First, there was the Polestar 1 two-door, then came the Polestar 2 sedan. I’ll give you one guess as to what’s coming next. Yep, it’s the Polestar 3 SUV. Inspired by the Precept concept and able to seat five, it’s Polestar’s first SUV.
A 111-kWh lithium-ion battery provides an estimated 300 miles of range on the EPA cycle and is capable of bidirectional charging, something that has very much come in handy for some electrified Ford F-150 owners after Hurricane Ian.
Using a dual motor setup with a bias toward the rear, the Polestar 3 makes 489 horsepower and 620 pound-feet of torque. When equipped with the Performance Pack, those figures grow to 517 hp and 671 lb-ft. In the Performance guise, zero to 60 mph happens in 4.6 seconds whereas the base model takes 4.9 seconds. It’ll top out at 130 mph and tow up to 3,500 pounds. The Performance Pack also adds 22-inch wheels, Pirelli P Zero tires, gold trim, and sharper handling.
Further helping the Polestar 3 dynamically is a Torque Vectoring Dual Clutch rear axle evolved from the Polestar 1, 50:50 weight distribution, and standard dual-chamber air suspension that can adjust the dampers once every two milliseconds.
To maximize range, the new Polestar SUV features adjustable one-pedal driving and is able to decouple the rear motor and act as a front-wheel-drive car.
Polestar said the interior is made from sustainable materials such as MicroTech upholstery, animal welfare-certified leather, and fully traceable wool. Speaking of the interior, the vertical 14.5-inch touchscreen features built-in Android running on a next-gen Snapdragon Cockpit Platform while the car’s centralized computers are based on Nvidia’s Drive platform—the first Polestar to get this.
Five radars, five external cameras, and 12 external ultrasonic sensors support the vehicle’s ADAS and active safety features, and a lot of it is encompassed within the “SmartZone” at the front of the car. Meanwhile, interior radar sensors detect if you’ve left a child or pet in the car and are connected to the climate controls. An upgraded Pilot Assist pack available in spring 2023 adds LIDAR, three cameras, and four ultrasonic sensors, and the ability to clean the front- and rear-view cameras.
Also standard are a full panoramic roof, pop-out door handles, and 21-inch wheels, which are par for the fancy EV course. Available equipment includes 25 Bowers & Wilkins speakers with 3D surround and Dolby Atmos as well as soft-close doors.
The first Polestar 3s will be made in Chengdu, China, and will arrive late next year. U.S.-bound examples will be built right here in the U.S., specifically, in Ridgeville South Carolina, and are expected to ship in mid-2024. At launch, $85,300 will buy a Polestar 3 Long range with the Plus and Pilot packages included. The Performance Pack will add $6,000.
Got a tip or question for the author about the Polestar 3? You can reach him here: chris.tsui@thedrive.com