Polestar 4 2024 Review – International

Slotting in between the Polestar 2 and Polestar 3 in terms of size and price, the 2024 Polestar 4, says its maker, promises the aerodynamics and styling of a coupe and the space and utility of an SUV.

Hardly the first coupe-style SUV that we’ve been subjected to, the Polestar 4 nonetheless breaks new ground in the segment, eschewing a rear window. Instead, there’s a solid panel that is claimed to deliver packaging benefits (more rear headroom and luggage space) and a rear-view camera that consigns the ‘joys’ of a dirty rear window or a non-negotiable view of boof-headed rear seat occupants to the history books.

Pricing starts from $81,500 plus on-road costs for the 200kW/343Nm Long Range Single Motor (rear-drive) variant. The Polestar 4 will also be offered as a 400kW/686Nm Long Range Dual Motor (all-wheel drive) model that is priced from $93,050 plus ORCs.

Both single- and dual-motor 4s get a 100kWh battery pack (with 94kWh of usable capacity). The single-motor’s WLTP driving range is 610km and acceleration to 100km/h takes a claimed 7.1sec. The dual-motor is claimed to deliver a still-impressive 580km and 0-100km/h time of 3.8sec – the fastest Polestar yet.

More details of standard spec are below. However, Australian Polestar 4 EVs will arrive with the Pilot Pack as standard. This comprises enhanced autonomous driving functions including Pilot Assist with lane keep and change assistance.

Buyers can specify the $8000 Plus Pack which adds a 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, intelligent pixel LED headlights, powered steering column adjustment, electrically reclining rear seats, tri-zone ventilation, heated rear seats, rear entertainment screen, heated steering wheel and a 14.7-inch head-up display.

A $2500 Pro Pack adds gold-coloured seat belts and valve caps as well as 21-inch wheels to single-motor and non-Performance Pack dual-motor variants.

Purchasers of the dual-motor 4 can also choose the $7200 Performance Pack option that brings those yellow belts, 22-inch alloys and larger Brembo brakes with four-piston callipers up front, as well as sports-tuned suspension.

Production is underway and the Polestar 4 is officially on sale Down Under, with first deliveries due to start in August.

The five-seater 2024 Polestar 4 straddles mass-market and prestige but is unashamedly aimed at winning sales from luxury competitors including the likes of the new Porsche Macan, Audi Q6 and BMW iX3 and iX4.

It’s not surprising, then, that the standard equipment list is solid with 20-inch alloy wheels, wireless phone charger, powered tailgate and charging port, dual-zone ventilation, heated front seats, a glass roof and metallic paint standard even at base-grade single-motor level.

Digital radio is standard as is a 360-degree surround-view camera with 3D view, four USB-C ports, illuminated Polestar logo and puddle lights plus front and rear park assist.

There’s a range of animal-free interior material choices with the base-grade interior using pine-oil rather than crude-oil-based synthetic seat surfacing. An optional upgrade features a 3D knit textile that is made from recycled plastic bottles. Sounds admirable and looks (and feels) better than it sounds.

A $7000 Nappa upgrade can be specified (in addition to the Plus Pack) and includes animal welfare-secured Nappa leather upholstery with ventilation and massage, additional four headrest speakers for the front seats and rear comfort head restraints.

There’s significant value delivered by the very smart Polestar human machine interface (HMI) in the 4 (more below).

Towing rating for the Polestar 4 is 2000kg for the dual-motor and 500kg less for the rear-drive single-motor variant. Maximum tow ball weight is 100kg for both.

Polestars are set to be sold via dealers Down Under, with its direct-to-consumer model consigned to the bad idea basket.

Warranty is an industry-standard five years/unlimited kilometres with the battery warranty stretching to eight years/unlimited. Polestar includes a 12-year corrosion warranty on its vehicles.

A five-year/100,000km service plan is included in the purchase price, as is five years of roadside assist. Normal service intervals are two years/30,000km and lifetime over-the-air software updates are part of the Polestar 4 offering.

Like its Volvo cousin, Polestar has a significant focus on safety and there’s every indication the 2024 Polestar 4 will be at the pointy end of vehicle safety advances.

Proven crash structure credentials are coupled with a comprehensive suite of passive and active safety technologies and driver aids.

Seven airbags are standard, as is essentially every advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) you can name – all the regulars plus tech such as intersection collision mitigation, run-off road mitigation, post impact braking… the works.

