Polestar 4 Review

Styling and dimensions

The Polestar 4's overall length is 4,839 mm, width is 2,139 mm and height is 1,544 mm – that’s longer, wider and lower than a Tesla Model Y. 

Of course, the most controversial aspect of the Polestar 4 is that rear window, or rather the lack of it. For what it’s worth, there is a standard full-length glass roof which stretches beyond the rear occupants’ heads, and the rear-view mirror is replaced by a high-definition screen that shows a feed from a roof-mounted rear camera. This is claimed to enable a far wider field of view than most modern cars with conventional rear-view mirrors.

As for the rest of the exterior styling, if you remember the Polestar Precept concept, then this will be looking familiar as a lot of the styling cues come from there – particularly the distinctive headlights and front bumper style, which is virtually unchanged from the concept. 

It’s also worth pointing out that, because the Polestar 4 has such a low roof – it’s only 10cm higher than the roof of a Tesla Model 3, and is almost exactly the same height as the Kia EV6 – so this could also be a good option if you’re a bit tired of chunky SUVs. Just ignore the slightly misleading ‘SUV-coupé’ classification that Polestar’s given it… 

Interior

It’s all very Scandi-cool in the Polestar 4, which is characterised by the vegan, sustainable materials that the brand has championed since it was launched. The company claims that the 4 is actually the most sustainable car it makes; it uses a very limited number of materials inside to make recycling easier, and the materials it does use are mostly made from recycled plastic bottles or fishing nets. The aluminium in the body of the car is also made using hydropower electricity, and the factory where it’s built in China is powered partly by a solar array on the roof. 

Naturally, there’s a bevy of high-definition screens dominating the dashboard. The central 15.4-inch screen uses the same Android operating system as other Polestar models, meaning that you get in-built Google software including Google maps – which we love. Don’t worry, you’ll be able to run Apple CarPlay, as well, if you want it. A 10-inch screen forms the driver’s readout, and there’s also a huge 14.7-inch head-up display. 

If you’re worried about the back seats being claustrophobic without a rear window, don’t be. A huge glass roof runs right back to behind your head in the back seats, so it still feels pretty light and airy. The seats recline, too, for that extra touch of luxury, and even taller adults should have enough leg- and headroom. 

Boot space

The Polestar 4 gets a big hatchback boot opening, so access to the 526 litre boot is good – and that’s also a really healthy luggage space, almost up there with bigger SUVs like the Skoda Enyaq iV. There’s some underfloor storage for your cables, or there’s a 15 litre ‘frunk’ space in the nose of the car, which you might squeeze a cable into - but only if you’re a cable-tidying ninja… The rear seats fold down in a 60/40 split, revealing a useful 1,536-litres of space.

Battery and charging

The Polestar 4 gets a 100kWh lithium-ion battery, 94kWh of which is usable. That means that it’ll be just the 94kWh that you’re charging and running the car on, and the remainder of those battery cells just sit around in the background, helping to keep the battery healthy for longer – something that every modern li-ion battery does. 

The Polestar 4 will also be the fastest production car the brand has ever developed. The dual motor Polestar 4 will get 534bhp and will be able to do 0-62 mph in just 3.8 seconds – and you’ll be able to add a Performance Pack that adds a sports chassis, bigger Brembo brakes and bigger wheels. Despite that performance, the official WLTP range is expected to be 360 miles for the dual motor, but most buyers will probably be happy with the 268bhp, single motor model with its WLTP range of 379 miles. Both of those range figures are yet to be finalised, mind.

Charging comes courtesy of a 400V electrical system, with peak charging rates up at an impressive 200kW – good for a 10-80% top-up in as little as 20 minutes, provided you’re plugged into a powerful enough rapid charger. 

AC charging is up to 22kW, which means that you can make the most of the kerbside and lamppost charging often found in big cities. Most owners will stick with a 7kW home wallbox, which will deliver a full charge from nearly empty in around 14 hours. 

Interestingly, the Polestar 4 also gets bi-directional charging as standard. This means that the car can feed energy back into the grid in return for money or, if you’ve got a clever enough system, back into your home so that you can run your property from the car’s battery when energy is at its most expensive – also saving strain on the grid at peak hours. Unfortunately, at the moment very few home chargers can support bi-directional charging – but it has been trialled extensively and we reckon that this tech will be a big factor in electric car ownership in the future. It’s great to see the Polestar featuring it as standard. 

Verdict

The Polestar 4 will cost from just under £60,000, with deliveries expected to start in summer this year, and we can totally see why you might go for one. It’s got the space-age looks, it promises to drive really well (if other Polestars are anything to go by), and there’s something very compelling about that Scandi-cool interior. We’ll have to get behind the wheel and spend more time with it before delivering our final verdict, but on this evidence the Polestar 4 could bring something really new and fresh to the posh, sort-of-an-SUV class.