“Rather than simply modifying an existing SUV, giving it a faster roofline, and as a result compromising elements like rear headroom and comfort, we have designed Polestar 4 from the ground up as a new breed of SUV coupé that celebrates rear occupant comfort,” he claims.
So while the most powerful dual-motor Polestar 4 runs a 102-kWh battery for a claimed range of 350 miles (WLTP), and is the most high-performance Polestar to date, all eyes are understandably on the car’s design—and the rear end in particular. Why? Because Polestar has got rid of the traditional rear window entirely.
Those in Glass Houses
Polestar has done it by embracing the capabilities of the high-definition screen that replaces the age-old rear-view mirror. This displays a real-time feed from a roof-mounted rear camera, and delivers a much broader field of vision.
The reason? In elongating the Polestar 4’s silhouette, the car’s aerodynamic properties have also been optimized, a key part of an EV’s range-extending armory. The 4 has an impressively slippery 0.26 drag coefficient. But it also enables a reimagining of the car’s rear compartment.
Extra Interior
Then there’s the interior. The 4 uses what Missoni loftily calls “soft tech,” inspired by sportswear and featuring new treatments for Polestar. There’s a tailored 3D-knit textile, which consists of 100 percent recycled PET (a form of polyester), codeveloped with the Swedish School of Textiles; bio-attributed MicroTech vinyl, which replaces crude oil with pine oil; and ethically sourced Nappa leather.
Polestar’s relationship with Google continues, and again encompasses built-in Google Assistant, Google Maps, and Google Play, while the infotainment system is powered by the Android Automotive OS. A 15.4-inch, landscape-oriented screen (no spinning tablets here) is the main focus of an otherwise minimalist cockpit.
Vehicle-to-Load Capability
Performance is impressive, if not quite intergalactic. Dual- and single-motor versions will be available, the long-range dual motor benefitting from a 544-bhp power output, for a 0 to 62 mph time of 3.8 seconds. That iteration also allows the driver to choose between performance or range modes, and it uses semi-active suspension to sharpen its dynamics.
The long-range single motor car has 272 bhp and a claimed range of 372 miles (WLTP). The Polestar 4 can also be specified with 22-inch wheels, the biggest fitted to a Polestar so far. Bidirectional charging is included, and there is vehicle-to-load capability. Up to 200-kW DC and 22-kW AC charging is included on all versions.
Interestingly, the 4 uses parent company Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA), an “open source” modular platform that also underpins the Zeekr 001, the company’s new all-electric brand. (It will also be used by the upcoming Smart electric SUV, as part of Mercedes’s joint venture with Geely.) The Polestar 3, meanwhile, uses the Volvo SPA 2 platform that’s also the basis for the new fully electric EX90.
Production begins at Geely’s Hangzhou Bay plant in China in November this year, although the Polestar 4 will also be manufactured at Volvo’s Ridgeville plant in South Carolina, ahead of a 2024 launch in Europe. Expect prices to start at around £55,000 ($68,283).
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