Six cylinders out and four cylinders in for the facelift of Volvo's V60 flagship
Despite very limited production and a £50K list price, the
Volvo V60 Polestar has quickly established a reputation for itself as a very capable and desirable fast estate car. The car that featured on the
PH Fleet for a few months won over many with its style, excellent damping and plentiful performance.
The big changes are underneath...
Today the V60 facelift has been announced, and there's some significant news: the straight-six turbo has gone, replaced by a four-cylinder Drive-E engine. Hmm. It's the same Twincharged engine used in the V60 and S60 T6 but with a new turbo, new conrods, a new cam and a new air filter. Power is up to 367hp at 6,000rpm and torque is now 347lb ft at 3,100-5,100rpm. With an eight-speed auto replacing the old six-speed gearbox, 0-62mph is now claimed at 4.8 seconds, or two tenths quicker than before. Unsurprisingly the new four-cylinder is markedly more efficient than before too: CO2 has improved from 237g/km to 186g/km, and fuel economy has jumped from 27.7 to 34.9mpg. For reference a 340i Touring achieves 164g/km and 40.4mpg.
Far more interesting PH numbers come from the V60 Polestar's weight though. With the switch to four cylinders, Volvo claims 24kg has been shed from the front end alone. Overall kerb weight is 1,796kg, or 38kg less than before.
New 20-inch wheels part of the external tweaks
Further changes for this V60 Polestar include new 20-inch lightweight wheels, slotted brake discs at the front and a Polestar calibration for the electric power steering. Remember when Polestar's boss told PH recently how keen he was to
work on steering? Now's the chance to try it!
Thanks to the reception of the V60 Polestar, this updated version will now be produced in greater numbers. Alongside the S60 Polestar not offered in the UK, there will be "between 1,250 and 1,500 cars" made, up from 750 before. UK orders are open now - there isn't a price confirmed yet - with deliveries expected in the last quarter of this year. Finally, if your fast Volvo must have more than four cylinders, then delivery mileage straight-six Polestars are available at £12,000 off list price...
