Polestar 3 delivers sports car handling in grocery-getter package

JACKSON, Wyo. — The Polestar 3 masks sports car aggression behind its civilized people-mover package.

The 2025 Polestar 3 dual-motor crossover delivers up to 517 hp and has a 0 to 60 mph time of 4.5 seconds.

Christian Samson, head of Polestar's product identity team, said the Polestar 3 delivers comfort, canyon-driving agility and occasional off-road capability.

"The bandwidth of this vehicle is incredible," Samson told Automotive News at a media event here.

Borg Warner's latest torque vectoring dual-clutch system, which delivers driving performance and energy efficiency, is key to the Polestar 3's capabilities.

The technology can disconnect the rear motor during cruising or under low load, allowing the vehicle to run only on the front electric motor to boost energy efficiency by about 4 percent. But with the rear motor engaged in all-wheel drive, the system dynamically distributes torque to the rear wheels delivering grip, faster acceleration and higher cornering speeds.

"It makes steering maneuvers feel lighter and more agile," said Samson, who is responsible for vehicle characteristics.

The Polestar 3's performance also is driven by its design. The vehicle offers a crossover's higher riding position in a low-to-the-ground package to maximize aerodynamics.

Aero wings in the front and rear and a sloping roofline minimize air turbulence around the vehicle and boost energy efficiency.

Samson said the high front end of a crossover separates the airflow from the vehicle surface. "That causes vortexes and turbulence, which is what you want to avoid," he said.

Ultraslim spoilers integrated into the leading edge of the hood and in the rear of the roof act like wings — accelerating the air traveling underneath it and pulling the airstream down onto the vehicle.

The taillight design spans the vehicle's width and integrates a pair of aero blades that extend the bodywork. This longer "tail" reduces drag as air breaks from the car's surface.

The Polestar 3 is based on sibling Volvo Cars' second-generation scalable product architecture, or SPA2, which underpins the Volvo EX90 electric crossover and the planned Volvo ES90 sedan.

In early September, Volvo revealed a third-generation platform for future EVs, SPA3, powered by internally developed e-motors and high-density batteries.

The automaker said it seeks 93 percent efficiency with the new motors, up from 85 percent in its first EVs and 91 percent now.

Samson declined to say whether Polestar would adopt the SPA3 platform, or if the Polestar 3 would get the next-generation components in a redesign.

"There will be continuous improvements [to the Polestar 3] and there will be technical upgrades," Samson said.