Polestar 3 is the name of the manufacturer’s first ever SUV, a very sporty looking high rider with performance to match the aggressive design. With a swept-back greenhouse, dramatic fastback rear end and wide stance, the Polestar 3 is easily one of the most dramatic looking vehicles to ever wear a Polestar badge.
Its front fascia retains the now familiar trademark origami-inspired LED daytime running lights, but the overall design does distance itself somewhat from other Polestar models. It looks more muscular and rounded, embodying “a new aerodynamic profile” which also features a wing integrated into the front of the hood, as well as a rear roof-mounted spoiler.
The front aerodynamic element actually takes in air through an intake that runs the width of the grille and allows it to exit over the hood and then over the vehicle where air meets the rear spoiler. Overall, it’s quite a tasteful take on the coupe-like SUV genre, and Polestar says it has performance to match its aggressive looks.
The base dual-motor all-wheel drive variant expected to start at $83,900 will have 489 horsepower and 620 lb-ft (840 Nm), allowing it to accelerate to 60 mph (96 km/h) in 4.9 seconds. Polestar will also offer a $6,000 Performance Pack that will boost the two motors’ combined output to 517 horsepower and 671 lb-ft (910 Nm), which drops the time needed to sprint to 60 mph to 4.6 seconds; both versions have a limited top speed of 130 mph (209 km/h).
For the dual-motor model, the estimated range is around 300 miles and for the Performance it will drop to around 270 miles.
Both will also feature the same 111 kWh battery pack with 107 kWh usable capacity made up of 203 prismatic cells from CATL grouped into 17 modules all encased in aluminum with boron steel reinforcement for extra strength. The cells have a nickel-manganese-cobalt chemistry and peak pack voltage is 400 volts.
Gallery: 2023 Polestar 3
The Polestar 3 will come with an 11 kW on-board charger, which will bring the vehicle from completely flat to full in 11 hours. Using a DC fast charger, it will juice at up to 250 kW, requiring just 30 minutes to get from 10 to 80 percent state of charge.
Polestar says it has a drag coefficient of just 0.29 Cd, very good for a taller vehicle, although not quite as good as a Tesla Model X with its 0.25 Cd. In its lightest configuration, it weighs 5,696 lbs (2,583 kg), but it can weigh up to 5,886 lbs (2,669 kg), according to the manufacturer.
The vehicle promises to deliver on the tech side with interior interfaces powered by a next generation of Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon graphics chip, known for its performance in mobile devices. Its infotainment is actually built around Android Automotive OS and is displayed on a 14.5-inch central display that the manufacturer says offers an immersive experience.
Being related to Volvo, Polestar wants to emphasize how many safety devices it has equipped its 3 with. There are five exterior radar modules and five cameras, as well as twelve ultrasonic sensors and these are complimented by two more cameras for the inside, as well as an interior radar designed to prevent hot car deaths.
It also marks a premiere for the manufacturer - it will be the first model to be manufactured in two different locations on two continents. Not only is the Polestar 3 going to roll out of the Polestar factory in Chengdu, China, but also from Volvo’s Ridgeville, South Carolina plant starting in mid-2024.
The US factory won’t just supply vehicles for the local market, and the vehicles built here will be exported elsewhere too, although Polestar hasn’t revealed the specifics yet. Production will first begin in Chengdu around the middle of 2023 and first deliveries are expected to begin in the final quarter of the year.
