Polestar, the Swedish electric car brand, officially revealed the Polestar 5 four-door performance Grand Tourer.
Born from the Precept concept, first unveiled in 2020 as a statement of intent for the brand’s future design, technology, and sustainability vision, the Polestar 5 is that future vision realised in production.
Michael Lohscheller, Polestar CEO, says: “Polestar 5 is bringing the future to our present. Our vision for Polestar’s design, technology, and sustainability direction is no longer a dream but a reality our customers can buy. With its pure Scandinavian design inside and out, unique platform, powerful motors, sophisticated chassis, cutting-edge technology, and consciously sustainable materials, the Polestar 5 is a guiding star for the industry and the perfect Polestar flagship.”
Design
Faithfully developing the conceptual Precept into production with minimal changes, the Polestar Design team has created a bold, 5-metre long Grand Tourer with modern, minimalist surfacing free of unnecessary embellishment. Aviation was a primary inspiration, evidenced by taut surfacing stretched over an aerodynamic wing-like profile with Kamm-style tail.
The low nose, featuring the SmartZone first seen on Precept, is flanked by Polestar’s signature dual blade headlights complete with Pixel LED technology as standard. The relationship between wheel and bonnet line is especially close, a feat made possible by the car’s platform and unique to segment front suspension design. Gloss black or Shade cladding along the lower section of the doors reduces the visual height of the 142 cm tall car while the glasshouse matches the wing-like profile and sleek roofline.
This shape has been made possible without compromising rear seat space by moving the rear header structure backwards behind rear seat occupants’ heads and employing the digital rear view mirror and virtual rear window as on Polestar 4. Polestar 5 also features the largest panoramic glass roof of any Polestar so far – at just over 2-metres long and 1.25-metres wide – ensuring second-row occupants appreciate a truly light-filled and spacious feeling.
At the rear, the Polestar 5 uses a specially designed aero-efficient lightbar with rear vent detail and integrated rear diffuser to improve airflow. With its flush frameless glass and retractable door handles the resulting Cd is just 0.24 for the Polestar 5 Dual motor.
Polestar 5 is available in six colour choices, including two matte paint options – Storm, a strong, purposeful dark grey and Magnesium, a lighter silver-like finish.
Interior
Inside, the 4+1 seat electric performance GT is created with equal focus for driver and passengers. Front seats designed in collaboration with Recaro mix an especially low hip-point with supportive bolstering and typical Swedish comfort. They come finished in Charcoal MicroTech as standard or optional Bridge of Weir Nappa leather in Charcoal or Zinc. This animal welfare secured, chrome free, natural by-product of the food industry also adds ventilation and massage to the standard heating and electrical adjustment.
Designed primarily as a four-seater, with the central armrest in its lower position, rear seat passengers can control the four-zone climate system, seat heating, ventilation, and massage functions. These rear seats follow the same form design as the Recaro fronts and can be individually reclined for comfort. Raising the armrest creates a fifth seating position, the staggered configuration offering greater shoulder space, and turns the performance GT into a practical five-seater. A cut out in the battery, known as the foot garage, behind the front seats gives occupants extra foot space and a more natural seating position.
Natural fibre materials are used throughout the interior, showcased by the Polestar signature weave developed with BComp in the front seatback s. Completed with ampliTex for added strength, this bio-based alternative to carbon-fibre, made from flax, is up to 40% lighter than plastic and uses 50% less fossil fuel-based materials. Lower sections of the doors, made with NFPP, showcase the natural structure of the bio-based material. This can also be seen in the inner lining of the 365-litre rear luggage space while the 62-litre front luggage space uses AutoNeum’s UltraSilent material saving 60% (approx. 5kg) weight compared to traditional plastic and forms part of a mono material strategy for easier recycling at end of life.
Polestar 5 continues to use recycled materials seen on other Polestar vehicles, including Econyl, a recycled material made from fishing nets and other waste materials, for the carpets, recycled PET for the headlining, and a knitted second deco wrapping round the upper section of the doors.
The driving position of the Polestar 5 is deliberately reclined, with a performance focus, thanks to the low-slung seats and upright angled steering wheel brought close to the driver. A 9-inch driver display is mounted directly to the electrically adjustable steering column, ensuring the display is perfectly positioned in line of sight, no matter the chosen position. Finally, the 9.5-inch head-up display completes the driver focused information displays found in Polestar 5.
