After a long gestation period, the 2025 Polestar 3 is finally here.
Just to recap, Polestar started as an independent Swedish tuning firm that made Volvos go faster and was absorbed by Volvo in 2017 before being spun into a standalone marque producing premium electric vehicles (EVs) that trade on chic style, engaging driver dynamics, and upscale sustainability. All three also happen to describe this crossover to perfection.
Polestar’s First Crossover
This little crossover follows the Polestar 2 sedan, the Polestar 3 will go up against EV players like the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV, Audi Q6 E-Tron, BMW iX, and Cadillac Lyric. Ah, but this upstart Swede marches so resolutely to the beat of its own Nordic drummer, I couldn’t directly compare the Polestar 3 to any of those — and that’s exactly how Polestar wants it.
The Polestar 3 shares its electric platform with the three-row Volvo EX90, although there’s only seating for four (or five) here. Its wheelbase is the same as the Volvo, but the Polestar 3’s shorter overhangs and lower roofline give it a sleeker, sportier profile.
Avante-Garde Minimalism
The Polestar 3 certainly is a treat for the eyes. Its svelte shape is gracefully balanced and sports delightful details like the protruding rear LED light bar, dual-blade headlights, upswept beltline, and front aero wing that directs air over the hood. All the testers shown here were riding on 22-inch forged alloys with Pirelli P Zero summer tires, which are standard with the Performance package.
The Polestar 3 launches (quite literally) with dual permanent magnet synchronous motors with a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system that uses a disconnecting torque-vectoring clutch in the back. That means it will power the outside wheel during cornering, and under more relaxed situations it can decouple the rear wheels for improved efficiency.
The standard version makes 489 hp and 620 lb-ft of torque, while the Performance pack pushes those figures to 517 hp and 671 lb-ft of torque. Dual-chamber air suspension and adaptive dampers are standard, as are Brembo brakes; they employ four pistons in the front and one in the back.
Fast and Lithe
It doesn’t take long behind the wheel to discover this EV is much more than the sum of its impressive hardware. It all comes together in a harmonic, dynamic whole that impresses as much with its startling pace and body control as it does with its natural steering feel and surprising ride compliance — even with the 22-inch wheels.
Granted, the roads through the wilds of Wyoming were mostly smooth, yet what rough patches we did encounter were heard more than felt. It’s a brilliant suspension tune that will make both driver and passenger happy.
Vegan and Digital Interior
The Polestar 3’s interior is chic, elegant, beautifully constructed, and trimmed in vegan upholstery. Available are welfare-traced wool and welfare-secured Nappa leather, the latter adding massage, ventilation, and open pore ash trim to the interior.
The front seats are fabulously supportive and comfortable, as one would expect from anything related to Volvo. Standard is a panoramic sunroof that offers an airy feel. Rear leg- and headroom are both generous. Cargo capacity behind the second row measures 597 L, and it expands to 1,411 L (including the nifty 90-L underfloor compartment). There’s also a 32-L frunk.
Ahead of the driver is a slim nine-inch info display, and centre stage sits a portrait-oriented 14.5-inch touchscreen onto which just about every vehicle function is crammed. Thankfully, there’s a volume knob on the console, and the air vents are controlled physically.
Setting the mirrors and steering column require a lot of convoluted screen poking, and then using the steering wheel buttons for adjustment. To be fair, these are set-it-and-forget-it, and the system’s menu structure is logical, with large and easy to hit tiles. HVAC controls are no worse than most other non-physical interfaces, if you want to take that as a backhanded compliment.
Dynamic Delight
The only real misstep here is a lack of a physical switch that would instantly call up a preset dynamic drive experience, especially considering there are three settings for steering feel, suspension firmness, and a performance mode that delivers the electric juice faster. All of these have to be adjusted individually after — yes — an inordinate amount of screen poking.
I know what you’re thinking. Nobody does that anyway in a heavy electric crossover, because these things don’t really play along. Ah, but the Polestar 3 is different. On the road, the 3 with its 50/50 weight distribution and low centre of gravity, it feels considerably less than its posted weight of roughly 2,600 kg (5,732 lb), depending on trim, and it flows along the twisties with poetic grace. A couple of times when I saw a particularly sinuous section of road coming up on the startling clear Google Maps navigation, I wanted to ramp up the go-fast parameters with the push of a button while keeping my eyes safely on the road.
Plenty of Range
The Polestar 3 uses 400-volt architecture, and at 250-kW peak DC fas-tcharging capacity it will replenish from 10 to 80 per cent in 30 minutes. The 111-kWh battery pack (107-kWh net) provides as much as 506 km of range for the standard model; opt for the Performance pack and that drops to 449 km.
Final Thoughts
The 2025 Polestar 3 starts at $93,200, although it will initially be offered only as the $97,900 Launch Edition that nets the Plus pack and Pilot pack and their raft of luxury and convenience features like a truly magnificent 25-speaker audio system, soft-close doors, a head-up display, and semi-autonomous driving tech.
The Performance pack model crests the $100,000 mark, and along with the extra power it gets a more performance-tuned suspension and bespoke forged 20-inch wheels. My advice? Save the $7,000, unless you need to have the baddest Polestar 3, because the standard version is still alarmingly quick, handles like a dream, and goes down the road with calming, secure confidence.
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