The Silky-Smooth Polestar 3 Gives The Polestar Brand A Reason To Exist

The last couple of years have been decidedly challenging for Polestar. The performance electric vehicle brand that was spun out from Volvo Cars has been trying to get by with just a single model (the Polestar 2) to sell while it waited on several additional models (the 3 and 4)  to finally make it to production. With a limited retail network and only a sedan in its lineup, it wasn’t able to generate any real volume growth, especially in the U.S. market. The brand hopes all that is about to change as its long-delayed Polestar 3 finally hits the road in America. I had my first chance to drive it; here’s what I thought.

Polestar is still considered a startup automaker despite having a nearly 30-year history. Back in the mid-1990s, Polestar was established as a team that transformed decidedly staid Volvos into race cars for the Swedish Touring Car Championship and then later for other touring car series. Eventually, Polestar began tuning road-going Volvos and by 2015 it had been acquired by the mothership. Just two years later, Volvo and its own parent company Geely decided to spin out Polestar as a stand-alone performance EV brand.

At the time, then Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson set out a vision for Polestar based on three words: pure, progressive, and performance. Pure was deeply rooted in the untainted beauty of Scandinavian aesthetics. Progressive Polestar design would define the avante garde. Performance would be the Polestar mindset.

The Polestar 1 was a limited production plug-in hybrid coupe that was obviously originally designed as a Volvo. The first standard model was the Polestar 2, a compact, slightly high-riding hatchback sedan based on Volvo’s XC40. Its design was also very much Volvo-derived. While the Volvo DNA was clear, both of these were surprisingly capable performance machines.

The Look

The Polestar 3 (we’ll call it PS3 from here on) is the first to start moving the brand in its own visual direction, although there is still some distinct Volvo design DNA, especially in the “Thor’s Hammer” front signature lighting and the taillamps. The car is based on the same new SPA2 platform as the Volvo EX90 and shares some key dimensions, but is also significantly different.

Where the EX90 is a tall, upright three-row, luxury family hauler, the PS3 is a much sleeker, two-row utility that could arguably be called a shooting brake in the grand European tradition. Polestar designers managed to imbue the face with both a taller, SUV-like profile and a slicker, sportier look. They did this in the same way that Dodge designers have done on the upcoming Charger Daytona. The leading edge of the hood features a wing with a slot below, and the hood itself slopes down from the cowl and fenders towards this slot.

The resulting blend yields a decent if not ground-breaking drag coefficient of 0.29. The panel below contains the front camera for the surround view system and has a radar sensor behind it.

The fenders have more lateral curvature than we would expect of a Volvo and give the flanks a bit of a Coke bottle effect that is further enhanced by the black rocker panel trim. The PS3 has the extended roofline of a utility vehicle but it slopes down behind the rear seats. The slope is less than what we have come to expect of most contemporary SUV “coupes” like the upcoming Polestar 4, but it further adds to the sportier aesthetic.

The resulting shape rides on either 21-inch or 22-inch wheels with custom-formulated Pirelli tires and it has a decidedly more athletic stance than any recent Volvo. It’s not the sort of clearly high-performance wagon you would get with an Audi RS6, but neither is it a BMW X5 M. For now at least in North America, it’s got a pretty unique look that I like a lot.

Moving under the skin

Both the EX90 and PS3 share a 117.5-inch wheelbase and have nearly the same track width at 65.8 inches front and 65.1 inches rear for the Polestar. However, the roofline of the PS3 is 4.7 inches lower and it is nearly six inches shorter overall.

Both cars carry the same 111-kWh lithium-ion battery with 17 CATL modules filled with nickel manganese cobalt cells. The cells, modules, and most other battery pack components are currently sourced from China and assembled at the Volvo Cars assembly plant near Charleston, South Carolina. The Chinese sourcing means that the EX90 and PS3 aren’t eligible for federal clean vehicle credits when purchased. However, the credits can be passed through on a lease. With the increased tariffs on Chinese batteries and the desire to improve sustainability, Polestar and Volvo are actively working to develop a new domestic source of batteries for these models.

