2024 Polestar 4 评测
There's a lot to love about the Polestar 3. Does 544 horsepower and no rear windshield make a sleeker 4 any better?
It's been a busy year for Polestar. The Swedish automaker first introduced a rear-wheel drive option on its 2 sedans, and after an 18-month wait, it has finally started producing the new 3 models. This is crucial because while the 2 models have helped the company compete with the likes of the Tesla Model 3, it is the entry into the lucrative SUV market with 3 models that is what has made the EV maker soar. This is followed by this more coupe-style 4 models, which Polestar hopes will appeal to more lifestyle-conscious crossover buyers. Two big markets, two very important cars.
The 3 has the traditional high-seat passenger car styling, while the Polestar 4 is more stylish. It's still an SUV, measuring 4,839 mm long, 2,139 mm wide, and 1,544 mm high, which is slightly longer and slightly wider than the Porsche Macan EV, but very similar to the 3, and Polestar has gone to great lengths to disguise its massive size. There is little extra bodywork above the arches, especially at the front, and the front end seems to be lower than most crossovers. But it's hard not to focus on the rear end and the design without the rear window, which makes its sloping roofline possible.
Automakers have long been gradually shrinking the roof of SUVs, often at the expense of headroom, a smaller rear window, or both. By removing the rear window, Polestar was able to do away with the stiffeners that normally match it, freeing up more headroom for passengers who weren't quick enough to react. This creates a unique environment at the rear, where only daylight from the side windows and ambient light behind the seats illuminates the rear compartment. As a passenger, you almost feel like you're sitting in a limousine, especially with the 2,999mm wheelbase giving you plenty of legroom. For the driver, the rearview mirror is a digital display that transmits a real-time view of the rear camera. It does take some getting used to, especially since it's mounted close to your face. But once your eyes get used to it, it will feel fairly natural.
Like the rear, the front of the cabin feels particularly luxurious. This is undoubtedly the most luxurious cabin ever built by Polestar, with almost all visible surfaces covered in leather, with no obvious gloss black decorative elements to hide fingerprints. Well, except for that huge 15.4-inch landscape tablet. Thankfully, the display is so vibrant that you'll hardly notice any surface smudges. Again, this is a big step up from the 3's portrait screen, especially when it comes to usability, with a customizable home screen that allows you to put the most frequently used apps front and center. You'll still need to go into the menu to change the chassis and drive settings, but you no longer have to navigate through multiple pages to get there. Browsing the planets in the solar system in the ambient lighting page is a visual treat (a nod to the guy who came up with flying the Polestar 6 Easter egg), and although the steering wheel buttons all come with joystick haptic feedback, the addition on the 4 is a welcome choice compared to the blurry controls found on other Polestar models.
There has been a bigger change at the bottom. It's not just a lower-spec version of the Polestar 3, it's built with a completely different architecture than the Volvo EX90-based SUV. For the 4, Polestar opted to use parent company Geely's SEA platform (as seen on the Zeekr 001 and Volvo EM90 MPVs), although it had its own shock setup, and on the performance variant, four-piston Brembo brakes with gold calipers. There are two motor options to choose from: a rear-mounted single motor with 272 horsepower; Twin motors, with another 272-horsepower unit up front, for a total of 544 horsepower, making it the most powerful production Polestar to date. The 0-62 mph acceleration time is 3.8 seconds, which makes the dual-motor car a little over 3 seconds faster than the single-motor car, although the latter can squeeze 385 miles out of a 94kWh (usable) battery – although that's only 18 miles more than the top-of-the-line model can achieve under WLTP.
Full disclosure: This isn't the first time the PH has taken the 4 for a test drive. A few weeks ago we had 4 and 3 consecutive test drives in Madrid. It didn't go well that time. Even with a slight press on the accelerator, the car will jerk forward; Similarly, just hitting the brakes will make your head shake and your chest will be clinging to your seat belt. In addition to the sportiest setup, the steering is also very sensitive, which makes the 4 frustratedly bumpy (to say the least), which is the polar opposite of the Polestar 3, which of course doesn't experience any of these issues. Polestar was quick to admit the problem, according to which all test cars had a software glitch that the latest Over The Air update didn't fix. After sensing a less positive response to the problem, the company corrected the fault and sent a pair of 4s (single and twin engines) airlifted to Bicester Heritage headquarters so that we could enforce the initial ban again.
The difference is obvious. Now step on the throttle and get the expected throttling even when the dual motors are on the most powerful setting. This is definitely what you want, as this is clearly Polestar's most powerful car yet, with straight-line speed and traction to match. Plus, despite the dual-motor's fast start, it's capable of sprinting to the horizon without unleashing 544 horsepower and 506 pound-feet of torque all at once. Instead, the transfer of power and torque feels gradual, and it's much easier to step on the throttle when cornering than many other high-performance electric vehicles.
Note that the Polestar 4 is not particularly suited for the practical task of cornering. At 2,355 kg, it's not lightweight, although it's far from the heaviest electric SUV on the market. The Polestar 3 weighs a few hundred kilograms, and while its air suspension does an excellent job of stabilizing the bodywork, the adaptive shock absorbers on the Polestar 4 cannot. Even with the sturdiest settings of the suspension, you can always feel its mass working against you, as considerable body roll can occur as you quickly enter long, steep corners. This is also evident when you're standing still, with the body rocking comically from side to side every time a car passes by.
You might think it's soft, but it's exceptionally sturdy. Regardless of road conditions or shock absorber settings, the Polestar 4 magnifies the smallest imperfections into vibrations that constantly reverberate through the cabin. It may seem unbelievable that a 2.3-ton SUV would suffer from chassis bending, but the corners of the car do seem to contradict each other, and it shuddering easily in the face of the bumpy roads of the UK. One of Polestar's top brass told me that they were considering using a different spring for the launch of the car, so we'll have to wait and see what the news will bring.
Luckily, passively dampened single-motor cars have a better ride experience. It's hectic at all speeds and still has some amount of jitter, but it works out better than the dual-motor car's. Obviously, you can't get the same impressive performance at half the power, and although electric cars usually take a few more seconds to reach 62 mph, it's fast enough. What's more, the dual motors tend to shake under hard acceleration when cornering sharply, as if the front and rear axles aren't exactly in sync with each other, which is naturally not a problem on single-motor cars. The £7,000 discount (£59,990 for a single motor and £66,990 for a dual motor) means it's easy to choose between the two.
This confirms that the Polestar 4 is a two-part car. On the one hand, the interior technology is sophisticated and intuitive, and the cabin quality has taken an important step, allowing rear passengers to enjoy a huge amount of space. But the downside of the Polestar 4 is that the chassis is disjointed, and the rolling optimisation is noticeably lacking. The company wanted its high-end image to be synonymous with performance – a trait that was already more or less achieved in the Polestar 2 and 3 – which begs the question of whether the new architecture would be up to the task. The fact that the upcoming Polestar 5 and 6 will be built on a dedicated aluminium platform designed in-house by Polestar probably says it all. In any case, let's hope that the Polestar 4 is just a minor obstacle and not a harbinger of the future.
规格 | POLESTAR 4 双电机长续航版
Engine: 400V lithium-ion battery with usable capacity of 94kWh
Gearbox: 2 permanent magnet synchronous motors
Power (hp): 544
Torque (pound-feet): 506
0-62mph： 3.8 秒
Top speed: 124mph
Weight: 2,355kg
MPG: 367 mph, efficiency 2.9 mph
CO2: 0g/km
Price: £66,990 (plus £4,000 Performance Pack)
规格 | POLESTAR 4 单电机长续航版
Engine: 400V lithium-ion battery with usable capacity of 94kWh
Gearbox: Single permanent magnet synchronous motor
Power (hp): 272
Torque (pound-ft): 253
0-62mph： 7.1 秒
Top speed: 124mph
Weight: 2,230kg
MPG: 385 mph, efficiency 3.4 mph
CO2: 0g/km
Price: £59,990