Published
on 17
Jan 2025
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All rights reserved.
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No
matter outside or inside, the 4 looks fantastic...
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Previously a performance
sub-brand of Volvo, Polestar was spun off to become a premium EV brand,
initially owned half-half by Volvo and its parent company Geely, then
listed on Nasdaq to gain further capital it needs to realize an
ambitious growth plan: it aimed at selling 80,000 cars in 2023 and then
290,000 cars by 2025 ! A string of electric vehicles made debut in the
next few years: 2 (C/D-segment hatchback), 3 (E-segment SUV) and 4
(D/E-segment coupe-SUV crossover), to be followed this year by 5
(E-segment 4-door coupe-sedan) and next year by 6 (luxury roadster
based on 5). It adopts the strategy “designed in Sweden, built in
China” that has been proved successful in some Volvo models.
Fast-forward to today, the optimistic business plan turns out to be a
big failure. Polestar sold only 44,900 cars in 2024. Worse still, it
actually dropped 15 percent from a year ago (52,800 cars). Came lower
than 2022 as well (50,500 cars). Volvo, itself a listed company as
well, lost patience and wrote off all its investment in Polestar,
transferring its stakes to Geely. CEO Thomas Ingenlath, a designer who
penned Polestar 1 and 2, resigned last year. The ambitious plan has
been scrapped, obviously. Now Polestar hopes for only 60,000 sales this
year, a far cry from the original 290,000 target.
What went wrong? I don’t know. Maybe due to the cool down of EV trend,
the sharp increment of tariffs on Chinese-built EVs imposed by the USA
and EU, or simply because the public is not yet convinced that Polestar
is a credible alternative to BMW, Audi, Mercedes and Tesla. Or maybe
its cars are not as good as competitors? Let’s see the latest Polestar
4.
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Controversial
design sacrifices rear screen for a low roofline and rear headroom.
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No matter outside or inside, the 4 looks fantastic. Sharp, sporty,
beautifully styled and unique. Polestar is successful to shape it like
a coupe, avoiding the bulkiness of some so-called coupe-SUV crossovers
such as BMW X6, Mercedes GLE Coupe and the disastrous Ford Capri. Part
of this success is down to its pointy nose and fast-angle windscreen
and fastback, but most is due to its sporty proportion. Compared with
rivals, it is relatively short (4.84m), wide (just over 2 meters) and
low (1534mm), running a longer wheelbase (2999mm) thus has its wheels
pushed to the corners. Its design chief Maximilian Missoni, now jumped
to BMW, insisted the 4 to run a low waistline and roofline despite the
thicker floorpan which houses all the batteries. To achieve the latter
without robbing rear passenger headroom, he boldly abandoned the rear
window, so that he can move the rear roof header to behind the
passenger’s head where the rear window used to occupy. This frees up
precious space above the passengers. To compensate the loss of rear
view, the 4 adopts rearview camera. To prevent from feeling
claustrophobic at the back seat, all models have panoramic glass roof
fitted as standard, which extends to right above the rear passengers.
The use of ambient lighting also helps.
The interior design is minimalist in Scandinavian fashion. There is a
Tesla-style huge touchscreen in center. Virtually no physical buttons
can be found in the cabin, as those on the steering wheel are
touch-sensitive buttons with haptic feedback. Tech-lovers will feel
comfortable, but everybody else won’t, as you need to tap the
touchscreen a few times for adjusting seats or air-con, including the
direction of those hidden air vents, crazy! The materials look good
though, including the textile trims made from recycled plastics or
available Nappa leather. Cabin space is also very good, thanks to that
generous wheelbase and flat floor as well as the light and airy feel
contributed by the huge glass roof. Having said that, the rear
passengers could still feel a little claustrophobic compared with
conventional cars. Moreover, camera is never a good replacement to a
proper rear window, because it is unintuitive to look up the center
screen instead of rear view mirror, and it is hard to judge distance
from surrounding. Likewise, rear quarter visibility is poor.
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Everything is
controlled via touchsreen or haptic buttons, including the direction of
air vents.
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The 4 is developed on Geely’s SEA platform, which is shared with Volvo
EX30, Smart #1 and a number of Zeekr models in China. The platform was
introduced in 2021, so it is no longer state of the art. It runs 400V
electrical architecture and a max. charging rate of 200kW, similar to
what BMW and Mercedes have been offering for a few years and lags
behind the 800V and 270/350kW systems the premium German car makers
have already (e.g. Porsche and Audi) or are about to (BMW and Mercedes)
bring to the market. However, the spec. looks quite generous, including
100kWh battery, rear or dual motors and 50:50 weight distribution.
Single-motor model offers 272 hp, 0-60 mph takes 6.7 seconds and good
for 620 km (385 miles) of WLTP range, thanks in part to a low drag
coefficient of 0.26. Dual-motor model doubles the power, takes just 3.7
seconds to go from 0-60 while still capable to travel 590 km (367
miles) on a single charge, more than competitive enough, although the
battery takes half an hour to charge from 10 to 80 percent.
The base model is priced at a reasonable £60,000, while
dual-motor costs only £7,000 more, but you do need to add
Performance pack to maximize its potential, which includes adaptive
dampers, stiffer suspension setup and Brembo brakes, bringing the car
to a Porsche Macan-rivalling £71,000. The Polestar offers more
standard equipment and looks far more stylish in my eyes, but the
Porsche SUV has stronger driver appeal and recharge quicker, not to
mention a more admirable badge.
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Performance
competitive, chassis dynamics less so...
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On the road, surprisingly, the dual model Performance model is more
disappointing. Its main advantage is straight line speed, but the
chassis fails to match. It feels just as heavy as its 2280 kg kerb
weight suggests – it rolls a lot in corner, yet the adaptive dampers
fail to calm down the ride on less than smooth surfaces, blame partly
to the 22-inch wheels. The steering is light and devoid of feel in any
modes. The chassis lacks the engagement and playful character of a
sporting car deserves.
The single-motor model is better. Not remarkably quick but still brisk
enough in everyday driving. The ride is smoother, even though with
passive dampers, and body control is well matched to the performance
level. It feels lighter and more chuckable, too. However, the 4 is
still not quite as refined or as engaging as an electric Porsche or
BMW. As a startup, Polestar needs to do better to steal sales from its
established rivals. Just a sharp look and spacious cabin alone is not
sufficient for success.
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Verdict:  |
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