I’ve spent a fairly successful few years behind scenes and not on the screen of the Fully Charged SHOW, and my occasional appearances have been largely limited to home tech, podcasts and mythbusters. Believe it or not, I prefer leading from the front, rather than fronting content, but recently I got the chance to do a car review.
Not on screen, I know my place – and couldn’t even begin to compete with naturals like Jack Scarlett – but at Everything Electric SYDNEY and again in LONDON, I got to talk about one of my favourite electric cars. By osmosis and after 10 years of driving electric, I’ve driven around 50 EVs, and I think that I know the difference between a ‘banger’ and a ‘clanger’, so we put that to the test with Polestar’s ‘cleanest’ car so far.
My first EV was the brilliant little BMW i3 – highly recommended if you can find a used one online for £10,000 – £15,000 by the way. I admit to being a big fan of the Tesla Model 3, and we also have an MG4 on our driveway which is a family favourite. Other cars that have ‘moved’ me are the Porsche Taycan, the Rivian R1T which I was fortunate enough to drive from Santa Monica to Malibu. But my big treat in Australia was to spend some time in the Blue Mountains driving a storm-coloured Polestar 4. I even had Robert Llewellyn and Elliot Richards as passengers, and let’s put it this way, I didn’t want to hand back the key at the end of the loan. So, what’s it like? And as I’m in the market for an EV, will I buy one? Here are my thoughts…
First of all, in transparency I’ve always had a soft spot for Polestar. When it comes to sustainable car manufacturing it is doing things the way they should be done. Polestar has in effect thrown the gauntlet down to carmakers, and somewhat disappointingly I’ve yet to see anyone else pick it up. So this is a car company that I can get behind; and while the impressive Polestar 2 narrowly missed out for me to our Model 3, and the stunning Polestar 3 is a little too large for my mid-sized family, I was keen to take the Polestar 4 SUV Coupé for a trial run with a view to owning one. And spoiler alert, I was pretty impressed.
Let’s start with the exterior and I’ll be honest, I think it’s a real head-turner. Well-proportioned and with a wide stance it looks good from all angles, but especially from the front and the side, and the lights that greet you as you approach it give it a welcoming but premium feel. The ‘Thor’s hammer’ style headlights hint at its Scandinavian heritage, and the whole aesthetic made me feel quite smug as I escaped the Sydney traffic. While I might be accused of being shallow, the 22-inch performance wheels with the golden Brembo brakes – echoed inside with the golden seatbelts – really make this feel like a very special experience.
But the less shallow side of me is equally impressed with Polestar’s transparency around manufacturing impact. We think all cars should come with something like a ‘Monroney sticker’ detailing how sustainably they are made, and Polestar is the clear leader in this space. Our ‘numero uno’ car reviewer Jack Scarlett explained why this is critically important.
So, when you invest in this car, while it is on the larger side, you can be assured that its environmental impact is much lower than any of its competitors. In fact, it’s Polestar’s ‘greenest’ car yet. Jack’s excellent review of the Polestar 4 was generally glowing, albeit he was a little grumpy at first about a few things. Specifically, about how the car opens, and some set-up ‘nannying’ issues, but those glitches seem to have been eradicated through tweaked software, and I didn’t share the same gripes. But I should also add that in his review, Jack called this car ‘immensely capable’ AND one of the ‘finest long-distance point-to-point vehicles I’ve had the pleasure of driving.’ And ‘a genuine year-round 300 mile range car.’ High praise indeed.
Arguably, the biggest talking point when it comes to the exterior of the car is the rear window, or to be more accurate, the lack of one. As a differentiator, I do believe it makes the car stand out. Aesthetically it does look kind of cool – to this middle-aged man at least – but the question is does it detract or enhance rear visibility. There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to take the car for a drive. In fairness the HD digital rear-view is crystal clear and I immediately liked it. Coupled with an excellent heads-up display, the overall information you need as a driver is delivered in style, and I was instantly able to put the lack of a rear mirror, *well*, behind me. Besides, there’s so much more to get excited about inside the cabin.
Make no mistake it has a premium interior that will give other brands a run for their money. Everything you touch is vegan, but very lovely. The quality of all materials, dials, and the steering wheel, is clearly of a very high standard. As for the software and infotainment, like an Apple phone user, I have become accustomed to Tesla’s admittedly impressive operating system, but in my short time in the car, I appreciated the fast, responsive, big-screen set up in the Polestar. Although, I would have benefited from a bit more time to familiarise myself with what is buried beneath the home screen. But yes, wireless Apple CarPlay is part of this offering, and that’s a definite shortcut to usability.
Moving to the back – which is where we stored one Mr Llewellyn on our drive into the mountains, it’s an incredibly comfortable place to be, spacious, well-provisioned and you can ‘power’ recline the back seats while you enjoy the illuminated light bars, and panoramic roof, while plugging in your tech and relaxing. And did I mention that there’s a Harman Kardon sound system to enjoy. In any event, Robert really raved about just how comfortable it was.
On the roads up to Hawkesbury Heights in the Blue Mountains I really enjoyed the driving experience, it was genuinely ‘effortless’ as well as being extremely comfortable. Personally, I put the suspension on ‘firm’ and whacked the regen up to the maximum setting, so I could really make the most out of one-pedal driving. As a small aside, I really enjoyed the super subtle indicator clicking noise, which reminded me of the intro to a Giorgio Moroder synth classic.
Efficiency on a mountain climb is probably not a reasonable appraisal, so I’d refer back to Jack’s comments about a realistic 300-mile range in all conditions. This dual-motor all-wheel model is quick – 3.8 seconds to 60 – the single motor is closer to 7 seconds to 60. It comes with a 100kWh battery and can rapid charge up to 200kW DC when required. It was a lot of fun to drive, but as you might expect with its stance and weight, it felt very planted and secure to boot.
When it comes to cost, the model I drove was pretty much fully loaded so it’s not cheap, but you can get a dual-motor or single-motor Polestar 4 for a lesser amount. Having driven it, I would argue that this car is worth the stretch, and a compelling, more affordable alternative to the Porsche Macan. Ultimately, I’d urge you to test drive it for yourself. That could well clinch it, and I’d recommend looking for a local Polestar test drive on their website.
In short though, I *loved* the Polestar 4, and I am mightily tempted. Big thanks to Polestar in Australia and the UK for letting me drive the car over 10 days in total. It was a real treat.
Apologies to the trauma our visitors suffered! Fear not attendees of Everything Electric VANCOUVER, FARNBOROUGH and MELBOURNE, a repeat performance is unlikely!
Dan Caesar is CEO of the Fully Charged Show Ltd (including the Everything Electric exhibitions), and is the launch CEO of Electric Vehicles UK.
