Polestar 4 Long Range Dual Motor Review

I've never understood the appeal of coupe-SUVs. Versatility and space for all your camping gear but a reduced boot capacity thanks to a gently sloping roofline? A sporty and planted exterior design that has to make concessions to offer the ground clearance necessary for travel over more challenging surfaces?

These are all goals in a design brief that are at direct odds with each other and that sort of thinking tends to result in compromised products. Yet, car buyers can't seem to get enough of these things. Beyond the offerings from the premium brands, we've now even started to see products such as the Kia EV6, Peugeot 408, and the Polestar 2 itself all adopting some combination of a raised body complete with a fastback roofline.

And this Polestar 4 is now also joining in the fray.

Sitting in the second row of the Polestar 4 isn't too claustrophobic an experience, thanks to the generous knee room available and the panoramic sunroof

A strange niche

Don't get me wrong - by all the metrics that we traditionally use to measure cars, this Polestar is one capable machine. It's frighteningly fast - Polestar's most powerful model yet, in fact. It also comes with an attractive outer shell, and the fact that there's plenty of space for all inside doesn't hurt it either.

Yet I'm still not sure if it's even the sort of car that will find favour amongst the coupe-SUV buyer.

Some explanation is in order. Polestar identifies this 4 as a coupe-SUV and counts models such as the Porsche Macan, BMW X4, or the Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe as amongst its core rivals. I think a quick visual inspection will lead many to conclude otherwise. The Polestar 4 looks wide and planted in a fashion that none of the identified rivals can match.

Pick the Performance Pack and your car will come with custom-developed Pirelli P Zero tyres, gold valve caps, Brembo brake callipers, and gold seatbelts, amongst other touches

And the numbers back me up here. At 1,534mm tall, the Polestar 4 is closer in total height to electric sedans such as the Mercedes-Benz EQE and BMW i5 than any of the aforementioned options within the premium compact SUV segment.

So, it's an SUV that comes with none of the 'active lifestyle' associations many connect with a high-riding body. Have I mentioned that this Polestar 4 also comes without a rear windscreen?

A host of solar system-inspired themes inform the colours of the car's ambient lighting system

An accomplished drive

Let's get that point out of the way first. This at least demands no compromise when it comes to ease of driving.

A roof-mounted camera streams a feed into a digital rear-view mirror here in place of that missing rear windscreen, handily rotating in the needed direction whenever you turn on your indicators so rearward visibility is great. I took little time getting used to the new system, and those starting to develop astigmatism will also be glad to note that the digital feed does a good job of cutting out any glare from other vehicles once the sun sets.

The rear-view mirror even comes with a hand switch so you can (temporarily) turn its digital feed off, should there be a need to check on the status of your second-row passengers.

There's no drive mode selector in the Polestar 4, but you still get the plenty of options to set the car's drive and safety systems up as you wish

Which you will need to do so occasionally if you deploy all the 536bhp that this 'Long Range Dual Motor' variant offers.

The change of pace available here is frightening, as you'd might expect from a car with a 3.8 second century sprint time. But more impressive, I think, is the fact that it is still remarkedly approachable despite this power.

There are no drive modes to select from here, but you do get to choose between two power delivery settings. Opt for the milder 'Range' option and there's a hesitation between when you depress the pedal and when the 4 truly starts to pick up its (side) skirt and move - enough to make comfortable driving easy even with sloppy footwork.

The Polestar 4 can be charged up at a maximum of 200kW at a direct current charger and there's plenty of entertainment options via its 15.4-inch infotainment screen while you're waiting

A handy companion

Those brave enough to take the rear seats will find a good level of knee and leg room on offer in the Polestar 4, although a panoramic sunroof does mean that sitting here isn't exactly the shelter from the afternoon sun that you might imagine it would be given the missing rear windscreen.

There's also no getting around the fact that ride here is always on the firm side, no matter which of the three available settings you pick. Having said this, the Polestar 4 is at least pleasantly settled once you've dialled in some speed.

One final thing to note about this Polestar 4: It averaged an energy economy of just 4.6km/kWh, which is below what cars like the BMW i4 M50 delivered when we had tested it, although this Polestar does counter with its sizeable 100kWh battery, which is only nearly matched by the Audi e-tron GT and the updated Porsche Taycan with the larger Performance Battery Plus, or bested only by options from segments above such as the Mercedes-Benz EQS53 AMG or the Lotus Emeya.

The Polestar 4 should appeal those those who want style, performance, and a touch of the unorthodox all in one vehicle

Should you?

At $378,000 (inclusive of COE), this Polestar 4 is quite the steal. Close alternatives that match this Polestar on power such as the BMW i4 M50, for example, can currently be had for $459,888 (also inclusive of COE), while the Porsche Taycan 4S starts from a greater $545,607 (this time it's before you factor in COE, all prices as of 15 September 2024).

These alternatives, with their more traditional approach to the high performance all-electric four-door question, will have their own fans (and in the case of the BMW i4 M50 just a touch more sporty a cabin and drive - we'll report on the new Taycan once we get our hands on one), but for those who find this Polestar's eccentricities charming and are willing to look beyond initial labels and crunch the numbers, the Polestar 4 should appeal as the smart choice, regardless of whether you think it ought to be considered as a coupe-SUV or not.

In the market for a performance electric vehicle? There's also these options to consider:

A host of upgrades make the updated Tesla Model 3 a convincing electric sedan

The Mercedes-AMG EQE43, meanwhile, delivers both performance and refinement alike

Or, you might also want to consider the Long Range Dual Motor variant of the Polestar 2