The odd thing about the Polestar 3 is that although it is the up-and-coming electric car maker’s new flagship, it doesn’t sound like it should be. Polestar’s numbering system isn’t based on the size of the vehicle, nor the position it occupies in the line-up, but simply refers to the order in which it was created.
It’s certainly handsome. The arrowhead headlights lead into the “smart panel” at the front, behind and in which lurk the forward-facing radar sensors and cameras and which will be a design tic of some, but not all, future Polestar models. Atop the bonnet, there’s an open front aero wing – you can slide your fingers right under it – which channels air along the bonnet, over the roof, and down to the equally open roof spoiler.
At first, the Polestar 3 does feel rather engagingly sporty. The standard air suspension is certainly set up firmly, but it manages to filter out the hefty tyre slap effect that tends to afflict other stiffly-sprung Polestars. Initially, it does feel exceptionally agile for a car weighing close to 2.7 tonnes, and the steering is particularly sweet, well-weighted, and has a beautifully slim and tactile wheel rim.
Certainly, no sports car ever had a cabin this roomy. Polestar’s design style is to take as much volume and visual weight out of the interior as possible, but to still leave things feeling and looking luxurious.