We may earn a commission from links on this page. In This Story Advertisement The steering wheel controls are adaptive, so up/down and left/right buttons can control different functions depending on what thing you’ve toggled on, like controlling the side mirror adjustments or your adaptive cruise control follow distance. But on our drive the buttons are very limited in scope — for instance, they can’t control audio volume or skip tracks, which Polestar says will come soon with an over-the-air update. OK, yeah, that’s pretty ridiculous. At least the volume knob on the center console is prominent and satisfying to spin. I find the Polestar’s Android Automotive–based infotainment system to be great to look at and easy to use, though, with an excellent font and graphics and menus that are well laid out. Most of the home screen is taken up by the excellent native Google Maps, and the map can also be projected in the driver display with additional directions in the available head-up display. Beneath the map are configurable widgets that show recently played media, and below that are a row of modular buttons that change based on recently used apps or the driving situation. At the base of the screen are climate controls that are always present, which open up small pop-ups or the full climate menu. Photo: Daniel Golson/Jalopnik This is actual minimalism done right, a more authentic design-forward approach than the minimalist-to-a-fault cabins of Teslas. The lack of buttons and switches opened Polestars’ designers up to create a really calm, warm space that still has enough detailing to not feel sparse or boring. As a whole the Polestar 3’s design feels authentically Scandinavian, reminding me of modern Swedish architecture and industrial design. It would feel at home on display at Copenhagen fashion week, used in an Ikea ad spread, or being driven by a character in a Danish crime show. The Polestar 3 is just plain cool. Advertisement Last month Polestar began production of the 3 at the Charleston, South Carolina factory that also builds the Volvo EX90 (and used to build the Volvo S60 sedan), but a small amount of China-built 3s were brought over to the U.S. before the recent tariffs were enacted, so those will be the first to reach customer hands. The first Polestar 3s will be the Launch Edition spec, which starts at $80,300 including destination, $990 less than an EX90. Identifiable by its gold brakes, the Launch Edition comes standard with the Plus package that costs $5,500 on the non-LE models, which adds 21-inch wheels, the B&W sound system, a head-up display, soft-close doors, that fancy cargo floor, heated wipers, a cabin air-quality sensor, an infrared windshield, power adjustment and memory for the steering column, a heated steering wheel and heated rear seats. Photo: Daniel Golson/Jalopnik For now every Polestar 3 comes with the Pilot pack, though eventually that will probably be optional as well, bringing the car’s base price below the current $74,800 for the standard Long Range . The Pilot pack gets you a 360-degree camera system that’s fine but not amazing, front and rear parking sensors with parking assist, and the Pilot Assist system that includes adaptive cruise control with steering assist that works at up to 93 mph, plus automatic lane changes. Later in 2025, you’ll be able to spend $5,000 on an upgraded Pilot pack that adds LiDAR from Luminar, more cameras and an additional Nvidia computer for more advanced future driver-assist tech, including hands-free operation. Also standard on every Polestar 3 are four USB-C ports and a wireless charger, 8-way electrically adjustable heated front seats, three-zone automatic climate control, full LED lights with welcome sequences, a power tailgate with hands-free opening, heated frameless mirrors, rain-sensing wipers and a 10-speaker sound system. Other standard safety features include automated emergency braking with cyclist and pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, a driver-monitoring system with eye tracking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, traffic sign recognition, post-impact braking, rear collision warning and braking, an occupant detection system and more. And unlike the EX90, which relies on a digital key that didn’t work well, the Polestar comes with a keycard and a traditional keyfob in addition to the digital option. Advertisement