Louth Motoring: The Polestar 3 is 2.6 Tonnes of physics defying coolness that redefines Mminimalist luxury

Whoever said €73,590 is cheap? Well everything is relative and in the genre the Polestar 3 finds itself in its pricing can be called competitive - I’ll refrain from using the word cheap.

It’s an all-electric luxury SUV that competes with the Mercedes EQE SUV, Volvo EX90 and Audi Q8 e-tron. You could possibly add in the Tesla Model X which you can only get in LHD now here in Ireland but that would be too much of a compromise I fear.

The Volvo EX90 shares most of the mechanicals and is a very close cousin with the Volvo solely available with a 7-seat option.

But both are in the premium sector and it's not hard to see why. They are both exquisitely made and won't be found wanting by those who expect the very best in a car. The more you pay the quieter you expect and the Polestar 3 does not disappoint here.

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It has expected SUV looks and where the sloping roof meets the rising waistline area is its most distinctive aspect.

It has an unventilated look signalling an electric motor but looks like it would be perfectly at home housing a thumping 3.0l V6 petrol engine and where rears are concerned the back of the Polestar 3 manages to avoid similarity to anything else.

Performance is deliberately dialed down to deliver more range in the Polestar 3 and at 706 kms it has a huge advantage over its equivalent competitors.

With 800V battery technology onboard the 10% to 80% recharging time takes just 30 minutes but that gives you back 70% of its potential range or in real terms puts 494 kms back into the car.

Incidentally, it holds a world record for real world range in an SUV.

When the base model can do 0-100 km/h in 7.8 seconds how much more performance do you need and that’s for a car weighing 2.6 tonnes.

Rest assured, this car feels very sporty when required and I don't think owners will have any qualms.

The interior of the car takes the “remove as many switches and knobs as possible” mantra to the limit.

Bizarrely after this purge, Polestar then compensates by gifting you one of the biggest volume buttons between the front passengers, leaving me wondering if that is an important knob that every other car maker has overlooked in terms of importance.

I don't think so but I do think it is contradictory. Seats are epic and an expertise Polestar has that few exceed. All materials please and the sustainable and traceable credentials merge for what Polestar calls “minimalist luxury”.

My standout feature is the “vegan" leather seats made from a combination of renewable vinyl and recycled polyester textile which is comparable to and lighter than traditional leather.

Passengers in every seat have oodles of space and on a trip to Waterford with five up the person in the rear middle seat lamented how much of it they had - I rarely get that comment.

That's probably because the boot at 484 litres is the smallest of its competitors and for the size of the car I was expecting more but Polestar prioritised rear passenger space over luggage space and in this case I agree with them.

Space and sustainability are all well and good but moot if it feels like a big barge on the road. T

here are a lot of adjectives used when trying to describe the handling characteristics of a car. One that is carelessly used is agile but it is totally appropriate in the case of the Polestar 3.

This is remarkable considering its heft and a huge compliment to the Polestar engineers.

My test model sat on 22 inch wheels which are, and look, enormous. By way of comparison a standard Range Rover Vogue comes with 20 inch wheels and wheels that size usually compromise the handling but none of that has materialised here.

Steering commands to change direction are taken to the letter and the car goes exactly where it is aimed or pointed.

The car is synonymous with composure and all passengers get an unremarkable ride in that they are never jolted or bounced leading to any negative comment.

The car copes admirably with surface changes regardless of going straight or taking a corner.

I have a few quibbles that took the edge off the experience. The boot opening switch is just above the reg plate and is a magnet for road dirt and grime.

This can be obviated by using the app or fob but for those times you can't do that it’s a poorly sited bit of hardware. I had my parents away for that trip to Waterford and for a pair in their 90s getting in and out without grab handles is a designer's omission too far.

I’m ambivalent about being able to change the interior ambient colour theme but when others offer you the rainbow the Polestar only offers two.

Above: Interior of the Polestar 3

The pilot assistance that keeps an automatic distance for you from the car in front when on cruise sets the distance itself but you can’t adjust it.

Annoyingly the steering wheel gives no indication what the haptic switches on it do. I get they can be multi-functional but at least back-light them to signal what they do please the way Land Rover does otherwise they are just multi-functional switches that function poorly.

The Polestar 3 with its minimalist theme won't suit everyone. But if you value price, range and coolness its competitors can't replicate, it is a formidable contender despite “just” needing north of €73k for starters to get into one.