To enable much of this, the Polestar 4 uses Mobileye’s SuperVision ADAS. This uses a suite of 11 exterior and one interior cameras, one radar and 12 ultrasonic sensors to monitor, advise and act against hazards.

Polestar 4 also features autonomous emergency braking (high and low speed, plus reverse), rear cross traffic alert, driver attention monitoring, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, speed sign recognition and blind spot warning.

A dedicated driver screen places key messaging directly in front of the driver – no need to scan to the centre of the dash. Further, a large 14.7-inch head-up display repeats important vehicle, navigation and telephony information. In snowy conditions, the HUD text changes from white to yellow. That should keep the Minnesota Polestar Owners Club happy…

Of more interest to Aussies will be the Animal mode, which ensures the climate-control system keeps furry friends cool, calm and contained… Like the Tesla Model 3’s similar system, it also lets passersby know as much.

The Polestar 4 is Lidar and Google HD map ready in Chinese-market models. More information to come on this, as well as vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality Down Under.

It has not been Euro NCAP tested yet. Some discussion regards its expected rating centres around the fact it’s built on a Geely rather than Volvo platform. We’d be shocked if it doesn’t garner a maximum five-star score just the same.

User experience and tech is a focus of the 2024 Polestar 4 – at its heart is a combination of an Android Automotive operating system and Snapdragon Cockpit Platform that utilises a 15.4-inch landscape-oriented screen as the main interface.

Polestar calls the principle ‘Depth on Demand’. It uses a tile or card-based system that then allows additional explanation and depth. It’s a beautiful system when it works well…

In our initial test drive in Spain, however, it didn’t – clunky in response and often refusing inputs. The problem was traced back to a bad software load. Alas, it wasn’t the only issue with the Polestar 4 launch fleet – there were also suspension issues which I detail in the drive section below.

When the kit is working well as evinced by our ‘Take Two’ Gothenburg drive, with Google built-in, including Google Assistant, Google Maps and Google Play, it’s a compelling connected experience. The close collaboration with Google allows Polestar to keep pushing the boundaries of automotive UX, and OTAs will continue to keep things moving.

Right now, functionality includes a high level of personalisation and the ability to run multiple apps on the home screen concurrently. Up to eight shortcuts can be chosen for regularly used functions – think child locks, one-pedal driving, etc. Then there are powertrain and other functions – tuneable at a tap.

Most functions can be saved in the six possible driver profiles, which in turn can be linked to both digital and physical keys.

‘Hey Google’ voice assistance is standard.

There’s smart colour coding of the interface: red is bad, autonomous driving functions are in yellow, etc. And although the climate control is digital, the interface is always present. Vent adjustment is digital and there are automated modes a la your home split system.

Speaking of home, Polestar Connect and Polestar app allow smart home integration.

The standard ambient lighting modes are playfully named after the planets (cue joke about Uranus…)

Wireless CarPlay functionality is provided. At this stage, however, the interface is vastly inferior to the native/Google offering. Perhaps Polestar will better integrate with the next generation of CarPlay.

The Gentex rear camera and electronic rear-view mirror is one of the signature tech items of the Polestar 4. The 2.5megapx HDR camera and 1920x1280px image is large enough to allow the rendered view to pan and tilt in concert with indicators and when reverse is selected. It cleverly removes LED light flicker too.

Polestar says it takes some acclimatisation – it does. That’s especially so if you’re a multi-focal wearer. Persist, eventually it works well…

Parents note, you can flip the screen to a ‘normal’ mirror function to check the kids in the back seat.

Built in both China and Korea, the 2024 Polestar 4 is based on the Geely Group’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) platform which underpins Volvo, Zeekr and other group models.

Front suspension is double-wishbone and the rear is multilink. Braking is by Brembo and the adaptive dampers that are standard on the dual-motor are ZF Sachs.

All variants feature permanent magnet 400V synchronous motors with single-speed reduction gearboxes. The all-wheel drive dual-motor variants also feature front motor disconnect clutch for better efficiency when cruising.

Unlike the excellent Polestar 3, the Polestar 4 dual-motor does without the clever rear-axle torque vectoring. The 3 outpowers its heavier kin (2355kg v 2600kg) by 20kW (400kW v 380kW) but is well shy in terms of maximum torque – 686Nm versus a whopping 910Nm in the Polestar 4.

