2024 Polestar 3 review: Australian first drive

09/25/2024 03:00 AM

2024 Polestar 3

Polestar isn’t much chop at counting. Or maybe it keeps losing track of whatever project it is up to.

In what’s clearly an effort to not forget how many models it has brought to market, Polestar has opted for an incredibly simple numbering system for its growing range. 1, 2, 3 and so on.

But unlike the numbering system you’ll see for BMW or Kia’s range of EVs, size of the number does not equate to the size of the car. Nor does it reference what may or may not be under the bonnet. Polestar has gone for something even simpler.

The Polestar 3 is the third model this fledgling electric brand has brought to market. It started with the hybrid Polestar 1 coupe (which Australia never got), and was followed by the smaller four-door Polestar 2 sedan.

In the third chapter of this novel, we now have a large SUV. It’s going to be followed by a slightly smaller Polestar 4, but let’s stick with 3 for now.

How much is a Polestar 3?

I never thought I would be quoting the onion-eating Tony Abbott in a car review, but here we are. There’s a bit of a two-speed economy going on in terms of Polestar 3 pricing. On one side, we have these 2024 Launch Edition models, and then we have some very different pricing and specification levels beyond that.

Firstly, let’s deal with the present. Available in two mostly similar guises, the Polestar 3 is potent and well-equipped.

In order to improve the allure, Polestar has thrown in the optional (and costly) Pilot Pack and Plus Pack, and has attached a relatively sharp asking price at the same time.

Starting with the Polestar 3 Launch Edition, you have a 360kW/840Nm all-wheel-drive unit with an electric motor at each end. Cost is pinned at $132,900 plus on-road costs.

Standard kit is plentiful, as well, with active air suspension with adaptive damping and adjustable ride height, a torque-vectoring dual-clutch rear axle, adaptive and automatic LED headlights, LED tail-lights, a panoramic glass roof and 21-inch wheels.

On the inside, there is a 14.5-inch infotainment display, 9.0-inch digital instrument cluster, head-up display, heated front seats, soft-close doors and driver’s position memory. There’s also a choice of upgraded MicroTech textile or wool blend upholstery, heated rear seats, a 360-degree camera and a bangin’ Bowers & Wilkins sound system that is comprised of 25 speakers and 1610 watts of overall output.

Upping the ante to the Performance Pack costs another $9000 for a $141,900 plus on-roads price, which includes a software tweak for 380kW and 910Nm. The wheels are 22-inch forged units wrapped in performance-oriented Pirelli P Zero rubber. Its suspension gets tweaked with a firmer bias, while there are Swedish Gold highlights for valve caps, seatbelts and other interior details.

And if that’s not enough, one can continue to splurge on additional options if they so desire.

It must be said, though, that considering the price and relative levels of specification of key competitors, this Polestar 3 does rub up overall (on paper, at least) as good value. For example, 130-odd thousand dollars only nets you a less powerful and entry-level Benz EQE 300 or BMW iX. Equally, the only option of an Audi Q8 e-tron cannot match the Polestar 3 for spec, performance or driving range.

Prices for 2025 models are set to be higher, and some of the included equipment on launch models reverts to cost options for next year’s stock as it comes online. For full details of the changes read more here.

How big is a Polestar 3?

When I say large SUV, don’t let the lack of a third row confuse you, even though this car shares bones with the Volvo EX90. At 4900mm it is a large vehicle by anybody’s book, and 2120mm of width including the mirrors, means you’ll use either most of, or all of, the lane you’re in.

Its 1614mm of height is relatively low for an SUV, and that’s thanks to the low and raking roof line that the designer – Nahum Escobedo – said was inspired by roof-chopped hot rods.

On the inside, the electric-only Polestar 3’s bones do allow for good levels of space on the inside.

Firstly, I have to talk about the insane amount of second-row space on offer here. It’s huge, and more than one would ever need. This likely comes from Polestar’s ‘design-led’ ethos, where the low roof line precludes any possibility of a third row. So despite the near five-metre length and decent-sized boot at 484 litres, the design of the Polestar 3 means the second row gets an oversupply of space.

Polestar argues that space equals luxury, and that’s fair. It’s limousine-like in terms of leg room, but it’s reaching into overkill for me.

Up front, the Polestar 3 carries a similar (but not the same) design as what you get in a Volvo or other vehicles, which keeps a minimalist and chic appearance.

