Last year, when Polestar first debuted the ‘4’, I was not explicitly kind. Not because I’m a change-hating cretin, but because I genuinely feel quite strongly about the car’s most controversial design choice: the absence of a rear window. Now that I’ve gotten to see the Polestar 4 up close, my mind has changed, if only ever so slightly, in the direction that Polestar is being as sensible as it can be with such a headlining absence.
Polestar invited Gizmodo Australia to come and check the new ‘SUV Coupe’ out behind closed doors. The two Polestars that we’ve reviewed, the original Polestar 2 from two years ago, and the 2024 refresh, were both exceptionally good cars, the first of which was our favourite EV in 2022. We were head over heels for the ‘Precept’ concept car that will inform the company’s to-be-released Roadster, and while the 4 is making the most headlines, the Volvo offshoot is also releasing a luxury SUV.
Anyway, this is what we think of the car.
Baby got back(less)?
When the car was initially revealed last year, along with the Polestar 5 concept later, I had a bit of a rant. It didn’t really make sense in my mind why you would want a car to lack the rear window, the leading reason being safety, but the obvious answer is to make this car seem more sci-fi and luxurious. That reasoning doesn’t grate with me well, especially considering just how competitive the Polestar 2 is against its rivals in the $60-$75k price range, but we’ve known for a while that Polestar’s eying Porsche more than Tesla as a serious competitor. With Volvo releasing an EV at the $60,000 price point later this year, it sure looks like its sister brand is realigning to be the ‘premium’ EV option of the two.
So what’s it doing instead of that rear window? Well, many cars today have the solution that the 4 is incorporating – a camera that shoots out the back, and feeds through to the centre mirror and the infotainment system (for when you’ve got the surround camera feature activated). The mirror can also be toggled to go back into mirror mode, so that you can see the back row.
The difference is that, in any other car, you’d be using that feature for when you can’t see out the back glass (For example, if moving boxes are obscuring your vision) and in this, you’re using it because there’s no other option.
It presents a greater point of failure than simply having a glass panel across the back, if the tiny camera module is obscured, or if it somehow deactivated OS-wise, you simply then have no rear vision. I trust that Polestar’s OS is on point here, don’t get me wrong, but it seems like an overdeveloped solution to a non-issue.
But hey, if Audi can sell a car that’s so gorgeous that it’s inconvenient, why can’t Polestar? There’s more to take in than its backside.
What even is a SUV Coupe?
My impressions of the Polestar 4 would be incomplete without addressing what the company is categorising this car as an SUV Coupe. It’s not a new car category, but it’s not something too many people are aware of. The definition relies on having a sloped back, giving the car more of a sedan-like styling in some aspects, while retaining many of the utility points of an SUV (such as boot space, panel size, and car height, even though the 4 isn’t that high up).
And that definition caught me a bit off-guard, because in-person, it doesn’t look that much bigger than the Polestar 2. Sure, larger in some places, but you could have easily called this a sedan, in my opinion. In a lot of ways, it has the same styling wonder that the Polestar 2 has, in that it looks like several different categories all in one – a muscle/performance car from the front, a sedan from the sides, and an SUV from the back.
I love the styling, and when it finally arrives in Australia, it’ll be difficult to not call it the most beautiful EV below $100K. The insides are just as gorgeous, and the LEDs on the door trimming change colour depending on the planets in our galaxy (for example, ‘Earth’ makes the lights blue, and Mars makes them red).
There’s also a screen in the back (not a big one, though – just for rear controls), and the infotainment system has been made landscape, rather than Portrait in the Polestar 2.
The only styling point that I’m not really a big fan of on the inside is the lifted display behind the steering wheel. I really love how Polestar and Volvo’s EVs up until now have had indented instrument clusters that include huge Google Maps displays, but unfortunately, this screen doesn’t seem big enough for it – just big enough for a speed readout, battery information (range and per cent), gearing and safety notifications. There’s also a HUD for the windshield, which I can’t wait to see in practice.
Polestar 4 impressions: I’m excited to see the Polestar 4 on the road
The Polestar 4 is set to be available in Australia in August, starting at $81,500 for the Long Range Single Motor model (up to 610km WLTP range) and going up to $93,050 for the Long Range Dual Motor version (up to 580km WLTP range). Customers can also pick up the ‘Plus’ pack (including “comfort and technology upgrades”) for an additional $8,000, the ‘Pro’ pack for an additional $2,700 (including 21-inch wheels), and Dual-motor customers can pick up the ‘Performance’ pack for $7,200 (including 22-inch wheels, 4-piston Brembo brakes, performance tuning, and gold detailing). The previously extra ‘Pilot’ pack is available in all Australian models, including Pilot Assist and Lane Change Assist.
I’m honestly very excited to see what drivers think of the car when it arrives. We’re getting this car at about the same time as the rest of the world (apart from China, which as the car now), and for some drivers, it might just push the needle for switching to electric.
The rear window will, undoubtedly, need some getting used to.
A small bonus for you: We managed to get a look at one of the alternative colours in person, a gorgeous luxury gold, and took some photos Paparazzi-style (hence it’s not in the lightbox with the white model above). I really loved it.
Image: Zachariah Kelly/Gizmodo Australia
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