Jacob spends a week with the 2026 Polestar 4 before handing Yuri the keys. The highlights: 544 hp, 506 lb-ft of torque, a 100 kWh battery with two motors and all-wheel drive, 10-to-80% charging in 30 minutes at up to 200 kW, and a quoted range of 451 km. The suspension has three modes (Standard, Nimble, and Firm) and makes a noticeable difference between each setting. The electrochromic glass roof tints on command and resets on its own between drives depending on how long you've been away.
The sticking point is the missing rear window. A permanent digital mirror display replaces it entirely. The screen is always on, runs warm, and forces your eyes to shift focus from a screen about a foot away to the road 80 feet behind you, back and forth, constantly. Getting used to it takes most of a week. You still won't love it. The frame rate on the 360-degree cameras feels below 30 fps and the framerate differences between cameras is noticeable at low speed.
Real-world notes from a full week of driving: frameless rear windows that dropped a crack in cold weather and did not reset, leaving an opening that filled the interior with car wash water. Proximity unlocking worked without a hitch for the first two days, then became intermittent from day three onward. The key fob has zero buttons. Connected services, which include Google built-in, Hey Google commands, and satellite map view on the built-in navigation, are free for the first year, but the renewal price is not listed on any live page on Polestar's website.
The menu system is well-organized and lag-free, which matters because almost everything in the car runs through it. Adjusting your steering column, setting your mirrors, and changing your seating position all require navigating sub-menus. Steering and mirror adjustments are also accessible from the driver display, but the number of steps is the same. The ambient lighting cycles through a planet system where each planet changes the cabin color, which Jacob's son apparently loves.
On the positive side: the sound system is good with surround mode off, the driver display is clean and shows only what you need, the suspension compliance is genuinely impressive for a car without air suspension, and it rips hard when you ask it to. The Brembo brakes are part of the performance package. Fully loaded with performance and pilot packs: $93,400 CAD. A wagon version with a rear window is planned.