Can the incoming Swede ruffle the feathers of its German luxury electric SUV rivals? By Al Suttie.

Polestar 3 Long Range Dual Motor with Performance Pack Launch Edition

List price (BiK): £81,445 (2%) CO2: 0g/km Economy: 348 miles Test efficiency: 320 miles

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Monday

I’m a fan of Volvo and have been for many years, and I’ve owned a fair few in that time. Looking to the future, it’s quite possible I’ll add Polestar into that bracket having spent some time with the Swedish EV firm’s new 3. Pitched at the luxury/performance electric SUV market currently dominated by BMW and Mercedes, the 3 is an interesting car for an intriguing segment.

Tuesday

Given the huge prices of most of its rivals, a read-through of this Polestar’s spec sheet is illuminating. While far from cheap with a base price of £81,500 for this version with four-wheel drive and the longer range battery, it’s still less than you’ll pay for its key rivals whether you’re buying with cash or paying monthly. And there’s nothing about the style of the Polestar to suggest you’ve chosen on cost grounds as it’s handsome and very well put together.

Wednesday

As is the way with so many cars now, you have to run through your pre-flight checks before setting off if you don’t want to be irked by various nanny warnings. At least with the Polestar, this is relatively quick and easy to achieve, and most remain how you want them when you return to the car. The main infotainment screen will be familiar to any modern Volvo owner, but I still believe some physical buttons would improve common functions such as heating and stereo use.

Thursday

Polestar is adamant it won’t make a seven-seater, so the 3 is about as big as it gets for the time being. There’s more than ample room in the back for a couple of adults, or even three if they are on good terms. The amount of legroom is truly impressive, so you could easily stretch out in the back on a long journey. It’s also airy back here thanks to this car’s standard panoramic glass roof.

Friday

Practicality should be a given with large SUVs, so it’s a little disappointing to note the Polestar 3’s boot is only so-so for space. It’s rated at 484 litres, or 597 litres to the roof, but neither is as much as you get in a BMW iX or Audi Q8. However, you can drop the 60:40 split rear seat and the load floor is pretty much flat. You also get the small frunk that’s ideal for stashing charge cables, which I hate to see rolling about a boot.

Saturday

Do you need the Performance Pack or dual motors of this particular Polestar 3? I don’t think you do, even if they are lovely to have. For the extra they cost, it’s hard to think they add much to the driving experience, which is very good thanks to the 3’s composed ride and confident cornering. The Performance Pack drops the 0-62mph time to 4.5 seconds from 4.8, so it’s not a huge uptick in pace, and it comes at the expense of 42 miles of driving range.

Sunday

With my fleet hat pulled firmly on, the Polestar 3 is a very tempting large EV if you want to pamper yourself. I wouldn’t bother with the Performance Pack or dual-motor versions unless you really need four-wheel drive or crave the added pace. Better to save a substantial amount of money and simply revel in a sleek Swede that runs its key rivals very hard.