No rear window, no worries?
This year, Polestar is bringing not just one new nameplate to New Zealand, but two. Its premium flagship Polestar 3 SUV made its public debut late last year, and now its smaller-but-alsokind-of-bigger Polestar 4 cousin has also arrived in the country. First demonstrators for test drives are said to be coming in July, with stock proper to land in September.
As previously detailed, the Polestar 4 will be sold locally in two flavours. The line-up kicks off with the $119,900 rear-wheel drive single-motor variant (200kW/343Nm), with the flagship all-wheel drive dual-motor model (400kW/686Nm) clocking a sticker of $129,990. The latter’s 0-100kph split of 3.8 seconds makes it the quickest Polestar yet. And orders opened last month.
Both models come with a 100kWh battery. Polestar uses the ‘Long Range’ nomenclature in the names of both models – perhaps deliberately leaving room for a Standard Range model with a cheaper cost of entry in the future. As far as range goes, the civil RWD can do 610km on the WLTP, and the wild AWD can do 580km. It can support charging speeds of up to 200kW on DC and 22kW on AC.
The Polestar 4 doesn’t really sit above or below the Polestar 3 for size. The 3 is bigger overall, but the 4 has a longer wheelbase. The difference is more about market positioning. The 4 is more mainstream, whilst the 3 is nudging the luxury crowd. Think BMW iX3 versus BMW iX.
Something the two models don’t share is platform. While the Polestar 3 is built on Volvo’s trusty SPA architecture, the 4 sits atop Geely’s new SEA underpinnings. Both models are built in China, but in different plants. Polestar claims the 4 is the least emissions-heavy model that it makes, thanks to the focus on use of green energy at Geely’s Hangzhou Bay production facility.
Being a Polestar, inevitably there are also plenty of recycled and less oil-dependent fabrics and finishes throughout, too.
Whether you go for the single motor or dual motor, standard kit for both is pretty high. The optional-overseas Pilot Pack and Plus Pack are both standard across the lineup.
Between them, these two packs tip in a raft of tech and semi-autonomous driving features, including Harman Kardon audio (although there are two more powerful Harm-Kard options available), tri-zone climate, head-up display, rear control display, power tailgate, ‘mesh textile’ cabin trims with ambient lighting, power seats in both rows, heated seats and Pilot Assist.
And that’s on top of the 15.4-inch touchscreen (landscape here, as opposed to portrait in the Polestar 2 and 3) with its Android interface and built-in Google suite
— which includes Google Maps..
There’s also Animal Mode, which keeps the air conditioning on for your pooch or cat or hamster if you need to nip out briefly. But, dog owners who typically keep their canines in the boot of their SUVs may not like the Polestar 4, because of the model’s biggest quirk – the lack of a rear window.
So, why no rear window?
By now, countless carmakers (certainly all those from Europe at least) have released some kind of ‘SUV coupe’. The construction of these SUV coupes typically means hacking away at the base SUV’s C- and D-pillar and calling it a day.
Polestar has gone a very different route with the 4. It describes it as being a coupe on the outside and an SUV on the inside. The brand says that because of the lack of a rear windscreen, and therefore a lack of need for a big glass aperture with good backwards visibility, it’s been able to shift the Polestar 4’s glasshouse forwards. Combined with its low nose, the Polestar’s proportions are unique and easier on the eyes than the majority of its SUV coupe peers.
Add in that signature minimalist surfacing, flush glazing, frameless windows and the Thor’s Hamm … I mean dual blade headlights, and you get an EV that’s very smart looking in the metal.
The lack of a rear window has another benefit, too. According to Polestar, rear space is improved because of it. Sitting in it at the event, it was certainly roomy in the back, with more headroom than most of its coupe-like rivals. Plenty of legroom, too, aided no doubt by the Polestar 4’s enormous 2999mm wheelbase.
It did feel like it had quite a high floor relative to the seat squabs, leading to a bit more knee angle than some might expect. Conversely, a large amount of recline is available.
My main concern had been that the lack of a rear window would make the back of the 4 a little closed off and claustrophobic. But thanks to the enormous panoramic glass roof that goes almost the full length of the cabin, that wasn’t the case.
For the driver, the lack of a rear windscreen is made up for by the installation of a high definition 2.5 megapixel rear-facing camera – beaming its vision to the 8.9-inch rear-view mirror display. Mounted close to eye-level, the camera has a wider field of view, claims Polestar, than in most standard cars, .
Indeed in a video shown to press, the camera was able to see cars driving two lanes across in what would ordinarily be blind spots. Polestar also noted that, thanks to the shape of its mounting, the camera does not lose sight in the rain. It’s also supposedly a great performer at night.
Whether any of this stands up in realworld driving remains to be seen.