Polestar has pulled the covers from the Polestar 3 as the brand moves into SUV territory. With the Polestar 2 being widely lauded, the next move is into the widely-contested mid-size SUV space at the luxury end of the market.
Polestar is an all-electric brand, picking up the name from the performance arm of Volvo, but now under the umbrella of parent brand Geely. The previous model was very much positioned as the executive saloon and the new model will extend the appeal to those wanting a premium family SUV.
What sets the Polestar 3 apart from other SUVs is the level of geekery that it carries, like the wording on the body and those angles around the lights and front aero wing. There's a heavy dose of sci-fi about the whole thing, like something you'd find on a car from the future.Â
And the tech doesn't stop there, as Polestar details what's powering everything onboard: there's the Nvidia Drive core computer, which handles the data that the car gathers from all its sensors, using AI to run the driver assistance features.Â
We're talking about five radar modules, five external cameras, 12 external ultrasonic sensors, while there are internal radar modules for security as well as cameras to track driver alertness and wellbeing.Â
The optional Pilot Pack (fitted as standard for the first edition) will prepare the car for autonomous driving, adding more hardware to give an accurate picture of the 3D surroundings of the car.Â
The infotainment system sits on the Snapdragon Cockpit Platform - part of the Snapdragon Digital Chassis - while the user interface is Android Automotive, with a 14.5-inch central display.Â
Moving on to the actual car, there's a huge 111kWh battery (107kWh usable), which supports up to 250kW charging and is said to return 379 miles of range. At launch it will be a dual motor configuration with 360W power coming from the two motors, while the Performance Pack will jump that up to 390W.Â
It will do 0-62mph in 5 seconds (4.7 with the Performance Pack), while the rear axle can decouple so that it can drive on the front axle only to increase efficiencies.Â
As for the interior, there's a modern aesthetic with options for different finishes and materials, including wool, welfare-certified leather and MicroTech, in dark and light finishes. The panoramic sunroof is standard, as is air-controlled suspension, and for the first editions, a 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system with Dolby Atmos.Â
It is, in a word, about the geekiest manifestation of a car we've seen so far and the bad news is that it's not going to come cheap: the Polestar 3 will cost from £79,900 when it launches in 2023. Pre-orders open immediately, however.
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