Various drive (Range or Power) and regenerative braking modes (off, low and standard) can be selected by the driver via the centre screen UX. The Performance version of the dual-motor offers a full-time all-wheel drive Performance mode as well as launch control.

When selected, Range mode prioritises efficiency, adapting the powertrain to a calmer style and forcing use of only the rear motor.

On two occasions when we selected Performance mode from Range there was a cluck which we assumed was the front axle engaging. It was the only powertrain coarseness we experienced. In this respect the Polestar 4 is a smooth operator.

Underpinning the 2024 Polestar 4 is a 110-cell 100kWh CATL battery that features nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) base chemistry. Both single- and dual-motor variants use the same battery.

The system features a heat pump, allowing the car to efficiently precondition the cabin and battery.

The maximum AC charge rate is 22kW for a 5.5-hour recharge (via three-phase). DC fast-charging can be done at up to 200kW for a charge from 10-80 per cent in 30 minutes.

The dual-motor has a WLTP range of 580km. The single-motor boosts that by 30km.

During our two test drives of the Polestar 4 – Madrid and Gothenburg – we noted energy usage in the 21.1-21.6kWh/100km range.

This is where things get a little complicated. The initial international launch drive of the 2024 Polestar 4 was in Madrid, Spain, alongside its Polestar 3 sibling.

The difference in capabilities of the cars was marked – the Polestar 3 a highlight and the 4? Well, let’s put it this way, the assembled Polestar execs were non-plussed when I labelled their car ‘Their Red-headed Stepchild’. Apologies to red-headed stepchildren everywhere…

The Polestar 4 Long Range Dual Motor Performance Pack we drove in Madrid was dull in steering and clumsy in terms of chassis response. It felt heavy and unwieldy, as if all of the chassis’ grip was being delivered (under protest) by the bespoke 22-inch Pirelli P Zero tyres.

A very quick drive of a single-motor Polestar 4 on the same day suggested that things could be better. That car seemed significantly better sorted.

At the same time the infotainment and HMI system that promised so much was glitchy and at times refused to respond to inputs… I figured my fingers just weren’t cut out to do the walking.

To be frank, the Polestar crew took it on the chin, but to be equally frank, I felt they dismissed my criticisms. Until, that is, some members of the next group of auto media (from the UK) reported similar issues and dynamic feedback.

Fast forward to a week or so after the early May launch and Polestar advised carsales of the news – the test vehicles had bad software loads and, perhaps more concerning, the wrong suspension parts fitted.

At first, we considered whether it was appropriate for us to travel to retest the car. International launch cars are usually very, very well tested and fettled – sometimes to the point of being unrepresentative of production cars. Too good, in fact…

Here, we had the opposite. How does a manufacturer allow cars to be presented to the media with such faults and if it can’t get these launch cars right, what hope does the public have of getting a car that’s 100 per cent?

And was Polestar’s explanation just a convenient opportunity to instal ‘Option B’ in terms of chassis tune?

No, said our Polestar contacts. In the tight timeline to build cars for the Madrid launch, the wrong dampers and rear suspension bushes found their way into the cars.

On the software side of things, the separate project teams each updated their tranches of software and subsequent conflicts saw the system default to early versions of steering and damper tunes as well as other UX glitches.

Fast forward to last week and our second drive – on the roads to the north of Polestar’s home base in Gothenburg. Chassis attributes boss, Christian Samson, explained the Chinese-market dampers and softer rear suspension top mount bushes on the Madrid cars significantly contributed to what we experienced.

Moreover, older adaptive damper and electronic power steering calibrations exacerbated the problems.

Literally, the difference could be felt the moment I drove the updated 4 out of the Polestar HQ car park. And later, within a few corners of a wonderful Swedish backroad near Lilla Edet, it was clear the ‘proper’ 4 has the same sort of road manners I’d experienced and praised in the Polestar 3.

Steering precision was as it should be and the roadholding, while still not sportscar-like, is more than capable enough to keep 99 per cent of buyers happy and entertained.

The roads we chose were flowing but had enough peaks and troughs and camber changes to easily upset a poorly resolved car – the Madrid Polestar 4s would have been a handful. The finished object, however, was fast and well balanced.

Body control was similarly tied-down to the Madrid cars, but all of a sudden, this car was 100 per cent happier to turn into corners and, when necessary, change direction quickly, all the time delivering decent ride and an impressive level of refinement.

