To Northumberland, where the UK serves up a rare but undeniable smorgasbord of fine driving roads, criss-crossing the Pennines with far-reaching views and unimprovable sight lines. So what machine are we taking on this rare venture into near-perfect driving conditions?
Polestar 3 in Northumberland
The answer is the freshly updated Polestar 3, the EV that joined the Swedish company’s line-up back in 2024 alongside the Polestar 4. In what looks to be a new way of doing things, this thoroughly model car is almost completely visually unchanged; all that’s new are some markings on the steering wheel buttons. The rest, inside and out, retains the same crisply delineated, low-slung SUV form of the original – seen here in this launch portfolio by Benedict Redgrove from 2023.
Polestar 3 Dual Motor
The Polestar process is clearly different, combining an ‘if it's not broken don't fix it’ ethos with an unceasing focus on improving efficiency, cutting carbon and – in the case of the Polestar 3 – increasing performance. According to the company’s head of product attributes, Christian Samson, the 3 is ‘essentially a new car underneath.’ That’s down to the introduction of new 800V architecture, with a more efficient battery and revised electric motors, giving the big car a greater range across both its trim levels.
Polestar 3 Dual Motor
Before we can get behind the wheel, Polestar’s UK MD, Matt Galvin, runs us through the company’s buoyant sales figures and the ongoing frustrations around the shifting goalposts of the ZEV mandate. It’s no secret that committing to become a major automotive player requires deep, deep pockets but Polestar’s resolute commitment to the premium sector at least give its metrics a welcome boost when compared to extant brands who have struggled with the awkward transition to EVs.
Polestar 3 Dual Motor
With a growing retail presence, plus the long-awaited Polestar 5 this summer, with an all-new Polestar 8 and the next-generation Polestar 2 to follow, the company is certainly making inroads. Sales of used Polestars are also picking up, thanks in part to geopolitical misadventures sending buyers scurrying to fossil fuel alternatives. It’s a company unafraid to take a political stance. ‘Why water down the ZEV mandate? I’m not in favour of that,’ Galvin says, ‘I still think it’s the right thing to do from a sustainability perspective.’
What’s also the right thing to do is Polestar’s insistence on publishing granular information about its Carbon footprint, both good and bad. You can’t make any sort of car without creating emissions, and by being as transparent as possible, and tracking the environmental cost of every last nut and bolt, Polestar is building up an industry-leading data set.
As was, the Polestar 3 was a highly desirable machine. It goes head-to-head with the Mercedes EQE SUV, Lotus Eletre and BMW iX, but now has the distinct advantage of being more up to date than any of them.
Polestar 3 Rear Motor model
Although the changes wrought under the skin aren’t hugely ground-breaking (350kW fast charging isn’t exactly cutting edge anymore, even if it very welcome), they certainly keep the car competitive. The flagship Performance model accounts for the bulk of sales, given that you not only get another electric motor but also excellent air suspension - the regular Rear Motor model makes do with standard springs.
Driving each model back-to-back on the aforementioned roads lays the difference bare. The Performance not only has a sizeable power hike (equivalent to 160hp more), but it manages the car’s undeniable heft with much more aplomb. The Rear Motor car is no slouch, but the springs can easily be caught out on twisty, undulating roads, unbalancing the car.
Polestar 3 Performance in the Kielder Forest
Yes, this power levels on offer are getting silly, but the real-world gains –0-62mph is down to 3.8 seconds from 4.5 seconds – are genuinely noticeable. Range? The Dual Motor will do 395 miles, while the Performance model promises 368 if you can reign in the throttle use.
Polestar 3 off the beaten track in Kielder Forest
Perhaps of more interest to the average buyer is the car’s usability. Chips being cheaper than volts, Polestar has taken the opportunity to give the new 3 an eightfold bump in processing power. Everything else has also been retuned, from the chassis and suspension through to the steering. A rare chance to hustle the big car along a track through the Kielder Forest showed it had real SUV credentials, not just as a lifted, over-powered load lugger.
As a premium offering, the car blends quality materials and finishes with a slightly idiosyncratic interior approach. Bridge of Weir leather and Bowers & Wilkins audio (featuring Dolby Atmos) are great, but other elements are less instantly welcome. Time and experience will no doubt blunt the sharp edges of the very, very touch-focused interior (one of the prime bugbears of Polestar and sister company Volvo), but it’s a learning experience not an intuitive one.
Polestar 3 Dual Motor
There’s a new breed of electric cars buyers treat cars are a little bit like their smartphones. Each successive generation needs to smarter, faster and an all-round better performer, but the emphasis is on the specs, not the aesthetics. Superficially, the upgraded Polestar 3 ticks these boxes, with its swifter processors, lighter, more efficient batteries and better headline numbers.
Polestar 3 Dual Motor
Nevertheless, real thought and engineering acumen has gone into refining not just the way this car goes down the road but also the whole process of sourcing materials and components and manufacturing. Polestar does still point the way, but it needs to get cleverer with the interface between human and machine to keep its cars from being more than mere appliances.
Polestar 3 in the Kielder Forest
Polestar 3, from £76,540, Polestar.com, @PolestarCars