NEW Polestar 4 review – no rear window, no problem? | What Car?

In this new Polestar 4 review we look at whether this new EV can take on the Porsche Macan.

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[MrDAVIDATKIN]

Anyone who has driven a small van, large, van, or truck will have no problem with the mirror as we're use to using just side mirrors. The digital mirror is a bonus then, most rear windscreen these days are tiny anyway. I suppose for people who rely on the rear view mirror you might struggle. My wife would hate it for sure but for me as a truck driver this is not a bad idea.

[Kurre.]

I’ve seen a bunch of these here in Sweden and even when it’s snowing like crazy, the camera is clear of any blockage. I understand if people don’t like the camera mirror integration but the camera works flawlessly for what it is!

[miekieko]

Great review, plenty of relevant info, straight to the point and no irritating sensationalism, well done. Test drove this car but quickly realised it was way to wide and long for me. The central console area as in the polestar 2 was unecessarily dominant and since I use verifocal glasses I found the rear view mirror very frustrating. However the material quality and use was excellent but in my opinion it catered more to the rear passengers than the front. Rear floor still too high though but reclining seats and massive leg room make up.

[GrooveTasticThang]

The whole point of the ‘no rear window’ design was to move the bulkhead rear wards to improve backseat head room with the couple roof line- so did that workout??…..yes.

[petehampson]

I did a test drive of one this morning. Weirdest thing about it is that your eyes have to re-focus to see the rear view mirror. When you use a real mirror, you retain the same distance focus. Could be an issue if you’re even more long sighted than me.

I’m really frustrated by so many manufacturers putting everything on touch screens now. And I love tech. I just want physical buttons for key functions. Not only is it a usability issue but also a safety issue when some things are three menus deep. If you could do more with the ‘ok google’ voice activation it would be good, but that certainly wasn’t that case for turning off the massage function(!) that the dealer sent me off with.

[davidho]

I guess some people just don't learn from VAGs mistakes. Those haptic feedback buttons on the steering wheel were absolute dogshit.

[TheDannemann]

Few people mention the positive thing with the lack of the rear view window and that is the possibility to use all of the height in the boot space without blocking the rear view. For someone that often uses the boot space it would be such a good feature to be able to load it full and put your stuff in there and don’t have to worry!

[timonzhao]

Got a rental polestar4 a few months ago in Shanghai, had no problem on getting used to those new techs and loved the interior, the quiet and composed ride and the responsive driving.

[brianpedersen]

As everyone else, I use the backup camera when reversing. Sometimes the side mirrors, when the reverse camera does not cover the whole area.

[JustinTan-yx]

I am driving a polestar 4. I do not have any problem with the HD rear camera without a rear window. It’s very easy to use and very clear. I got used to it after few drives. The infotainment is the best I have used, definitely better than Tesla. The only function I do not like is the line keeping function which I have to turn off every time I get into the car (that’s the reason why I always put it over the shortcuts display) hope polestar can let us deactivate the line keeping function entirely without having us to do that in every single drive. That’s the most annoying part about this car. Otherwise, this car is the best car I have driven before, better than Mercedes and Porsche !

[jerryjohn]

Hey, I want to start investing but don't know where to begin. Any advice or contacts for help?

[cvayta]

Everybody in the comments complaining about some virtual buttons, meanwhile Tesla: Let’s select gears with the central touchscreen!

[poulpedersen]

On the rear mirror I have to disagree with you. I've had mine for 3 months now and my visibility behind is miles ahead of any window based car I've had.. Always a top clear view, no blind angles etc. It's fantastic. The steering wheel can be adjusted directly on the wheel, with the 3-lines button.

[AnchonCat]

Engineering a problem that wasn't a problem in the first place. The trend of new cars nowadays!

[jessh]

Since rear cameras (and now 360 cameras) became a thing, who is still using their rear view mirror to judge rear distance while reversing? You literally have a bumper mounted HD camera with guidelines and sonic sensors telling you exactly how much room you have left... What a dumb point.

[WolfgangAzevedo]

I don't agree about the rearview mirror camera, I only use it on my QX60 and it works pretty well by the

[jal]

Usually agree with Doug's reviews but the criticism of the rear view mirror camera seems unreasonable. Ever since I've had cars with backup cameras and especially 360 surround view the rear view mirror is redundant for parking. Obviously when driving it's important and he says that works great so why the grumbling? Maybe just to get comments here so in that regard I guess its worked..

[JR-ttpg]

Good review overall and agree that the lack of a real mirror and rear window is at least a bit beguiling. Personally, I'd feel much more comfortable with a mirror and window - but there's a trend recently to want to centralize as much as possible in the in-car consoles.

Somewhat surprised the interviewer didnt mention Zeekr 001, which I think is also produced by Geely, and both P4 and it share quite similar styling and features.

[phonqueNL]

I'm the fortunate owner of a Polestar 4 and I must say that I don't agree with some of the critical comments of the presenter.

For one, I love the rear view camera. It provides a much clearer image at night and during bad weather (as he pointed out himself), but the camera also adapts to your situation. It changes the angle slightly, showing more at the right of the car when I turn on my lights, for example. This allows for much better views than I would ever get in a regular mirror only setup.

The screen has the ability to add favorites to your screen, which makes on-screen navigation much easier. And yes, some settings are a few clicks away, but the software is the second best in the market (after Tesla) and way way better than any of the other premium brands offer, like BMW or even Volkswagen, that have software taking me back to the 90's.

The driving itself is very luxurious and the actual range sticks to its theoretical promise (taking into account weather and driving conditions).

Overall: best car I've ever had.

[deanfell]

You get used to virtual rear view mirrors very quickly, I had a LR defender with virtual mirror and was brilliant always clear and bright, I’ve just changed to a BMW X7 and back to a standard mirror and all I can see is a collection of headrests and not much else, bring back my virtual mirror 😢