Stepping into the cabin of the 3 Series, you’re greeted by a double-decker dashboard design, complete with a full-width recessed vent line, bright recycled textiles, a wood insert and some subtle chrome touches. It’s straightforward, but also exudes that classically understated, airy, Scandinavian feel.
A compact digital display behind the steering wheel tells you speed and range, and if you want, a head-up display is included in the £5000 Plus Pack. Then, of course, there’s a huge touchscreen that’s your window to the air conditioning, built-in sat nav (with Google Maps), wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and more.
The 3’s infotainment software is ultimately the same as that in the Volvo EX30 that drove our Matt Prior to distraction last year. Polestar has made the icons bigger and added shortcut buttons from the home screen to key functions (which change depending on whether you’re parked or driving).
There are still frustrations, though. The adaptive driving features are a total pain to set up, and it’s annoying that the headlight, seat and steering wheel settings are hidden right at the back. Oddly, the icon for the hazard lights (there’s a physical button on the ceiling) is on the home screen right next to the button you need for all that, so it’s pretty easy to turn the hazard lights on when all you really wanted to do was change your suspension from “firm” to “nimble”…
Ah yes. It’s better than the EX30 and the integrated Google features are great – but there are still many aspects that make you grit your teeth in everyday life.
But at least you’ll be comfortable while you fret about the touchscreen, which, admittedly, is due for an update or two before the Polestar 3 reaches customers. The driving position is great, apart from the steering wheel needing to be lowered a bit, and space shouldn’t be an issue either. Space for rear passengers is really impressive even by the high standards of this class. The clever design of the roofline means that even tall passengers have plenty of headroom despite the comparatively low roofline and standard glass roof, and everything is really comfortable and nice.
The boot is good too. The sloping roofline makes the rear of the car a little flat, but the 484-litre space (accessed via a conveniently large tailgate) is decent, with a handy boot floor that folds up to divide the load space and gives you something to strap your shopping to securely (as we’ve seen in various Volvos). The small ‘frunk’ is good for storing a single charging cable.