2024 Polestar 3 review

The all-new Polestar 3 might have a smaller number than the forthcoming Polestar 4 but it’s a much more expensive, more expansive and more sophisticated vehicle – a large coupe SUV, according to its maker, intended to compete among luxe EVs such as the BMW iX, Audi Q8 e-tron and Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV, as well as the combustion-engined Porsche Cayenne.

With exclusive competition like that, the handsome Polestar 3 needs to be capable of more than just Insta-worthy face and body shots.

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And based on our first taste of it through the city and among the mountains surrounding Madrid in Spain, there’s a very strong chance that the Polestar 3 (in dual-motor AWD form, as tested) will translate well to its many international markets, including Australia.

Officially revealed way back in October 2022, the Polestar 3 made its public debut at the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2023 but has taken longer than expected to finally reach full production.

Australian pricing was revealed (and order books were opened) in late in 2023 – $132,900 for the Long Range AWD and $141,900 for the Performance Pack AWD – with initial deliveries to customers starting in late August ’24.

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JUMP AHEAD

• Is the 2024 Polestar 3 worth my attention?
• What about inside?
• What powers the Polestar 3?
• How does it drive?
• Is it worth waiting for the 2024 Polestar 3?

Is the 2024 Polestar 3 worth my attention?

Built in both Chengdu, China and South Carolina in the US, Polestar 3 shares its all-new electric-vehicle platform – dubbed ‘SPA2’ – with Volvo’s forthcoming seven-seat EX90 large electric SUV.

And given that Volvo has been handed the lucrative breeder brief with its SUV, Polestar has been gifted greater stylistic flexibility with the design of its five-seat 3.

Outside, the front is predictably bluff, with its embedded sensors and radars in the flat-panelled ‘grille-of-sorts’.

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The Polestar 3 appears considered, tasteful and handsome

The Polestar bonnet logo (that looks like two boomerangs, or Citroen’s double-chevrons, were tossed in the air and landed back-to-back) has a lovely, shadowy night-time glow, while the gorgeous rear tail-lights form an elegant band that spans the tail width, then geometrically hook back on themselves.

From virtually any angle, the Polestar 3 appears considered, tasteful and handsome, as well as strikingly individual – especially from behind.

Unashamedly sporty, nice and low (for an SUV), with a sleek roofline and a hip-tastic rear end with broad, boxed haunches, its tapered glasshouse appears peripherally inspired by the classic Volvo P1800ES of the early-’70s … or is that simply us car tragics spotting a little bit of everything in everything?

Either way, visually, it’s a triumph.

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What about inside?

Inside, that impression continues. Riding on a lengthy 2985mm wheelbase (that’s, intriguingly, 14mm shorter than the smaller Polestar 4’s!), the Polestar 3’s interior space is seriously vast – doing a great impression of a lounge room on wheels, like those tremendous full-size American sedans of the ’60s.

It may not be pillarless but there’s loads of glass to open up the Polestar’s cabin – including a standard full-glass roof – and by scalloping out the B-pillar trims, the excellent (Volvo-sourced) front seats seem to sit slightly inboard of the body structure, making the interior feel even more like a cinema space than a car.

The premium 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system with Dolby Atmos is the icing on the cake there, with truly mind-blowing sound clarity and staging, while the Polestar 3’s lounge-like rear bench combines with a perfectly flat floor and optional padded pillows (in the same upholstery as the seats) to truly make rear occupants feel at home.

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The overall aesthetic is similar to the Polestar 4’s, meaning clearly inspired by the Scandinavian minimalism of contemporary Volvos, but the Polestar 3 feels much more luxe – as you’d hope for its $50K premium over a Polestar 4.

There’s a material-upholstered dashboard, four different interior trim treatments – all of them beautifully tactile – and a general aura of expense that perfectly suits its price and target audience. And while its 14.5-inch portrait touchscreen does require some familiarity to operate effortlessly, its in-built features and lovely ‘Unica 77’ typography exude class.

