A wonderful demonstration of  art, engineering and design that produces a superb driving car that makes in own path and follows no others – quite superb

It has to be true that every now and again, I make a lot of noise about electric cars. On the one hand, I love the potential silence and often astounding performance of them, while on the other I dislike the lack of range and the loss of the wonderful internal combustion engine. Even now, I don’t see electricity as being the complete solution. Another issue for me is the worrying array of electric eastern imports popping up with little or no history behind them. Some of them are ridiculously cheap to buy but soon afterwards the customer discovers the aftermarket care severely lacking in dealer or manufacturer support. As an old saying goes: buy cheap pay twice. However, with Polestar, the backing comes from long established business modules Geely Holdings and Volvo cars.

   For anyone with the slightest of doubts, Polestar is no flash in the pan affair. These days it serves as a maker of only electric cars. They have distanced itself from just purely being the E.V department of Volvo to becoming a stand alone brand being responsible for its own design and destiny. Despite a great deal of many new brands sailing in from the far East, Polestar vehicles, despite being produced in China and Korea with the Geely Holdings group themselves being a Chinese concern though with a Swedish H.Q, is a brand very much aimed at the premium sector of the marketplace. Anyone with half an ounce of gumption will realise immediately these vehicles are cut from a very different cloth to other E.V offerings. As I have said, I have great reservations about some E.V’s, but Polestar are different – very different. If something is different and done well, it becomes fascinating and interesting, and Polestar has the aforementioned in abundance.  

   A wander round the vehicle finds you noting some impressive shut lines and paintwork. It’s a very striking looking motor from most angles seeming to bear almost no echoes of other vehicles – perhaps only slightly by the rear light clusters at a certain angle with a tiny hint of Jaguar F – Type, not the worst similarity I’m sure you’d agree? Open the weighty door and prepare yourself for a different world on interior presentation. Vehicles with the cloth interior (as this was) is crafted from fully recyclable polyester with materials on the door cards coming from items such as recycled mineral water bottles. Before you even shudder at the thought, the quality, in my opinion, is quite superb in all the important factors – feel, finish and form – I warned you didn’t I? This is a very different kind of car. Not only does it look and feel premium, it has a nice smell to it as well. I was very much in awe of this car before I had even slipped into the driver’s seat.

   But what exactly IS the Polestar 4? Is it an SUV or a saloon or a coupe? I cannot really decide. Perhaps the best way to describe it is a ‘sporting coupe’ even then others may disagree, once again, I have said this company certainly likes to do things their way. One thing did come to mind is that there are some similarities to my own SAAB that I drive. Not just because of the Swedish background, more to do with the way normal items and features are dealt with in a way that doesn’t conform to the norm shall we say. This was confirmed to me by finding out a large number of the former SAAB designers and engineers joined Volvo and consequently Polestar when their positions became redundant. There’s a feeling inside the car that the designers were given a very simple brief along the lines ‘right oh lads… do your stuff’ nothing feels compromised, nothing feels cheap and nothing is out of place. But it isn’t an environment for everybody, it must be said. 

   In terms of ergonomics, until you have acclimatised yourself with the touchscreens and general controls, the Polestar 4 is rather complex. There are basically no switches or knobs, everything is operated or controlled via the screen with the main exception of the lights, wipers and indicators. The central screen is a huge affair that measures 15 inches and I didn’t like the idea of having to fiddle around on the screen to adjust the facia vents. Yet the display on the screen is of very high resolution and most colourful. You can even change the mood lighting to one of the colours of the planets of the solar system. OK, that might sound a bit over the top in terms of nerdiness, but I liked it and also appreciated the nuggets of information about each of the planets the screen will tell you before selecting the mood lighting function – did you know Saturn takes 29.5 earth years to orbit the sun? Nope… neither did I.

   Despite the initial complex arrangements of the controls, you can prioritise certain functions by moving the virtual buttons from the left side to the right side of the central screen. As touched upon already, once you have sat there and had a good play with things, it starts to make some kind of logic. Tech savvy drivers will adore the idiosyncrasies but if you are coming over from a more mainstream brand, some owners may find the whole system more of a nightmare than a novelty. Even the steering wheel controls lack any real of immediate logic, a first glance sees only up, down, left, right and confirm as the only functions  

   Ergonomics aside, you’ll have little to be upset about when it comes either driving or being a passenger. The Polestar 4 is spacious with only the tallest of folk finding their heads coming into contact with the roof lining. The panoramic roof ensures the cabin is bright and airy for most of the time and as for those seats, well, I will go on record saying they are quite possibly the most comfortable chairs I have come across in recent times. The sublime comfort is mirrored with an amazing lack of noise inside the cabin. Tyre noise is well suppressed and wind noise from around the doors is almost non-existent – the overall refinement is absolutely top class. Comfort allied to refinement makes this car a sheer joy to drive around in. You feel safe, secure and cossetted from the off and as for the sound quality of the audio system – oh you bet folks… It’s really really good.

