Polestar 4 SUV Brings Back the Rear Window

Back in July Polestar issued an announcement and with a teaser shot of it's new SUV version of the Polestar 4, promising greater practicality, more luggage space and some genuinely useful new technology without moving too far away from the character of the existing 4 Coupé.

Called simply the Polestar 4 SUV, the new model will sit in the compact executive SUV market and arguably takes the Polestar 4 formula in a much more conventional direction. That includes one particularly noticeable change: there's a rear window.

While the Polestar 4 Coupé famously did away with conventional rear glass altogether, relying instead on a roof-mounted camera and digital rear-view mirror, the new SUV gets a traditional rear window and conventional mirror as standard. Buyers who prefer the digital system will still be able to specify it as an option.

A more practical Polestar 4

The SUV shares plenty with the existing Polestar 4, but the rear of the car has been substantially redesigned.

There's a straighter roofline and a more upright tailgate, which immediately makes the 4 SUV look a little more conventional than its Coupé sibling. Full-length roof rails also appear, with a dynamic roof-load capacity of up to 100kg.

More importantly, those changes create additional room inside.

Rear passengers gain an extra 2.5cm of headroom, while a larger panoramic glass roof stretches almost all the way back to the tailgate.

An optional electrochromic version takes things a step further, allowing occupants to electrically adjust the transparency of the glass through the central touchscreen. Rather than simply switching the whole roof between clear and tinted, Polestar says individual sections can be shaded too.

For families, dog owners and anyone who regularly carries more than a weekend bag, the biggest improvement will probably be at the back.

There's 530 litres of luggage space measured to the seatbacks, or 655 litres when loaded to the roof. Fold the 60/40 split rear seats down and luggage capacity increases to 1,665 litres.

Add the storage compartment at the front and Polestar quotes up to 1,680 litres of storage across the vehicle.

That's a significant shift in emphasis. The original 4 has always felt like a design-led alternative to the increasingly interchangeable crop of electric SUVs, whereas this new version looks designed to appeal to buyers who loved the idea of the car but needed something slightly easier to live with.

Two motors, up to 391 miles of range

There will initially be two main powertrain configurations, both using a 100kWh nominal-capacity battery.

The Polestar 4 SUV Rear motor produces 272hp and 343Nm of torque. It will accelerate from 0-62mph in 7.3 seconds and offers the longest range in the line-up at up to 391 miles WLTP.

Move to the Dual motor version and power increases considerably to 544hp and 686Nm.

That drops the 0-62mph time to just 3.9 seconds while still offering up to 373 miles of claimed WLTP range.

Both versions support DC rapid charging at up to 200kW, while AC charging of up to 22kW will be available in selected markets.

There's also a Performance Pack for drivers wanting something sharper. This introduces recalibrated ZF active dampers, Brembo brakes with Polestar's familiar Swedish-gold callipers and new 22-inch Performance wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero tyres.

Your Polestar can now power your campsite

One of the more interesting additions is Vehicle-to-Load, or V2L.

The technology effectively turns the battery inside the car into a giant portable power bank, allowing external electrical equipment to draw power from the vehicle.

Polestar says the system can provide up to 3.3kW through a separately available adapter, meaning it could be used to run anything from camping equipment and laptops to tools and other electrical appliances.

Drivers can also set a minimum battery level within the car so that the external equipment stops drawing power once the battery reaches a chosen percentage.

V2L won't be exclusive to the SUV either, with Polestar confirming the feature is coming to all Polestar 4 vehicles.

Camping mode could be genuinely useful

That V2L functionality ties neatly into another new addition: Camping mode.

When parked, the Polestar 4 SUV can effectively turn itself into a climate-controlled living space.

The mode provides access to the car's entertainment system, ambient lighting and vehicle controls through both the front and rear displays, while USB-C connections, a 12V socket and V2L can provide power for additional equipment.

It's easy to dismiss features like this as novelty additions, but electric cars are increasingly good at making use of the enormous battery sitting beneath the floor while stationary.

Whether you're actually sleeping in it, taking it to a festival, spending the day at an event or simply wanting somewhere comfortable to sit with heating, air conditioning and electrical power available, it gives the car another layer of usefulness.

Google Gemini comes to the Polestar 4

Polestar is also bringing Google's Gemini AI further into the in-car experience.

Gemini replaces the more traditional Google Assistant-style voice commands with a conversational system capable of understanding context and handling follow-up questions.

In practical terms, you shouldn't have to remember quite such rigid phrases when asking the car to do something.

Gemini Live adds the ability to use the system for things such as trip planning, brainstorming and real-time translation while remaining hands-free.

The central display has also been tweaked, with the number of available widget shortcuts increasing from six to nine.

A familiar Polestar interior

Otherwise, the cabin retains the minimalist look of the existing Polestar 4.

There's the familiar landscape touchscreen, separate driver display and atmospheric interior lighting inspired by the solar system.

A 12-speaker, 1,400-watt Harman Kardon Premium Sound system will be available as an option and has been specifically tuned for the SUV.

Polestar is also continuing its push towards lower-impact interior materials.

Standard MicroTech upholstery uses a backing made from recycled PET, while the optional Tailored Knit material uses 89% recycled PET waste and is knitted to shape to reduce manufacturing waste. Bridge of Weir Nappa leather remains available for buyers wanting a more traditional premium finish.

Polestar is making sustainability part of the specification

Polestar says the SUV has one of the lowest cradle-to-gate carbon footprints in its current model range.

The Rear motor version is quoted at 20.2 tonnes of CO2e, rising slightly to 21.1 tonnes for the Dual motor.

Among the measures being used to reduce the footprint are renewable electricity in battery-cell production, aluminium produced using renewable electricity and an increased proportion of recycled aluminium.

Polestar has made a point of publishing lifecycle and production emissions for its cars for several years, which is particularly valuable with EVs. Focusing purely on zero tailpipe emissions doesn't tell the complete environmental story, especially when large batteries and energy-intensive materials are involved.

How much is the Polestar 4 SUV?

UK pricing starts at £54,750 for the Rear motor Polestar 4 SUV.

The Dual motor version starts from £60,750, while adding the Performance Pack takes the starting price to £68,250.

Production has already started in Busan, South Korea, with the first customer deliveries expected during the fourth quarter of 2026.

Has Polestar made the 4 easier to love?

The Polestar 4 has always been one of the more interesting electric cars on the market because Polestar hasn't simply followed the usual SUV template.

Its dramatic shape, unusual rear-view camera arrangement and design-led interior help it stand apart, but those same decisions won't necessarily appeal to everybody.

The Polestar 4 SUV feels like an acknowledgement of that.

Rather than completely reinventing the car, Polestar has kept most of what makes the 4 distinctive and added the things many mainstream SUV buyers actually want: a bigger boot, more rear headroom, roof rails, greater versatility and a conventional rear window.

Features like V2L and Camping mode make the SUV more interesting still, while a potential 391-mile range means practicality hasn't come at the expense of long-distance usability.

In some ways, this could end up being the Polestar 4 that makes the most sense for the greatest number of people.

And for anyone who looked at the Coupé and immediately asked "but why doesn't it have a rear window?", Polestar now has an answer.