If ‘all good things come to those who wait’ is an idiom worth repeating, then the Polestar 3 electric coupe-SUV should be borderline incredible.
Unveiled in October 2022 and first revealed to the public at the Shanghai Auto Show in April ’23, the five-seat Polestar 3 (and its seven-seat Volvo EX90 sister vehicle) rivals an African elephant for gestation period, though its crowning moment is nigh.
Polestar 3 production began months ago in Volvo/Polestar’s US production facility in Ridgeville, South Carolina, while Australian-market vehicles are now arriving from Polestar’s Chengdu plant in China.
The new SUV bound for Australia is constructed to a build-quality standard that seemingly proves the production sourcing for Polestar 3 (and various other Polestar and Volvo models) is of zero consequence.
While the related Volvo EX90 is very much aimed towards the relatively conservative, seven-seat large SUV market (despite its advanced EV architecture underneath), the sexier Polestar 3 has been given the design freedom to live a little.
The result is a strikingly handsome, broadly muscular SUV that almost looks like a steroid-pumped wagon, to its undoubted benefit.
That flavour carries over inside, where its lounging five-seat comfort, panoramic vision and alluringly minimalist cabin treatment serve as a brilliant reminder that less is indeed more.
Once you’ve accepted that the Polestar’s ergonomic focus is all about minimising physical controls, the relative simplicity and effortless cognition of its digital interfaces makes this a vehicle to be admired, not feared. Australia’s two MY24 Launch Edition models also get a sublime 25-speaker, 1610-watt Bowers & Wilkins sound system.
Come 2025, the Polestar 3 line-up will split into three variants – a new entry-level, single-motor, rear-drive, 700km-capable version with 220kW/490Nm (same as the Long Range rear-drive Polestar 2) for $118,420 before on-road costs, and MY25 variants of the Long Range Dual Motor ($132,720) and Long Range Dual Motor Performance Pack ($144,420).
But for now, it’s simply two highly specified ‘Launch Edition’ variants of the Dual Motor models.
As standard, each features the Pilot Pack, Plus Pack, MicroTech interior trim, rear privacy glass and at least 21-inch wheels (the Performance Pack gets 22s, as well as optimised air suspension and a few other tweaks).
MY25 models will feature the Pilot Pack standard across the range, but the comprehensive Plus Pack ($9000) will be optional, as well as Pilot Pack with semi-autonomous LiDAR ($7500), Pro Pack ($3200 – though not available on the Performance), Nappa leather upgrade ($7500 – though only in conjunction with the $9K Plus Pack).
Our favourite interior upholstery is the Animal Welfare Wool ($1700).
If you want to go nuts with optioning an MY25 Polestar Performance Pack, you’ll be somewhere in the vicinity of $177,000 before on-road costs … which makes the existing MY24 Launch Edition models seem relatively good value, especially when compared to the BMW iX, Audi Q8 e-tron and Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV competition.
While the Polestar 3 very much feels like a lounge room on wheels – especially when only carrying four passengers (and a respectable amount of luggage in its 484-litre boot) – the focus with this sleek, yet muscular EV is about sporting driver appeal, not just boulevard cruising.
Indeed, on the challenging country roads at the Polestar 3’s Australian launch, in Tasmania, even the regular Dual Motor on 21s (with huge 295/40R21 Continental Sport Contact 7 rear tyres) occasionally felt unsettled over bumpy terrain, despite the dual-chamber air suspension with adaptive dampers working furiously to iron surfaces flat.
Of the two variants, the ‘regular’ 21-inch-wheeled Dual Motor is all anyone could ever need. The Performance Pack’s larger wheels and slightly firmer suspension aren’t as well-suited to Australian roads, leaving the still fast, still handsome, and still tough-looking Dual Motor doing the heavy lifting best.
And it is indeed heavy lifting because this chunky EV weighs the best part of 2600kg-plus, making its dynamic performance all the more impressive.
