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Volvo V60 Polestar Review and Road Test

September 26, 2017 by benharrington Leave a Comment

This is the Volvo V60 Polestar. A mid-sized estate car that’ll happily ferry your family, luggage and dog around in classy, understated comfort. Being a Volvo, the company who’s vision is zero road deaths in their cars by 2020, you’re also statistically safer in this car than when lying in your pyjamas in your own bed. The end.

Volvo V60 Polestar silver front side

Well, not quite………

Oh, I nearly forgot to mention something. Being a Polestar, it’s packing a turbocharged 367bhp engine which drives all four wheels, it sits on adjustable Öhlins suspension that’s been honed for hours upon hours around a certain German racetrack and it’ll do 0-60mph in 4.5s & 155mph. Not your usual Volvo estate, then.

Volvo V60 Polestar silver front

The visual changes over a standard V60 are on the understated side. This is surely no accident as Volvo maintain their grip on the ‘subtle yet cool manufacturer of the year’ title. A rear splitter with twin 3.5” Polestar emblazoned tail pipes and some 20” rims housing 6-piston Brembo brakes are probably the most obvious indication of the car’s intentions. There’s also a revised front splitter and some ultra-cool blue badges that give the game away.

Volvo V60 Polestar exhaust

Splashes of Polestar blue

This not-in-your-face-at-all approach continues on the inside of the V60 Polestar. The floating centre console still looks good but that’s standard Volvo fare, it does now have a carbon-fibre fascia though. There’s splashes of Polestar blue around the cabin, most noticeably the illuminated gear-knob and the stitching keeping the leather trim and nubuck seats together.

Volvo‘s interiors have been some of my favourite places to be for some time now, and the likes of the XC90 show others exactly how to do vodka-bar cool. This V60’s cabin is still very pleasant but the infotainment system is showing its age. It’s not the largest screen and it’s not crammed full of the most up to date features. Apple CarPlay and its Android equivalent aren’t available for example.

Volvo V60 Polestar cabin

What you do get, though, are the majority of Volvo’s other features such as a rear-view camera, parking sensors, xenon headlights, climate control. They’ve really gone to town on making the V60 Polestar as much of a comfortable mile-muncher as a rapid point to point weapon.

The drive

And that’s where the V60 Polestar comes into its own…….

Let’s just reiterate that 0-60mph time; 4.5s. That in itself is impressive to say the least, but it’s only half of the story. This Volvo has launch control. Yes, launch control. It’s something of an oxymoron if you think about it – a Volvo with launch control. The company have spent their entire existence making the effects of stopping too quickly, i.e. crashing as manageable as possible, yet this one is fully focussed on getting fast asap. It does involve some navigation around the car’s operating system to put into effect, but when you do, the effects are memorable.

Volvo V60 Polestar wheel brakes

More power?

I couldn’t help but feel that for all the V60 Polestar’s notable performance, though, it could easily handle even more power. Maybe a Polestar S or whatever nomenclature they’d use could be on the horizon?

The 8-speed Geartronic transmission is smooth and unruffled in normal mode, but slide it over into sport and it’s far more responsive, allowing the engine to rev higher too. Not only this, but the exhaust takes on a deeper, louder rumble as it can breathe more freely. Changing gear yourself is doable, via the most tactile rubber-backed paddles I’ve come across, but, to be honest, one of the automatic modes will probably suffice this side of a racing track.

Volvo V60 Polestar gear paddle

Those adjustable Öhlins and Polestar tuned chassis mean it’s 80% stiffer than the car it’s based on, and that sounds rather a lot. In reality, though, it’s no bone-shaking go-kart that’ll rattle your teeth out of your gums. It works well with the 4WD system to handle and respond to corners, but it’s not noticeably uncomfortable.

Should I buy a V60 Polestar?

Polestar are obviously Volvo’s answer to BMW’s M-cars, Mercedes’ AMGs and Audi’s RS or S range. Priced at just under £50k before options, the V60 Polestar is a tricky one to place, competition wise. It’s not powerful or focussed enough to take on an M4, but it’s over £10K cheaper. It’s an estate, too, which would put it closest to the Audi S4 Avant in terms of price and performance, but it just feels more exclusive and special than that.

By Ben Harrington

Volvo V60 Polestar silver rear

Volvo V60 Polestar Specifications:

Engine – 2.0l turbocharged 4-cyl petrol, Layout – Front engine, 4WD, Transmission – 8-speed automatic, Power – 367bhp, Acceleration – 0-60mph – 4.5s, Maximum Speed – 155mph limited, Maximum Torque – 470Nm @3100 – 5000rpm, Economy – 34.9mpg combined, Emissions – 186g/km CO2, Price – £49,665 OTR

The Volvo V60 Polestar is available now. For full details go to; www.polestar.com

Volvo V60 Polestar launch control

Filed Under: Driven, Estate, Review, Road Test Tagged With: Estate, Polestar, s4 avant, Volvo, volvo v60, volvo v60 polestar

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About Driving Torque

I'm Ben Harrington and I'm a car lover, freelance motoring journalist and family-man (I'll let you decide the order!) I started Driving Torque in 2010 to share my love of all things motoring with the wider world. Since then, … continue reading

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Freelance motoring writer and Editor of Driving Torque. @NGMWcars member. Classic VW owner. Husband and father to a wonderful wife and two amazing young ladies.

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