Polestar 4 SUV Tested: Cheaper, Roomier, and Better Than BMW?

We put the Polestar 4 SUV through its paces to see how it handles compared to the competition, including BMW. The range includes the Rear Motor and Dual Motor variants.

The Rear Motor features a passive suspension setup that is softer overall, lacking a bit of vertical body control over crests or dips at pace, yet it maintains remarkable composure in bends and feels keener on the nose than the heavier Dual Motor.

It also allows a few degrees of freedom to exploit its rear-wheel drive before the stability control steps in.

The Dual Motor delivers excellent body control and feels even more athletic than the 4 Coupé, though the Rear Motor isn’t that quick and the stability control cannot be fully turned off.

For those seeking maximum agility, the optional Performance Pack is available exclusively on the Dual Motor.

It swaps out the springs, dampers, and anti-roll bars for a new SUV-specific setup, offsetting the 30kg of extra weight over the rear and delivering a more sporting feel than the equivalent 4 Coupé.

Even when compared directly against the most driver-focused BMW iX3, the Polestar 4 SUV feels more naturally athletic.

It turns in eagerly and provides enormous four-wheel-drive traction, while the chassis allows for mid-corner rotation thanks to the rear axle’s torque vectoring.

Importantly, this sharp handling does not ruin the ride quality; even in the chassis’s Nimble mode, the suspension remains forgiving and easily handles bumps and undulations.