Polestar 4 review

The question “What exactly is the Polestar 4?” was on the lips of nearly every automotive journalist at its launch. While – logically – it's the fourth model from the Swedish electric performance brand, what’s less obvious is that the Polestar 4 is significantly larger than the 2 saloon, yet just slightly smaller than the 3 luxury SUV.

There was also considerable debate about how to classify the Polestar 4. It’s not really tall enough to be called an electric SUV nor does it have the low profile of a four-door coupé. However, its premium starting price, 4.8m length and expansive interior space led us to conclude that it will be cross-shopped with the Audi Q6 e-tron, BMW iX3 and Porsche Macan Electric.

Our confusion didn’t end there though. Over the past few months the Polestar 4 has gained notoriety online as “the electric car without a back window".

Designer Max Missoni wanted a coupé roofline on a body that, due to its underfloor battery and need for generous rear-passenger head room, wasn’t naturally suited to one. The solution? Eliminate the rear window and replace it with a digital camera. Missoni insists the design choice is “not a gimmick” but rather a bold innovation. 

We’re going to put that claim to the test in this Polestar 4 review as we rate it against the best electric cars. Read on to find out how it performs...

Two versions of the Polestar 4 are offered at launch: an entry-level long-range single-motor car that produces a respectable 268bhp and delivers a 0-62mph time of 7.1 seconds, plus a long-range dual-motor version. The range-topper benefits from a second motor on the front axle, doubling power to 536bhp and dropping the 0-62mph time to 3.8 seconds.

The dual-motor car's performance is not quite as explosive as a Porsche Macan Turbo Electric out of the gate but traction is absolute and the way it continues to pile on speed is astounding. We suspect running into its 124mph speed limiter would be akin to pulling a parachute. The single-motor car feels noticeably more sedate, with performance more on par with a BMW iX3 or Tesla Model Y RWD. 

However, acceleration isn’t everything and on our scenic test route, we actually had more fun behind the wheel of a single-motor Polestar 4.

While the dual-motor car is indecently quick from point to point, it’s not as involving as we would want from a performance SUV. The steering is quite darty off-centre so you have to keep making small adjustments to maintain your line while the four-wheel drive system is set up to be safe and conservative, favouring outright traction over expressive handling.

A Macan Turbo is more engaging, as is the larger Polestar 3 (something we suspect is down to the fact that both those cars get a torque-vectoring device on the rear axle while the Polestar 4 doesn't). 

So the dual-motor car is quick, yes, but not particularly playful, unlike the cheaper, rear-wheel-drive model. As soon as you turn into a quick corner in the entry-level car you can feel that the front end is less corrupted and more feelsome, giving you greater confidence to place the nose exactly where you want it.

We were also impressed with just how tied down the Polestar 4 was on undulating sections of country roads, with its low ride height and low centre of gravity playing a part in reducing the amount of jostling passed on to the driver (taller performance SUVs tend to toss your head around over undulations).

That said, it's a shame we think Polestar doesn't let you have adaptive dampers on the single-motor car. You get them on the dual-motor version and they provide greater body control when really pushing on. Without them, you can find yourself pogo-ing in your seat over big crests and compressions. You can have adaptive dampers on any Macan Electric.

Speaking of the Macan, it delivers a more supple ride around town than the Polestar 4, as does the more comfort-oriented BMW iX3.

That’s not to say the 4 is uncomfortable. Far from it. There's certainly a firm edge to the ride and it does occasionally trip up over sharp abrasions, but it settles down well as your speed increases. We suspect a single-motor car on standard 20in wheels (our press car came on 21in wheels) will be better still, thanks to the extra squidge provided by its chunkier tyres.

On 21in wheels, road noise is well suppressed at speed but the pillarless windows generate quite a bit of wind noise, which can become a little tiring on long drives.

Speaker of long drives, the Polestar 4 has an official range of 385 miles for the single-motor version and 367 for the dual-motor car. That’s competitive compared with its key electric car rivals. The Macan 4 has an official range of 380 miles while the Turbo version officially matches the fastest Polestar 4, at 367 miles.

The lack of a rear window might garner lots of headlines, but it’s the Polestar 4’s interior that is the real star of the show.

Everywhere you look there are slick, suitably sustainable materials that feel plush and tactile – including an innovative "3D-knit" fabric inspired by running shoes – and it all feels beautifully screwed together. Somewhat confusingly it feels a step above the bigger and more expensive Polestar 3 when it comes to outright quality. 

