First Drive: Polestar aims for more practicality with 4 SUV

What is it?

Whether ‘SUV’ is the right definition remains to be seen, though. It’s both longer and has a lower roofline than most of its rivals, and certainly looks more estate-like than cars like the BMW iX3 and Mercedes GLC.

Regardless, it’s an answer to anyone needing a bit more practicality from their 4, but without wanting to jump to the bigger, and more expensive, Polestar 3.

What’s new?

The boot itself is helpfully bigger too, now overtaking the BMW iX3 with 530 litres of space on offer, and a higher roofline means more headroom for rear passengers.

Polestar has even tweaked the suspension setup for the SUV, with stiffer rear springs to help cope with whatever heavy things customers are likely to load up the boot with.

What’s under the bonnet?

4 SUVs get two choices of powertrain – either a single, rear motor with 268bhp, or a dual motor setup with 536bhp. As those numbers would suggest, the difference in performance between the two is pretty substantial: with 0-60mph taking 7.1 seconds in the rear motor, or just 3.8 seconds in the dual.

Surprisingly, the difference in range isn’t quite as dramatic. Rear motor models get a 391-mile WLTP figure, while choosing dual motor knocks it down slightly to 373 – so there’s very little penalty to pay for the big performance boost.

Interestingly as well, both SUV versions get slightly more range than the coupe equivalents. Polestar says this is down to changes in the car’s software, ‘tyre optimisation’ and a few other tweaks.

What’s it like to drive?

Dual motor versions feel impressively quick – perhaps even too much so for a family-focussed car. There’s more than enough power to exploit small gaps for tricky overtakes, and you never really tire of the sheer amount of power under your right foot.

The rear-motor 4 almost feels pedestrian by comparison, with performance that’s just… fine. It’s perfectly pleasant, but lacks the ferocity of its pricier sibling – though at least this allows you to be a little more aggressive with the accelerator pedal.

As standard, both dual and rear motor models get a relatively simple passive damper suspension setup, but one that does a perfectly decent job of dealing with lumps and bumps in the road. Tick the box for ‘performance pack’ on your dual motor car and you’ll get a 4 SUV as Polestar fully intended it, with adaptive dampers and a whole host of other chassis tweaks.

We’ve not had the chance to try this on the road, but in our time on track with the car, we can see it’s well worth the extra cash if you want your 4 to drive as dynamically as it possibly can.

How does it look?

In typical Swedish fashion, it’s a relatively restrained-looking car, devoid of any flashy trinketry or needless styling flourishes. We can see it ageing very well indeed, its handsome proportions and smooth surfacing a very pleasant antidote to the giant light-up badges and enormous grilles of its rivals.

Externally, there’s not much difference between rear and dual motor cars either, aside from some diamond-cut alloys thrown in for free on the latter. Jump up to the Performance Pack and you’ll get the liveliest changes Polestar is willing to make: larger 21-inch wheels, and some eye-catching gold brake callipers behind them.

What’s it like inside?

You won’t find much bare plastic on display, for example – the dash and doors are coated top-to-bottom in various different squishy fabrics, with plenty of design for the sake of design. Polestar also wouldn’t be seen dead using ‘vegan’ leather, instead preferring to use either recycled fabrics or the real stuff – albeit sourced from certifiable ‘animal welfare secured’ locations.

The 4 SUV certainly isn’t short on space either, feeling deceptively large on the inside. You sit low, with a relatively high window line, but not to the point of feeling claustrophobic. Rear passengers get acres of space, both rows get some supremely comfortable seats, and the boot space is both sensibly sized and shaped.

Less good is the lack of physical controls. Polestar has hinted that buttons will be making a comeback to its cars, but we’re not quite there yet – the 4 was developed long before this change in tack. There is one nod to this future direction though: the 4 SUV gets actual labelled buttons on its steering wheel, unlike the mysterious blank ones of other cars in the range.

Thankfully, the touch screen infotainment system works very well, with a sensible layout and decent-sized icons for controlling things. Because it’s Google-based too, a rollout of Gemini AI has begun, meaning voice commands for various functions of the car should get even easier too.

What’s the spec like?

Tick the box for ‘Prime Pack’ and you’ll add a head-up display, Hamon Kardon stereo, adaptive LED ‘pixel’ headlights, electrically reclining rear seats, a power-operated boot and more. ‘Performance Pack’, only available on dual-motor cars, adds 22-inch alloys, various trademark Polestar gold-coloured bits, and the clever chassis tweaks alluded to previously.

All 4 SUVs get a fixed panoramic roof, but for an option this can be made to dim electrically – as in cars like the Audi A6 and Nissan Leaf – and while an electronic rear-view mirror isn’t necessary in a car with a rear window, it can be added back on as an option.

Verdict

It’s not often a car maker brings out a new body style that’s actually more practical, more attractive and cheaper than the existing one, but that seems to be what’s happened with the 4 SUV.

Whether it’s an estate, an SUV or something in between, this new squared-off version of the 4 makes for an even more compelling purchase than the Coupe – with impressive ride & handling, the option of a seriously quick powertrain, and a typically gorgeous interior.

If you’re looking for an antidote to modern electric SUVs, with their flashy exterior styling and screen-heavy interiors, the Polestar 4 is like a breath of fresh air.