As the designated performance brand, Polestar gets more powerful motors than Volvo, with standard models of the PS3 getting 489 hp and 620 lb-ft of torque. The optional Performance Pack bumps those numbers to 517 hp and 671 lb-ft. An element that is unique to the PS3 is the torque vectoring disconnect clutch on the rear motor. This unit serves two purposes. When driven hard, clutches on the differential can direct more torque to one side or the other. Typically, in aggressive cornering more torque would be delivered to the outside rear wheel which helps push that side of the car around to aid turn-in response.

During more sedate driving when the full 500-hp isn’t needed, the clutch unit decouples the motor from the rear wheels. This reduces the drag under light load conditions, using the front motor for propulsion and regenerative braking. The same concept is being utilized by an increasing number of EV makers including Rivian to provide better overall energy efficiency and range.

The overall suspension architecture is shared with the Volvo. The front corners feature dual control arms while the rear corners have an integral link layout. The adaptive suspension has self-leveling dual chamber air springs and active ZF dampers that continuously adjust to provide what is hopefully an optimal balance of ride quality and handling prowess.

While the PS3 is classed as an SUV, it is most definitely not a trail runner. However, as befitting a car conceived in Sweden, the ample 8.3 inches of ground clearance should make it quite capable in winter weather conditions, as long as it’s equipped with some proper winter-capable tires. Our test cars were running on the standard summer performance tires which worked great on the first day of autumn.

The Driver’s office

Polestar cars are meant to be for those who prefer to drive rather than to be driven. To a substantial degree, the company has succeeded, but there are some decisions that perhaps lean a bit too hard toward tech rather than what is best for a driving workspace. The PS3 definitely lives up to the Scandinavian visual aesthetic. It is clean and minimalist without being spartan or cheap like some Teslas. All the materials feel high quality and the fit and finish of the cars we drove were outstanding. While these were obviously early production units that crews have gone through with a fine-toothed comb for the drive event, prior experience with regular production Volvos and Polestars has been just as good.

The top of the dashboard is covered in an attractive dark fabric, with dark-finished wood trim below the vents and leather coverings below that. The overall look is similar but subtly different from the EX90. There is a 10-inch instrument cluster display in front of the driver along with the infrared camera driver understanding system. This sensor feeds into more sophisticated software than typical driver monitor systems that look for the driver’s eyes to be on the road. The logic also tracks changes in what the driver is looking at to try to ensure that they haven’t just zoned out and aren’t just looking off into the distance unaware of what is happening.

In the center is a 14.5-inch portrait touchscreen floating out away from the dashboard. The Android Automotive infotainment system has the same basic layout as the Volvo but with slightly different theming. The upper two-thirds is generally used for the map. Below that are two widgets for the most recently used apps such as phone and media controls. Below that is a context-aware row of icons to take you to items such as a surround-view camera, mirror and steering wheel adjustments, Google Assistant, and some apps. Finally, the bottom row has a permanent display for hazard flashers, climate control, and the home button.

As all recent Polestar and Volvo models have featured, there is the suite of Google Automotive Services including Maps, Assistant, and the Play store for downloading more apps directly. Users can log into their Google account and set up apps of their choice and save it all to individual driver profiles. The profiles are then linked to an NFC key card or smartphone so whoever gets behind the wheel gets their preferred setup. At launch, Polestar hasn’t yet finished the Apple Carplay integration, but that is promised soon with an OTA software update.

On the center console is a large rotary dial for volume, play/pause, and forward/reverse playback. The seats, as we’ve long been accustomed to on Volvos are excellent, providing a great combination of comfort and support without an overwhelming array of adjustments. Height, thigh support, fore-aft, recline, lumbar, and side bolsters can all be adjusted. The front and rear seats are heated and the fronts are also ventilated and offer massaging features that are useful after several hours on the road. As with the PS2 and “Polestar Engineered” Volvo models, the seat belts for the performance pack are gold.

I’ve always enjoyed my opportunities to drive the Polestar 2. It’s quick and surprisingly nimble. But one complaint I’ve always had about it is the very high beltline that left me feeling like I was sitting low in a bathtub. While the beltline of the PS3 isn’t what I’d call low (keeping in mind that my standard is set by driving my 1990 Mazda Miata). at least my shoulders are well above the window sill. Those who like to drive with their elbow on the window sill will be able to do so on the PS3.

