Coupe-style Polestar 4 SUV here in August

POLESTAR confirmed the price of its incoming medium large Polestar 4 coupe SUV at a press reveal in Sydney last week, the sexy five-seater starting from $81,500 for the single motor variant with the dual motor pitched from $93,050 – both excluding on-road costs.

Its arrival in August follows the slightly larger Polestar 3 SUV that is scheduled to lob Down Under in July; both newbies joining the Polestar 2 that has been here for a few years.

The Polestar 4 will encounter stiff competition from the likes of Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 from $65,000, the BMW iX3 from $89,100, and possibly the Mercedes-Benz EQC from $87,734, not forgetting Tesla’s Model Y from $65,400; all excluding on-road costs.

You could even throw in Subaru’s new Solterra AWD from $69,990 and the Toyota bZ4x RWD from $66,000, again both excluding on-road costs.

Some details of the low-slung Polestar 4 were issued a couple of months ago and the drip feed continues with a focus unsurprisingly on the model’s novel virtual rear window as looking behind is via a bank of cameras, sensors and a digital rear view mirror.

Polestar 4 designers wanted to create a “new kind of immersive rear occupant experience” in the sleek coupe-SUV as well as enhancing its aerodynamics that yielded the fastest model in Polestar’s stable to date… with the lowest coefficient of drag.

Polestar’s Graeme Lambert said deleting the rear window on the 4 helped in achieving an “interesting, arresting design with slippery coupe aerodynamics facilitated by a lower nose thanks to the lack of an engine”.

“We were able to position the rear header rail behind the second seat row for gains in rear seat headroom and to provide a glass roof over the heads of all passengers avoiding a pillar box rear view associated with more traditional coupe designs,” he said.

“There’s no real point in having a rear window as technology is so good these days.

“We were able to create a more interesting overall design with a cocoon effect a bit like you’d find in business class. It is a spectacular piece of design.”

The Polestar 4 owes much of its appearance to the Polestar Precept concept particularly in areas such as the dual blade headlights and the adoption of a “unique” lighting signature backlighting the Polestar emblem.

Other Precept cues include the low frontal mask, retractable door handles, flush DLO with frameless door glass, rear aero blades, and a rear light bar.

Striking to look at, particularly in Pearl White, the 4 is on the Geely-developed Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) platform and measures 4840mm in length, 2139mm in width, and 1534mm in height while riding on a 2999mm wheelbase.

The dimensions amplify a feeling of space inside the car particularly in the electrically reclinable rear seat area enhanced by selectable ambient lighting.

The 4 has a full-size glass roof enhanced in the second row by a media and climate control screen mounted between the front seats.

Sustainable, traceable materials are used throughout the Polestar 4 which can be specified with bio-attributed MicroTech - that replaces a petroleum-based PVC with a sustainable pine-oil based PVC, Mist Tailored Knit textile that uses 100 per cent recycled PET bottles or even responsibly sourced Nappa leather, all precisely shaped to fit the seats without waste.

Products that used crude oil in manufacturing have been changed to use pine oil.

As previously reported in GoAuto, the Polestar 4 dashboard features an Android-powered infotainment system (with both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity) and the latest Snapdragon processing power, all accessed via a 15.4-inch landscape-oriented touchscreen.

With Google built-in, including Google Assistant, Google Maps and Google Play, the Polestar 4 is nothing if not connected, the system topped with an optional Harman Kardon audio system with 12 speakers and 1400-watt channel-hybrid amplifier.

Over-the-air (OTA) updates allow for new features and improvements to be sent remotely to all Polestar vehicles, removing the need to visit a workshop to gain the latest software.

In performance terms the Polestar 4 is the fastest production car yet from Polestar, with a claimed 0-100km/h time of 3.8 seconds listed for the AWD dual motor variant. Maximum power is rated at 400kW/686Nm with drive coming from permanent magnet, synchronous design motors giving a range target of 580km (WLTP).

The single motor Polestar 4 calls up 200kW/343Nm to the rear wheels with a range target of up to 610km (WLTP).

Power is from a 100kWh battery pack in both models with up to 22kW of AC charging and 200kW of DC charging available. Bi-directional charging hardware is included, with vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality planned to be made available later.

A heat pump is fitted as standard that allows the 4 capitalise on ambient heat when preconditioning the cabin and battery.

A disconnect clutch on the dual motor allows disengagement of the front electric motor when not needed, to maximise range and efficiency. A drive optimisation function allows the driver to select between Range or Performance driving modes.

Polestar says the 4 delivers control and confidence offering an enjoyable daily drive experience accentuated by a 50:50 (front-to-rear) weight distribution and semi-active suspension on the dual motor model.

It rolls on alloy wheel sizes ranging in size from 20- to 22 inches in diameter with tyres supplied by Pirelli and Michelin, depending on configuration.

The model is equipped with a long list of standard safety inclusions: seven airbags, SuperVision ADAS technology suite, a 10.2-inch instrument panel, 14.7-inch head-up display with Snow mode, and an optional Pilot Pack with auto lane change assist.

Complementing this is a high level of standard equipment with addition packages tailored to specific needs.

2024 Polestar 4 pricing*: