For decades, automotive performance has been judged by familiar measurements: horsepower, acceleration, cornering forces and lap times. But with electric vehicles increasingly capable of delivering extraordinary acceleration, those traditional figures may no longer tell the whole story.
Now, a pilot study involving Polestar and researchers from the University of Oxford’s SDG Impact Lab has explored a rather different question: what actually makes a performance car exciting to drive?
The research combined vehicle performance data with physiological measurements and driver feedback, examining the relationship between a car’s capabilities and the sensations experienced by the person behind the wheel.
Measuring the human side of performance
The study involved 12 drivers at the Gotland Ring circuit in Sweden, where participants tested two versions of the electric Polestar 4: the Rear motor model and the more powerful Dual motor with Performance pack.
Both vehicles were driven in calm and dynamic conditions, allowing researchers to examine how drivers reacted to different levels of performance.
Rather than relying exclusively on lap times and acceleration figures, the researchers monitored heart rates, eye movements and other physiological responses. Psychological assessments and interviews provided further insight into how participants experienced each vehicle.
The objective was to explore whether the human experience of performance could be measured alongside conventional vehicle telemetry.
What happened when drivers pushed harder?
The research identified several changes in driver behaviour during more dynamic driving.
Participants blinked less frequently, their pupils became larger and they maintained their gaze for longer periods.
These responses are consistent with increased attention engagement, suggesting that more demanding driving conditions can produce measurable changes in how drivers concentrate.
Researchers were also able to connect information recorded by the vehicles with changes in drivers’ physiological activation.
Importantly, the findings do not establish that a particular physiological response automatically translates into greater driving enjoyment. They do, however, demonstrate how vehicle data and human responses can be examined together.
Polestar 4: How the two versions compared
| Specification | Rear motor | Dual motor Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Power | 200 kW / 268 hp | 400 kW / 544 hp |
| Peak acceleration on matched fast laps | Baseline | 32% higher |
| Steering effort | Baseline | 15% lower |
| Performance / Dynamics score | 67.7 / 100 | 89.2 / 100 |
| Overall experience score | 77.9 / 100 | 93.0 / 100 |
Acceleration and steering comparisons relate to matched fast laps, not standard road-car specification figures.
The Performance version’s substantial power advantage translated into greater peak acceleration, higher cornering loads and more frequent hard-acceleration events.
Perhaps more interestingly, it achieved this while requiring less steering effort during the matched circuit laps.
That combination of stronger performance and reduced steering effort may help explain why participants reported a greater sense of confidence and control.
Performance is also about trust
The drivers’ assessments showed a clear preference for the more powerful version.
On the study’s Performance/Dynamics scale, the Dual motor Performance scored 89.2 out of 100, compared with 67.7 for the Rear motor.
It also achieved a higher overall experiential quality score of 93.0, against 77.9 for the less powerful car.
However, interviews suggested that the appeal went beyond outright acceleration.
Participants described a mixture of physical excitement, trust in the vehicle, confidence in its responses and the ability to remain deeply focused on driving.
Several independently compared the sensation to a “controlled roller coaster”, while one participant remarked that the car “makes you feel like a better driver than you are.”
The researchers found that the Performance version was more consistently associated with this combination of excitement, trust and control.
Can driving enjoyment really be measured?
Christian Samson, Polestar’s Head of Product Attributes, explained the thinking behind the research:
“As electric cars redefine what performance can be, we wanted to understand something that can’t be captured by a specification sheet alone: the human experience behind the wheel.”
The wider ambition is to develop a better understanding of how vehicle engineering influences driver confidence, involvement and enjoyment.
Max Klapow, Doctoral Researcher at Oxford’s SDG Impact Lab, highlighted the importance of predictable vehicle behaviour:
“Performance is not simply about going faster. It is about giving the driver a sense of confidence and control through predictable vehicle responses.”
For manufacturers, this could eventually provide another way of assessing vehicle development, particularly as electric powertrains make impressive acceleration increasingly commonplace.
An interesting first step, but not a final answer
Although the findings are encouraging, this was a small pilot study involving just 12 drivers, conducted in a controlled circuit environment.
It would therefore be premature to conclude that the research has established a universal formula for driving enjoyment.
The study also compared two vehicles with substantially different power outputs and performance characteristics, making it difficult to isolate precisely which individual attributes contributed most to the drivers’ preferences.
Nevertheless, the approach raises worthwhile questions about how performance cars should be developed and evaluated in the electric era.
ME Verdict
The transition to electric motoring has changed the performance conversation. Extraordinary acceleration, once reserved for exotic supercars, is becoming increasingly accessible.
But acceleration alone has never guaranteed an enjoyable driving experience.
What makes this Polestar and Oxford research interesting is its attempt to quantify something enthusiasts have discussed for generations: the relationship between a car, its driver and the confidence that develops between them.
The most rewarding performance car is not necessarily the one with the biggest numbers. It is often the one that makes its performance accessible, predictable and satisfying.
This small study cannot settle that debate, but it offers an intriguing direction for future research.
For Motoring Echo, the message is straightforward: performance is not simply about how fast a car can go, but how confidently and enjoyably its driver can use that performance.
Source: Polestar, reporting research undertaken in collaboration with researchers from the University of Oxford’s SDG Impact Lab.