   Ride comfort and handling are both very good thanks to it tipping the scales close to 2.5 tons, the car feels planted, has incredible grip and a feeling of having a very low centre of gravity. It’s blissfully refined on the motorway and grippy on winding country roads. Very little seems to upset the composure of the car bump wise and my only real gripe in the handling department is a noticeable lack of feel in the steering. For sure it weights up during cornering, it just feels a little artificial or lifeless at the rim if you like. Having what is effectively the same power as your average supercar (536hp) in this dual motor model, you are looking at genuine supercar levels of performance. Polestar claims a 0 – 60 time of 3.7 seconds and I have no doubt to argue. I tried a full bore standing start on a cold wet day and despite that, there wasn’t even a hint of spin or slippage from the wheels. Performance and overall power delivery is, rather like the central screen, out of this world.

   Can you live without a rear window? Yes you can thanks to a clever interior mirror that gives a good range of view in a decent resolution. The lens features a special chemical coating that means rain water just runs away so you never have to get out and clean the lens covering. Superb matrix LED headlights come as standard and have a razor sharp beam pattern with a seemingly infinite range of adaptive dip and full beam settings that won’t dazzle oncoming traffic. Drive one of these on a dark unlit country lane in poor weather and you won’t want to drive anything else. Other highlights include a whole host of safety and passenger related technology, a really good satnav, awesome sound quality from the stereo and a roomy comfortable interior presented in a very different manner.

   In all, the Polestar 4 is a rather splendid car that pound for pound undercuts its rivals blessed with a similar level of performance, has a beautiful well crafted quality interior, offers scream out loud performance and is just, well, you know? Different from the herd, and I applaud that. It requires little to give it top marks – it needs to ‘feel’ a bit more sporting – with its perfect 50/50 weight distribution it has the potential to be riotous fun in the twisties. Perhaos it could do with a bigger boot and the ergonomics, at first hand until acclimatised, are hilariously complex, otherwise there’s little else to complain about. What a brilliant overall experience and what a damn fine car – go check one out I urge you.

The Humble Opinion:

“You may have got the sensation I was a little bit taken with this car. Well, you are right, I was, the Polestar 4 is a wonderful demonstration of design and technology when given a free reign and you really sense that some former SAAB engineers have sprinkled some of their moon-dust into the mix. Compare it with other rivals with similar performance minerals and you have a good value package on your hands.

Its not as ugly as the Mercedes GLC nor is it as vulgar as electric Porsche Macan, its setting its own agenda and styling wise – looks very smart and businesslike. Unlike some other E.V cars, it feels extremely well built and the higher than average weight of the car taps into your subconscious to silently tell you your driving a machine that’s going run the distance. A major plus is the fact that you feel very very safe behind the wheel or as a passenger due to the aforementioned plus a superb level of build quality.

Equipment, safety, savage performance and a fairly good charge range with unique looks and design flair means this has to be considered if you are looking for something a bit prestige, non conformist and a little different from the norm. A truly brilliant car!

One final point needs to be made, unlike some other new brands coming to the UK, the Polestar isn’t trying to be a premium car – it IS a premium car”

WHATS GREAT?

• Unique styling that looks sleek, smart and businesslike
• Astonishing performance that beats some Italian exotica out the blocks
• Feels wonderfully crafted and very robust
• Ride comfort and noise suppression both very good
• Very good equipment and peripheral safety tech
• Excellent ‘green’ credentials
• A perfect 50/50 weight distribution allied to all wheel drive promises excellent handling
• Its Range (if driven sensibly) is better than average

WHAT GRATES?

• Steering is rather numb lacking in feel at the rim
• Ergonomics certainly take some getting used to
• Small boot for its class
• People who try to tell you it’s little more than a posh Volvo – it’s much more than that
• Very much a cerebral choice – some folk may just not ‘get it’

THE SPECS:

Driveline – Full E.V with all wheel drive and dual synchronous permanent magnet motors

Power – 544hp total with 686Nm of torque

Range* – 367 miles (WLTP) 305 on actual test

Battery Capacity – 100Kwh (94Kwh useable) 110 prismatic type cells

Charging Capability – Up to 200Kw using Direct Current Fast Charging

Performance* – 0 – 60 in 3.7 seconds maximum speed limited to 124mph

Cost: £67,000  (£74,150 as tested including optional extras)

 

For more information on the Polestar 4 or the rest of the range CLICK HERE