The Polestar 3’s adaptive air suspension offers three modes – Standard, Nimble and Firm, each accessible via the Drive tab under ‘settings’ on the 14.5-inch portrait touchscreen.
Getting there is a two-layer process (pressing the car icon, then settings), which reveals a vast, clear touchscreen page covering everything from suspension modes to steering weighting (Light, Standard, Firm), regenerative braking (Off, Low, Standard) and ESC mode. Once (easily) mastered, it’s all highly intuitive and effortlessly functional.
Dynamically, the Polestar 3 also has layers. At its core, having a broad stance, a relatively low centre-of-gravity and 50:50 weight distribution imbue the Polestar 3 with an inherent level of poise.
That relative litheness is further enhanced by its Borg-Warner dual-clutch rear differential with mechanical torque vectoring capable of transferring up to 100 percent of drive to either rear wheel, thereby helping to point the nose of the Polestar 3 into a corner.
While the tuning of this rear diff is all about achieving polished smoothness, rather than fast-pivoting turn-in, you can distinctly sense its effectiveness – especially with the suspension in Firm, where its keenness is heightened.
It compensates for the steering’s relatively measured response – with 3.0 turns lock-to-lock, the Polestar 3 lacks a Tesla Model Y’s directional aggressiveness when steering away from straight ahead. That’s not a criticism, but rather more about the Polestar 3’s focus being more about refined smoothness.
The steering itself is intriguingly varied in its personality. In Light, you may as well be driving a finger-light, power-steered 1960s American car, such is the lack of effort and the absence of any weight in corners. Conversely, Firm really does load up a considerable amount in really tight turns – making Standard perhaps the best option for most driving.
In a similar vein, the regenerative braking response is also designed to enhance the Polestar 3’s smoothness. Of its three settings, Standard is the most aggressive, though it’s more like a light tap on the wrist rather than a smack on the bottom.
When cornering the Polestar 3 enthusiastically, the lack of regenerative braking force seems like a missed opportunity for enhancing its dynamic flavour – as per all the Korean EVs with i-Pedal (Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and even Kia EV9).
The trail-braking effect that more regen could offer goes wasted – instead demanding more from the driver to get the best from the Polestar 3. It needs (and deserves) another regenerative braking mode beyond Standard.
As for the powertrain, the 400-volt electrical architecture consists of a 111kWh battery capable of handling 250kW DC charging for a 10-80 percent charge time of around 28 minutes.
The regular Dual Motor combines a 180kW/420Nm front electric motor with a 200kW/490Nm rear electric motor for 360kW and 840Nm in total outputs – and a drive split capable of varying slightly from 50:50 neutrality.
The Performance Pack ups outputs to 380kW and 910Nm – improving the 0-100km/h claim from 5.0sec to 4.7sec – though in reality it’s hardly necessary. And given that the claimed WLTP range drops from 628km to 561km, we don’t really see the point (apart from bragging rights and visual posturing).
That said, our hard-driven launch route saw energy consumption as high as 28.0kWh/100km, translating to an overall range of barely 400km, though you could reasonably expect to comfortably see 500km-plus from a Polestar 3 in day-to-day life.
There’s a good chance the imminent single-motor, rear-drive $118K Polestar 3 will deliver a sweeter, more delicate driving experience – just like the same powertrain does in a Polestar 2 – with its claimed 700km of range and 7.8sec 0-100km/h time being ample for most people.
But there’s a persuasive attraction to the thrustier, lustier, $15K-pricier Long Range Dual Motor that makes its price premium seem well worth it. As a flagship SUV for Polestar, the handsome 3 definitely achieves what its maker intended.
And if that persuasion towards the new Polestar 3 seems to be taking hold, might we suggest an MY24 Launch Edition on chubby 21s is the variant to go for. For now, it’s very much the Polestar 3 sweet spot. If only it offered a broader colour palette worthy of enhancing its suave abilities elsewhere.
