The eagerly anticipated Polestar 4 SUV adds a rear window to the original concept. The model loses one of its most distinguishing features in exchange for more practicality. Is this car the one Polestar should have launched from the start?
Polestar has finally done the obvious thing. The original 4, which is still the brand’s bestseller globally, keeps its sloping roof and camera-only rear view. But as announced at the beginning of the year, it is demoted to Coupé status. The newcomer carries the moniker SUV, adding more practical space in the back and a rear glass window.
Built in South Korea
It is ready for sale in Belgium from €59,900, which is actually €2,000 lower than its Coupé sibling. This could be caused by its manufacturing base. The Coupé is primarily built in Hangzhou, China, but the SUV is exclusively built in Busan, South Korea.
The ‘SUV’ badge carries a bit too much weight. The 4 SUV is a fancy crossover at best, but we like to view it as a high-riding electric estate. Polestar kept the nose and the general proportions of the Coupé, but from the B-pillar back, the roof stretches longer and higher. The tailgate is more upright. The silhouette reads more like a lifestyle wagon, which is not far from what most families actually want.
The rear window returns
So, the 4 SUV settles the controversial decision to delete the rear window entirely and couple a roof-mounted camera to a digital mirror. With a proper rear window and a conventional interior mirror as standard, the digital camera mirror survives only as an option in this case. Polestar answers to those who like the style but couldn’t reconcile with the plated back. It remains a polarizing feature.
The practical gains make for a decent argument as well. Boot space rises to 530 liters under the parcel shelf, and the gap widens when you load to the roof. Maximum volume with the rear seats folded is now 1,665 liters, up from 1,536 in the Coupé. There is a 15-liter frunk up front.
Rear passengers gain roughly 2.5 centimeters of extra headroom. Integrated roof rails and a higher dynamic roof load of 100 kg, up from 75 kg, mean Polestar is explicitly targeting a crowd that seeks more functionality.
Sharper suspension
But under the skin, nothing revolutionary was altered. It’s the same 400-volt architecture, the same 100 kWh battery pack, the same choice of one or two motors. Outputs remain the familiar 272 hp or 544 hp.
Surprisingly, the range of the SUV version tops out at a claimed 630 kilometers WLTP with a rear motor only (600 km for the dual version). This is 10 kilometers farther than the Coupé, despite less favorable aerodynamics and a heavier weight (+35 kg for the single-motor, and +20 kg for the all-wheel-drive). Polestar doesn’t specify the nature of the range increase. But it could be the tires – the SUV swaps Pirelli for Hankook.
Polestar also takes the opportunity to roll out a revised, more focused chassis tuning, applicable to both body styles. And as for new tricks, there’s vehicle-to-load (3.3 kW) to power external devices from the battery, while Camping Mode keeps climate control, lighting, and infotainment active while parked. Neither feature is exclusive to the SUV; they will roll out to other Polestar 4 models as well.