Worth noting are the Polestar 3’s interior door releases. They’re flush metal handles that lift up from the front end of the door armrests – just like those on a 1971-80 HQ-HZ Holden – and are arguably the best example of a retro revival for good, not evil.

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What powers the Polestar 3?

Underneath, the Polestar is about as retro as the third millennium. All launch variants feature dual electric motors, all-wheel drive with rear-motor disconnect, and dual-clutch torque vectoring on the rear axle that can send up to 100 percent of drive to either rear wheel.

The 400-volt electrical architecture consists of a 111kWh battery that’s capable of up to 250kW DC charging (10-80 percent charge time is 30 minutes), while the suspension hardware features adaptive dual-chamber air springs and adaptive damping – capable of being adjusted between Standard, Nimble and Firm settings, and across a 60mm range for height.

A 180kW/420Nm front electric motor combines with a 200kW/490Nm rear electric motor for output totals of 360kW and 840Nm in the Long Range AWD, and 380kW and 910Nm in the Performance Pack model (which was the car we drove).

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Despite weighing nearly 2500kg, Polestar says the Long Range is capable of 0-100km/h in 5.0sec while the Performance Pack trims that to 4.7sec.

The Long Range also has, er, longer range with a claimed 628km according to WLTP, while the Performance Pack trims that to 561km WLTP.

According to our launch-route test average of 24.8kWh/100km, however, the Polestar 3 Performance Pack’s enthusiastic real-world range translates to around 430km.

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How does it drive?

Wearing huge Brembo brake calipers (painted gold on the Launch Edition and Performance Pack) and guard-filling 22-inch alloys clad in massive 295/35R22 Pirellis at the rear, the Polestar 3 combines performance and sophistication exquisitely.

It looks quite tough, but it’s also impressively refined and rides surprisingly well, given the vastness of its rolling stock.

On Spain’s fast-moving motorways, the Polestar 3 defines driver confidence. It combines a broad stance on the road with delightful fluidity, crisply and effortlessly threading its way through some quite challenging freeway corners at speeds approaching 150km/h, without ever raising an eyebrow (unless Spain’s policia were secretly watching!).

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Up in the hills, even in a vehicle measuring 4900mm long and 1968mm wide, it used its relatively low centre of gravity and 50:50 weight distribution to further demonstrate this polished level of poise.

For such a hefty vehicle, it feels surprisingly lithe, with the Borg-Warner dual-clutch rear diff employing mechanical torque vectoring to make the rather digital Polestar 3 feel satisfyingly natural in its dynamic rhythm, handling balance and corner-exit control.

As for performance, the 3’s outright numbers aren’t enough to stop the presses, and we can only be thankful for that.

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This coupe-ish SUV doesn’t need any more acceleration than it has, and there’s still plenty on offer at three-figure speeds – especially in glacial Australia.

What’s more impressive is the finesse it displays in acquiring speed, maintaining speed, and washing off speed – including its full regen-braking mode, which isn’t as severe as Hyundai-Kia’s i-Pedal.

Perhaps the single-motor, rear-drive version due to arrive in Australia in early 2025 will provide a sweeter, more delicate drive, but considering that no Performance Pack Polestar has even felt as polished as this, perhaps the all-guns-blazing hero variant is the one to go for after all. 

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Is it worth waiting for the 2024 Polestar 3?

With Australian deliveries due to begin at the end of August for what is an incredibly well-equipped vehicle – both from a luxury and niceties perspective, and in terms of active-safety – the Polestar 3 seems like good value compared to the rivals Polestar is quoting.

Given that even a top-spec Kia EV9 – admittedly a seven-seater – costs $121,000 before on-roads, the $133K five-seat Polestar 3 is brimming with appeal. It looks special, feels special and sounds special – both in terms of refinement and audio-quality.

And when lined up against its true competitive equivalents (such as BMW’s $185K iX xDrive 50 or Mercedes-Benz’s $165K EQE 500 SUV), the Polestar 3 appears a relative bargain. Especially if looking catwalk ready is high on your list of priorities.