There’s a moment when you are on a circuit — particularly one covered in snow and ice — when everything clicks. The steering loads up, the rear steps out and the car pivots around you with a precision that feels almost choreographed.
At Quebec’s Mécaglisse circuit in the depths of a Canadian winter, that moment arrives rather sooner than expected because beneath you is not a stripped-out combustion rally car, but a 536-horsepower Swedish electric SUV coupé. And luckily it’s driven not by an average Joe but by a world-class drifting champion. Welcome to the stage the Polestar 4 Arctic Circle.
Polestar’s Arctic Circle range began with a one-off Polestar 2 in 2022, and the formula has now been extended to include the Polestar 4 SUV. These aren’t dealer-order specials or limited production runs. There are no plans to produce the Arctic Circle collection commercially. They are purpose-built concept cars designed to showcase the brand’s performance credentials on ice and snow — and probably more importantly to prove that electric cars can be genuinely viscerally exciting, even when the temperature drops. The Polestar 4 Arctic Circle is based on the Long Range Dual Motor variant, producing 536hp and 506 lb ft of torque. It dips into the professional rally car parts bin with serious modifications including three-way adjustable Öhlins dampers, a 20mm ride-height increase, OZ Racing rally wheels, Pirelli studded tyres, Stedi quad LED spotlights, Recaro bucket seats and a hydraulic handbrake. Swedish gold tow hooks, mudflaps and custom ski fixings on the roof complete the rally-inspired adventure ensemble. The result, finished in white and yellow livery against the snow, looks properly purposeful. Less concept car, more works rally entry.
The Polestar4 Arctic Circle looks properly purposeful, like a works rally entry
Mécaglisse is one of Quebec’s most picturesque frozen racing circuits, offering slalom sections, tight corners, drift zones, icy doughnut circles and full-lap runs. It is, in other words, a comprehensive examination of any car’s dynamic character — and a particularly revealing one, given that low grip exposes every decision the electronics make about torque distribution. Ice driving is one of the best ways to evaluate an EV’s powertrain calibration. Because available grip is so low, you feel every decision the vehicle’s software makes in real time. A poorly calibrated system will fight you, cutting power abruptly or overcorrecting when you’re trying to hold a slide. A well-calibrated one works with you and makes you feel more Sébastien Loeb than Mr Bean. The Polestar 4 falls firmly in the second category. Disabling ESC (electronic stability control) reduces traction control intervention, enabling you to slide smoothly around icy bends, and the well-weighted steering and torque vectoring system let you draw as accurate a line as you could expect, especially given the low grip surface.
Nothing as impressive, though, as a hot lap with the drift champion Tommy Lemaire at the wheel. The car never actually went straight and half the corners saw Lemaire enter with so much rotation that he might as well have driven in backwards. To add to the drama, Lemaire favours Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries blaring from the car’s Harmon Kardon premium sound system, which more than makes up for the lack of engine noise.
If the Arctic Circle is a bit too lairy, the standard Polestar 4 is still a compelling proposition
Beyond the showmanship of the Arctic Circle, the standard Polestar 4 is a compelling proposition. It is Polestar’s SUV coupé. A sleek, fastback-style crossover that notably has no rear window, using a camera-based rear-view system instead. It’s a bold design decision that divides opinion, but it works better in practice than it sounds on paper. Nevertheless Polestar has announced a new variant of the 4 that is more of an estate car. Out later this year, it will feature a more traditional rear window that may woo customers still not ready for the radical design of the original model.
In the UK the Polestar 4 is currently available with two powertrain options. The faster Long Range Dual Motor variant will get you to 60 miles per hour in only 3.7 seconds, with a range of 367 miles. The single-motor Rear Wheel Drive version is a little slower out of the blocks, at 6.9 seconds to 60mph, but it will take you further, to 385 miles. Prices start at £55,750.
The Polestar 4 mostly goes for dignified Scandi chic
Most Polestar owners will not be quite as spirited behind the wheel as a professional drift driver and for the most part the brand is seen as projecting an air of dignified Scandi chic. However, the Arctic Circle version reminds us that when the mood takes you, the Polestar 4 can unleash a very quick and entertaining burst of pace.
