The Polestar 4 on Canberra’s favourite street at this time of year – Grant Crescent in Griffith. Photo: James Coleman.
Psychologists can agree social media has been a net bad on society, partly because it lets us hide. We can be anonymous. ArticulateMouse6784 can pounce onto someone with a rudeness and brashness that James Coleman would think twice about in person.
It’s the same on the road. It’s why road rage is a thing and footpath rage isn’t. Unless it’s outside Mooseheads at 2 in the morning.
This is why car windows are good. Yes, they’re handy things to look out of, but they also degrade your anonymity. It’s harder to hide.
Windows also mean that if someone lets you in at an intersection, you can raise a hand in thanks so the golden-rule-abiding motorist isn’t left regretting the act of kindness and seething at the back of your head instead.
But the EV I’ve just spent the long weekend in doesn’t have a rear window. Like, at all. You’re invisible to those behind. And I’m wondering what this means for on-road etiquette.
What is it?
The Polestar 4 arrived in Australia late last year, priced from $78,000 in single-motor form and $88,350 in dual-motor form, but most notably with a sheet of body-coloured steel where the rear window would normally be. Inside, where the rear-view mirror would normally sit is a high-definition screen, fed by live-footage from a rear-mounted camera.
Polestar says not only will customers get used to this arrangement, but it also provides better visibility and more headroom in the rear for a luxurious “business-class” experience.
And looking around at the other cars in the yard at Canberra’s new Polestar dealership – like the Volvo ES90, with its postal slit for a rear window – I’m inclined to agree. Modern car design is all high waistlines and small windows. Gone are the days when your Ford Falcon wagon had a helicopter’s front screen mounted to the back.
I also only turned around to look out the “back window” when reversing a couple of times.
The only thing is, is what it does to your eyes. Your lenses are focussed in the distance for driving, so I found peering up at a screen right in front of them causes a split-second blur as they readjust. Optometrists would probably recommend it as a good workout though.
What’s it like to live with?
Polestar is best thought of as Volvo’s version of Lexus – the posher, more expensive option for the cooler kids.
The squared-off design is similar, as are the tags on the floor mats and back of the seats about how the materials for each are sustainably sourced so your conscience can feel at ease about the tonne of mined lithium underneath.
Being Swedish means it’s a very smart car. Everything in the screen’s digital menus is very logically laid out and cleanly presented, even if I would normally heap loathing on having to open the glovebox or adjust the mirrors through a touchscreen.
I was also going to say it has less humour than a Tesla, but then I discovered the solar-system-themed ambient lighting. Select Mars, the interior glows red and a graphic of a two-door convertible Polestar hoves into view from the corner of the screen – clearly a stab at Elon Musk’s Roadster which he sent into space.
The lack of rear glass doesn’t do much for the boot, which is awkwardly shaped, but there is heaps of space in the back seats. And it’s eerily quiet. Normally I can hear the kids yelling in expectation when I roll up to the house in a new test car, but barely this time through the Polestar’s thick glass.
This is also perfect for revelling in the quite epic 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system – part of the $8000 optional Plus Pack. Listening to the Interstellar soundtrack – which seemed very appropriate in this car – rattled my eyeballs.
It’s hard to say if the Polestar 4 is a comfortable car though. There are three suspension settings of standard, nimble and firm, but even at its softest it’s quite stiff. And the seats – while beautiful to run your hands over and equipped with their own speakers in the headrests – are like those you’d find in a chiropractor’s office, where you know they’re meant to be good for you.
That said, it’s very surefooted. And a handy sticker on the side of my Dual-Motor model tells me it makes 400 kW of power and certainly I’m inclined to believe it after hitting the Performance button and then, 3.8 seconds later, 100 km/h. But the rest of the time, it takes off as gentle as a mouse.
The verdict
I’ve long wondered how Polestar would stand out in a world where electric Volvos also exist. And removing the rear window alone was not going to cut it.
But most importantly, my long weekend with the 4 has proven it’s also not a negative. I didn’t miss the glass. The rest of the package is definitely expensive and with expensive options – my Dual-Motor could easily end up over $100K all said and ticked. But it also feels it. It’s very nicely finished.
If everyone was driving one, however? The roads might be a worse place.
This, or $89,400 for the Tesla Model Y Performance? Photo: James Coleman.
2026 Polestar 4 Dual Motor
- $88,350 (plus driveaway costs)
- Two electric motors, 100 kWh battery, 400 kW / 686 Nm
- All-wheel drive (AWD)
- 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds
- 590 km claimed range
Thanks to Polestar Canberra for providing this car for testing. Region has no commercial arrangement with Polestar Canberra.
Original Article published by James Coleman on Region Canberra.
