2024 Polestar 4 | PH Review

It was a busy year for Polestar. The Swedish carmaker kicked off the introduction of rear-wheel drive on its 2 sedan and after an 18-month wait, the new 3 has finally gone into production. And that’s crucial, because while the 2 has helped the company take on models like the Tesla Model 3, tapping into the highly lucrative SUV market with the 3 could take the EV maker into the stratosphere. Close on its heels is this more coupe-like 4, which Polestar hopes will appeal to the more lifestyle-oriented crossover buyer. Two big markets, two very important cars.

Where the 3 has the shape of a conventional tall people carrier, the Polestar 4 is much slimmer. It’s still an SUV, with a length of 4,839mm, a width of 2,139mm and a height of 1,544mm, making it fractionally longer and wider than the Porsche Macan EV, but like the 3, Polestar has every effort was made to disguise the sheer size of the thing. There’s little excess bodywork above the arches, especially at the front where the nose appears to sit lower than on most crossovers. But it’s hard not to become fixated on the rear end and the lack of rear window that made its sloping roofline possible.

Automakers have been phasing out SUV roofs for years, usually at the expense of headroom, a small rear window, or both. By removing the rear window, Polestar was able to do away with the reinforcement bars that normally come with it, freeing up more headroom for those who didn’t call shotgun fast enough. This creates a unique environment in the rear, with daylight only coming from the side windows and mood lighting behind the seats illuminating the rear cabin. As a passenger it almost feels like you’re being driven in a limousine, especially with all the legroom offered by a 2,999mm wheelbase. For drivers, the rearview mirror is a digital display that relays a live feed from a rear-facing camera. It takes some getting used to, especially since it’s mounted quite close to your face. But once your eyes adjust, it feels quite natural.

Like the rear, the front of the cabin feels particularly luxurious. This is by far the most luxurious interior Polestar has ever put together, with leather covering virtually every surface and no visible gloss black trim elements to cover fingerprints. Well, apart from that enormous 15.4-inch landscape tablet. Fortunately, the screen is so vibrant that you’ll barely notice any smudges on the surface. Again, this is a big step up from the portrait screen in the 3, especially in terms of usability with a customizable home screen that lets you bring your most used apps to the foreground. You still have to open a menu to change chassis and drive settings, but you no longer have to scroll through several pages to get there. Scrolling through the planets in the solar system on the ambient lighting page is a visual treat (kudos to whoever came up with the flying Polestar 6 Easter egg), and despite all the haptic feedback on the steering wheel buttons, their inclusion on the 4 a welcome addition to the vague controls on Polestar’s other models.

There are bigger changes, too. This isn’t simply a lowered Polestar 3; it’s built on an entirely different architecture to the Volvo EX90-based SUV. For the 4, Polestar has opted to use parent company Geely’s SEA platform (as seen on the Zeekr 001 and Volvo EM90 MPV), albeit with its own damper setup and, on Performance models, four-piston Brembo brakes with gold calipers. Two engine options are available: a single motor at the rear making 272bhp, and a dual setup with another 272bhp unit up front for a combined output of 544bhp, making it the most powerful production Polestar to date. A 0-62mph time of 3.8 seconds puts the Dual Motor just over three seconds ahead of the Single Motor car, although the latter can squeeze up to 385 miles from its 94kWh (usable) battery – although that’s only 18 more than the range-topping car can manage according to WLTP.

Full disclosure: this wasn’t PH’s first time driving the 4. We drove it twice in a row in Madrid a few weeks ago. It didn’t go quite right back then. Even a gentle tap of the accelerator sent the car careening forward; even touching the brakes sent your head bobbing and your chest pressing against the seatbelt. The steering was overly sensitive in all but the sportiest mode, making the 4 frustratingly jerky (to say the least) and, of course, the polar opposite of the Polestar 3, which suffered none of these issues. According to Polestar – which was quick to acknowledge the problem – all test cars were suffering from a software bug that hadn’t been fixed in the latest Over The Air update. Noting the lackluster response to the problem, the company fixed the glitch and flew two 4s (one single-motor, one dual-motor) to its Bicester Heritage headquarters so we could have another go before the original embargo was lifted.

