2023 Polestar 3 Electric SUV Debuts with Groundbreaking Tech, Fabulous Style
The Polestar 3 has up to 517 horsepower, a 300-mile range and lidar tech from Luminar.
After more than a year of teasing, the wraps have finally been taken off the Polestar 3, a fully electric SUV that is aimed squarely at the Porsche Cayenne . While it's based on the same SPA 2 platform as Volvo's upcoming EX90 (with which it also shares much of its impressive technology), the 3 is the first Polestar model to be developed for the brand from the start. To that end it's also the first production Polestar to wear the brand's unique design language that first debuted on the Precept concept, which will go on sale as the Polestar 5 in 2024.
At 192.9 inches long and 64 inches tall, the Polestar 3 is slightly shorter and lower than a Porsche Cayenne, and its 117.5-inch wheelbase is 3.5 inches longer than the Cayenne's. Aerodynamics were a big focus when it comes to the Polestar 3's design, resulting in fairly slippery drag coefficient of 0.29. There's up to 8.3 inches of ground clearance, only an inch less than a Mercedes-AMG G63, and the 3's athletic stance is helped by the flared rear haunches and standard staggered-width 21-inch wheels; 22s are optional.
Its face is similar to the 5's, with Y-shaped headlights and Polestar's soon-to-be-signature heated SmartZone panel that contains various sensors and cameras and gives the appearance of a grille. The angular hood has an aero wing that starts just above the SmartZone and is echoed by the rear spoiler, and the black window surround trim flows neatly into the outline of the taillights at the D-pillar. Black trim on the wheel arches and sculpted lower body helps hide some of the visual heft, and clean surfaces keep the 3 from being too fussy. Overall, I think the Polestar 3 is easily one of the best looking SUVs out there.
Those rear haunches are fantastic.
The interior is clean and simple too, with a continuous air vent strip running across the dashboard and a large trim piece sitting below it. A vertically oriented 14.5-inch touchscreen and a slim, horizontal 9-inch gauge cluster display are freestanding off the dash, and the new steering wheel has controls that appear hidden. Aside from a physical volume knob on the floating center console, the window switches on the door panels and the steering column stalks for the wipers and gear selection, there are no other physical controls on the interior.
Strictly available with two rows of seats, the Polestar 3 has a three-across rear bench and a total of four cupholders. MicroTech suede upholstery made from pine oil recycled polyester comes standard, and the 3 is also available with fully traceable wool or real leather that has been animal welfare-certified. The seats themselves look supremely comfortable, and the backrest gives a bit of info about the materials used. The leather is seemingly the only way to get ventilated and massaging seats, but no matter the chosen upholstery, the headrests have integrated speakers. Interior trims include repurposed aluminum or real black ash wood.
The Polestar 3 has a 111-kilowatt-hour battery pack, of which 107 kWh is actually usable. It eschews the 800-volt tech used by some of its competition -- the upcoming Polestar 5 will be the first Polestar to have an 800-volt architecture -- but the Polestar 3 can still accept charging speeds of up to 250 kW. Connected to a 250-kW charger the Polestar 3 can go from 10% to 80% charge in 30 minutes, while plugged into an 11-kW home charger it can be fully replenished from 0% in 11 hours. Bi-directional charging will be included, allowing the Polestar 3 to power appliances and other vehicles, or even send power back to the grid. The Polestar 3 also comes standard with a mechanical heat pump that will make preconditioning and climate control more efficient in winter.
The interior features sustainable materials.
For now the Polestar 3 comes with just one powertrain setup that puts an electric motor at each axle. As standard it makes 489 horsepower and 620 pound-feet of torque, good enough to send the Polestar 3 from 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds. Spec the $6,000 Performance Pack and output is upped to 517 hp and 671 lb-ft, cutting the 0-60 time by 0.3 seconds. Both versions have an electronic torque-vectoring dual clutch at the rear motor, air suspension with adaptive dampers, four-piston Brembo front brakes, multiple drive modes and one-pedal drive capability. At its lightest the 3 weighs 5,696 pounds, and it has a perfect 50:50 weight distribution. Polestar estimates the standard model will have an EPA range of 300 miles, while the Performance Pack will have a 270-mile range, and the rear motor can be disconnected to conserve energy while driving. Polestar says the 3 is able to tow up to 3,500 pounds.
The brain of the Polestar 3 will be Nvidia's Drive computer, using software shared with Volvo to process the extensive amount of data coming from the car's sensors and systems. The cabin tech is powered by Qualcomm's next-gen Snapdragon Cockpit Platform, which it says uses open and scalable cloud connections to render the Polestar 3's display graphics, sound system and connectivity features. The 3 has a new version of Polestar's Android Automotive OS-based infotainment system, utilizing over-the-air updates and the Google Play Store.
A panoramic sunroof, a hands-free electronic liftgate, rain-sensing wipers, automatic three-zone climate control, heated front seats and phone-as-key connectivity all come as standard. Like with the Polestar 2, the first model year of the Polestar 3 will come with two packages that will be made optional later on. The Plus Pack adds a 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system with Dolby Atmos 3D surround sound, a fancier air filtration system, diamond-cut 21-inch wheels, a powered steering column, soft-close doors, an infrared windshield, and heating for the steering wheel, rear seats and windshield wiper blades. The Pilot Pack includes a head-up display, parking assist and Volvo's Pilot Assist, which provides steering assist for the adaptive cruise control at up to 80 mph. In addition to the extra power, the Performance Pack also includes 22-inch wheels, sportier chassis tuning, Swedish Gold accents inside and out, and a range-optimization drive mode.
It will be available with lidar sensors from Luminar.
As you'd expect with Volvo as the parent company and tech partner, the Polestar 3's most impressive tech features are all about safety. In addition to five exterior cameras, standard on every Polestar 3 are five radar arrays and 12 ultrasonic sensors. A pair of closed-loop eye-tracking cameras from Smart Eye watch for the driver getting distracted or sleepy, and can activate warning sounds and even bring the car to an emergency stop. There are also interior radar sensors that detect minuscule movements to prevent leaving a child or pet inside the car; they're also linked to the climate control system, which can be activated to combat heatstroke or hypothermia.
Every Polestar 3 comes with adaptive cruise control, active high beams, forward automatic emergency braking with steering assist and cyclist and pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, front and rear cross-traffic alert with automatic braking, lane-keeping assist with steering assist, run-off mitigation, a 360-degree camera system, parking sensors and road sign recognition.
Available to order starting in the second quarter of 2023 will be an enhanced Pilot Pack that uses lidar from Luminar, adding a second Nvidia control unit, three more cameras, four ultrasonic sensors and cleaners for the front and rear cameras. This setup will allow for full, real-time 3D scanning of the environment to better prepare the Polestar 3 for autonomous driving, though the brand has yet to detail exactly what sort of features will become available.
The Polestar 3 will start at $85,300, including a $1,400 destination charge, putting it right in line with the $85,095 BMW iX and the $92,350 Porsche Cayenne S. Order books are open now through Polestar's website. Initially the Polestar 3 will be built at the brand's factory in Chengdu, China, starting in mid-2023, with first deliveries to come in the fourth quarter of the year. But in the middle of 2024 production will also start at Volvo's plant in Ridgeville, South Carolina, which will then produce all of the Polestar 3s bound for the US and some other markets. Following the 3 will be the Polestar 4, a smaller crossover that will be revealed in 2023, with the Polestar 5 sedan going on sale in 2024 and the Polestar 6 convertible hitting the roads in 2026.
