Hi, it’s Alistair!

I’ve just completed my first drive in the freshly face-lifted Polestar 3. It’s a mid-life update that’s more focused on the electrical platform than the actual look of the car – and, truth be told, you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between this 2026 Polestar 3 and the car Mark drove for The Next Drive just a few short months ago.

Instead of sharpening the face and introducing some new interior spec options, Polestar has upgraded the 3’s electrical architecture from 400 to 800 volts. This should mean quicker charging, plus there’s a few miles of extra range and changes to how the motors work too.

I’ll come back to whether any of this has made a real difference in a future column – and, of course, a video on The Next Drive’s YouTube channel. For now, I’m reminded again of the Polestar 3’s phenomenal stereo. It’s a 25-speaker system by Bowers & Wilkins. Over 1,600 watts of power, a stylish tweeter on top of the dashboard, and speakers in the headrests and even the roof lining to add height.

The results are incredible. It’s Dolby Atmos compatible, so when you cue up some Atmos content on the integrated Tidal app it’s all deeply impressive. The sound stage is massive, and somehow lifted up out of the footwells and right into the driver’s face. There’s a lovely sense of height without it all becoming a gimmick, and plenty of umph in the bass department too.

Switch away from Atmos tracks, and the inbuilt Abbey Road Studios mode lets you pick between four types of sound stage, ranging from Intimate, to Open, Energised and Expansive. It’s all very cool – and so impressive that I spent my first hour with the 3 playing music while parked on my drive. It’s a sound system that makes every drive that bit more enjoyable, and I can’t wait to try out all of my favourite music over the next few days.

I’m also keen to understand what range the Polestar 3 is really capable of. Mine has a claimed range of about 360 miles, but when delivered it was showing just 260 miles at 99% charge. I hope that discrepancy is due to the lead foot of the previous driver. We’ll see.

I spotted a BMW Z8 in the car park of a posh pub in Kent this week. I haven’t seen one of BMW’s retro roadsters outside the confines of a car show for years, and this one earned extra cool points for sporting German plates incorporating both “Z8” and “007”. 

Sure, it’s not an Aston Martin, but I’ve had a soft spot for the Z8 ever since it appeared in The World is Not Enough. Naturally, I headed straight to the classifieds and…well, they’ve got rather expensive. You’re looking at £160,000 to £230,000, or over £270,000 for the even rarer Alpina version. When the Z8 arrived to a misunderstanding audience at the start of the millennium it was about £90,000 (about double that in today’s money), and I bet they exchanged hands for much less in the years that followed.

Today, and despite the lure of MI6-issue silver, I actually quite like the dark blue one here, with a respectable 30,000 miles on the clock and a £180,000 asking price.

Mercedes-AMG revealed the new electric GT 4-Door Coupe this week. It’s a big move, ditching a thunderous petrol engine in favour of three electric motors, over 1,100 horsepower and a synthetic soundtrack that claims to sound like a V8.

I’ll reserve judgement on how it drives – and sounds – until I’ve got behind the wheel. But for now I’d like to comment on, and get your thoughts on, the looks. They’re challenging, aren’t they? If ever a car looked like it’s asking “have I got something stuck in my teeth?”, this must surely be it.

No doubt Mercedes-AMG thinks it looks assertive, but I just can’t see it. It’s bordering on comedic, and the rear end is rather challenging too. What do you think?

Forza Horizon 6 landed this week and I am absolutely obsessed. I love Japan and Japanese car culture, so of course this was going to be a good game. But the beauty of Turn 10 Studio’s expansive interpretation of Japan is truly jaw dropping to behold. Never mind the racing; I’ve spent hours simply driving about, exploring Japan and taking photos.

I’m currently switching between a fully-tuned, 1,000-horsepower, Liberty Walk-liveried Nissan R35 GT-R, and a Ferrari 250 GTO. A duo that demonstrates how this game really does offer something for everyone.

Thanks for reading The Next Drive. Catch you here next week!

Until then,

Alistair