Final 12 months, Polestar announced its most practical EV yet within the Polestar 4. However this week, through the car’s North American debut on the New York Worldwide Auto Present, we lastly acquired an official launch worth and an opportunity to take a look at its most controversial function.
Positioned as a barely smaller and extra reasonably priced model of the Polestar 3, the corporate’s newest EV SUV has loads driving on it because it appears to be like to be Polestar’s most interesting mainstream providing to this point. The excellent news is that whereas the price was initially stated to be round $60,000, launch pricing really is available in barely beneath that. The Polestar 4 begins at $56,300 (together with vacation spot) for the usual long-range single-motor model with round 300 miles of vary whereas the dual-motor AWD variant with round 270 miles will set you again $64,300.
Granted, that’s nonetheless considerably increased than a lot of its rivals together with the Tesla Model Y which begins at $43,900 (earlier than federal incentives) or the Hyundai Ioniq 5 at $47,400. However after speaking to Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath, I acquired the sense that the corporate is form of OK with that, as they view the 4 as a extra approachable however nonetheless very premium providing amongst EV SUVs.
On the skin, the Polestar 4 retains the rakish attractiveness we’ve seen on its bigger sibling however with just a few twists. Its nostril is a bit pointier and extra sloped, and it’s a bit easier too because it doesn’t have a entrance wing like the three. The Polestar 4 remains to be based mostly on the low-slung coupe-like SUV form that’s all the trend proper now. Nevertheless, to make sure that rear-seat passengers have ample room, Polestar has forgone a rear window completely, opting as a substitute for a easy sheet of metallic together with cameras and a rearview mirror with an embedded show.
At first, this would possibly appear to be a step too far, even for an EV that may not be beholden to the identical burden of custom as gasoline automobiles. However Ingenlath defined that there are a whole lot of benefits that come from this design change. By not having a rear window, Polestar was capable of push the rear seats again additional whereas sustaining ample headroom regardless of the sloping roofline, which creates a spacious cabin. I had no bother climbing out and in and even with the entrance seats pushed way back to doable, I nonetheless had ample legroom within the again. Moreover, not like most automobiles, the Polestar 4’s rear seats can recline, which provides much more of a loungey really feel.
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One other main benefit is one among practicality. As it’s, the rear home windows on a whole lot of coupe SUVs are so small they don’t present a lot in the best way of helpful visibility. And that’s earlier than you take into account any passengers or baggage that may additional hinder your view. By changing the rear window and mirror with a digital camera and a show, the Polestar 4 can provide an unobstructed perspective out of the again of the automotive. However maybe most significantly, the concept of a automotive not having a rear window isn’t actually unprecedented, as there are literally thousands of cargo vans on the street immediately and not using a viewport in again.
So whereas the concept would possibly nonetheless appear nerve-wracking, Ingenlath stays assured. He merely requested clients to “strive it.” He added “There’s a lot about psychology and folks being naturally opposed to vary. However innovation is about asking what have been the principles previously that do not essentially should be the principles sooner or later.”
The corporate’s Scandinavian heritage exhibits by means of with a streamlined inside. That stated, Ingenlath stated the purpose isn’t minimalism for minimalism’s sake. By creating a brand new material produced from recycled plastic bottles known as Mushy Tech, Polestar was capable of line the cabin with a sustainable 3D materials that enables ambient lighting to shine by means of whereas nonetheless being fairly sturdy. Up prime, the fastened glass roof is electrochromic, which permits it to modify from clear to opaque with the contact of a button.
One factor that caught out to me was that like all of Polestar’s automobiles, the 4 seems like a designer’s automotive. As somebody who acquired his begin within the trade creating automobiles for VW, Audi and others earlier than changing into the CEO of Polestar, Ingenlath stated the corporate actually cares about small particulars just like the font and typography. You possibly can see this in issues just like the textual content on the motive force’s aspect door, which options each the identify of the automotive and the scale of its battery, leading to a label that’s each fairly and informative. Alternatively, there are options just like the ambient lighting, which makes use of a naming customary based mostly on planets within the photo voltaic system (blue with a touch of inexperienced for Earth, crimson for Mars, and so forth.). Ingenlath stated “We merely love what we’re doing, and we love indulging that zeal. And we now have to search out the individuals who share the identical ardour for that sort of high quality and expertise.”
Sadly, we haven’t had the prospect to take the 4 out for a drive simply but. However because the competitors amongst EVs continues to extend, it’s clear Polestar is carving out a distinct segment as a producer that embraces innovation by means of its automobiles. With pre-orders going stay someday in April and deliveries slated for This fall 2024, it shouldn’t be lengthy till we get an opportunity to expertise how the Polestar 4 feels on the street.
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