Technology
Between the front seats runs a low centre console which incorporates a lockable storage compartment, crowned with a centralised rotary audio controller for the 14.5-inch portrait centre display screen. The centre display runs a Polestar specific Android Automotive operating system with Google built-in that takes the best of the best from both Polestar 3 and Polestar 4. Four dynamic tiles beneath the Google Maps section can be customised to the user’s choice of function and the dedicated shortcut tile offers up to six of the driver’s most used functions directly on the home screen.
Audio is taken care of either by the Polestar High Performance Audio system with 10 speakers or the Bowers & Wilkins 21-speaker audio system with Tweeter-on-Top technology and 1,680 Watt power output. Laser-line ambient lighting wraps around the cabin, finishing in a sound bar behind the rear occupants’ heads, and combined with Active Road Noise Cancellation makes for a truly first-class cabin experience.
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) form an integral part of the Polestar 5 offer, highlighted by the SmartZone, housing sensors, radar, and forward facing parking camera. The Pilot Assist function adjusts the vehicle’s speed and position in its chosen lane, at speeds of up to 150 km/h. In total, the Polestar 5 has 11 vision cameras, one driver monitoring camera, one mid-range radar, and 12 ultrasonic sensors. Polestar 5 has eight airbags and uses interior radars to detect the number, position, and type of occupants to deploy the correct safety measures in the event of an accident.
Polestar Performance Architecture
Underpinning the Polestar 5 is a brand new, bespoke, hot-cured bonded aluminium platform that forms the basis of the Polestar Performance Architecture (PPA). Using high-strength aluminium extrusions, pressings, and castings, the structure is light-weight and rigid, and affords the Polestar 5 with torsional rigidity higher than that of a two-seat sports- or supercar. Polestar 5 consists of 13% recycled aluminium and 83% aluminium from smelters utilising renewable electricity, substantially lowering its CO2e footprint compared to standard sourcing.
Lighter weight than a comparable steel structure, the aluminium architecture also brings safety benefits, and the 112 kWh lithium-ion NMC battery (106 kWh usable) from SK On forms part of the structure. Innovative engineering decisions, including the compact front double wishbone suspension, lightweight two-piece alloy-belled front disc brakes and steering rack placed ahead of the front axle, have all been made to deliver performance focused driving characteristics. Braking is taken care of by Brembo four-piston callipers up front, which are shared with Polestar 3, but in combination with the lightweight 400 mm two-piece discs save 12 kg over the system in its SUV sibling, improving un-sprung mass and handling.
The Polestar 5 Dual motor has sophisticated BWI passive dampers with hydraulic rebound stops, while the Polestar 5 Performance uses BWI MagneRide adaptive damping. The dampers read the road up to 1,000 times per second and can react within three milliseconds thanks to magnetorheological fluid, providing excellent body motion control while maintaining comfort and an optimal response at all speeds.
Bespoke Michelin tyres, designed specifically for the chosen wheel combinations of Polestar 5, ranging from 20 to 22 inches in diameter, complete the performance focused handling package.
Powertrain
Polestar 5 employs an in-house developed electric rear motor that contributes up to 450 kW and 660 Nm to the Polestar 5 Performance’s 650 kW and 1,015 Nm total power output. This allows the Polestar 5 Performance to accelerate from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in just 3.2 seconds, while the 550 kW Polestar 5 Dual motor takes just 3.9 seconds to complete the same test. Both versions are electronically limited to 250 km/h (155 mph).
An 800 V electrical architecture – the first of its kind on a Polestar vehicle – help achieve such impressive numbers and allow the Polestar 5 to charge at up to 350 kW on a suitable DC charger. The 10-80% battery charge benchmark can take as little as 22 minutes and an external charging indicator on the C-pillar gives a first glance indication of the vehicle’s state of charge (SOC).
For increased efficiency the rear motor of the Polestar 5 can disconnect, and the Polestar 5 Dual motor can achieve up to 670 km (416 miles WLTP) on a single charge while the Polestar 5 Performance can drive for up to 565 km (351 miles WLTP).
Available to order now, Polestar 5 Dual motor (550 kW, 812 Nm) has an indicative launch price of EUR 119,900. The Polestar 5 Performance (650 kW, 1,015 Nm) is available with an indicative launch price of EUR 142,900.
Polestar 5 performance Grand Tourer on sale now in the UK, priced from £89,500 for Polestar 5 Dual motor Launch edition and £104,900 for Polestar 5 Performance Launch edition.
