Polestar 3 Review 2024

The 2024 Polestar 3 is rolling out in Australia initially in top-spec Launch Edition guises only, starting at $132,900 for the Long Range Dual Motor Launch Edition. The more powerful Polestar 3 Long Range Dual Motor with Performance Pack Launch Edition commands a $9000 premium, priced from $141,900.

Both prices are before on-road costs.

While the core concept of these two electric SUVs is the same – five-doors, five-seats, whopping power and huge torque – there are mechanical and equipment details that differentiate them. We’ll detail all that stuff as we go on through this review.

They also share svelte styling that intentionally eschews traditional boxy SUV function for a sleeker lower-roofed form. It looks striking at a glance, but it’s also worth a more detailed inspection, the aerodynamic detail such as the slim wing on the bonnet that adds downforce and small aero blades that reduce tumble off the rear of the car speak to its performance intent.

The vehicle’s co-efficient of drag (Cd) isn’t the slickest at 0.29, but the idea here is to blend style and efficiency.

Unsurprisingly given the early EV embrace by luxury brands, the Polestar 3 rolls out against substantial electric SUV opposition including the Audi Q8 e-tron, BMW iX, Mercedes-Benz EQE and Lexus RZ 450e.

Dollar for dollar, spec for spec and in terms of driving dynamics the Polestar 3 is undoubtedly steep competition for them.

Priced as it is, it’s impossible to describe the 2024 Polestar 3 or – P3 – as good value. But there’s definitely an incentive to get in early.

That’s because the Launch Edition includes equipment that will become optional when the 2025 Polestar range launches later in 2024.

We’ve detailed the stuff that drops out, including a banging 25-speaker Bowers and Wilkins stereo with Dolby Atmos that’s part of what’s called the Plus pack, in a separate story.

Okay, so let’s dig into what these two vehicles come with now as opposed to 2025. Externally, the P3 Long Range Dual Motor – or LRDM – starts off with a full-length sunroof, 21-inch cast alloy wheels with staggered Continental SportContact or Michelin Pilot Sport tyres, LED headlights and a power-operated tailgate with a kick sensor.

Internally the standard trim is a PVC-based leather alternative called Weavetech, the eight-way powered front seats include lumbar, adjustable side support and heating. Heat pump tri-zone climate control is also standard and controlled in the rear seat via a touch screen.

The steering column is only manually operated and there is no spare tyre in either model.

The P3 LRDM with Performance pack upgrades various mechanical bits we’ll get to later, but worth noting here are the 22-inch forged alloy wheels with staggered Pirelli P Zero tyres and some accessories in gold, including brake callipers, valve caps, seat belts and an interior light line.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned Plus pack that becomes a $9000 option in 2025 includes not only the stereo but also a head up display, soft close doors, a power-operated steering column, a heated steering wheel, heated rear seats and even heated wiper blades.

Stuff that’s already optional in 2024 across all models includes $7500 Nappa leather, $3000 Megapixel headlights, a $2900 foldable towbar (the 3 can allegedly tow 2200kg braked), $2000 metallic paint (which seems extreme given the asking price for the car) and $1700 animal welfare wool interior.

Some of this stuff is only available if you’ve added one pack or another. For instance the megapixel headlights are only offered if the Plus pack has already been optioned.

The Polestar 3 comes with five years warranty, eight years battery warranty, five-years roadside assist and includes free servicing for five-years or 100,000km. Service intervals are generally every two years or 30,000km.

The pack attack continues when it comes to the 2024 Polestar 3’s safety equipment.

What’s called the Pilot pack has been added to the vehicle as standard and it includes pilot assist (another name for lane centring), lane change assist and a 360 degree camera with 3D view.

It’s worth noting the Polestar 3’s adaptive cruise control can’t be adjusted for following distance at the moment. This is because of delays with development of the car’s NVIDIA-powered software, which is the responsibility of Polestar’s technical partner and former parent Volvo.

The update will come via an over the air (OTA) update later in 2024. In fact, OTA is offered for a wide variety of the P3’s many digital technologies.

The Pilot pack will still be standard when the 2025 Polestar 3s arrive but another new-for-2025 Pilot pack that adds Lidar will be $7500. The laser emitting sensor will join a bevy of ultrasonic sensors, cameras and a radar already fitted to the large SUV, many of them within the ‘SmartZone’ where the grille would be in an orthodox car.

They help operate a heap of driver assist systems including autonomous emergency braking that detects vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, various forms of lane changing and keeping, steering assist, blind spot detection, cross traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, driver monitoring, park assist and cabin monitoring to ensure no kids or animals are left behind.

