Better looking than the Tesla Model Y? Why the 2024 Polestar 3 doesn't look 'like a potato'

The 2024 Polestar 3 has arrived in Australia for a roadshow ahead of its launch in June next year, and the vehicle's lead designer has gone to great lengths to explain why this model, and all future Polestar cars, won't look "like a potato".

One of the criticisms levelled at the Tesla Model Y is that the pursuit of slippery aerodynamics has left the top-selling electric SUV looking a little vague and shapeless.

But Polestar says design trumps range, and that it would rather have a good-looking vehicle than a model that hits the highest possible aero targets.

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"At the end of the day, range is very important, and aerodynamics are very important, but... there is a trend to pursue the most aerodynamic car, and eventually you are boxed into an area where all of these cars look like jelly beans, or like potatoes," said Polestar Exterior Design Manager, Nahum Escobedo.

"And that's a trend that we don't want to be a part of. If you look 10 years into the future, we don't want to be in this category where all of these cars are round because of aerodynamics.

"So we really took that into consideration, and said we have to find a balance that sets us apart.

"This is very exciting, because being at the wind tunnel and talking to the aerodynamicist who is pushing for the round surfaces everywhere, and we're going back and forth against these round- and potato-like front ends.

"We knew we had to something different."

That something different is the front wing on the Polestar 3, which sits clear above the bonnet, creating a channel to direct air up and over the vehicle, and direct it toward the rear.

Polestar says the innovation has allowed it to maintain a core focus on design without sacrificing much in the way of aerodynamics. Or, to put it another way, to dodge the potato curse.

The Polestar 3, which was revealed way back in October 2022, will arrive in Australia from June next year, starting at $132,900 before on-road costs.

A dual-motor, long range set-up is the only powertrain available locally, with its rear-biased, twin-motor configuration delivering 360kW and 840Nm.

A $9000 Performance Pack option ups those outputs to 380kW and 910Nm and drops the claimed 0-100km/h time from 5.0 seconds to 4.7 seconds.

A massive 111kWh battery produces a 610km driving range in the standard version, and 560km for the Performance Pack.