The difference was clear. Now when you press the accelerator you get the kind of moderation you’d expect, even when the Dual engine is on its punchiest setting. And that’s exactly what you want, because this is clearly Polestar’s most powerful car yet, with the speed and traction on straights to match. Furthermore, no matter how fast it comes off the line, the Dual engine manages to sprint towards the horizon without delivering all its 544bhp and 506lb ft of torque in one mighty blow. Instead, the power and torque delivery feel progressive, making it much easier to press the accelerator pedal exiting a corner than many other performance EVs.

Mind you, it’s not like the Polestar 4 is particularly suited to the real work of going around corners. At 2,355 kg it’s no featherweight, although it’s far from the heaviest electric SUV out there. The Polestar 3 is a good few hundred pounds heavier, and while the air suspension does a great job of stabilizing the ship, the same can’t be said for the adaptive damper setup on the 4. You’re always aware that the mass is working against you . , even in the firmest suspension setting, as a fair amount of body roll creeps in as you enter a long, tight corner at high speed. It’s also evident when sitting still, the body rocking comically from side to side with each passing vehicle.

You would think it is a big softie, but it is also bizarrely sturdy. Regardless of the road surface or damper setting, the Polestar 4 amplifies the smallest bumps into a vibrating sound that constantly reverberates through the cabin. It seems incomprehensible that a 2.3 tonne SUV could suffer from chassis flex, but the car’s corners do seem to be at right angles to each other and on unforgiving British roads it is prone to bumping. One of the higher-ups at Polestar told me that other springs were being considered for the car’s launch, so we’ll have to wait and see what comes of that admission.

Thankfully, the ride is better on the passively damped Single. It’s busy at all speeds and there’s still some judder, but it’s better resolved than the Dual motor. Obviously you’re not getting the same performance with half the power, but as is often the case with EVs it’s plenty quick enough, despite taking a few extra seconds to hit 60mph. Furthermore, the Dual motor has a tendency to scramble under hard acceleration coming out of tight bends, as if the front and rear axles aren’t quite in sync with each other, which of course isn’t an issue on the Single motor. A £7,000 discount (£59,990 for the Single versus £66,990 for the Dual) means the choice between the two is an easy one.

This confirms the Polestar 4 as a car of two halves. On the one hand, the interior tech is slick and intuitive, cabin quality has taken a significant step forward, and rear-seat passengers are treated to vast amounts of space. But the 4 is let down by a disjointed chassis and a distinct lack of refinement. The company wants its upmarket image to be synonymous with performance – a trait it has achieved to varying degrees with the 2 and 3 – which raises questions about whether the new architecture is up to the task. Perhaps the fact that the forthcoming 5 and 6 will be built on a bespoke aluminium platform designed in-house at Polestar speaks volumes. Either way, let’s hope the 4 is more of a bump in the road than a harbinger of things to come.

Engine: 400V lithium-ion battery, usable capacity of 94 kWh
Transfer: 2 permanent magnet synchronous electric motors
Power (hp): 544
Torque (lb ft): 506
0-100 km/h: 3.8 seconds
Top speed: 200 km/h
Weight: 2,355 kg
MPG value: 367 miles, efficiency 2.9 miles/kWh
CO2: 0g/km
Price: £66,990 (plus £4,000 Performance Pack)

Engine: 400 V lithium-ion battery, 94 kWh usable capacity
Transfer: Synchronous electric motor with single permanent magnet
Power (hp): 272
Torque (lb⋅ft): 253
0-100 km/h: 7.1 seconds
Top speed: 124 mph
Weight: 2,230 kg
MPG value: 600 km, efficiency 5.5 km/kWh
CO2: 0g/km
Price: £59,990