There are nine airbags, outboard ISOFIX mounts and an SOS call button but no ANCAP safety rating yet.

The 2024 Polestar 3 is a tech-head’s dream with a nine-inch landscape (horizontal) digital dash sitting on the steering column and a 14.5-inch (vertical) infotainment touchscreen on the dashboard.

While there’s a head-up display in front of the driver, which is part of the currently-standard Plus pack alongside a bunch of other things including – yes we’ll mention it again – a mega 1610 watt stereo.

The P3’s infotainment utilises the Android Automotive Operating System powered by a Qualcomm Technologies Snapdragon Digital Chassis. That means everything happens fast and at high resolution.

Most obviously, you get embedded Google Maps sat-nav, which is really easy to use.

But you can cable up your smartphone – although those software delays mean Apple CarPlay will have to wait till later in the year when it will be introduced OTA. There are two USB-C ports in both front and rear seat rows and wireless phone charging in the front armrest.

There is also FM, digital radio and a bunch of apps including the streaming service Tidal. You get access to the Google Play store for more apps as well.

Speaking of apps, no surprise the 2024 Polestar 3 has its own smartphone-based app that provides an overview of battery and charging status, remote-control functionality like locking or climate preconditioning, OTA update installation status, and can also act as a digital key.

The 2024 Polestar 3 is powered by two permanent magnet synchronous electric motors, with one mounted on each axle – front and rear. Drive is transmitted to the wheels via a single speed reduction gear and BorgWarner’s latest mechanical torque vectoring dual-clutch rear differential.

In both models the front motor makes 180kW/420Nm, while the Power pack ups the rear motor to 200kW/490Nm via software tweaks.

The standard LRDM makes 360kW/840Nm and accelerates from 0-100kmkm/h in a claimed 5.0 seconds. The Performance pack upgrades that to 380kW and 910Nm and drops the acceleration time to 4.7 seconds.

Not bad for a 4.9-metre long, 1.61-metre high, 1.96-metre wide, 2.6-tonne SUV. And we haven’t even seen the scorching hot Polestar 3 BST yet!

The torque vectoring system can disconnect the rear motor when cruising (or in Eco ode) to save energy (more on that below) and hook it back up and distribute outputs 100 per cent to either side of the axle when pressing on.

A giant 111kWh lithium-ion battery pack made by the Chinese battery giant CATL (also the world’s largest EV battery supplier) is slung between the axles of the 2024 Polestar 3 and provides reasonable range, even when consumption steeples. And that happens … frequently.

The official range claim for the standard P3 LRDM is 631km (WLTP) while its 561km for the Performance pack. From our experience it’s going to come out around 400+ km on the open road.

That’s because we averaged around 26kWh/100km in both vehicles, with highs creeping over 30kWh/100km and easier downhill lows running at around 16kWh/100km.

That compares to claimed WLTP averages that start at 19.7KWh/100km and top out at 23kWh/100km across the two models.

Efficiency can be influenced to some extent though mode choices – Range or Performance power delivery for instance – in the touchscreen, while Polestar engineers say reducing energy consumption is an ongoing focus. Good thing too!

The official claimed DC recharge rate is as high as 250kW (if you can find a charger that fast), while the maximum AC charging rate is 11kW, which requires three-phase power.

So you won’t be surprised to learn the 2024 Polestar 3 is fast in a straight line – especially from a standing start. In both versions it thrusts forward in a truly herculean way.

Momentum slows somewhere beyond 100km/h, but that’s not a major issue in dawdling Australia. Yep, if you’ve got a semi-trailer to pass or a mountain to climb the Polestar 3 is your car.

What is more surprising is how satisfying the Polestar 3 is when that mountain road turns twisty. This thing loves corners. And even on wet and slimy roads (as encountered during the launch drive on Tasmania’s east coast) it has prodigious grip.

There’s a bunch of reasons for its flat stance and direct handling, starting with that huge battery mounted so low. A 50:50 weight balance helps as well.

But there’s more. The torque vectoring dual-clutch makes turn-in more nimble despite a long 2985mm wheelbase, the electric-assist steering is poised, the multi-mode dual chamber air spring suspension with ZF dampers on both axles provides assured body control and the combination of Brembo brakes and tuneable regenerative braking hauls all this weight down confidently.

It would be preferable if the regen could be adjusted via paddles on the steering wheel rather than only through the screen, but it’s better than no adjustment.

Polestar calls this thing a sports SUV and they’re not kidding – it looks the biz and does the business on the road. This thing could be the most enjoyable luxury electric SUV any brand has come up with yet.

