The Polestar 3 is lovely, minimalistic and competition to Volvo EVs

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Most car companies own separate brands, usually to focus on different aspects of cost or driving. General Motors has Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac, while Ford uses Lincoln for added luxury. Volkswagen has Audi and Hyundai has Genesis. You get the idea. And then there’s Polestar, a Swedish sibling of Volvo, both owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group in China. But what does Polestar offer that Volvo doesn’t?

And more important, for a driver trying to choose between the recently released Volvo EX90 and the Polestar 3 – which are built on the same South Carolina assembly line, and which share platforms, battery technology, powertrains and prices around $100,000 – what’s the difference with these two new SUVs?

“It really comes down to the product offered. Which car do you like?” says Christian Samson, Polestar’s head of product identity. “There are many similarities, but there are also some unique characteristics. The design, the driving dynamics – there are lots of differences. It’s the driver focus and the attention to details that affect the sophisticated driving experience that makes the difference.”

Essentially, the EX90 is a three-row all-electric SUV that’s a little longer and taller, while the Polestar 3 is a sleeker two-row model that emphasizes potential performance. Think of the difference between the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and its sibling Kia EV6, but upgraded throughout and stripped back to Scandinavian minimalism, and you’re on the right track.

Polestar is considered to be Volvo’s performance division, but the Polestar 3 is not a hard-core performance vehicle. There’s a Polestar 4 coupe for that. The 3 is no slouch, with about 500 horsepower and acceleration from zero to 100 kilometres an hour in five seconds or less, but this is not a track star. It’s supposed to be a satisfying SUV to drive swiftly and well, and that means backing off from the edge.

“It quickly gives you confidence and you quickly get good at what you’re doing,” says Samson, who describes himself as a petrol-head. “The car responds in a very natural way. It’s very analog. It talks and resonates with someone who likes driving cars.”

What does that mean? It means the driver does not constantly fine-tune the chassis and the motor for individual response, as can be done with many cars that allow you to firm up the suspension or the steering or even the brakes with a single Sport setting. You might want that for the quick repetition of a predictable track, but on the often-changing highway, it can be better to seek a compromise that will suit the best of all worlds. It’s all part of minimalism and cutting back on sometimes bewildering choices, and that’s the Polestar philosophy.

Not that the Polestar 3 doesn’t give you plenty of options. You can set the steering feel, the firmness of the suspension, the response of the motor and other such features through the many large and clear digital buttons on the central touch screen, but they’re not so straightforward to change once driving. You can even set a widget button at the bottom of the screen to bring up your favourites. Once you start driving, though, Polestar wants you to forget about all the rest of it and just concentrate on the drive itself.

That may not be for you. You might like the five electronic drive modes of other makers or the buttons and switches everywhere. Or you may like the almost total absence of buttons and switches, dispensed with in the latest Teslas. The Polestar’s looking for the happy medium: a vehicle that’s still a car, but without the extra distractions.

“Words like authentic, honest, predictable, mechanical, analog – they’re what we associate with the [Polestar] experience,” says Samson. “We always want to be honest and tell the driver what’s happening.”

Tech specs

• Base price / as tested: $93,200 / $100,200, plus $2,700 for freight and predelivery inspection, plus fees and taxes
• Motor / battery: Dual 370-kilowatt motors / 400-volt, 111 kilowatt-hour
• Horsepower / torque (lb-ft): 489 / 620; with Performance pack, 517 / 671
• Drive: All-wheel drive
• Power consumption (NRCan ratings): 24.31 kilowatt-hours / 100 kilometres; with Performance pack, 27 kilowatt-hours / 100 kilometres
• Charging capacity: 250 kilowatts DC, 11 kilowatts AC
• Curb weight: 2,584 – 2,670 kilograms
• Range (EPA, claimed): 506 kilometres; with Performance pack, 449 kilometres
• Alternatives: Volvo EX90, Mercedes-Benz EQE, BMW iX, Cadillac Lyric, Tesla Model Y, Genesis GV70

Looks

Not so tall as the Volvo XC90, and about 12 centimetres shorter, but with the same wheelbase, the Polestar 3 looks sleeker all around. Its most distinctive feature is the front spoiler at the leading edge of the hood, which apparently improves airflow and helps create a drag co-efficient of 0.29. That’s not an impressive number compared with Teslas and Lucids, but this is an SUV, don’t forget.