And funny how a co-operative chassis makes the rest of the package shine. If you’re not fighting the car, you’re much happier to make use of the significant grunt the dual-motor 4 possesses.

Polestar’s quickest and most powerful car yet, our revisit proved the 4 can be properly fast, although it could still benefit from the Polestar 3’s clever rear axle… Especially so, if Polestar wants to really take on the upcoming Porsche Macan for outright fast EV-SUV-coupe honours.

Carried over from our first drive was an impressive level of cabin calm. This is a quiet, refined car – and even as a pre-production item, free of any of the squeaks or rattles that super-quiet EV powertrains do little to mask.

There are, of course, some things we’d suggest Polestar review. The dashtop knitted material’s gloss level means windscreen reflections are an issue, and I’m still not a complete fan of the multifunction controls on the steering wheel, but owners will likely warm to the latter.

From red-headed stepchild to wunderkind…? Maybe that’s overstating the case, but pending a drive on local roads, I reckon the 4 has gone from a non-starter to a potential carsales Car of the Year finalist in one fell swoop.

Bigger than it looks. Overall, the 2024 Polestar 4 is 60mm shorter overall than the Polestar 3, but it rides on a 14mm-longer wheelbase. It’s also marginally wider but substantially lower – 80mm in fact.

Then there’s the proportional changes facilitated by losing the rear screen – significantly more rear headroom for a start.

All of this, and flat-floor EV packaging, results in a cabin that seems almost a class larger. There’s generous legroom front and rear, and although the rear cushion profiling edges towards ‘made for two’, there’s shoulder-room for three.

The optional electric reclining rear seatback is arguably more gimmick than something that delivers extra comfort, but that is bordering on a grizzle. It’s at least a Business Class experience, if not First.

The cabin overall isn’t as simply styled as the Polestar 3’s Scandi vibe, but it’s far from fussy. Polestar’s theme is ‘Soft Tech’ and it labels the interior concepts ‘rooms’. There’s light, dark and a mix of both from which to choose.

The glass roof adds substantially to cabin amenity. Fortunately for Aussies, there’s a photochromatic option ($2700). Tick the box; you’ll need to as there is no blind to temper the rays.

The Polestar 4’s tailored knit upholstery was first shown in the Precept concept car and is a joint creation of the brand and the Swedish School of Textiles (Boras Textilhogskolan). It is manufactured in dimensions to minimise offcuts and reduce overall waste.

Polestar uses recycled PET bottles as a base stock and the carpets are made using ECONYL, which includes reclaimed fishing nets. Specific door trim panels are made from NFPP (natural fibre polypropylene) which results in up to 50 per cent less virgin plastic and a weight saving of up to 40 per cent.

The unique rear configuration of the Polestar 4 does deliver some useful boot space – and the ability to both load through (a la a ‘normal’ hatch) or pile things up (no rear vision issues).

Polestar says there’s 526 litres (including 31 underfloor – in fact, the boot floor can be fitted in two levels) with the 60/40-split folding rear seat in place. That jumps to 1536 litres with the second row tumbled. The load space is commendably flat with the seats down.

The frunk provides an additional 15 litres – enough for the charging cables but no more.

Following our Madrid drive my answer would have been: “Hell no!” The revisit and proper tune of the Gothenburg car has changed that.

Styling is always a personal choice, but while clumsy from some angles, the Polestar 4 is a handsome car overall and one that eschews the jelly mould to which too many EVs default.

The Dual Motor Performance Pack is properly fast and delivers when asked to do more than just sprint. The much cheaper Single Motor 4 could well still be the pick, as is the case with the excellent second coming of the Polestar 2, but we’ll need to drive it again to be sure.

Then there’s the tech the 4 delivers in all variants – that may be enough for some buyers in its own right.

One thing is for sure, the Polestar 4 deserves to be on your shopping list. It’s one EV you need to drive if you’re going to go BEV in 2025.

2024 Polestar 4 Long Range Dual Motor at a glance:
Price: $93,050 (plus on-road costs)
Available: On sale now with deliveries due to start in August
Powertrain: Dual 400V permanent magnet synchronous motors
Output: 400kW/686Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear with front motor disconnect in Range mode
Battery: 100kWh lithium-ion
Range: 580km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 18.7­21.7kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested