Up to now, Polestar has mainly made me think of various hybrids that were great fun to drive cross-country on a closed snow and ice track in Austria. As a friend of sporty cars, it goes without saying that I also associate the yellow brake calipers from the Italian specialist Brembo from Bergamo with Volvo’s now fully electric sister brand. Apart from the timelessly beautiful design, the striking yellow disc brakes were the only connection with the Volvo tuning products I had driven so far.
The Polestar 3 is fully electric and looks even more gorgeous than the Swedes’ earlier, equally chic and unobtrusive combustion models. And it doesn’t have the fake radiator grille that is apparently obligatory among German premium manufacturers apart from Porsche.
This elegant restraint is continued in the Polestar 3 with the High Fidelity Sound System with 3D Surround Sound and Dolby Atmos developed with Bowers & Wilkins. In contrast, the first BEV reviewed on STEREO GUIDE – the BMW iX – still relied on powerful XXL double kidneys on the outside and 4D sound from B&W on the inside with exciters in the seats, whose contribution to the music experience I found to be more of a disguised lumbar massage.
Bridge between two worlds
To be honest, I’ve always been a fan of sleek two-seaters and compact coupés. And where the trend is towards sitting high up on four wheels, I prefer to sit as close as possible to the asphalt with the popometer as ever. But from this perspective, the Polestar 3 is something like a vegan sausage that aims to bridge the gap between the two worlds – and, unlike meat substitute products, actually manages to do so from my perspective.
You have to imagine: As a self-confessed late riser, I’m at least as far outside my optimum working range early in the morning as a standard electric car in freezing temperatures. As much as I like to take the wheel myself, I was glad that morning at 8.00 a.m. sharp that none other than Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath took over the first leg to the Dolby Atmos studio outside Madrid through the morning rush hour traffic of the Spanish metropolis of 3.3 million people. Even after that, I wouldn’t necessarily have pushed my way to the front.
If you’re sharing a test car with a colleague and only have half a day to drive it, want to take pictures and have to work your way through the sound system menus on a large central touchscreen, then you’re actually in very good hands in the passenger seat.
And just between you and me: as a sports car fan, do you really want to sweep through the Spanish mountains in a 4.9-meter-long and, above all, 2.5-ton electric SUV? Especially if you’ve already spent a whole day driving around there on your own in a truly magnificent Audi R8 Spyder with a naturally aspirated V10 engine and deactivated ESP in manual transmission mode with the top down? Not really. All the greater the surprise: the electric all-wheel drive SUV can also provide a lot of driving pleasure off the beaten track. Not to mention the background music.
State of the art
Attention, spoiler: The spatiality of the sound reproduction was clear after just a few tracks: the Bowers & Wilkins 3D sound system with Dolby Atmos is the best in this respect that I have heard in over a million kilometers with various car brands. And I hardly know of anything else comparable.
There is nothing like cooperation between media representatives. The on-board DJ – a nice colleague from the American CNet – ensured from the passenger seat that I could keep my hands on the steering wheel and still enjoy a varied soundtrack.
Battle for pole position
When we caught up with a Polestar 4 in the narrow hairpin bends and immediately afterwards ran into a local in a small Toyota car, who wasn’t even driving the permitted 50 km/h in the hairpin bends that were so inviting, I noticed from my blood pressure: this 2.5-ton SUV with its two electric motors (Long Range Dual Motor version), which together produce 360 kW / 489 hp, and torque vectoring on the rear axle is really fun, especially in the winding bends. While the aforementioned Audi Spyder, with its naturally aspirated engine and its slightly understeering all-wheel drive, which had to be diligently helped to steer willingly at high revs in the lower gears by manual gear selection, demanded full commitment, the perfectly balanced Polestar had a completely relaxed pace.
At some point, after what felt like an eternity, we used the first clearly visible straight behind the Polestar 4 in front for a concerted overtaking maneuver. This happened in the absence of any tension. Where with combustion engines you have to think about gear, engine speed and, if necessary, turbo response before you pull out of gear and are then trapped in a range between too little pulling power and the maximum possible speed in the selected gear, here you simply pull away casually. The neutral cornering behavior and the surprisingly direct, smooth steering ensured that the mountain grooved.
Key torque thanks to torque
The torque in an electric car is not subject to the fluctuations that we are familiar with from combustion engines and that affect the pulse analogous to the engine speed, especially with high-speed naturally aspirated engines with petrol heads. Despite its impressive 5 seconds from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in view of its considerable weight, the sporty SUV is by no means aggressive. Here, only the two electric motors of the all-wheel drive are permanently energized due to their magnets – but not the driver. In an Audi R8, Porsche Cayman or BMW M3 of the pre-turbo era, I would probably have cursed incessantly behind the Toyota and frantically searched for any overtaking opportunity, no matter how daring.
