Polestar invited us up to the hills above Malibu for a drive of its new Single motor RWD Polestar 3, a lower-priced version of the brand’s all-electric SUV.

The RWD Polestar 3 is the new more efficient, longer-range version of the brand’s electric SUV with a lower starting price. It recently started production in the US, and is available now and even being shipped out for export to other markets.

Previous versions of the Polestar 3 were both dual motor – the 489hp Dual motor version and 517hp Dual motor Performance version.

The Single motor version deletes the front motor and uses only the rear motor, with 299hp (the number isn’t exactly half because total horsepower is also a function of the amount of power the battery pack can put out).

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As a result of this, the Single motor version does 0-60 in 7.5 seconds, quite a bit slower than the 4.8 and 4.5 seconds of the other models.

It is however nearly 400lbs lighter after deletion of the front motor, and change to coil spring suspension, rather than air suspension on the upper models – and a lighter weight does have its own performance benefits.

These modifications make the Single motor model much more efficient, with 350 miles of range, compared to 315 miles for the Dual motor and 279 miles for the Performance version. All three models use the same hefty 111kWh battery, with the same 250kW peak DC charging rate, capable of charging from 10-80% in 30 minutes.

Polestar called the Single motor 3 “the most efficient Polestar yet” in its presentation to us, which didn’t sound right for an SUV – but it turns out, it does have the same ~350Wh/mi energy consumption rating as the smaller Polestar 2 and 4.

It also shaves nearly $6k off the price, starting at $67,500, compared to $73,400 for the Dual motor or $79,400 for the Performance model.

But how do those differences feel in the real world?

We had a couple hours with the Single motor car, and only a very short drive up and down PCH with the Dual motor Performance as a quick back-to-back comparison. We didn’t get a chance to charge the cars, or to do any sort of realistic range testing.

But we did definitely feel the huge difference in power between these models.

The Performance version predictably has pretty bonkers levels of power, and will really throw your head back when in performance mode.

The Single motor version is much more sedate by comparison. It still has snappy throttle response like one would expect of an electric car, but power was much weaker, especially at higher speeds.

As a result, merging performance was not as exceptional as in other EVs. One great thing about instant torque is that it makes it very easy to get exactly where you want to be, when you want to be there during merges or lane changes.

Regenerative braking also could be stronger. Less motor power also means less regen capacity, and while Polestar did retune regenerative braking for the Single motor version, it didn’t quite feel strong enough to me. I like very strong off-throttle regen, but found myself hitting the brake pedal much more than I’d have liked. Regen is adjustable, but even on the strongest level, I’d have liked more.

However, perhaps unexpectedly, I might have even liked the feel of the throttle more on the Single motor than the Performance. I’ll attempt to explain why.

One thing that Dual motor vehicles often do is put one of the two motors “asleep” when traveling at a consistent speed in order to increase efficiency. Then when power is called for, the car wakes up the second motor.

On the Performance model, if you have “performance” mode turned off, this wakeup takes a second or so, which means pressing the accelerator leads to a ramp-up effect in power delivery. The car’s software smooths this out, but it still feels a little strange.

If “performance” mode is turned on, both motors are always powered – so there’s no ramp-up effect, just unbridled power. But in that case, the car has so much power that it can feel a little jumpy on the throttle.

Meanwhile, with the single motor version, there is no sleeping of the motor, but since the motor is weaker, rough throttle inputs from the driver’s foot are mediated by the fact that there simply isn’t as much power there to jerk you around.

As a result, the Single motor ends up giving a more sedate, but more comfortable driving or riding experience.

On roads as twisty as the ones we drove on, I’ve had poor drive experiences in the past with co-drivers who are perhaps less accustomed to the instant torque of an EV and have a shaky throttle foot. But this time that wasn’t an issue at all – probably due partially to the EV experience of my co-driver, and also partially due to the Single motor’s more sedate character.

Now, the Single motor version’s coil suspension should stand to offer less ride comfort than the air suspension of the Dual motor, but we found no particular discomfort with the new coil suspension system.

We had a lot more time with the Single motor than the Dual, and our time with the Dual was on a smooth section of PCH rather than the curvy mountain roads we spent most of our time on, but I will say that both driving and riding in the Single motor was a plenty comfortable experience.

For comparison, I do not like the suspension in the Polestar 2, so either version of the Polestar 3 is a superior experience to that one.

Other aspects of the Polestar 3 Single motor are the same as the Dual motor version which we’ve reviewed before. For some quick takes on the rest:

• The seats are comfortable but I felt the cockpit was maybe a little crowded. I do like the Scandinavian-style sparseness of Tesla cockpits by comparison, and Tesla out-Scandinavian’d the Scandinavians here. If the Tesla cockpit is just a bit too sparse for you, then maybe this will provide the balance you want.

• The user interface is good and snappy, with occasional small hiccups (for example, it took maybe a second to load the page with mirror adjustments on it). I’ve experienced one really rough UI in a Polestar before, in a pre-production version of the 4, and this interface does not exhibit the difficulties of that one.
• We didn’t get a chance to test any driver assist features, other than lane departure warning, which had a fairly well-balanced intervention level. I do think it’s easy to get this wrong and make the interventions too light or too strong, and this car’s worked pretty well but was perhaps slightly lighter than I’d like.

• Can I just point out how much I love this front wing design feature? It reduces frontal area and improves efficiency, adds character, and leverages a benefit that EVs have (smaller engine compartment) to give the car a practical benefit (the Dodge Charger Daytona has a similar front wing, and I love it there too).

It’s not cheap though. The $6k in savings when compared to the Dual motor version are definitely appreciated, but $67,500 is still a steep starting price

That price is higher than the segment’s most popular vehicle, the Tesla Model Y (currently $60k for the Launch Edition model of the Juniper refresh, though once a base model is available, that will go down). Of course, many people wouldn’t buy a Tesla at any price right now, and Polestar’s new CEO sees this as an opportunity. In service of this, Polestar recently initiated a Tesla conquest offer, seeking to lure Tesla owners away (and even better, think of all the money you’ll save on bumper stickers).

Overall, the Polestar 3 Single motor offered a smooth and comfortable ride experience as driver or passenger. If you’re looking at the Polestar 3 but prioritize comfort, efficiency and savings, this new base model offers a compelling package for anyone who knows they won’t be hitting a track or drag strip anytime soon.

The Polestar 3 Single motor is available now for order and configuration over at Polestar’s website.

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