INNOVATION TO THE FOUR (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

The Polestar 4 brings something different to the premium section of the EV Coupe-SUV market. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 51

With the Polestar 4, the brand needed to do something different. They have. This electric Coupe-SUV is nothing quite like any of its talented premium badged mid-sized EV rivals and will be a desirable trinket for the right kind of customer. Whether it's the volume model Polestar needs is another question.

Backgroundword count: 223

The Polestar 4. It's a different kind of Polestar. A different kind of EV. And, the brand says, a different kind of mid-sized SUV-Coupe. The model number doesn't designate a larger car - the '4' fits into the range between the Polestar 2 and Polestar 3 EVs - but it is, as that numeral suggests, the fourth design that this increasingly international manufacturer has bought us. The marque is grounded in Sweden and its cars are built in (and financed by) China. The models are partly engineered in the UK and are marketed by a brand listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange in New York. The company's future will partly depend on this so-called 're-invention of the Coupe-SUV' because this Polestar 4 is expected to take over from the Polestar 2 as the company's top seller by 2025, by which time the brand expects to be selling 155,000-165,000 cars a year. Directly in its sights are models like the latest Porsche Macan EV, as well as existing players like the Tesla Model Y and the Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron. To stand out, this '4' will need to make headlines - and already has, launched as the first production car to be introduced without a rear window. But there's a lot more to this Polestar than that - as we're about to find out...

Engines and Tech Specword count: 300

The drivetrain format looks quite familiar, with a choice of Rear motor or Dual motor AWD. But there's yet another borrowed platform for Polestar to bolt it all to, this one a Geely-sourced SEA chassis mated to which is a pretty substantial 102kWh battery pack with a targeted range of up to 379 miles for the rear-driven model - and up to 360 miles for the Dual motor version. The Single motor variant makes 268bhp and 62mph in 7.1s. The Dual motor AWD derivative has 536bhp and improves the sprint figure to 3.8s; that's faster than the more powerful Polestar 1. As with the Polestar 2, there's also a 'Performance Pack' version of the Dual motor derivative, which gets updated brakes, wheels and tyres as well as tweaks to the steel suspension. Talking of suspension, Polestar says that ride quality (a notable failing of the Polestar 2) has been more significantly prioritised here. The passive dampers of the Single motor model are exchanged for 'semi-active' dampers in the Dual motor version; and, unlike on the 'Performance' version of the Polestar 2, you don't have to adjust those with a spanner but can do so via the centre dash screen. The '4' has been engineered for as much self-driving tech as individual market laws will currently allow. LiDAR sensors (and a bank of radars and cameras) on the car create a 3D map of its surroundings in real time, allowing this Polestar to see up 600 metres away - or up to 7.5s ahead of the vehicle at highway speeds, allowing 'centimetre level' precision that enables the '4' to map the environment and traffic conditions around it. The result is the capability for completely autonomous highway driving (without the driver having to pay attention) and 'eyes-on' autonomous driving on other roads.

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