But the forced deceleration also had something to offer. At what felt like walking pace, I was also able to take a closer look at the settings of the Bowers & Wilkins sound system at the wheel, to which I, as a hi-fi uncle, ultimately owed this test drive. I’m actually an octane junkie who was happy to be one of the few journalists to be able to drive the Ford GT, a 650 hp road-legal racing car for LowBeats under the heading “other passions”, without having to lose a single line about the sound system. Yeah!
A look at the surroundings of the B&W hi-fi system in the Polestar
To put my sound impressions from the test drive in the Polestar 3 with Bowers & Wilkins 3D sound into context, you should know that last fall at the German HiFi Days organized by AUDIO and stereoplay, I took the opportunity to get an impression of the Bowers & Wilkins sound system of the McLaren Artura. My friend and colleague Dr. Ian Kuah had reviewed the British super sports car for STEREO GUIDE and I was curious to hear how the system sounded, which we rated together based on Ian’s description.
And it’s hard to believe: I was sitting in the foyer of the Darmstadium in the cockpit of a 680 hp flounder and my only thought was: Wow, you should actually have this car in your garage – because of the brilliant sound system. This was mainly due to a phenomenally dry and deep kick in the bass as well as exemplary attention to detail and neutrality.
Dolby Atmos vs Auro-3D
For the sake of completeness, I should also mention that my most cherished car audio sound system for years is a factory Porsche Panamera. I have reviewed the Gran Coupé from Zuffenhausen for various media, including LowBeats in 2016. With its nimble AMT ribbon tweeters, very high-quality drivers for the mid and bass ranges, powerful power amplifiers and a very balanced tuning, the Burmester 3D surround system was actually the highlight of the hi-fi systems available on four wheels as optional equipment. Burmester also had the foresight to build on 3D sound back then, but used Auro-3D. The process was developed by the Belgian Galaxy Studios and was particularly popular in the music sector. Dolby Atmos, on the other hand, was for a long time more common in cinemas and elaborate home cinemas.
In the meantime, Auro-3D has gone quiet, while Dolby Atmos has also conquered the music sector. Subscribers to Tidal, Apple Music or Amazon Music Unlimited can stream an increasing number of Dolby Atmos tracks. Our Polestar 3 test car also offered the option of streaming songs directly into the vehicle via 5G mobile communications. In Spain, it worked amazingly stable with great sound quality. There were only interruptions in the tunnels in Madrid and briefly in one or two really remote mountain regions. As a German, I couldn’t stop being amazed. However, my plans to emigrate were dashed by the omnipresent speed bumpers, because I don’t want to put my hard sports suspension and my popometer through that.
Fasten your Seatbelts: The mountain is calling!
So, please fasten your seat belt. Now begins the description of my listening and driving impressions. While it was not always easy to fully understand the surcharge for the Bowers & Wilkins systems in Volvos and especially BMWs compared to the cheaper Harman Kardon hi-fi systems, my jaw literally dropped in the Polestar 3. The 25 loudspeakers distributed throughout the entire interior, which we will discuss in detail below, created the mother of all immersive sound performances, so to speak.
Neither the speakers in the headrests nor the effect speakers of the treble channels in the roof could be perceived as such. You simply sank into the sound like in a real concert hall. With corresponding tracks from Tidal, Dolby Atmos not only lifted the imaginary sound stage above the dashboard like the Auro 3D system in the 2016 Panamera. It also led to a widening of the stage – and, depending on the recording, of the entire recording space – beyond the boundaries of the vehicle cabin.
If you sometimes have to concentrate on the finer details when driving at full speed, even an expert can rely on the Bowers & Wilkins 3D sound with Dolby Atmos to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up in turn. The performance of 25 loudspeakers with over 1,600 watts, combined with the enormous spatial effect of the height channels, creates a thrilling goosebump factor. The quiet glide of the electric SUV provides the perfect stage for this exceptional system. Individual instruments or choirs could be located quite a distance outside the passenger compartment. This is absolutely top of the range and finally makes the much-vaunted concert hall on wheels a reality.