There is still nothing on the outside that says Polestar except for the unfamiliar logo badges on the hood and trunk, and small stickers on the bottom of the front doors that some owners will peel off immediately. Be prepared for plenty of “What is that?” conversations in parking lots.

Interior

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Scandinavian minimalist to an extreme, the Polestar is even more stripped back than the Volvo. It’s actually a very restful, non-distracting approach. There’s a choice of vegan WeaveTech fabric or ventilated Nappa leather for the seats, and a remarkable amount of recycled and sustainably sourced materials throughout.

Most everything is controlled through the tall central touchscreen, which Polestar will tell you is similar to a smartphone or tablet, but which any Tesla owner will recognize instantly. It can take a few pokes at the screen to find the control you want to adjust, but the theory is that you’ll only make such adjustments occasionally. There are unsigned buttons on the steering wheel too, displayed on the shallow screen behind the wheel, just to keep such things discreet. The standard head-up display for the speed readout can be easily seen through polarized sunglasses.

There’s comfortable room in the back for up to three adults, despite the sloping roofline, thanks to the flat floor, with plenty of leg and head room all around.

Performance

I drove both the regular “long-range” dual-motor edition and the Performance pack edition, with its extra horsepower and torque. I didn’t notice any difference. Both were exceptionally smooth and quiet, and both had plenty of pickup at any speed. Handling was delightful, with the weight down low and the torque-vectoring air suspension keeping everything predictable, even on bumpy roads.

The Performance pack shaves a third of a second off the regular vehicle’s five-second acceleration, and the chassis and motor are tuned slightly differently. There are gold accents on the brake calipers and seat belts, and the standard tires are 22-inch Pirelli P-Zeros. All that costs an extra $7,000 and trims more than 50 kilometres off the potential range. Skip it and save your money, or invest in the fabulous 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system instead.

Technology

Don’t let the lack of buttons fool you – there’s no dearth of technology in the Polestar 3. It’s all pretty much the same as in the Volvo EX90, just tuned differently for more driver “feel.” The 14.5-inch control screen offers a plethora of built-in Google apps, but the truly clever stuff is hidden away. That would include the dual-clutch torque-vectoring, which activates the motor for the rear axle when needed, or leaves it on when Performance mode is selected. This is one reason why the range is lower for the Performance pack, because both motors are always on for the all-wheel drive.

Simplicity is still the rule, however. Want to turn on the active cruise control? Just press down on the gear-selection stalk attached to the steering column. Turn it off? Press down again – just like a Tesla. You can’t adjust the distance to the vehicle in front, though this may come later with an over-the-air update. Or not.

The Polestar 3′s real-world range didn’t vary from its claimed range, but the temperature was a balmy 24 degrees Celsius and the mountain drive had as many regenerative downhills as it had energy-sapping uphills. A Level 3 fast charger will recharge at up to 250 kilowatts and, if the temperature is still balmy, will fuel up the car from 10 to 80 per cent in a claimed 30 minutes.

Cargo

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There’s 484 litres of space on the flat floor behind the second row, but an additional 113 litres of hidden space beneath that floor. You can just remove the floor if you need to boost the available room. Fold down the second row of seats and the space bumps up to 1,411 litres – that’s 500 litres less than the taller Volvo. There’s also a handy 32 litres of front trunk (frunk) space under the hood, for the charging cables and a few small items.

The verdict

The Polestar 3 is a lovely car. It does everything well and without fuss, and I didn’t feel a moment’s frustration with any of its features – or lack of features – during my day with it on the road. That’s worth noting because it’s an unusual attribute. It’s expensive, but the Volvo is even more expensive, and if you’re in the market for a premium all-electric SUV, you should look at both.

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The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.

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