Polestar 4 SUV priced from $73,900

POLESTAR expects its new, more conventionally styled SUV derivative of its highest-volume model to expand the brand’s reach among family and fleet customers when deliveries begin in the fourth quarter of this year. 

Confirmed for Australia and priced from $73,900 plus on-road costs in 200kW/343Nm Rear motor format and $81,750 + ORCs as a 400kW/686Nm Dual motor the Polestar 4 SUV will be sold alongside today’s rear window-free 4 coupé rather than replacing it.

Program manager Johanna Berg told GoAuto at the United Kingdom reveal of the SUV that the new body style was intended to extend the model’s appeal among key demographics.

“The Polestar 4 today is our main seller … if you look at the segment, this variant has the potential (of delivering) an even larger volume). This is a very important car for us in terms of growing and further positioning us in…the SUV premium segment,” she said.

User-choosers and corporate fleet customers in Europe are increasingly demanding aerodynamically efficient electric station wagon products to meet regulatory and ESG targets.

Despite being dubbed an SUV, a viewing of the new Polestar derivative revealed it to have estate-like proportions in the metal.

Executives said Polestar deliberately led with the provocative coupé model when the 4 was revealed in 2023 ahead of its 2024 Australian market launch despite an upright wagon model already being deliberated internally.

“As a young brand, for us it made sense to come out with a coupe first (as a) very sort of distinctive (vehicle), regardless of what you think in terms of the rear window, it helped generate some interest in the product,” added Polestar head of product communications Graeme Lambert.

Rapid adaptation of the existing Polestar 4 base has allowed the Sino-Swedish brand to bring the SUV derivative to market with just 48 unique parts. It retains the coupe’s 4840mm length and 2139mm width, while its 1556mm overall height is 22mm greater, solely due to newly added roof rails.

Preliminary kerb weights were given as 2265kg for the Rear motor and 2375kg for the Dual motor, representing modest increases of about 35kg over the coupé.

Gross vehicle mass is 2740kg/2850kg, leaving 475kg payload, while the roof limit is 100kg (dynamic) with 2000kg braked towing capacity.

An extended roofline, upright power tailgate and removal of the coupé’s rear-seat divider component have increased both boot volume (from 500 litres to 530 litres below the parcel shelf) and ease of loading objects thanks to a dramatically widened and reshaped aperture.

Measured to the roof, cargo capacity rises 24 per cent in the SUV, while the figure of 1665 litres with the back seats folded is about eight per cent better than the coupé. A small 15-litre frunk adds additional charge-cable storage.

There have also been some dividends in the cabin, with rear headroom rising by 25mm thanks to the reduction in the slope of the roofline. The addition of rear glass has allowed a conventional rear-view mirror to become standard, though a digital item is a $1000 option.

The Rear motor powertrain produces 200kW/343Nm with a claimed 7.3 second 0-100km/h time and up to 630km range (WLTP), representing consumption of 14.9kWh/100km from the 94kWh nickel manganese cobalt battery.

Dual motor versions simply double the outputs (to 400kW/646Nm) by duplicating the rear motor to the front axle. Range falls by less than one might expect, to 600km (WLTP), due to the fitment of an axle disconnect system. The same battery is used; consumption is 15.6kWh/100km.

Polestar has not taken the opportunity to revamp the 4’s 400-volt electrical architecture to match the distantly related Zeekr 7GT electric wagon that is also on its way to Australia. DC charging speeds here are limited to 200kW, with a 10-80 per cent session replenishing about 400km of range in 30 minutes.

“Timing (was) an aspect here…time to market versus how the (charging) infrastructure looks in the world,” said Ms Berg of the decision to retain more traditional 400V systems.

Mr Lambert added, “This car has been developed, I hesitate to use the word quickly, but it’s coming to market really quite fast, thanks to the ingenuity in terms of what we’ve changed.”

Standard equipment for the Polestar 4 SUV includes a glass roof, heat pump, surround-view camera, 15.4-inch touchscreen with Android Automotive OS (and Apple CarPlay), eight-speaker stereo, and adaptive cruise control.

A $6500 Plus pack is available for both grades, adding harman/kardon audio, head-up display, Pixel LED headlights, heated and power-reclining rear seats, rear control screen and tri-zone climate control.

Dual motor vehicles with the Plus pack can be specified with the $7200 Performance pack, taking the combined price to $95,450 + ORC. This adds active ZF dampers, larger Brembo brakes, 22-inch wheels, gold accents, and Polestar-specific chassis tuning.

Other options include a $1200 Comfort pack, $1400 Tailored Knit upholstery, $2200 electrochromic roof, $700 privacy glass and a $4070 electrically retractable towbar. Supple Bridge of Weir Nappa leather costs $5700-$6100 and requires the Plus pack.

Polestar identifies the Audi Q6 E-Tron, Volvo EX60, BMW iX3, and Mercedes-Benz GLC Electric as the SUV’s primary competitors, although Geely sibling Zeekr’s related 7GT presents another point of comparison.

“We’re working quite hard in separating the brands, in finding what is a Polestar, what is a Zeekr,” concluded Ms Berg.

Production commenced in Busan, South Korea, during the second quarter of this year.

2027 Polestar 4 SUV pricing*:

*Pricing excludes on-road costs.