2025 Polestar 2, 3 and 4 Arctic Drive : First Line on the Ice

Bold electrification targets, a worldwide pandemic, a political climate that slapshots tariffs like it's the playoffs... the Polestar brand has landed on the automotive landscape at a very particular time, to say the least. Born under the lucky star of Volvo (and especially that of Chinese giant Geely...), it has adopted the name of the renowned Swedish brand's performance arm.

The Car Guide headed to the frosty city of Jokkmokk, in northern Sweden, to put the 2025 Polestar lineup to the test, namely the 2 sedan, and the 3 and 4 SUVs on a frozen lake located just above the Arctic Circle line.

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Heavy, But Agile Wingers

One of Polestar’s primary objectives is to distinguish itself from other electric vehicle manufacturers in terms of driving dynamics. And considering the added weight of the batteries, the engineering invested to make the car agile turns out to be quite a bit more complex and expensive than in the heyday of the now-defunct Polestar Engineered division.

To let us put these characteristics to the test, Polestar built a several-kilometre ice track on a frozen lake, and brought a series of vehicles fitted with studded Michelin X-ICE tires. The lightest and oldest of the trio, the 476-horsepower Polestar 2 sedan, was fitted with the twin motor configuration along with Polestar’s Performance Package, which includes a specially calibrated chassis and oversized Brembo brakes.

But the most useful attribute in its arsenal is its set of Öhlins dampers. The Swedish equipment manufacturer is a major partner for Polestar - in fact, the automaker boasts that it has sold the largest number of vehicles equipped with their shock absorbers as standard in the world.

While the Polestar 3, the heaviest of the trio, puts the emphasis on comfort over comfort, it's no slouch thanks to 517 horsepower, a centre of gravity identical to the now-defunct sporty Polestar 1 and specific active suspension. The Polestar 4, characterized by the absence of a rear window and its 544 hp cavalry, fits between the two in terms of size.

The 500+ pound feet of torque available on demand and instantly under the right foot is an exceptional talent possessed by our three players, especially when it comes to gaining speed or getting out of trouble on the ice. But these Polestars (and the vast majority of electric vehicles) also conceal an underestimated ability on an icy circuit: one-pedal driving. Indeed, while most manufacturers recommend disabling this braking energy recovery feature because it can jeopardize the vehicle's stability on the road, when driving on a circuit, it becomes an asset in terms of mass transfer. This allows weight to be transferred quickly to the front of the vehicle simply by releasing the accelerator pedal, causing the rear to come loose and providing grip to the front wheels and, by extension, to the steering. Then, mashing the accelerator pedal to exit the corner becomes child's play.

Of course, we had to resort to the good old brake pedal for high-speed maneuvers, and when single-pedal driving wasn't enough to get our transition game going. Here, Polestar managed to calibrate the pedal to provide a clever balance between electric and hydraulic, which contributed to the driver's confidence level.

Traction control systems and other “nannies” are useful and can be lifesaving on the road, but on the track, they basically send the car straight to the penalty box. That's why we spent the day in Sport mode, where these systems, while not entirely disabled, become surprisingly permissive. While the Polestar 3 was a little harder to tame because of its weight, the Polestar 2 and 4 proved impressively precise and predictable.

Polestar Arctic Circle Collection: The All-Star Players

The three members of Polestar’s Arctic Circle collection were also on the ice that day. Although we weren't able to get behind the wheel of these rally-prepped 2, 3 and 4 models, we were able to take a seat in the passenger seat with Joakim Rydholm, Head of Chassis Development at Polestar, at the wheel. The enthusiastic engineer shared his driving skills with us with great precision.

Each car features a raised ground clearance - from 20 to 40 mm depending on the model. They are fitted with a custom-made Öhlins suspension, and OZ Racing rally wheels wrapped in studded Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus tires. As is customary in northern Sweden, these Polestars are all fitted with powerful Stedi LED headlamps at the front.

Keeping the Batteries Warm

Performance driving is fun. But the reality of electric vehicle ownership being what it is, range loss is always a major concern. With maximum range levels varying from 400 to 500 kilometres depending on the variant, the Polestars we encountered during the vent are within technical norms, on paper.

Polestar is well positioned to understand our climatic reality - after all, the thermometer was showing a very cold -20 degrees Celsius during our tests, and a lithium-ion battery works optimally at around 23 degrees Celsius. That's why Polestar uses nickel-magnesium-cobalt (NCM) batteries, which are more resistant to polar temperatures than lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries.

But beyond that, Polestar bets on the balance between hardware and software to ensure proper battery preconditioning, notably with Google's help in the navigation system and regular software improvements via over-the-air updates. The Polestar 2 seems to have benefited from these advances, coming third in the winter range loss test organized by CAA - and in which we took part.

Alas, the battery of an electric vehicle that has been left outside all day at -20 degrees Celsius is going to lose its range faster than normal when its owner takes to the road, regardless of the software advances on board.

Polestar Wants the Power Play

Polestar seems to be living up to its name, injecting Scandinavian-flavoured sportiness - sleek and balanced - into a series of electric vehicles that seem to know a thing or two about winter. And even if the company is still not profitable, it has no intention of putting its plans on ice. The Polestar 5 sedan will be drafted in this year, and the Polestar 7 compact SUV will join the team shortly thereafter. We’ll have to wait and see whether the storm of tariffs and the electroseptic climate will allow the company to flourish and join the major leagues in terms of production.