The look and feel of the interior are nice, and there's lots of recorded sustainability and transparency in the choice of materials. However, it doesn't seem to come at the expense of quality of look and feel. It's still nice, although the shopping list of materials and emissions on the seats feels a bit of posturing and virtue signalling to me.

Similar to Volvo and other cars, there has been a clear attempt to declutter and minimise the visual appearance of the dashboard, with a big infotainment display flanked by only a couple of horizontal lines. Air vents are integrated into the dashboard, and it's only a big volume knob near the gear shifter that is a physical point of interaction with functions. 

Much of the controls are done via the infotainment display, which is often a recipe for disaster for everyday useage. Polestar has warded this off mostly by including lots of shortcuts and dynamic button arrays on the screen, but it's still not perfect.

For example, adjusting the electric steering column or position of your side mirrors is not done via physical controls, but instead via the infotainment display and steering wheel buttons. Arguably, once you're set up in your position, you don't need to do this any more. And with a driver's profiles able to be selected and matched to a particular key, it could be quite livable. But if you need to constantly adjust for some reason, it will be annoying.

There is plenty of storage available, especially underneath the floating centre console. Although, the piano black finishes in this area might scratch up easily over time. USB-C power outlets are down low and below the infotainment screen, along with an elasticised pocket for holding your phone or wallet.

Does the Polestar 3 have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?

The operating system of the Polestar 3 – which is based on the latest-generation Google operating system – runs though a 14.5-inch central display that gives a pleasing and modern interface.

Instead of leaning solely on smartphone mirroring for things like navigation and entertainment, users can download and use apps directly onto the system, like Google Maps, Spotify and Tidal.

On a side note, Tidal supports Dolby Atmos and really allows you to get the most out of the upgraded 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system.

The over-the-air connectivity means updates and downloads are easy, and Polestar plans to continually improve the system through more apps and functionality.

The 9.0-inch digital cluster in front of the driver is mounted on the steering column, and has a pleasing presence and quality. This works well as a full map display, but also can provide plenty of other information.

Polestar’s own companion app can be installed on your smartphone, and can then give you remote control over climate, charge status, locking/unlocking, location and over-the-air software updates.

Is the Polestar 3 a safe car?

Being a new model for the global market (including Australia), the Polestar 3 is yet to have any form of safety scores published from either ANCAP or Euro NCAP. But considering the Polestar 2 was taken through that process and got a five-star result, we can expect the Polestar 3 to also go through the same rigours.

What safety technology does the Polestar 3 have?

The Polestar 3 packs a big punch in terms of onboard cameras, with nine exterior and three interior cameras watching what’s happening around the vehicle. There are 12 ultrasonic sensors as well, and the addition of the Pilot Pack throws another three cameras and a lidar unit on the roof for additional semi-autonomous capabilities.

Although, it’s worth noting that we did get some discrepant feedback through the steering wheel, as the Polestar struggled to pick up faint and non-existent lane markings in regional Tasmania.

But with all of that hardware, there isn’t an acronym for safety, convenience or assistance that this Polestar 3 doesn’t have (as evidenced in the table below).

How much does the Polestar 3 cost to run?

Adding to the value quotient for this particular model, Polestar Australia includes five years of free servicing and maintenance, which covers 100,000km travelled.

Although it’s new to the scene, we can already get a grasp on insurance costs for the Polestar 3 via an online comprehensive insurance quote generator. This runs to $2624 per year, as a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

What is the range of a Polestar 3?

Something that doesn’t exactly gel with Polestar’s aims for sustainability and environmental focus is the high level of energy consumption for the Polestar 3.

It’s a big and heavy vehicle at the end of the day, and has a relatively stubborn drag coefficient of 0.29.

This is a product of Polestar’s so-called design-led process where designers seem to have a stronger voice at the table over other disciplines, which means slipperiness in the wind tunnel is playing second fiddle to angles and aesthetics.

For reference’s sake, the big and boxy (but smoothed out) Kia EV9 is a little slipperier at 0.28, while some other examples of electric cars have much better values: the Mercedes-Benz EQE, Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Tesla Model 3 all being among the best in this regard. However, let’s give credit to Polestar for not producing another soft-edged lookalike.

Perhaps making this issue worse for the Polestar 3 is the fact that we weren’t able to get close to the claimed efficiency levels. And as the table below shows, we saw some big numbers.

