Polestar Studies What Driving Performance Actually Feels Like

Performance has traditionally been measured on spec sheets through horsepower, zero-to-sixty times, cornering G-forces, and lap times.

As electric vehicles continue to flatten those metrics by delivering near-instantaneous torque across all price points, Polestar and researchers from the University of Oxford’s SDG Impact Lab set out to quantify a different metric: what driving performance actually feels like to the human behind the wheel.

Conducted at the Gotland Ring circuit in Sweden, the pilot study combined real-time vehicle telemetry with driver heart-rate monitoring, pupil dilation tracking, eye movement sensors, psychological evaluations, and post-drive interviews to study the physiological and psychological relationship between driver and vehicle.

Quantifying the Human Response

The study evaluated twelve drivers behind the wheel of two distinct EV variants: the 268-horsepower Polestar 4 Rear Motor and the flagship 544-horsepower Polestar 4 Dual Motor equipped with the optional Performance Pack.

Researchers found that as vehicle dynamics increased, driver eye metrics shifted dramatically. Under hard driving, participants blinked significantly less, experienced pupil dilation, and maintained longer fixed gazes—patterns that indicate deeper cognitive engagement and intense focus.

Telemetry data paired directly with biometric sensors showed distinct differences between the two drivetrain configurations. On matched fast laps, the Polestar 4 Dual Motor Performance Pack delivered 32 percent higher peak acceleration while requiring 15 percent less steering effort from the driver compared to the single-motor rear-wheel-drive variant, despite both vehicles logging similar overall lap times.

The "Controlled Roller Coaster" Feeling

Participant ratings reflected the physical differences in vehicle setup. On the study’s Performance and Dynamics evaluation scale, the Dual Motor Performance model scored 89.2 out of 100, compared to 67.7 for the single-motor rear-wheel-drive model. It also recorded higher overall experience quality scores, sitting at 93.0 versus 77.9.

However, driver post-lap interviews revealed that feeling high performance wasn't simply a matter of high G-forces or raw speed. Participants consistently defined the experience as a balance between heightened physical stimulation and predictable vehicle feedback that built trust and confidence. Multiple drivers independently described the feeling as a "controlled roller coaster," with one participant noting the car "makes you feel like a better driver than you are."

"Performance is not simply about going faster," said Max Klapow, Doctoral Researcher at the Oxford SDG Impact Lab. "It is about giving the driver a sense of confidence and control through predictable vehicle responses. Our research takes a step towards measuring that human experience by connecting what the car does with what happens to the driver."

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