2025 Polestar 4 is a Bold Crossover Coupe and Quickest Polestar Yet

Published on April 18, 2023 in New Models by Guillaume Rivard

Auto Shanghai kicked off in China with Polestar unveiling a new electric crossover coupe and its quickest-acceleration production model to date.

The Polestar 4 is positioned between the Polestar 2 liftback sedan and the upcoming Polestar 3 SUV in terms of size and price. Amid a garden of tulips, the Swedish company showed both the 3 and the 4 to clearly emphasize the differences between these two models.

“With Polestar 4 we have taken a fundamental new approach to SUV coupe design,” said Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath. “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.”

Born as Precept

The design of the Polestar 4 showcases key elements first shown on the Precept concept in 2020. These include the dual-blade headlights and sharply sculpted hood up front, as well as the 20- to 22-inch wheels, flush door handles and full-length glass roof with optional electrochromic functionality.

Surprisingly, the Polestar 4 retains the most controversial aspect of the Precept, namely the elimination of the rear window. Conventional side mirrors are now included, and the interior features a digital rear-view mirror that shows a live feed from a roof-mounted rear camera. Polestar says it wanted to enable a new kind of immersive rear occupant experience, but where visibility is concerned, this will be a big change for drivers.

By the way, the Polestar 4 stands 4,839 mm long, 2,139 mm wide and just 1,544 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,999 mm. It is built on the new Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) developed by Chinese automaker Geely.

Intimate Environment

That’s how Polestar describes the interior of its unique crossover coupe. The glass roof stretches beyond the heads of the rear occupants, who sit in reclining seats and can control media and climate functions via a screen mounted between the front seats.

Adjustable ambient lighting is inspired by the solar system and adds an extra dimension to the interior, while the various materials draw inspiration from the fashion and sportswear industries. Since sustainability and a low carbon footprint are extremely important to Polestar, all layers of certain components inside the cabin are produced from the same base material, allowing them to be recycled more effectively and efficiently. New interior materials include a tailored knit textile which consists of 100 percent recycled PET, along with bio-attributed MicroTech vinyl (crude oil is replaced with pine oil) and animal welfare-secured Nappa leather upholsteries.

Up front, the infotainment system powered by Android Automotive OS and the Snapdragon Cockpit Platform utilizes a 15.4-inch touchscreen. Naturally, all the main Google functionalities are built-in. Apple CarPlay is included, too. And as with all other Polestar cars, over-the-air OTA updates allow for new features and improvements to be sent remotely to the vehicle.

Let’s not forget the 10.2-inch driver display and 14.7-inch head-up display, the latter incorporating a clever “snow mode” that switches the text colour from white to yellow to make it easier to read in snowy environments.

Electrifying Performance

As mentioned up top, the Polestar 4 is the quickest-accelerating production car the brand has ever developed. The 0-100 km/h sprint can be completed in 3.8 seconds thanks to maximum output of 536 horsepower and 506 lb-ft. of torque in the dual-motor AWD variant. A single-motor Polestar 4 with RWD will also be offered, generating 268 horsepower and 253 lb-ft. of torque.

Depending on the configuration, range is estimated at 560 km or 600 km using the WLTP test cycle, so expect less than 500 km based on North American standards. A disconnect clutch allows the dual-motor Polestar 4 to disengage the front motor when not needed in order to maximize range and efficiency.

Up to 200 kW DC and 22 kW AC charging is included for all models, and the charge lid is motorized. Two-way charging is possible, with vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability at launch providing for external devices to draw power from the 102kWh battery. A heat pump is fitted as standard, which is great.

Coming in 2024

The new Polestar 4 will first launch in China, with production planned to begin in Hangzhou Bay in November 2023. Details for the North American market will be presented in 2024, with the vehicle arriving later that year. Indicative launch pricing is from $60,000 USD, the equivalent of about $80,000 CAD. Needless to say the Polestar 4 won’t be eligible to any EV incentives in Canada.