Swedish-Chinese carmaker Polestar – owned by Geely and spun off from Volvo – has revealed its fifth production vehicle, the aptly-named Polestar 5.
Born out of the vision of the Precept concept, the 5 now occupies the top of the Polestar brand tree, not only in capability but in price.
Starting from $171,100 plus on-road costs in Australia, the Polestar 5 Dual Motor far exceeds the circa-$155,000 figure for a highly specced Polestar 3 SUV, and comes close to rivalling the Porsche Taycan, which opens from $191,200 in its most affordable all-wheel drive guise.
A better-equipped and more powerful Polestar 5 Performance is priced from $191,200 before on-road costs.
Powering the Polestar 5 is a pair of electric motors, producing 550kW and 812Nm in entry-level guise, and 650kW and 1015Nm in the top-spec Performance. Polestar claims 0-100km/h sprint times of 3.9 and 3.2 seconds, respectively.
For context, you’ve got to buy the $216,300 Taycan 4S to match that sprint time, while the Polestar 5 Performance undercuts the sprint time of the $260,300 Taycan GTS, though the Porsches both achieve their times with lower outputs.
An 800-volt electrical platform underpins the Polestar 5, with a 106kWh usable nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) lithium-ion battery becoming an integral part of its Polestar Performance Architecture (PPA).
Polestar quotes driving ranges of 670km and 565km for the 5 Dual Motor and Performance, respectively – far exceeding the Taycan 4S’s circa 635km claim. Both versions of the EV can charge at up to 350kW.
To help arrest the Polestar 5’s potentially high speeds, there are four-piston Brembo brake calipers and two-piece rotors, sitting behind a set of 20-inch alloy wheels. Polestar offers 21- and 22-inch wheels as options.
The Performance grade gets MagneRide adaptive dampers, while the entry-level Polestar 5 makes do with passive units.
Design wise it’s as sleek as the concept which preceded it, and retains Polestar’s iconic headlight signature, side profile and rear design.
That extends to the lack of a rear window, first seen on the Polestar 4, with a rear-view camera in its place.
Capable of seating five occupants, the Polestar 5’s interior features Recaro seats, with microtech and leather upholstery.
Standard features include a 14.5-inch infotainment touchscreen, a 9.0-inch digital instrument cluster and a 9.5-inch head-up display.
For the audiophiles, a 10-speaker sound system is standard, but can be upgraded to a 21-speaker Bowers and Wilkins 1680-watt system for $8800.
Australian deliveries of the Polestar 5 are set to start in the first half of 2026.
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