrical offshoots of Volvo and you have to say they both make a statement of intent.
We have covered the Polestar 3 separately, but the 4 really raises the bar when it comes to styling. Admittedly, the lack of a rear screen and the digital rear view mirror with its live camera feed, will have its critics, but we cannot fail to applaud Polestar for its forward-thinking and state-of-the-art technology.
Customers can choose between rear or all-wheel drive with both versions being labelled as ‘Long range’. We can expect ‘Short range’ versions in the future which will likely see a reduction in the asking price.