Another major thumbs up goes to the designers who, unlike some others of late (yes I’m looking at you Porsche, Rivian, Lincoln, and of course Tesla) resisted the urge to adopt one of the dumbest modern automotive trends: touchscreen-controlled air vents. The PS3 has lovely basic vents that you can reach out to just grab a knob to redirect hot or cold air as needed. Sadly, the upcoming PS4 doesn’t do the same.

One dumb trend the PS3 and EX90 do follow is having only two window switches on the driver’s door with another that toggles between controlling the front and rear windows. This is a car that starts at well over $70,000 – why cheap out like this to save one switch? Please, automakers, stop doing this.

One advantage of having the same wheelbase as the three-row Volvo but only two rows of seats is a huge backseat. With the front seat set for my 5-foot, 10-inch frame, I had tons of room to spare behind myself. There’s also plenty of cargo space in the back. With the hatch open, there is a flat load floor that can opened up to reveal another deep cavity behind the rear motor. The floor panel can be folded in two ways, one as a shelf above the main cargo area or slotted in vertically to retain smaller objects behind the rear seats. There’s also a small frunk under the hood that can hold the charging cable and backpack or small duffle.

What It’s Like To Drive: Smooth As Silk

Polestar brought us to Jackson Hole Wyoming to drive the PS3 which gave us the opportunity to exercise the SUV’s athletic capabilities, though we had limited access to a lot of the driving conditions many owners will face on a daily basis such as urban traffic, highways, and locations with less than ideal pavement. Our drive route took us west from Jackson Hole across the Teton Pass into Idaho to a fly-fishing shop on the Snake River, back southwest toward the Wyoming border for lunch, and then reversed course to our starting point.

We had the opportunity to chat before and after our drive with Christian Samson, Polestar’s product development leader about the strategy for the PS3. Polestar wanted a vehicle that is quick but deliberately wanted to avoid the sort of neck-snapping acceleration you get from vehicles like a Tesla Model S Plaid, Lucid Air Sapphire, or Porsche Taycan. The goal was to create fluid and seamless performance that feels connected to the road and the driver.

After several hours and over 170 miles in the driver’s and passenger’s seat, my personal verdict is that Samson and his development team succeeded. The standard PS3 is claimed to go to 62 mph in about 5 seconds with the performance pack shaving about 0.3 seconds off that. Compared to the low 2- 2-second times of some other high-end EVs, that may seem slow. But the reality is that unless you are taking those cars to the track, you will almost never actually use all of that performance on the road except to show off what you could afford to buy to your friends or crowds at cars and coffee.

In fact, you shouldn’t be driving that fast on public roads because you are putting both yourself and others around you at extreme risk. That sort of brutal acceleration is also actually quite uncomfortable, and you probably won’t want to continue doing it.

The PS3’s acceleration simply pours out of the propulsion system in a seemingly unending stream as you would expect of an EV, but seemingly even smoother than most. Samson explained that Polestar wanted to create a user experience where the car was an extension of the driver, augmenting their inputs rather than hindering and leaving “strong driver authority.”

To that end, the engineers spent a lot of time tuning how the two motors and suspension collaborate to minimize lash in the system under braking, accelerating, and cornering. The timing of the power delivery from the front and rear motors is staggered and the dampers and air springs are adjusted in real time to minimize excessive body motions and provide a continuous stream of acceleration or regenerative braking without any jerking.

Climbing up through the steep and curving road of the Teton Pass, when there was a slow-moving camper ahead and we had a stretch of straight road with some visibility, a squeeze of the right pedal made the PS3’s velocity more than double far more quickly than I had anticipated making the passing maneuver very easy.

With the regenerative braking set to its strongest setting, the transitions between acceleration and braking were extremely smooth and easy to modulate. I traversed the entire pass only tapping the brake pedal twice. Sure, if I was driving on a track and going for an optimum lap time, I’d use the brake pedal more and go deeper before braking harder and then turning in. But that sort of driving is both dangerous on the road and usually quite unpleasant for passengers after a few minutes. Modulating my speed with just the right pedal I can be both quick and smooth.

