Polestar 4 mid-sized EV SUV revealed ahead of 2024 Australian on-sale
EV brand Polestar has unveiled its new 4 mid-sized SUV that arrives in Australia in the first half of 2024.
The fourth model for the Tesla-rivalling electric car maker – the Polestar 2 was the first in Australia and the Polestar 3 arrives early in 2024 – the Polestar 4 will play in the medium SUV segment that has brands as diverse as BMW, Audi, Tesla, Porsche, Toyota, Kia, Hyundai and Volkswagen.
But the five-seat Polestar 4 doesn’t have a traditional SUV profile, instead adopting a coupe-inspired roofline.
Describing it as an “electric performance SUV coupe” Polestar says the 4 was designed from the outset to have the fastback-style roof.
“With Polestar 4 we have taken a fundamental new approach to SUV coupe design,” says Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO. “Rather than simply modifying an existing SUV, giving it a faster roofline and as a result, compromising elements like rear headroom and comfort, we have designed Polestar 4 from the ground up as a new breed of SUV coupe that celebrates rear occupant comfort and experience.”
The Polestar 4 is strictly a five-seater but gets a sizeable 500-litre boot.
While it’s relatively low-slung, at 1544mm, it has a lengthy 4839mm body that is 2139mm wide.
Its cabin – which has a full length glass roof – has the brand’s trademark clean design dominated by a sizeable centre touchscreen.
There’s also a strong sustainability story with recycled plastics and sustainably sourced materials, including available Nappa leather.
The Polestar 4 will be available in two motor configurations, each adopting the Long Range tag.
The base Long Range Single Motor uses a 200kW/343Nm rear-mounted motor to drive the rear wheels.
It’s claimed to hit 100km/h in 7.4 seconds and travel up to 600km between charges.
The Polestar 4 uses a 102kWh NMC lithium-ion battery with a useable capacity of 94kWh. The battery is manufactured by Chinese battery giant CATL.
It can be charged at up to 22kW from a home AC connector, which would do a full charge in about 5.5 hours. Slower single-phase charging on a 7.4kW connector should take about 14 hours. A regular powerpoint would be more like 45 hours for a full charge.
DC fast charging can be done at up to 200kW and Polestar claims a 5-80 percent charge can be done in as little as 32 minutes.
The Long Range Dual Motor uses the same electrical architecture but adds another 200kW/343Nm motor to the front axle. It makes for a combined output of 400kW and 686Nm, which Polestar says will accelerate the sleek SUV to 100km/h in 3.8 seconds.
The Dual Motor also has a new Range Mode, which reverts the car to rear-wheel drive – using only the rear motor – and extends the WLTP range to a claimed 570km.
The Polestar 4 rides on standard 20-inch wheels with Pirelli tyres.
Optional 21-inch wheels with Michelin rubber can be added or there are slightly wider 22-inch wheels for the optional Performance Pack.
That Performance Pack can only be added to the Dual Motor and also brings larger Brembo four-piston front brakes.
One big unknown is pricing. Polestar says it will be priced between the $63,900 Polestar 2 and $132,900 Polestar 3.
Polestar says the 4 will be priced at about US$60,000 in America, which is about $90,000 at today’s exchange rate.
If Polestar wants to get decent volume from the 4 it wouldn’t want to be any more than that; ideally it would be closer to the circa-$80,000 (or lower) sweet spot of the electric SUV market.
Polestar says the 4 will begin deliveries in the Asia-Pacific region early in 2024, so expect it to arrive hot on the heels of the Polestar 3 that is due here early next year.