The timbre is indebted to the great model of Bowers & Wilkins
In terms of sound, the tuning of the 3D sound system, which comes as standard, follows the 800 D4 reference series from Bowers & Wilkins – speakers that are often found in recording studios. However, the British company’s top models also have a touch of bling-bling in the treble to make it unmistakably clear to audiophiles that very special speakers are at work here. This small show effect can also be attributed to the sound system of the Polestar 3.
With audiophile recordings, where a delicate female voice usually sings to one or two natural instruments, it is difficult for me, even as a hardened reviewer, not to fall into pure rapture. However, when rock bands play together or the signal in the vocal range becomes loud and complex, it can come across as a bit harsh. Please note: I’m currently complaining at the highest level here. Nevertheless, the B&W system of the Polestar 3 is not quite as neutral as the McLaren Artura or the Porsche Panamera. In terms of spaciousness, however, with its concert hall à la Atmos, it is even ahead of the Panamera driven at the time.
However, the Bowers and Wilkins hi-fi system has a similar bass kick to the Artura – and that’s saying something. The extremely stiff and narrow sports car clearly stood out from the B&W surround system in the BMW 7 Series and the BMW iX, both of which I reviewed for STEREO GUIDE.
Virtual concert halls
With the interactive audio function “Virtual Venues Live”, vehicle occupants can be acoustically transported to famous Swedish venues. Thanks to strategically placed microphones in the vehicle and active acoustic technology, the sound reproduction is adapted so that it feels like a live experience. Gothenburg Concert Hall is one of the selectable virtual venues that offer an authentic sound experience. Surround Sound Experience, Studio/Reference (my personal favorite), Individual Stage and Concert Hall. The latter preset reproduces the famous acoustics of the Gothenburg Concert Hall, which I was able to experience in person once to compare it with a live stream in a Volvo. Very nice.
Then there are the usual suspects when it comes to individual sound control in the vehicle: equalizers, balance and faders. In Studio Reference mode, you can also switch the sound focus for staging between the driver, front passenger and all seats. Thanks to Dolby Atmos, the authenticity of the spatiality convinced me even with the setting for optimum sound in all tiers. But with the rider-focused set-up, soloists directly in front of you gain even more contour and plasticity.
Design and integration
The sound experience described above is the result of considerable effort. The system comprises 25 high-quality speakers that are seamlessly integrated into various parts of the vehicle. These include headrests, roof lining and the rear wheel arches. This strategic placement ensures an immersive sound experience. The design of the loudspeaker grilles, which are made of stainless steel using a special etching technique, blends in perfectly with the interior of the Polestar 3. The use of PVD-coated, brushed and satin-finished speaker grilles not only enhances the aesthetics, but also the acoustic transparency, which enables unadulterated sound reproduction.
System architecture of the B&W Dolby Atmos system for the Polestar 3 in detail
Four 2.5 cm Nautilus double dome tweeters are positioned in the front and rear doors. One of them is enthroned as a “tweeter on top” in the middle above the dashboard. This minimizes acoustic reflections from the windscreen and directs the sound directly at the occupants. And the prominently placed center speaker clearly establishes the connection to the Nautilus tweeters on the cabinets of the British company’s high-quality speaker series.
The two 10 cm continuum woofers in the front doors offer improved mid-range reproduction by reducing resonances and precise intonation of voices and instruments. The composite fabric cone material made its debut in the 800-D3 series, Bowers & Wilkins’ flagship loudspeakers. Five additional Continuum mid-range speakers with a diameter of 8 centimeters are located in the dashboard, the rear doors and the roof lining to ensure balanced sound reproduction in all seats.
There are also four 4 cm aluminum full-range speakers. These are mounted in the roof above the front and rear seats and create a three-dimensional sound field. The four 4 cm aluminum broadband speakers in the front headrests are a special trick. They enable a wide, spatial surround sound experience and play warning signals and navigation announcements.
Great effort also in the bass
The bass section in the Polestar 3 relies on four 17 cm long-throw woofers. They provide a powerful bass foundation in the front and rear doors. A 25-centimeter woofer with a neodymium drive magnet provides deep, precise bass in the Fresh Air subwoofer in the trunk. In the reviewed, this bass module coupled to the outside air could not be located – not even when sitting on the comfortable rear seat of the Polestar 3. In the rear seats, the sound stage is also located above the dashboard, but seems to be further away from the band or the orchestra, just like in a lounge.
A 25-channel amplifier with 1610 watts provides the necessary drive power for the dream system. Polestar and Harman, who have taken over the car integration for Bowers & Wilkins as for Volvo, Maserati, McLaren or BMW, have placed it in the trunk.
