Polestar 4 SUV tested: cheaper and roomier than the Coupe, but can it top BMW?

From £60,750

Boxy back makes popular EV more practical – plus chassis is retuned

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Believe it or not, there’s actually more than just a boxier rear to separate the new Polestar 4 SUV from its sleeker sibling – now called the 4 Coupé.

The engineers have also seen fit to tweak the chassis set-up and boost the interior technology, while the accountants have managed to juggle the numbers so the 4 SUV actually undercuts its hot-selling sibling.

Despite being more spacious, the 4 SUV is actually cheaper than is Coupé sibling.
Sam Sheehan

Priced from £54,750 and rising to £60,750 in Dual Motor form, the 4 SUV fully squares up to the new BMW iX3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC Electric. And with an efficient entry model and a Performance Pack in the line-up (the latter at £68,250), both the Volvo EX60 and Alpine A390 are in the firing line too.

Polestar expects the 4 SUV will overtake the 4 Coupé to become its best seller here and beyond. But the truth is that it faces a much tougher list of rivals. So, can it beat them?

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DESIGN & STYLING

Polestar 4 SUV Dual Motor Aurora 005

Barring new radar units beneath a reprofiled front bumper, the front half of the 4 SUV is unchanged from its pre-existing sibling. But at the back, the fully covered rear has been swapped for a conventional glass window, complete with a neatly hidden wiper. 

This means the 4 SUV comes as standard with a rear-view mirror, although buyers can still option in the digital alternative if they want to maximise visibility when, say, tall passengers are in the back seats.

The 4 SUV sits 22mm higher than the 4 Coupé, but that’s only thanks to the addition of roof rails. It sits on model-specific 20in, 21in or 22in alloy wheels, but from more than just a few angles it looks more like a tall estate car than something of the sports utility variety.

INTERIOR

Polestar 4 SUV Dual Motor Aurora 010

Inside, the infotainment system gains Google’s latest Gemini AI for seriously smart voice control; but, steering wheel buttons aside, this remains a cabin lacking in physical buttons, including those to adjust the climate control.

It is a lovely place to sit, though, and it can be made even lovelier with optional Bridge of Weir leather, a 14.7in windscreen head-up display and Harmon Kardon audio, while Performance Pack cars get gold seatbelts, as is Polestar tradition. The cabin feels solid and insulating from the outside world; it’s a real strong point.

The 4 SUV's bigger boot gives it an advantage over the BMW iX3 – although the Mercedes GLC Electric is the more practical car.
Sam Sheehan

Key to the 4 SUV’s enhanced family car credentials is its higher rear roofline, which ensures there’s now plenty of head room to go with the already generous amounts of knee room in the 4 Coupé.

Additionally, the 530-litre boot is 30 litres bigger than that car’s, giving the 4 SUV an advantage over the iX3, although the bigger GLC Electric still reigns supreme here.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

Polestar 4 SUV Dual Motor Aurora 002

All versions of the 4 SUV use a 100kWh battery, like the 4 Coupé. But where the entry-level Rear Motor has 268bhp for a 0-62mph time of 7.3sec, the Dual Motor gets an additional motor on the front axle for a combined 536bhp and a 3.9sec 0-62mph time.

It’s rapid – so much so that it ranks directly alongside BMW’s hottest iX3 variant, the M60 xDrive.

But the 4 SUV does fall short of its 400-mile-plus German rivals when it comes to range: while the Rear Motor manages a respectable 391 miles, the Dual Motor can do only 373 miles, while cars fitted with the Performance Pack drop to 323 miles.

That’s partly down to their use of 22in wheels as part of a sportier Polestar Engineered chassis set-up, but more significant are its stickier, less eco-focused Pirelli P Zero tyres.

RIDE & HANDLING

Polestar 4 SUV Dual Motor Aurora 004

The Performance Pack is mighty impressive, though. Available exclusively on the Dual Motor, it swaps the springs, dampers and even anti-roll bars for a new, SUV-specific set-up, counteracting the 30kg of extra weight over the rear and producing a more sporting feel than the equivalent 4 Coupé.

Even compared with the most driver-focused iX3, the 4 SUV feels more naturally athletic. It’s keen to turn and, while there’s enormous amounts of four-wheel drive traction, the chassis allows for some mid-corner rotation via the rear axle’s torque vectoring.

The 4 SUV feels surprisingly athletic, even more so than the equivalent 4 Coupé.
Sam Sheehan

This agility doesn’t come at the expense of ride quality, as even in the chassis’s Nimble mode the suspension is forgiving and able to deal with bumps and undulations.

As you would expect, the passive suspension of the Rear Motor is the softer set-up overall, as it lacks a little vertical body control if you catch a crest or dip at pace. But it still does a remarkable job of maintaining composure at pace in the bends while feeling keener on the nose than the heavier Dual Motor. You’re even given a few degrees of freedom to exploit its rear-wheel drive, until the stability control reins things in.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

Polestar 4 SUV Dual Motor Aurora 006

Strong regenerative braking meant that on hillier parts of my Spanish driving route, my Rear Motor test car returned more than 4.0mpkWh. That means while the range is far from the class’s best, it can at least be efficient. 

Regular long-distance drivers may be more disappointed to see a 200kW maximum charging speed, though – half the pace of the iX3.

VERDICT

Polestar 4 SUV Dual Motor Aurora 038

Nevertheless, while the 4 SUV’s lack of range and sub-par charging speed hold it back, strong refinement, a comfortable ride and fantastic handling, not to mention the punchy performance provided by the Dual Motor, mean this is an electric car that’s more than a bit fun to drive.

That it comes with more space in the back will only enhance its potential as the sole machine on a family’s driveway.

What the 4 SUV lacks in range is makes up for it ride and handling. Polestar's more practical 4 really gets under your skin.
Sam Sheehan

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