Taking the Scenic Route with Polestar 3
Some of my earliest travel memories are of road trips with my grandmother, discovering the world a little further from home with every turn. As summer draws to a close, I always like to plan something to look forward to in the autumn. This time, it was a drive through beech woods turning gold, with Ästad Vingård as our destination and the 2026 Polestar 3 as our companion. A good excuse to take the longer route.
text: Jahwanna Berglund
I have a fairly specific idea of the perfect road-trip car. It should look good enough to make me smile when I walk towards it, feel reassuring from the driver’s seat and be somewhere I actually want to spend several hours. If I can open my laptop as a passenger without feeling sick, we are entering exceptional territory.
The Polestar 3 with Performance pack made a promising first impression. To my eye, it is one of the sexiest SUVs on the road. Its broad stance and clean lines give it a presence I find difficult to resist. Before we had even set off for Ästad, I was already a little taken with it.
Inside, the yellow seatbelts, officially Swedish gold, bring a sporting touch to an otherwise restrained interior. They are the sort of detail I notice immediately: a flash of colour that adds character without disturbing the simplicity of the design.
For those who enjoy the numbers (myself included), there is 380 kW of power delivered through two motors. The active air suspension monitors inputs 500 times a second, adjusting to the road and the way the car is being driven. I like knowing a little about what is happening beneath the surface, but I was just as interested in how I would feel after a few hours in the passenger seat.
I am usually the person who cannot so much as open a laptop in a moving car. On this trip, though, I did not feel sick at all. I could work and take meetings while my boyfriend drove, without the familiar need to put everything away and stare straight ahead. Being able to finish a little work along the way made the transition from a working week to a few days away feel surprisingly easy.
Eventually, though, I closed the laptop. Beyond the windows, the countryside was turning copper and gold, with patches of summer green still holding on. As we approached Ästad and the beech woods gathered around the road, I was happy simply to watch.
Then there was the massage function, fitted to both front seats in our car. I will admit that the passenger seat began to feel like the better end of the arrangement. With a massage underway and the autumn countryside passing outside, I had very little incentive to suggest swapping places.
The Bowers & Wilkins sound system added another reason to settle in. Music is part of the pleasure of a road trip, and I found myself paying closer attention to what we were listening to. There was time to enjoy a whole album as the landscape changed around us.
For longer stretches behind the wheel, there is Pilot Assist, which can help maintain a chosen speed and distance from the car ahead while the driver remains responsible for driving. Alongside a supportive seat and a clear view of the road, it is the sort of assistance I appreciate on a longer journey.
Driving through the woods also made me appreciate travelling without producing exhaust emissions along the way. With autumn unfolding around us, I kept thinking how glad I was that we had made time for this trip. It is easy to spend the season planning things and never quite get around to leaving.
I had set off with a fairly specific idea of the perfect road-trip car and arrived with a few additions to the list. Massage seats, for one. The ability to answer emails without feeling queasy, for another. Ästad was every bit as inviting as I had hoped, although getting this particular passenger princess out of the car took a moment.