Swimming against the current
One more thing: What struck me as very positive about the Polestar 3 beyond the driving experience, which is characterized by a firm but silky-smooth air suspension in terms of driving stability, and the concert hall feeling: its designer, Nahum Escobedo, not only created a body that can conceal the sheer size of the SUV well. The man thinks practically! This cannot be valued highly enough today. On the one hand, cars are getting wider and wider. For some time now, designers have also been doing away with the rubber bumper strips on the doors that used to be standard, because smooth surfaces look so modern. That’s why, when I’m not shopping on foot for once, I now prefer the 80s vintage car, because it’s slim and you can open the door in narrow parking garages without worrying about scratching your own car or the one next to it.
Of course, the luxury-class SUV from Polestar is not exactly narrow, but Escobedo has at least placed unpainted plastic bumpers on the bottom of the sheet metal. Bravo. And his prudence goes even further. He has reduced the frontal area by reducing the unneeded headroom to a sensible size, which in turn reduces the frontal area. This is because the cW value is only a drag coefficient which, when multiplied by the frontal area, gives the actual aerodynamic drag. This benefits the range of electric cars, which is also critical due to charging times. It also helps to lower the center of gravity for a sporty driving style.
I felt this in traffic circles, where heavy electric cars quickly become disenchanted when you enter the traffic circle with momentum at around six or three o’clock and leave it again with speed at 12 o’clock (please imagine as a clock face). These changes of direction made the Polestar a joy to drive, almost like a small coupé.
Everything under control
Nahum Escobedo definitely deserves a design award for his door handles. They also follow the motto “form follows function” and are easy to grip. In contrast, I asked myself with the BMW iX and the Ford Mach-E whether there is a door opener conspiracy in electric cars with the aim of annoying users with handles that are as unintuitive as they are practical until they switch to a cargo bike?
However, I would also like to express my criticism before concluding. More and more designers are finding more redundancy to the touchscreen in the form of buttons, levers or rotary pushbuttons just as unsexy as bumper strips on the doors. You don’t always need to adjust the rear-view mirrors via the touchscreen and steering wheel buttons. But at least with my driving style, I don’t find touchscreens useful, knowing full well that there’s a race for the biggest and most colorful one. At least the Polestar 3 still has a small screen in front of the steering wheel to replace the speedometer, whereas the Volvo EX30, for example, relies on a single central display for everything.
Conclusion: Polestar 3 with B&W 3D sound in Dolby Atmos
It’s hard to say what was the bigger surprise: that a 2.5-ton SUV with electric drive is so easy and sporty to drive in the mountains. Or a Bowers & Wilkins sound system that, outside of a McLaren Artura, is so powerful with its kick bass and also offers sensational spatiality with perfect staging. All in all, the performance can also give a petrol head soaked in wool with Super-Plus food for thought.
In this acoustic moose test, the Swedish cruiser gives many a prominent combustion engine with a brand sound system a run for its money. It seems that the Scandinavian neighbors have learned from the sinking of the Vasa in 1626. The Swedish galleon was very sophisticated and blessed with plenty of firepower. But it was so heavy and poorly balanced that it sank on its maiden voyage just beyond the harbor after less than a nautical mile.
The Polestar 3 can easily conceal the heavy weight of its 700 kilogram battery, especially when changing direction quickly, and can afford a formidable 3D sound system with 25 loudspeakers, over 1600 watts of amplifier power and Dolby Atmos. And as for the Brembo brakes mentioned at the beginning: magical! They stop the immense mass precisely and offer a constant, precise pressure point despite the usual transition between recuperation and brake discs in BEVs, which is by no means a matter of course in this sector. This is even an electronic brake-by-wire system. However, I only noticed this after the test drive when studying the technical data. Chapeau!
Polestar 3: Technical data
- Polestar 3 price: from 88,600 euros (Long Range Dual Motor – 2024 Launch Edition)
- Price Bowers & Wilkins Sound System with 3D Surround Sound & Dolby Atmos: standard equipment
- Further information: polestar.com
STEREO GUIDE verdict
The Polestar 3 comes with Bowers & Wilkins 3D sound and Dolby Atmos as standard. This fulfills the dream of a concert hall on wheels. The hi-fi system acoustically exceeds the limits of the vehicle cabin and also reproduces sound events outside the vehicle. Added to this are low driving noises and a dust-dry kick bass.
Advantages
- Outstanding spatial imaging
- Tight, deep kick bass
- Fine resolution
- Low driving noise promotes hi-fi enjoyment
Disadvantages
- Voices somewhat effect-driven
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Sound quality9.4
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Price/performance sound system10
