Polestar harnesses the power of 3

Rather confusingly, the Polestar 3 is the largest of these two new additions, a spacious and rapid premium SUV to rivals the likes of Tesla’s Model Y and the BMW iX.

It is around the same length as a Range Rover Sport, but lower and sleeker.

The 3 features the ‘Thor’s Hammer’ headlight design familiar to Polestar and Volvo models and a wing that spans the bonnet, accelerating air over the car to improve its aerodynamics.

All Polestar 3’s currently feature a 107kWh battery, with the option of a single or dual motor set-up.

Our £85,300 test car featured front and rear motors, delivering 490PS and 840Nm of torque, making acceleration to 62mph possible in 4.8 seconds.

Floor the throttle, on most road surfaces, and you can feel the torque being metered out to the tyre with the most grip.

Drive more steadily and a 348-mile range is possible.

Suspended by dual-chamber active air springs, the 3 rides extremely well and manages to disguise its weight of over 2.5 tonnes.

There is also an all-of-a-piece feel about this Swedish SUV, a sense of structural integrity and build quality most reminiscent of a BMW.

Inside, Polestar shares a lot with its Volvo sister brand.

Clean, Swedish design abounds in the spacious cabin, which is tastefully illuminated by LED ambient lighting.

The 1,610-watt Bowers and Wilkins sound system’s dashtop tweeter adds a sculptural centrepiece.

However, it is the 14.5-inch, portrait-oriented touchscreen that dominates your attention.

With few physical buttons around the car, virtually everything is accessed via this screen, including basic functions such as wing mirror and steering wheel adjustment.

Furthermore, the steering wheel’s buttons are multi-functional, depending on selections made via menus within the screen’s Google operating system.

Thankfully, an instrument binnacle and head-up display serve-up essential driving data where you need it.

The Polestar 3 is a striking, zero-emissions premium EV.

However, it does demonstrate that not all tech advancements are successful in improving user experience.