Polestar 3 - The long-awaited first SUV from the 5 year old electric car brand that managed to revolutionize the EV industry, in the short time since it exploded onto the automotive scene. You could say the Polestar 3 is a lot of story - it has a lot of power and torque, it has a lot of equipment and style, it also costs a lot of money.
Polestar is aiming for its first SUV in the premium performance sector. To succeed, it can't risk being mediocre in any of the departments. It has to provide comfort, it has to deliver performance and design, it has to provide brand recognition as well as value. Let's take a closer look and see how Polestar 3 plans to win over customers away from BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Nio and many more brands competing in the most profitable automotive market.
First is the design, here the Polestar 3 retains the subtle Nordic influence that the brand has praised time and time again. It's not a flashy SUV, it chooses purpose and function with each line having a job to do. Even the 22" wheels manage to add calm to the overall design instead of screaming "look at me - I'm big!"
The roofline is so low, the Polestar decided to move the seats lower and offer a more reclined position than we get in other SUVs. That way, passengers and drivers get a more car-like perception of space and the car feels more dynamic. The rear seats have been moved further back to offer more space.
The low roofline at the rear greatly aids aerodynamics, minimizing turbulence behind the car and increasing the drag coefficient. That's fine but the cargo area pays a price for that efficiency - 394 liters with the rear seat on top is as much as any VW ID.3 owner gets. Polestar will immediately comment that there is an additional 90 liters of storage under the trunk floor and a 32 liter frunk.
The jury will be out on this one, the Polestar 3 is an SUV, albeit a sporty one, and the SUV should have enough room in the trunk for IKEA shopping. To be fair - once the rear seats are lowered, and with underfloor storage included, the total capacity goes up to 1,411 liters - more than enough for most potential uses.
The classy and understated exterior design is reminiscent of a tailor-made suit. Absolutely nothing we don't need but everything a car needs. A great exercise in restraint and functionality. Take the lights - the headlights take a new take on the “double blade” theme, they include the latest technology with 1.3 million tiny mirrors that adjust constantly to light the way and reduce glare from oncoming traffic.
The taillights are back to minimalism and come with a new welcome feature that flashes in a certain pattern when it detects a car key up close. All front sensors are mounted behind a panel located between the headlights, just below the air inlet that directs airflow over the hood and to the windshield. All that aerodynamic work pays off within decent driving distances - but that, later.
The interior has that familiar Polestar smell but with more class. Be it a lighter approach, a more spacious cabin than in the Polestar 2 or completely new materials - it exudes style, quality and yes, there's plenty of room. There are 25 speakers in the premium Bowers & Wilkins audio system with Dolby Atmos to take the experience to a whole new level.
Polestar has taken a different approach to “vegan” leather and introduced its own ingredient that uses pine oil for production instead of regular crude. There is also a genuine leather option that appears to come from certified farms ensuring the cows live in a stress-free environment and are happy to sacrifice their existence for our enjoyment.
Let's talk about the performance - the numbers are huge. 360 kW or 489 HP all-wheel drive system with 840 Nm of torque in the standard Polestar 3. That's enough to catapult this 2.6 metric tonne and 4.9 meter long SUV from rest to 100 km/h in just 5 seconds. The car will continue to drive at a speed that is quite alarming until it reaches 210 km / h which is the top speed that is limited by safety.
If a 5 second sprint isn't enough, there's a €6,600 Performance Plan option. That raises the torque to 910 Nm but the power remains unchanged. The suspension was tuned by the Polestar Performance team and the car got bigger, 22” wheels. The result is better handling and the 0-100 km/h sprint takes 4.7 seconds.
Safety occupies the first row seat on the Polestar 3. There are five radar modules, five external HD cameras, twelve ultrasonic sensors and a new LiDAR that promises one of the best and safest autonomous driving experiences thanks to the Pilot Pack - once it will be available later in 2023. When there is a problem, there are 10 airbags on board to protect passengers.