FIRST DRIVE: Polestar 3 – Swede’s luxe SUV targets BMW iX

Polestar is nothing if not inconsistent. Its first car (aptly named the Polestar 1) was a gorgeous £140k GT with a hybrid powertrain and styling heavily influenced by parent company Volvo.

Its second car (the Polestar 2) is priced at the other end of the market, as an all-electric £40k Tesla Model 3 rival.

Now, as its third model (no points for guessing the name…) the Polestar 3 lands between the two previous cars on price, but sits in another new segment for the company, as a posh electric SUV to take on the Audi Q8 e-tron, BMW iX and Mercedes EQE SUV.

To date we’ve been impressed with both the 1 and the 2, so can the Polestar 3 keep up the run of form? Over to Top Gear Magazine’s Tom Ford…

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:40 Is It A Volvo?
01:44 Does It Look Like A Polestar?
03:00 Rear Design
03:57 What Are The Choices?
05:38 Why Are There So Many Cameras?
06:19 Interior
09:20 Bonus Feature
09:26 What's It Like To Drive?
13:54 Any Issues?
14:20 Conclusion

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[skshi]

Just ordered my polestar 3. Drove polestar 2 for three years and very satisfied. If you don't drive polestar, you should try it.

[JamesField]

100% agree with the "fast estate" comment. Proportionally, it's definitely a lifted wagon, more like an XC70 or an Audi Allroad than an i5 or an XC60. In fact, a few months back, Jim Rowan (Volvo's head honcho) said maybe it's time for a fully electric estate. I would be wholly unsurprised if the Polestar 3 exchanged its tracksuit for pinstripes and became the Volvo EV90.

[flatspin]

Just leased a Polestar 3… amazing vehicle. It’s funny though they are adamant at the Polestar store that it’s not a Volvo… but when I leased it the contract was signed with Volvo Finance, I took delivery at the Volvo dealer, and if I need it fixed that same Volvo dealer will fix it, and it’s build at the Volvo plant in South Carolina. So it’s a Vovlo-ish.

And it’s better looking and cheaper than iX, I would say the interior of the BMW is a notch nicer but the outside is no comparison!

[habitantedelatierra]

Absolutely love it. Great car Polestar

[AdhirSingh_SA_]

I may be speaking to early but there is no 'hate this new Top Gear' and 'old Top Gear was better' comments so far. That is refreshing.

Tom is a good presenter and I personally enjoy his reviews. Top Gear YouTube is a different approach to motoring journalism, its factual, and less of the entertainment shenanigans that the 3 musketeers did.

I loved the era of Top Gear with the 3 musketeers, but this era of YouTube Top Gear is just as enjoyable in my opinion, albeit for different reasons.

[jayseb]

Great presentation - relaxed with a touch of poshness - much better than other channels trying to cram too much too fast.

[sg]

They are not spoilers. A spoiler has air flowing only on one side. When air flows on both sides, then it is a wing. So there you have it. They are wings 😊

[noahwou]

I see no reason to buy a beaver nose iX over this

[lbnewell]

Best looking EV on the market hands down

[Akram]

That dance inside the car threw me back to your Fifth Gear review of the C30 .

[SmartMart]

Polestar has a great line up of vehicles now and for the future. Great design. Great looking vehicles.

[The.JZA.]

I wish car companies would state the 80-120km/h or 100-140km/h because this is important when passing. 0-100km/h stats are useful to compare models but not entirely useful in the real world. Also for example a FWD car might have a slower 0-100 time because it struggles for traction off the line but it might have plenty of roll on acceleration so it's not really representative of how the car will feel when driving.

[bobbituka]

Have leased the PS3 Launch Edition. Amazing handling and quality build. Comfort and luxury top notch. 0-60 can be had at 3.8 according to Car and Driver and Redline. The Bowers and Wilkins audio system is next level.

[idklol]

cant wait for the version with the advanced lidar and made in the USA. That is what I want to get! Tesla can keep their trash!

[urbanstrencan]

Tom another awesome video, you are the best. Polestar is really great at making beautiful EVs and tech is just at the top, can't wait for Polestar 4 or even more for Polestar 2 on dedicated EV platform 😊❤❤❤

[windowman]

For this guy to say when it’s set to firm steering that it’s still super light is crazy. I have driven the polestar 3, and I’m going again tomorrow to drive it

[Mr]

Looking to replace my 2014 Range Rover autobiography, really want to go Electric. So far this would be my preferred option, far more class and style than the German options & Probably far cheaper than the Range Rover when it finally arrives.

[HGX]

Coolest SUV out atm. Looks amazing and seems to drive amazing too.

[lalen]

The hump in the back weelarchers is as usual from the VOLVO 121, 140/145, 240/245 and so on....
They always have the shelves at the back. A signum its a Volvo.

[CoxJul]

Looking at the interior pictures of the XC90 on the Volvo website I'm seeing a lot of common components* - which is NOT a bad thing. (* Wheel & buttons. linear air vent across the dash, central B&W speaker, portrait screen etc.) When I win the lottery I would prefer this overall look & setup (5 vs 7 seats),