Hey, it’s not an Ioniq 5 N, but the level of connection here is well beyond the usual ‘point and shoot’ heavyweight EVs specialise in.

To be honest I struggled to pick much difference between the standard LRDM and the PP, even though the latter has grippier tyres and a sportier suspension tune. They both felt that good.

The driving assistants seemed well-tuned, happily motoring along in the centre of the lane. But it became apparent the sensors could be spooked by false reads especially on wet roads and steer the car away from imaginary lines.

The lane centring system cannot be fully switched off, so while minimised it’s something that can still be felt. Further fine tuning is needed here.

At a more relaxed pace away from Tassie’s lovely driving roads, the Polestar 3 is a cool cruiser.

It has nice light steering in the base settings, never rides too sloppily or harshly, is predictably quiet, has reasonable visibility except out the back window (there is a camera function in the mirror to overcome that) and a malleable ride in comfort mode. It would be fine for the urban crawl and even the school run.

The 2024 Polestar 3 is an SUV, is all-wheel drive and its air suspension system is height adjustable. But no, this is not a vehicle to take beyond gravel and snow roads.

What lets down the school run argument a bit is the 2024 Polestar 3 is strictly a five-seater. Not even vestigial kiddy seats back there.

Apparently, it’s all about keeping the P3 well and truly separated from the Volvo EX90, which was developed at the same time. The two not only share software but hardware, including the fundamental Volvo-developed SPA2 platform architecture.

In terms of room in the boot there’s plenty of space to put some seats, as the P3 claims 597 litres with row two upright and 1411 litres with them split-folded (here’s another 32 litres in the frunk). Maybe the sloped ‘form-over-function’ roofline would make headroom a bit of a challenge for a third seating row?

Speaking of space, there is just no shortage anywhere in the car. Row two is offers sprawling room and backs that up with generously, comfortable seats and features such as dual map pockets, cup holders and a fold-down armrest. But no overhead grabs, which were missed when passengering on a winding road.

Up-front, it’s the same story with the seats – which can be adjusted every which way – and the multiple storage choices, made easily accessible because the gear shifter is on the steering column.

The elegant and restrained presentation, the quality of the trims (and their environmental friendliness) including a dash covering that looks like it came from a scuba suit, the beautifully damped closures and the build quality are all stand-outs.

The P3 is made in Polestar’s Chengdu factory in China and much of the infotainment system is similarly well-executed. It’s great the minimalist instrument panel is mounted on the steering column, which means there’s no chances of its being blocked by the wheel.

And yes, there are precious few buttons, but at least there is a volume dial – hoorah! – and basic air-con controls remain visible on the screen at all times.

But is it necessary to power adjust the steering wheel and the external mirrors by drilling into the screen and then tapping on steering wheel spoke? Why is it a multi-step process via the touchscreen to open the glovebox when on the move?

Polestar argues all this stuff is no issue, especially because the wheel and mirror preferences can be set for up to six drivers. The problem is if you decide you want to adjust the wheel or mirrors on the go – it happens – it means a distracting series of glances down at the screen are required.

Of course, for MY25 powered steering adjust becomes an option so that solves the problem for some buyers.

The 2024 Polestar 3 is an outstanding luxury electric SUV. It has a couple of issues, but it could very well be the best example of the breed launched so far.

That’s one heck of an achievement considering Polestar has only been around as an EV company since 2017 and until now had only released one electric car, the Polestar 2.

The 3’s greatest talent is to develop the level of driving connection beyond the usual EV package. Yes, like all of them it’s fast in a straight line but it’s also enjoyable when the curves appear.

In fact, it’s just a nice car to drive any time. And that’s not all – it looks good, has a lovely interior and for the most part the tech makes sense.

Out of the two variants sampled it’s difficult to mount a solid case for picking the more expensive Performance pack, although if you’re shopping in this part of the market what’s an extra $9000 plus on-road costs?

But there’s something else to consider here and that’s the incoming Polestar 4. It’s also a five seat SUV and it’s significantly cheaper, marginally smaller and slightly more powerful than the 3.

And it’s here within weeks. It could be worth waiting to see just how good it is.

2024 Polestar 3 Long Range Dual Motor Launch Edition at a glance:
Price: $132,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: Dual permanent magnet synchronous motors
Output: 360kW/840Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 111kWh lithium-ion (107kWh usable)
Range: 628km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 19.8-21.8kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested

2024 Polestar 3 Long Range Dual Motor with Performance Pack Launch Edition at a glance:
Price: $141,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: Dual permanent magnet synchronous motor
Output: 380kW/910Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 111kWh lithium-ion (107kWh usable)
Range: 561km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 22.1-23kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested

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