The Polestar 4 Is the Swedish Automaker’s Sportiest Electric Vehicle Yet
Upstart EV automaker Polestar has been on a tear the last few years delivering the 2, the 3, and most recently the 4 into eager customers’ hands. The latest vehicle is arguably the sportiest zero-emissions product by the Volvo performance subsidiary so far—both aesthetically and under the hood—incorporating striking elements from the brand’s 2020 Precept concept car like the dual blade LED headlights and rear window delete.
“Proportions is the base for a successful design,” Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller explained at a media drive held last month at Circuit Mécaglisse motorsports complex in Quebec. “Looking at this side view, you see a very long wheelbase, short overhang, lightness. There’s no hanging bell—always lightness in design. SUV-sized wheels. The full-size wheels are the same as on the 3. All of this combined with a very sporty greenhouse or silhouette: sloping bonnet, very fast A post, and quite a fast rear end. A coupe-style rear end. All on the underpinnings of an SUV.”
As mentioned earlier, there’s no traditional rear window fitted. Rather, engineers were able to push the second-row seats and glass roof farther back, allowing additional passenger legroom and headroom, while maintaining that sleek form factor. A camera installed above a body-coloured aluminum panel projects a live feed to a digital mirror mounted to the windshield. And despite several sessions sliding around an ice and snow-covered race track, the lens stayed clean.
Though technically classified as a compact crossover, the Polestar 4 does look quite athletic with a low nose, flush pop-out door handles, frameless side windows, and gold-coloured four-piston Brembo brakes peeking from behind the large 22-inch forged wheels on the long-range dual-motor vehicles provided at the event. Inside, the cockpit is anchored by a large 15.4-inch landscape-oriented touchscreen, using Google Built-in OS, where virtually all on-board functions are controlled.
The top trim all-wheel drive variants that Polestar brought are quick. An electric motor mounted at each axle together generate 544 horsepower and 506 lb-ft, however we weren’t able to use much of that as the winter driving experience focused on how the AWD behaved in subzero low-grip environments. Turning on Sport mode relaxed the electronic stability control system and surprisingly allowed the SUV to sustain controlled drifts during slalom and skid pad exercises and power out of turns with ease.
Sitting on adaptive suspension, comfort or handling prowess can be prioritized via three user-adjustable settings. Although there was no on-road testing on this trip, the 5,000-plus-pound 4 soaked up any bumps we encountered on the frozen track nicely and felt composed, even when traction was severely compromised.
A 100-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery yields approximately 451 kilometres of maximum range on a full charge. DC fast-charging up to 200 kilowatts is supported, as well as the standard Level 2 at 11 kilowatts. Impressively, after a round during which three drivers took several stabs at practising Scandinavian flicks (rally driving technique) in -10°C weather, the battery percentage only dropped by single digits.
The 2026 Polestar 4 is available to order now. For those who prefer the styling of a more traditional utility vehicle, the company has confirmed another model variant is arriving later in the year with a conventional rear window.