You can specify your 4 with real leather seats, which might seem at odds with Polestar’s sustainability ethos. However, the designers were keen to point out that the Bridge of Weir leather used is a by-product of the meat industry. 

Unlike every Polestar that has gone before it, the 4 gets a central infotainment touchscreen mounted in landscape orientation (rather than portrait) and is all the better for it.

The screen is split into various configurable tiles that are relatively easy to see and hit on while you're driving. We love that you can save various shortcuts to the main screen, including an off-button for lane-keep assist and the EU-mandated speed-limit warning.

That said, we would appreciate a few more buttons. With only a volume knob remaining on the centre console, everything else has to be done through the screen, including the adjustment of your steering wheel position and the door mirrors. It’s a fiddly process, although once they're set you can save them under your user profile, so in theory, once it's done you won't have to do it again.

Once you’re comfortable, you’ll find that the seats are wonderfully supportive. You sit in a lower, racier position than you do in a Porsche Macan Electric and (unlike in that rival) you can see the 9in digital driver's display at all times because the screen has been mounted directly to the steering column.

So what about the controversial digital rear-view mirror – fitted to compensate for the Polestar 4's lack of a rear window? Well, we found it easy to get used to thanks to the clarity of the 2.5MP rear camera and its wide dynamic range.

However, it is worth noting that visibility is impacted by the lack of glass at the back. On more than one occasion, we had to ask a passenger to check if there was anything approaching at an angle from behind as our over-the-shoulder view was simply non-existent.

Up front, there's plenty of head, leg and shoulder room in the Polestar 4 but because you're surrounded by a tall centre console and high window line you feel quite snug, like you’re sitting behind the wheel of a sports car. 

Meanwhile, the rear seat space is positively palatial. Not only is there acres of leg room on offer but by moving the rear pillars back, the designers have managed to create lots of head room too. A six-footer has a hand's width of space above them, even without electrically reclining the sculpted and supportive rear seats.

Plus, thanks to a combination of gentle ambient lighting (with various colour scheme set using the infotainment system) and the vast panoramic roof that extends past your head, the rear compartment feels open and airy.

The Polestar 4 has 526 litres of boot space – more than you get in a Kia EV6 (490 litres) and just a bit less than the Porsche Macan Electric (540 litres). We like the convenient hatchback boot opening, the underfloor storage for your charging cables and the inclusion of a 15-litre front boot. It's not the best car for dog owners though – the lack of a rear window is not exactly canine-friendly.

The rear seats fold down in two sections in a 60/40 split, rather than the Macan’s more versatile three-piece (40/20/40) arrangement.

The Polestar 4 is not cheap but it is competitively priced against the electric SUVs we consider its rivals. The entry-level single-motor car significantly undercuts an equivalent Audi Q6 e-tron, Porsche Macan Electric and BMW iX3. Even the range-topping dual-motor version looks surprisingly good value, costing not much more than the significantly less plush Kia EV6 GT. 

Polestar is offering competitive PCP financing on the 4 compared to the Q6 and Macan, and if you’re lucky enough to have it on your company car list it’s even better news. All electric cars attract fantastic benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax breaks right now so it will set you back a tiny amount in monthly salary sacrifices compared with combustion-engined SUVs in the same price bracket.

As is the norm for Polestar there are no trim levels as such. All versions get electrically adjustable heated front seats, climate control, wireless phone-charging, a 360-degree camera, front and rear parking sensors, and keyless entry.

For the time being, the Plus Pack comes as standard, introducing a head-up display, pixel LED headlights, power reclining rear seats, a heated steering wheel, a Harman Kardon sound system and a power-operated tailgate with foot sensor.

In other words, you don’t really need to add any optional extras, although we can see why long-range dual-motor buyers would opt for the reasonably priced Performance Pack. That includes 22in alloy wheels, high-performance Pirelli P Zero tyres, Brembo brakes, gold accents and adaptive dampers. 

The Polestar 4 has a sizeable 94kWh battery pack that can top up at a maximum charging speed of up to 200kW. That’s a quicker charging rate than a BMW iX3 (150kW), but slower than a Polestar 3 (250kW), EV6 GT, (233kW), Q6 e-tron (260kW) and Macan Electric (270kW). In theory, its charging rate allows for a 10-80% charge in around 30 minutes at a rapid public charger.

The Polestar 4 has yet to be crash tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP but it has plenty of safety kit to prevent accidents, including automatic emergency braking (AEB), traffic-sign recognition, a post-impact braking system, a blind-spot warning system, lane-keeping assistance and more.

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