So while Polestar might claim as good as 628km of range between recharges, a rough calculation of 26kWh per 100 kilometres suggests that the range could also be limited to 430-odd kilometres in some conditions.

In defence of Polestar, we were driving mostly hilly country roads with enthusiasm, and ambient temperatures were low. But still, it’s a high number.

What is the Polestar 3 like to drive?

How good can a 2.6-tonne electric SUV be to drive, really? I was skeptical, even though I have only the most rudimentary grasp of basic physics. Weight is the enemy after all, and tyres can only offer up so much lateral grip at the end of the day.

However, we should give credit to the quality of the vehicle that Polestar has put forward in this case, regardless of the heft.

Height-adjustable air suspension is cross-linked and gives the effect of a virtual anti-roll bar at the front. The dampers are adaptive in their response to driving style and conditions, which means the Polestar 3 offers a confident but cosseting ride quality along some patchy, twisty and tight-turning roads.

Think about something like a Range Rover, which has used air suspension to great effect over many years. This has a similar vibe here, although your bum is in much closer proximity to the ground. As you start dipping into corners with increased pace, the Polestar does well to keep up its end of the bargain.

That propensity for heavy vehicles to understeer, how they struggle to change direction and rotate through a corner, is well masked here. Likely, it’s the torque-vectoring dual-clutch differential at the rear that helps rotation and compliance under more spirited driving.

Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 N is still a high watermark for me, and colleagues are enamoured with the likes of a (more expensive) Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT. But in place of a head-to-head comparison, this Polestar 3 is an enjoyable and impressive drive.

The engagement and liveliness of the cheaper, sportier Ioniq 5 N aren’t present here, but it’s certainly more refined and composed. It feels more like a competent and confident GT, which can waft through corners deftly and keep up with the demands of most drivers.

Going for the Performance Pack, which tweaks the wheel and tyre package along with suspension tuning, doesn’t turn the dial massively, and the amount of range in the different driving modes doesn’t really preclude them from use. Sometimes, the sportiest driving mode can be too stiff and jarring for road use, but that isn’t the case here.

Comfort-oriented modes do soften off the edges nicely, however, and I noticed a more pointed and responsive steering feel when things firmed up.

When you’re cruising on the open road and around town, ride comfort and refinement are both in high supply. Electric cars are great in this regard already, but the Polestar 3 has an extra layer of insulation against road noise, vibrations and bumps.

Can a Polestar 3 tow?

A 2200kg braked towing capacity is not a bad number for the Polestar 3, and does open up the possibility of dragging along some camper trailers and smaller caravans. However, only 100kg of allowable towball downforce does limit practicalities in the real world, as the design of some trailers will easily outstrip this number.

Electric cars also have lots of question marks over the reduction in efficiency and range when towing something, especially a trailer that catches a lot of wind. Buyers should certainly keep this in mind.

Should I buy a Polestar 3?

The Polestar 3 is impressive, and although it (like most other electric cars) feels expensive when compared to other options, it does feel like a good value option against other luxury electric SUVs. It looks and feels good, but I also appreciate the fact that it looks different and stands apart from other same-same designs that (for me, at least) don’t hit the nail on the head.

You’ll have to live with low efficiency levels (if our first drive is anything to go by), and you’ll also only have room for five on board. But those five are all well catered for in terms of space and comfort, and the driver is treated to a capable and balanced experience through the steering wheel and pedals.

And considering the value of the Polestar 3 Launch Edition models in comparison to what you’ll be looking at in 2025, you can easily say that there’s no better time than right now to take the plunge.

How do I buy a Polestar 3? The next steps.

Out of the two variants we sampled, we would lean towards the Dual Motor variant without the Performance Pack for a lower asking price, but for a vehicle that still feels potent and capable enough for town and country driving. And with the extra equipment of the Launch Edition models, you don’t really feel like you need to plumb for any more optional extras.

The next step on the purchase journey is to check the Polestar website for stock of your preferred 3 variant, and our recent cursory look showed plenty of stock available to look at and test drive. You can also find a range of electric vehicle options for sale at Drive Marketplace.

We strongly recommend taking a test drive at a dealership before committing because personal needs and tastes can differ. Find your nearest Polestar dealer via this link.

If you want to stay updated with everything that’s happened to this car since our review, you’ll find all the latest news here.

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