New Polestar 4 SUV will combine estate-car practicality with 536bhp brute force

The new Polestar 4 SUV will launch on 2 September, offering “an added layer of flexibility and practicality” over the original coupe model, plus up to 536bhp.

The less sleek but more practical estate-cum-SUV bodystyle will allow the new Polestar 4 SUV to tap into the world’s love of Swedish load-luggers and provide “versatile storage capabilities for every journey”, yet still boast around 391 miles of range, according to the company.

Polestar has confirmed there will be a choice of rear and four-wheel-drive variants, and that the new Tesla Model Y and BMW iX3 rival will feature the same chassis refinements that the coupe received recently. 

These changes include new dampers, revised spring and anti-roll bar settings, and (supposedly) improved steering calibration. The company claims the tweaks create a more controlled ride in all driving conditions, and improve the car’s agility and comfort. 

However, the big change with the forthcoming SUV is it has a rear windscreen – in contrast to the 4 Coupe, as it’s now known, which made headlines when it was revealed in 2023 because it ditched the traditional rear glass. Polestar says taking out the window creates a bigger and more versatile rear space, and drivers could still see behind them with the help of a camera system. But with this new variant, the designers appear to have adopted a more conventional style. 

Polestar won’t commit to calling its new model an estate, with the brand’s CEO, Michael Lohschellar, telling a select media gathering, including Auto Express, at its Gothenburg headquarters: “We can actively debate whether the car is an estate, an SUV or both.” That makes it sound like an Audi Allroad, Volvo Cross Country or Subaru Outback – all estate cars with raised ride heights and chunky, SUV-style design elements.

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Polestar’s best-seller  

The new Polestar 4 SUV is designed to build on the success of the 4 Coupe, which has quickly become the brand’s biggest seller worldwide. 

“Once you have a winning model, it's always good to use that as a basis, rather than coming with something completely new,” Lohschellar said. “And then when we looked, we saw that some people want to have a bit more functionality and practicality, some people have dogs for example, and the new derivative is really more practical.

“It’s not for everybody” he continued, “because some people love this rear end without the window, but now we have two variants of our best selling model.”

Lohschellar wouldn’t be drawn on pricing for the new version, and whether it will carry a price premium over the Coupe’s £56,750 or £63,750 for the Single and Dual motor models, respectively. However, right now you can save up to £6,5000 on both versions of the Polestar 4 Coupe, by ordering through the Auto Express Buy A Car service. 

He was also non-committal on which Polestar 4 variant will prove more popular. “We can debate it, but we think this [new model] might do better, because a lot of people look for functionality. But at the end of the day the customer will decide.” 

The new Polestar 4 SUV will be built alongside the Coupe at the Busan factory in South Korea operated jointly by Renault and Polestar’s parent company, Geely.

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