The Polestar 4 Electric SUV Is Cheap Enough To Take On Tesla’s Model Y

Another day, another EV trying to topple Tesla’s Model Y. This time around, Polestar is hoping to be the lucky insurgent with its Polestar 4 electric SUV.

Ahead of the EV’s launch, Polestar announced that its upcoming crossover SUV will cost a little less than what the company projected — $54,900 instead of $60,000. That’s not a huge difference, but every little bit counts when you’re trying to compete with Tesla and its Model Y, which starts at $43,990.

More Motors, More Money

It’s worth noting that $56,000 is just the starting price. If you want the Polestar 4 in its dual-motor variant, you’re naturally going to have to shell out more. A Polestar 4 with Pilot Pack — a package with lots of fancy, high-tech driver-assist features — will run for a few thousand dollars more at $63,400.

So, what else does $54,900 get you? Polestar says its coupe-like SUV is targeting a 300-mile range and will come with a base of 268 horsepower on the single-motor variant. It’s also claiming that the Polestar 4 is the fastest production vehicle it’s put out yet with a 0-62 mph of 3.8 seconds.

Probably the most interesting thing about the Polestar 4 has nothing to do with the price or performance, however. Notably, the EV will come without... a rear window. Instead of a real window in the back, the Polestar 4 will use a camera to broadcast a live feed of what’s going on behind the vehicle.

Is that a weird choice? Yes. Is it as dangerous as it sounds? Probably not. Like I said when the Polestar 4 was announced, there are plenty of vehicles — think a box truck — that get along without any rear visibility at all. Plus, as Polestar has said, the rear-facing camera will technically have a larger field of view than a traditional mirror. Let’s just hope you don’t experience any technical glitches while you’re driving.

Can the Polestar 4 Topple the Model Y?

There’s no doubt that Polestar wants to broaden its customer base. While $54,900 isn’t the cheapest small electric SUV you can buy, it puts the Polestar 4 in contention with big-time competitors like Tesla or Ford.

Whether Polestar has the real appeal to actually capture the eyes and wallets of more mainstream car buyers remains to be seen, but pretty soon we’ll have our answer. The Polestar 4 is slated for production next month.