Polestar 3 | A range in the making

As if it were best to start from a blank page to change era, the electric transition gives birth to new brands. Like the Lucid, Rivian, Tesla, Vinfast and other brands, Polestar is exclusively dedicated to the sale of electric vehicles and has (finally) a range called to grow quickly.

Originally, Polestar designated the sports versions of Volvo. Change of orientation: become a brand in its own right in 2017, Polestar feels growing wings. This signature created from scratch seeks to integrate the closed circle of prestigious brands to which Volvo has never really had access.

Apart from the exclusive and ephemeral Polestar 1, the Sino-Swedish brand had so far only one model in its catalog: the 2. A compact sedan rather pleasant to live and drive. With the 3, a more massive (and more expensive) SUV, Polestar goes up a gear. The arrival of this model confirms the desire to install Polestar as a rather posh brand. Besides, the 3 – and the 4 following in stride (see our boxes) – is very well in rival at Porsche Macan electric in particular.

Unlike the Polestar 2 whose assembly remains in China, the 3 that Polestar destined us comes from the United States (South Carolina). He therefore escapes the customs duties imposed in particular by Canada on imports of cars produced in China.

Common roots

The Polestar 3 therefore arises south of our borders in the company of the ex90, an imposing electric SUV newly created by Volvo. These two vehicles have more than the joint assembly chain. Indeed, the two follow a similar architecture. Known under the name of code SPA2, this belt platform an imposing 111 kWh lithium-ion battery (107 kWh useful) which, under really optimal conditions, recharges in 30 minutes (from 10 % to 80 %). Natural Resources Canada indicates a range of 449 kilometers and an average consumption of 27.2 kWh/100 km.

Naturally, this data breaks the figure in winter conditions, but not as much as the results obtained by the Mini Countryman is tried in our pages last week. By applying the same energy driving and by soliciting the heating system in the event of a need to ensure comfort and visibility, the cold weather had a moderate impact on the performance of the Polestar 3. Our best consumption score was 28.9 kWh/100 km.

This performance would have without the shadow of a better doubt was even better if we had opted for the entry -level model with a single engine, which only causes the rear wheels. In this case, “our” Polestar 3 had two engines (therefore cog in four -wheel drive), but also the performance group offered for an additional $ 7,500 outpouring. This includes rather classic additions (no four-wheeled device, however) to improve the sporting temperament of this otherwise placid chassis.

Unlike a Porsche Macan EV, the Polestar 3 is not as twirling, even less so agile. A four-wheeled device would certainly have helped make this Sino-Swedish SUV more alert and easier to park. Its turning diameter is rather large. In addition, we would have liked a slightly better contained weight insofar as this Polestar is as heavy as an Chevrolet Suburban. Add to this list of complaints the impossibility of more finely configuring the recovery of energy to braking.

However, 3 has the advantage of offering a distribution of its much more balanced masses and a much lower center of gravity. Result: a vehicle of great stability. The steering offers a correct feeling and the suspension collects the shocks firmly, but without harming comfort, despite the presence of 2 -inch (asymmetrical) tires.

New habits

The new Polestar fully pushes the card of connectivity and infotainment, the new terrains on which the race for technology is played out. The 3 does not start with a key, but rather with a card that is placed on the console. This is only a peculiarity since this Polestar multiplies avant-garde digital equipment. A digital dashboard and a large tablet displaying GPS in Google Maps mode (here the Apple Carplay does not work, sorry) invite to navigate in the menus and submenus to adjust the mirrors, the steering column and what. It's too much. In the event of electronics' dysfunction, XXI evil^e century in the automotive industry, it is damn. We find ourselves on foot.

The presentation is minimalist, but well executed. The front armchairs are comfortable and the rear seats, as spacious as a limousine, invite travel. We find, at the front and at the rear, chests whose capacity is very reasonable for the category with the added bonus of an unusual modularity. The Polestar 3 advances without complexes in the niche of “cool luxury”, technological and refined. Alas for him, better established brands also know how to play this kind of score.