Polestar 4 review: my new left-field performance SUV choice

Introduction

The Polestar 4 arrived just as the electric SUV competition really got into its stride. There’s a new Porsche Macan, the revamped and fab Kia EV6, plus the very good Audi Q6 E-Tron – and not forgetting the hugely popular Tesla Model Y. I’m not sure any of those have the personality of the Polestar, though. This sizeable EV looks a treat on the road, but is also muscular enough to appeal to anyone who loves the torque-busting thrill of a performance electric car.

I’ve been driving the Long Range Dual motor variant, which boasts a chunky 536bhp but equally has a decent range, with around 360 miles achievable from one full charge. But you’d expect as much, given my extra-laden example took the £66,990 asking price up to, gulp, £75,040. Anyone finding that a little too high might prefer the Long Range Single motor Polestar 4, which shaves the edge off performance but does offer nearly 380 miles of range as a consolation prize. It’s a smidgen under £60K too.

Either model is probably not going to be to persuade Tesla devotees to think different, but it might make someone hunting the new Porsche Macan to take another look. I think Polestar packs just as much class and quality into its cars as the German brand.

The styling

The Polestar 4 is a great looking car and, actually, the more time you spend with it the less attention gets paid to the fact that there’s no rear window. Sure, this point does turn a few heads when people set eyes on it for the first time, but there are other areas that are more interesting. The front end, for example, retains the Polestar identity with chiselled lines around the delicious headlights while the swept back look gives the 4 a really classy stance.

Polestar designers have also done a great job down the sides of the car too and I love the way the lower portions of the doors have been executed. Around at the back, the look is simple, clean and minimalist. Interestingly, the door mirrors look to be the same ones used on other models in the range and feel a little on the small side for the size of the Polestar 4. Aside from that though, it’s a wholesome piece of design work, which is complimented by 21in sports wheels.

The interior of the Polestar 4 keeps the minimalist Scandinavian vibe going. Sure, there are whiffs of opulence, which include gold seat belts that match the dust caps on the wheels outside. The seating is quite grand too, from the super versatile front offerings through to the cocoon-like ambience conjured up in the back. The effect is helped by that lack of rear window and things take on an even more inviting glow when the ambient lighting kicks in after dark.

The drive

Like most sizeable electric cars, the Polestar 4 carries a large amount of weight around with it. All in, it’s 2,355kg. However, the weight distribution is 50/50 so this is a car that might be big and bulky, but feels great on the road. I wasn’t bothered by its 4.8 metre length, either, and reversing or tight spot parking manoeuvres were made easier by an excellent compendium of parking sensors, cameras and crisp HD on-screen views. However, I did tend to find the 2.1 metres of width more of a challenge on smaller UK roads.

The Polestar 4 is nimble enough to nip past parked cars going through tight villages roads, but at other times it felt best to just hang back and not duel with oncoming vehicles. And, while this can be a fast car when the power is needed, it’s actually so comfortable and cool to drive that it promotes laid-back motoring. Motorway journeys is where this is most apparent as the fantastically comfortable seats and simplified cockpit controls let you just relax and enjoy the drive.

When I did push the Polestar 4 a little more it delivered the goods and there’s clearly more than enough power for most, despite all that weight. Grip is good and the ride is generally fine, although it does feel quite lumpy over some of the more trashed surfaces found in most places across the country. There was a chunky battery to take away the pain on en route charging too, with a 200-or-so round trip easily achieved without a stop. Meanwhile, overall efficiency feels about as average as expected for a car of this size and stature.

The technology

One of the best things about the latest Polestar arrivals is the way the infotainment screens have been carefully tweaked to make the experience much more user-friendly. I’d driven a Polestar 4 prior to this and had my share of headaches with the controls. I never got to the bottom of whether or not they were the result of the car or driver error. However, during the week I had the Polestar 4 this time, it was fine. In fact, the more time I spent using the 15.4in landscape-oriented screen, the better it seemed to get.

I like the way the compact 10.2in display in front of the steering wheel shows sat nav directions with wonderfully simplistic clarity. This is complimented by those instantly recognisable Polestar fonts and colours for control options. The tiles on the main infotainment screen are much improved too and offer infinite control of just about everything, while having a suite of Google flavoured tools at my disposal made the experience just as familiar as using my smartphone.

That said, there is the slightly daft stuff, like a touchscreen button for door mirror adjustment and, bizarrely, opening the glovebox just like the Volvo EX30. Overall, though, I think it works and the Harman Kardon Premium 1400 watt, 16 speaker audio system rocks too. I’m not a fan of electric rear view mirrors, mind, but I put that down to being a glasses-wearer more than anything.

Polestar 4 verdict

I like the Polestar 4 a lot. It’s a well-rounded package that’s got oodles of electric appeal, plus there’s the style and comfort side of things, which is delivered in spades. Given the choice, I’d still probably go for a Polestar 3 as that seems a little more easy to live with, but both pack plenty of personality, which is more than can be said for many SUVs.

Polestar 4 technical specifications

Powertrain	2x permanent magnet synchronous motor
Battery	100kW
Power	536bhp
Torque	lb ft
0-60mph	3.7sec
Top speed	124mph
Range	367 miles
Charge rate	200kWh
Cargo volume	526 litres