Polestar 4 takes to Australian roads on the inaugural test drive
Electric vehicles are no longer few and far between on Australian roads. From our bustling cities to the sprawling regions, the number of electric options for families, commuters and travelers continues to grow. With increasing choice in the EV landscape, vehicles need to prove themselves to cut through the noise. Polestar 4 is out to do just that. Our fastest, most innovative production car to date, the electric SUV coupé has had people talking well before its arrival in Australia. It’s been driven on all kinds of roads, all over the world, including at our global test drive event in Madrid, Spain. Now, the Swedish-engineered Polestar 4 is ready to prove itself Down Under.
First impressions
With the essence of a coupé and the practicality of an SUV, Polestar 4 stands against the backdrop of South Australia’s wine regions, where the Australian press drives took place, with striking presence. A combination of daring design choices, including the bold decision to remove the traditional rear window, gives the 4 its own unique style and personality.
For Tim Nicholson of CarsGuide.com.au, the first thing that sets Polestar 4 apart is its distinct fastback silhouette, despite it being a mid-sized SUV. Calling it ‘handsome’ and ‘smashing in the metal’, Nicholson encourages everyone to see the car in person to fully appreciate its presence. Stephen Corby of EV Central says he is similarly impressed with how different Polestar 4 is in terms of look and feel, inside and out.
Patrick Jackson of Essential Drives calls out the car’s clever proportions, calling it ‘a coupé SUV that actually works’, with ‘serious presence in the flesh.’ CarExpert’s James Wong also calls the 4 sleek, saying, “there is plenty of substance to go with the mid-sized SUV’s unique design”.
Alexandra Lawrence of CarSales sums it up as an overall positive first impression, making the Polestar 4 a standout from the outset.
However, the real question remains: will the sporty, sleek looks of Polestar 4 translate once on the road?
On-road experience
From the driver’s seat, Polestar 4 holds its own. With a thoughtful mix of performance thrills, composed handling, and driver comfort, the journalists agree the electric SUV-coupe is a standout on road.
Journalists test both the Single motor and Dual motor variants, impressed with the car’s suspension and handling. Tim Eden of The Driven says both Polestar 4 variants “handled extremely well on the twisty, narrow and sometimes bumpy roads we encountered,” thanks largely to its intelligent suspension setup.
The Single motor variant uses high-capacity passive dampers, while the Dual motor boasts active ZF dampers, which both effectively absorbed ‘all but the nastiest of bumps’. Jackson echoes this sentiment, saying the suspension setup allows the car to be a pleasant tourer.
Lawrence and Wong both describe the handling as nimble, and Nathan Ponchard of Chasing Cars calls out the car’s impressive grip when taking it through corners.
On the open road, the power of Polestar 4 begins to shine. Nicholson is immediately impressed by the car’s ability to stand out from the crowd. “Some EVs tend to blend into one another when it comes to the drive experience. Thankfully, that’s not the case with the Polestar 4,” he remarks.
Jackson highlights the car’s power delivery as immense, yet cleverly measured. “Rather than dumping all the power on you at the first stab of the throttle, it feels like the power swells to a peak,” he says.
Matt Brogan of GoAuto calls the car ‘cunningly quick’ with 'pedal and steering action hard to fault’, while Stephen Corby of EV Central says he is further impressed with the ability to “switch effortlessly between cruisy family transport and wild sports car mode," showcasing the car’s versatility.
Further enhancing the car’s adaptability and driver experience is minimal cabin noise when travelling at all speeds, as noted by Wong, Eden and Tom Fraser of Drive.com.au.
Design and interior
Moving inside, the spacious Polestar 4 interior impresses the group, with plenty of room for both front and rear occupants. Alan Zurvas of Gay Car Boys calls Polestar 4 ‘properly luxurious’, saying it’s one of those rare cars that feels that feels good from all seats. This is largely due to the decision to omit a rear window, allowing the rear beam to sit further back, which frees up space inside the car.
And though removing a rear window in a passenger vehicle may sound odd, Penny Thomas of The West Australian assures this is no gimmick – rather, a deliberate design choice which not only gives passengers more space, but also ‘a panoramic view of everything above’ through the glass roof that stretches all the way to the rear. That’s before we get to the wider rear field of view offered by the HD rear view camera (more on this later!).
Sitting in the back, both Wong and Corby liken the experience to a limousine, with generous head- and leg room. “I can confirm it's almost limo-like in the back, where there's heaps of knee and leg room for 6'1" me behind my own driving position,” says Wong, who also points out the ‘cool touch’ of the electric reclining rear seats available with the Plus pack.
From the driver’s seat, Wong compliments the ergonomics of the driver controls.
“Like many other manufacturers, Polestar has been reducing physical buttons and rotary control; but unlike many of them the Chinese-owned Scandinavian carmaker has put plenty of thought into how it can retain strong ergonomics and user-friendliness at the same time,” he says.
Fraser compliments Polestar's signature minimalist design, which he says ‘presents nice and cleanly’, and says the interior is designed with the perfect blend of luxury and cutting-edge technology. “With soft-touch materials aplenty and a comfortable interior ambience, the Polestar 4’s interior is a highlight in terms of presentation,” he says.
The thoughtful use of materials is also highlighted, with Lawrence describing the car’s interior ‘as lush as it is environmentally-friendly’. Thomas calls out the Polestar 4 as having the lowest carbon footprint of any Polestar vehicle. “Its upholstered materials are akin to something you’d expect to find in a Patagonia catalogue: recycled PET knit fabrics, bio-vinyl and Econyl carpets made from reclaimed fishing nets,” she remarks.
Eden commends Polestar for pushing boundaries on sustainability efforts by praising the sharing of detailed life cycle assessments on all Polestar vehicles, including the 4.
Audio, technology and safety
Innovation in Polestar 4 doesn’t end with its design. The car proudly showcases the latest in cutting-edge audio, tech and safety features. In particular, journalists highlight the infotainment system, which, like all Polestar vehicles, runs on the Android operating system and has Google built-in.
Ponchard calls the infotainment’s interface ‘best-in-class’ and the ‘benchmark globally’, offering ‘beautiful clarity, intuitive operation and Polestar’s superb Unica 77 font.’ Nicholson points out the screen’s crisp graphics and colour, commending the system for being user-friendly and easy to navigate. Fraser echoes Nicholson and Ponchard, saying, “I love the script and iconography Polestar uses – text looks great and is very readable on the big screen, while its functionality is easy to come to terms with.”
Perhaps the most innovative piece of technology in the vehicle is the replacement of the traditional rear-view mirror with a high-definition rear view camera. Situated where the mirror would normally sit, it offers drivers a seamless transition to driving a rear-windowless vehicle without compromising on visibility.
Fraser is impressed with the camera system, saying he doesn’t miss a rear window all that much while driving Polestar 4. “I'm getting a good vision of the road behind me, it's offering up a pretty decent display, and the refresh rate is quite impressive,” he says.
Eden agrees, finding that the system functions well and doesn’t create any issues with visibility while driving.
Zurvas calls out the simplicity of the Google voice assistant control. “The Google Automotive OS can set temperature and other simple tasks, and asking for directions is as easy as doing it on your phone,” he says.
Final verdict
So, is Polestar 4 ready to take on Australia?
After being put through its paces in the South Australian countryside, the electric SUV coupé proves it can hold its own, standing as a frontrunner in the competitive premium electric vehicle segment.
Jackson may have summed it up best by saying, “Everything Polestar touches right now seems to turn to Swedish Gold, and the brand's fourth effort is no exception.”
And if you’re still not sure, you can experience the Polestar 4 difference with a test drive.
