Polestar and Oxford study links driver enjoyment to handling confidence and control

Polestar and University of Oxford researchers used a pilot study to explore how performance affects drivers, beyond measurable speed and lap times. Their findings suggest that drivers may value the confidence, control and engagement created by a car’s handling, helping explain why performance matters even when it is not easy to describe on a specification sheet.

Twelve drivers tested rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive Polestar 4s at Sweden’s Gotland Ring, first gently and then at a faster pace. The 536 hp all-wheel-drive version produced 32 per cent higher peak acceleration and required 15 per cent less steering effort on a matched fast lap; drivers also rated it higher for performance and overall experience. Researchers gathered heart-rate, brain activity, gaze, car telemetry and interview data, but Polestar says the small study is only a pilot.