The new all-electric Polestar 4 has been fully revealed and will go on sale in 2024.
Polestar likes to do things differently. It thinks of itself as a global company, with a grounding in Sweden, an engineering base in the UK and production facilities in China – and it’s listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange in New York.
That different approach continues to the cars themselves, including their design and naming. With no legacy models to worry about, we’ve had Polestars 1 and 2, with the 3 SUV set to launch in Australia early in 2024. Now we have this new Polestar 4 – a coupe-SUV, which is set to become the company’s biggest-selling model when it goes on sale in 2024 – while the 5 and 6 are still to come.
Described by Polestar design director Maximilian Missoni as “the reinvention of the coupé-SUV”, the 4 will sit between the 2 and 3 when it comes to size and price.
Missoni describes the 4 as “a complementary design to the Polestar 3”. With its lower nose, slimmer lights, flush glazing and retractable door handles, it’s another strikingly handsome design, but not without some controversy.
The polarising point is the lack of a rear window. Instead, the car relies on cameras and mirrors to give a view to the back. “It allows more second-row headroom and a more dramatic rear,” Missoni told us.
How customers will react remains to be seen – Polestar hasn’t run any customer clinics to gauge reaction, with Ingenlath insistent that it’s not something Polestar does as part of its design process.
The benefit inside the 4 is clear, and we had the chance to sit in the back of the new car, where the lack of rear glass isn’t apparent; the view upwards and forwards thanks to the long glass roof is spectacular. Yet headroom is as good as the designers intended, with impressive kneeroom and decent boot space. Although the 4839mm-long Polestar 4 is only around 200mm longer than the Polestar 2, the difference in the accommodation inside is vast.
Other than the rear view, the cabin is a triumph of design and quality. “It’s inspired by fashion,” Missoni told us, “using soft, cocooning, sustainable materials.”
Sitting ahead of the driver is a 10.2-inch instrument screen, with a landscape 15.4-inch Google-powered touchscreen in the centre. Over-the-air updates will keep the infotainment and drive systems fresh, too.
The dash is minimalist, with Google’s voice control expected to take care of many functions. Clever use of textiles and lighting gives it an upmarket feel inside, with a wide variety of materials on offer, including a recycled knitted fabric produced with a textile college in Sweden. Leather is also available, while a number of equipment packs with different themes will be offered.
Under the skin, the 4 sits on a new-to-Polestar platform from parent company Geely, called Sustainable Experience Architecture. Safety is key, with 12 cameras fitted, plus radar and 12 ultrasonic sensors.
Full technical details are some way off, but the new platform allows for rear or all-wheel drive, a long-range 102kWh battery, up to 400kW and 686Nm from the dual motors, and a target range of up to 563km. Fast charging at up to 200kW will be offered, plus bi-directional charging, which will let you power items from the vehicle.
This is Polestar’s quickest production car, too, with a best 0-100km/h time of 3.8 seconds, while we’re told that ride comfort – so far a Polestar foible – has been a bigger priority.