As mentioned, the roads were quite smooth on most of our route so it’s hard to judge ride quality. But the suspension setup provided minimal body roll, just enough to provide the feedback desired about what’s going on below. Through both tight corners and longer sweeping curves, the PS3 feels very well balanced with minimal understeer or oversteer although the smooth and instant torque delivery does allow the vehicle’s attitude to be easily adjusted as needed.

One of the longstanding complaints of modern vehicles is that the electric power steering systems don’t provide enough feedback about the forces at the front corners. While the PS3 doesn’t have the sort of direct feel you’d get from an unboosted Lotus Elise or even an E36 BMW 3 series, it does actually provide surprisingly good levels of feedback. Combined with what the suspension is doing, the driver has a very good picture of the levels of grip at each end of the car.

The PS3, like most premium EVs, is not exactly svelte on the scale. Depending on the configuration, the curb weight ranges from about 5,600 to 5,800 pounds, about 400 pounds less than the EX90. With the large Brembo fixed-caliper brakes on the PS3, this bulk can be hauled down without any real drama.

But regenerative braking is one of the great elements of driving an EV, putting energy back into the battery by converting kinetic or potential energy. From near the peak of Teton Pass at nearly 8,500 ft elevation, you drop over 2,300 ft back into Jackson Hole. We had about 39% state of charge and 83 miles of range at the top of the hill. By the time we got back into town, we were at 45% and 95 miles of range despite maintaining a brisk pace all the way.

At launch, the PS3 has the same Pilot Assist functionality that the PS2 and other Volvos have had for years. There is adaptive cruise control and hands-on lane centering capability as well as lane change assist. Like the EX90, there is the driver understanding system as well as capacitive sensors in the steering wheel to detect hands-on directly instead of relying on a torque sensor to detect the driver wiggling the wheel. The lidar that is standard on the Volvo will be available as part of a separate option package starting in early 2025.

The PS3 also includes the in-cabin radar sensors found in the EX90 to detect anyone left behind in the vehicle. However, the different seating configuration means the Polestar only has four of these sensors rather than the seven in the Volvo. The in-cabin radar is tied to the climate control to keep things cool if someone is detected in the car. The PS3s that we drove included the Plus pack with a 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system with 1,600 watts and Dolby Atmos spatial audio. The sound in the cabin is spectacular, but if you are driving in remote areas like we did, you’ll want to have some audio files stored locally to take advantage of it. One of the downsides of modern streaming audio services is if you lose connectivity, you are out of luck.

The Bottom Line

The PS3 isn’t a sports car by any stretch of the imagination, and Polestar doesn’t pretend it is. But for a vehicle with the same basic bones as the Volvo EX90 and many dimensional similarities, it has a distinctly different view on the world. It’s a great looking, slightly tall wagon that provides an excellent driving experience that isn’t overwhelming in any way.

The standard 489-hp PS3 with 21-inch wheels has an EPA range rating of 315 miles while the performance pack with 22-inch wheels goes 279 miles. Based on our drive which was in no way optimized for efficiency, those numbers should be easily achievable in the real world.

Customer deliveries should start in the next few weeks in the US with prices starting at $74,800 delivered. The performance pack starts at $80,800.There are currently only 27 Polestar dealers across the US, but because of the hardware commonality with Volvo, Volvo dealers are also providing service for Polestar customers if there isn’t a nearby dealership.

I genuinely enjoyed driving the Polestar 3 and I think it would make a great choice for anyone looking for a more performance-oriented, but not hardcore, premium five-seater. The debut of the PS3 and upcoming PS4 should really help boost the upstart brand’s sales significantly and the combination should really start setting Polestar apart from Volvo. Relative to similarly sized direct competitors such as the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV, Audi Q8 e-tron, and Tesla Model X, the Polestar 3 stacks up extremely well in terms of range (actually much better than the Audi), performance, and price with excellent driving dynamics and arguably the best design. A year from now, we should have a much clearer picture of whether Polestar will have a reason to exist as a stand-alone automotive brand, but this machine certainly starts to make that case.