So it was time to get behind the wheel of the Polestar 4. Polestar’s latest car model that definitely stands out and perhaps the most obvious is the controversial design choice to skip the traditional rear window. Instead, Polestar has mounted a camera on the back of the car and put a digital screen in the roof of the cabin.
The design feature should provide a significantly more spacious rear seat because Polestar has been able to move the roof beam behind. But is it motivating enough to skip the rear window altogether? And does the digital rearview mirror work just as well? Now is the time to think about that and other things.
Polestar 4 is offered in two different versions. It is a Long Range variant with either one or two engines, i.e. rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. Both variants are equipped with a 100 kWh battery, with the Single Motor delivering a range of 620 kilometers and the Dual Motor a range of 580 kilometers. SEK 60,000 is the difference between the two variants.
In terms of performance, the twin-engine version can deliver 400 kW and accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds. A single-engine variant with its 200 kW makes the same sprint in 7.1 seconds.
Both versions can be fast-charged up to 200 kW, making it possible to charge from 10 to 80 percent in just 30 minutes. Half an hour may not be record speed for a new car model, but works for most people. When charging at home, Polestar offers 11 kW as standard, but 22 kW as an option.
Slim shapes.
Externally, the Polestar 4 maintains an elegant and flexible profile with a height of 1534 mm, width of 2008 mm, and a length of 4840 mm, which gives it a low and wide appearance despite being an SUV. My favorite part of the car’s exterior is definitely the front.
The interior
The interior of the Polestar 4 offers a mixture of fine material choices and lovely beautiful design lines. It is a bit more challenging than traditional car design and I think the driver’s environment feels really nice and cozy. The only thing I really want to complain about is that Polestar stubbornly sticks to the wide center console that is also found in the Polestar 2. I think it takes up too much of the legroom.
In the front center is a central horizontal touch screen with Google Automotive OS, which gives access to navigation, media and other apps. Physical controls include a spinning wheel on the center console and levers behind the steering wheel. On the steering wheel is a series of touch buttons, which nevertheless unexpectedly work.
The touchscreen is landscape, a wise choice.
The rest is handled via the digital screen and usually doesn’t have to be a problem. It opens up good possibilities with individual interfaces connected to each individual driver profile and that is the idea with the Polestar 4 as well. But here the touch screen does not work. It didn’t react to touch like it should. I hope it was a pre-series issue.
Crisp lighting on the door sides.
The Polestar 4 feels like a Polestar, yet it’s not like any other Polestar model. With the Polestar 4, it feels like Polestar is taking a big step in another design direction. Polestar 3 and Polestar 2 feel much more closely related to each other.
Then we have that rear seat designed for the Chinese market. The back seat is simply not forgotten and relegated to the minor family members according to traditional western car design. The back seat has become more spacious with a good headroom.
Lean back and I hit my head.
The seats can be reclined for a little extra luxury, but when I lean back as far as possible, I hit my head on that roof beam that Polestar claims to have moved away. I have to settle for sitting more upright, with high knees and that works well too.
Among the amenities in the back, we have options such as controlling our own air conditioning system and also confiscating the media player. There is a wide armrest, cup holder, USB C socket and own ventilation outlet. The large glass roof gives a light and airy feel throughout the car, especially from the back seat. It’s really lovely.
The luggage has a load capacity of 526 liters, which can be expanded to 1536 liters when the rear seat is folded down. It is accessed through a large and practical opening. Under the front hood there is also a 15 liter compartment.
Driving the Polestar 4
If the Polestar 3 focuses on performance and sport, the Polestar 4 is the calmer sibling. There is not that sporty driving feeling here, instead I experience a greater focus on more snug comfort. The Polestar 4 is very pleasant to drive around.
I drove the rear-wheel drive Single Motor variant, which feels like a mature and stable choice for a family car. Ride comfort is good, and the car has a soft and steady feel on the road, despite steel springs and large 22-inch wheels. Add there an acceleration that is linear and smooth.
The sound level in the Polestar 4 is also impressively good. I was actually struck time and time again by how quiet it was on the road, and felt like I had cotton balls in my ears. What was heard was muffled. Even wind noise has been effectively banished by Polestar.
Sometimes I forgot that it was a tall SUV I was driving around. Polestar has really succeeded at times in conveying a low coupé feel by the suspension managing to keep the car upright in the curves. In the Polestar 4, I actually have a raised seating position and good visibility in front of the car in combination with good instrumentation behind the steering wheel and a head-up display in the window.
Not my friend… yet?
But the view from behind is different. Polestar says that the digital rearview mirror is a matter of habit and should give a greater view behind the car. But I’m not entirely convinced. The optical sensation conveys something else. It is not possible to deceive the eye that this is a mirror. When I move my gaze from the road in front of me to the digital mirror, my eyes have to shift focus. It’s an effort in itself, but it’s not really what I find most difficult. Instead, the sense of perspective and distance. It is missing on the digital screen.
The most sensible application of a digital rear view mirror that I have encountered since I started testing electric cars eight years ago is on transporters. They can’t possibly have a traditional mirror because they have a cabinet that obscures the view. There, the digital rearview mirror is a brilliant solution to a problem.
But I can’t shake the thought that Polestar have in fact created an entirely unnecessary problem by removing the rear window. Just because they wanted to offer a certain roofline in combination with a spacious back seat. With or without a rear window, may simply be a personal preference.
Summation
In summary, Polestar 4 is a meeting between two cultures. It is a meeting between Swedish Polestar design ideas and Chinese demand lists. The lack of the rear window was perhaps such a compromise. I still think the Polestar 4 is a pretty sensible package and in a way quite adequate for many families – provided you’re ready to challenge norms.
If you want to be bold and bravest on the street, it is clearly a Polestar 4 that is valid over other cars of the same size and price range. I think the Polestar 4 above all can become a popular company car because then you can afford to be just a little brave. And then of course you should also choose the exterior color Gold, it’s just so delicious!
Fakta: Polestar 4 Long Range Single Motor
Motor: 200 kW (272 hp)
Bacteria: 100 kWh)
Scope: 620 kilometer
Performance: 0-100 km/h in 7.1 seconds
Bagagevolym: 526 – 1 536 liter
Service weight: 2 230 kg
Draw weight: 1 500 kg
Basic price: SEK 700,000.