MADRID, Spain — Polestar has been serving a niche audience since it entered the auto industry in 2017. It all started small: For the past few years, the company has operated as a one-model brand. While its two models set the bar high, the tuner-turned-manufacturer hasn’t been able to break into the mainstream on its own.
Reinforcements have arrived. The Polestar 3 will be unveiled in 2022 and will fly the flag in the oh-so-important (and oh-so-lucrative) SUV segment. It also points the way for the next additions to the range, both in terms of design and technology. For many, this big electric car will be the face of Polestar.
I’ve already driven the 3 on a test track in Sweden. Now it’s time to hit the open road.
Like the new Polestar 4, the 3 shows how Polestar plans to gradually distance itself from Volvo. It is built on the same modular SPA2 platform as the EX90, which will be sold alongside the XC90 for at least a short time, but the two SUVs look and feel different. They are cousins, not siblings. The 3 is marketed as the sportier of the two models, so it has a more stretched-back silhouette, a lower roofline and only two rows of seats. The EX90 is boxier, taller and available with a third row of seats.
The idea was not to cut ties with Volvo completely. “We want to maintain a small bridge with Volvo as a family because there is a lot to gain,” Maximilian Missoni, head of design at Polestar, told me. Drivers trust Volvo, especially when it comes to safety. “The connection with Volvo is a good thing; it sets Polestar apart from many other newcomers who don’t have that trust.”
Up front, Thor’s hammer-shaped daytime running lights form a link between the two companies. There’s plenty of unique Polestar DNA, though. The 3 doesn’t hide its armada of sensors, it proudly displays them. The panel between the headlights – where you’d likely find a grille if the 3 had, say, an inline-six – features lines indicating the location of the various sensors that power the electronic driving aids.
In a way, this is Polestar’s legacy. The Polestar 1, its first model, introduced this labelling system with a cool, transparent panel in the trunk. It explained the purpose of the large orange cables that connected to the battery.
From the driver’s seat, the Volvo-like smell is more evident. The three-spoke steering wheel, digital instrument cluster, overall dashboard layout and floating center console are similar to those of the EX90. However, Polestar stresses that it has made a great effort to differentiate the software. While the infotainment system remains Android-based and displayed on a 14.5-inch touchscreen, the brand has developed its own user interface with proprietary fonts and icons.
About 85% of the 3 Series’ infotainment system is shared with the 4 Series’. The biggest difference is that the 3 Series’ touchscreen is in portrait orientation and the 4 Series’ is in landscape orientation. Ruben Rodriguez, the company’s head of UX design, told me that’s because the 4 Series is aimed at younger buyers who will appreciate the extra features, such as a split-screen mode. In contrast, 3 Series buyers will prefer the top-down display.
This software uses tiles and illustrations to convey information clearly, which is good considering the long list of functions housed on the screen. As well as the usual functions like entering an address into the navigation system or changing the radio station, the touchscreen is your point of contact for opening the glove box, selecting whether the exterior mirrors should fold automatically or adjusting the steering column.
Rear seat passengers will likely feel the urge to send Polestar a heartfelt thank you card after a long drive. By going with a three-row configuration, designers had the freedom to slide the rear seat back to create generous legroom. However, storage capacity suffers: With the second-row seats up, there’s 21.1 cubic feet of cargo space (including 3.2 cubic feet under the floor) and 49.8 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down. It’s not hard to find a competitor with a bigger trunk. The XC60 stays in the (extended) family and offers more trunk space, but is about 8 inches shorter than the Polestar 3.
At launch, the Long-Range Dual-Motor will be the only available variant of the 3. Its name is straightforward: Power comes from two electric motors (one per axle) that draw electricity from a 111-kilowatt-hour nickel-manganese-cobalt battery. The system’s output is 489 horsepower and 620 pound-feet of torque, though the optional Performance Package boosts those figures to 517 horsepower and 671 pound-feet, respectively. Although the 3 isn’t light—it weighs between 5,696 and 5,886 pounds, depending on configuration—the massive power enables hot hatch-like acceleration: Polestar claims a 0-60 mph time of 4.8 seconds for the standard 3 and 4.5 seconds for the Performance model.
But there’s no shortage of electric cars that boast the horsepower and torque figures that were par for the course in the supercar segment a decade ago. And most of them use the same basic drivetrain configuration – a single-speed gearbox for each motor and a large battery under the cabin – so they all have similar driving characteristics. This is where the 3 stands out from the crowd.
It’s all in the rear axle: Polestar has fitted a dual-clutch torque vectoring differential to achieve more precise handling. This isn’t just a marketing gimmick. This system makes a huge difference on twisty roads, as the 3 behaves like a more nimble car. It’s no Volkswagen GTI, but it’s a lot more exciting to drive than its weight and proportions suggest. One of the best-driving electric cars on the market is a 192.9-inch-long SUV built by a company hardly anyone had heard of 10 years ago – how about exceeding all expectations?
Several other factors come into play, including a low center of gravity and 50/50 weight distribution between the front and rear axles, which allow the 3 to take corners without excessive body lean. You can also configure the steering (light, standard, and firm) and the adaptive air suspension (standard, nimble, and firm). Playing around with these profiles makes a noticeable difference in how the 3 behaves. Almost every new car offers driving modes or profiles, but they’re often not as nuanced as we’d like.
Brakes? They’re there, and they’re huge — we’re talking four-piston Brembo calipers up front — but you probably won’t use them much. The pads only come into contact with the rotors at 0.3g of braking force. Below that, the regenerative braking system slows the 3 down on its own. Pedal feel is average. It’s not great, but it’s not overly video game-like, either. You can power down the road with one pedal, selecting two levels called “Low” and “Standard” (you can also turn the system off).
The Volvo Water The scent returns on the highway, where the 3 cruises along comfortably and relatively quietly, although there is wind noise from the area of the outside mirrors. The driver aids work as advertised, and the 3 is remarkably capable of changing lanes on its own with a light flick of the indicator. The rear axle, which coordinates power to each rear wheel on winding roads, is taken offline on the highway for efficiency to save range. Driving straight ahead at 65 mph, you don’t feel the rear wheels lack drive. I’m told the system switches them back on almost immediately when needed.
Polestar notes that the 3 Series’ 400-volt electrical system delivers 250 kilowatts of charging power, which can charge the battery from 10% to 80% in 30 minutes. The brand is working on faster charging – it has built a prototype that can charge from 10% to 80% in 10 minutes – but the technology is not yet mature. The EPA estimates the 3 Series has a range of 315 miles, but with the Performance Pack, that number drops to 279.
With a fresh approach to design, a beautiful interior and engaging handling, the 3 should allow Polestar to shed its newcomer status. It’s different enough from the Volvo EX90 to stand out in a crowded segment, but also similar enough to allay any concerns motorists might have about buying a car from a young brand.
The 2025 Polestar 3 is on sale now and starts at $74,800, including a $1,400 delivery fee. With the Performance Pack, that rises to $80,800. Note that the model isn’t eligible for the $7,500 federal tax credit because it’s built in Chengdu, China. Polestar will begin producing the 3 at Volvo’s plant near Charleston, South Carolina, sometime in 2024, so U.S.-made cars could qualify. In the meantime, the automaker notes that buyers who lease the 3 can claim the full $7,500 tax credit.
And wait if you want a cheaper 3 Series: a rear-wheel drive model is due to arrive later in 2024.
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