Polestar's transition from Volvo race team and occasional builder of
mad one-off road cars
into a proper in-house tuner in the mould of BMW M or AMG takes another step forward with today's announcement of an all-new Polestar S60 and V60.
Polestar mods more extensive than before
Having driven Polestar's six-figure, 500hp-plus S60 on a couple of occasions - see
Chris Harris's video here
- we've been very impressed with the Swedes' ability to make (whisper it) boring Volvos more exciting. At a price.
The tuning packages made available for those not ready to fork out supercar money for a bright blue Volvo saloon have done the numbers too, if not quite delivered on the M-beating promise. See our drive in the S60 T6 Polestar for more.
The new Polestar S60 and V60 take a decisive leap forwards though, keeping the transverse straight-six, Haldex four-wheel drive and autobox of the standard T6 models but increasing power to 350hp and 369lb ft. This is a significant increase on the 329hp and 351lb ft of the previous Polestar package and puts a lot more ground between it and the standard car's 306hp and 324lb ft. Polestar achieves the increased power with a new twin-scroll Borg Warner turbo and 2.5-inch exhaust system with suitably girthsome 3.5-inch tail pipes, the better for broadcasting what's described as "a throaty engine note" in the official press release. 0-62 is now 4.9 seconds, top speed limited to 155mph.
Estate only for the UK market Polestar
The more decisive nature of the engine upgrade is matched with some extensive chassis modifications, including an eyebrow raising 80 per cent increase in spring rates over the standard S60 R-Design. On its own that might sound worrying but paired with fancy Ohlins dampers you'd have to hope there will be a taste of the suppleness and control we felt in the similarly equipped concept car. Polestar has also had use of Volvo's wind tunnel to hone some aero additions, including a front splitter and rear diffuser. Six-pot Brembo brakes gripping monster 371mm calipers complete the package.
Although the Polestar package will be offered for both S60 saloon and V60 estate variants in various markets Volvo UK has opted to limit availability to just the latter, reviving fond memories of fast Volvo wagons of old. Pricing has yet to be confirmed but don't expect it to be quite as attractive as the £660 asked for the existing power upgrade. Indeed, given that the base price for a V60 T6 R-Design is £39,435 and the extensive nature of the modifications we'd be inclined to speculate on a price well into the 40s. Which, given the 333hp Audi S4 Avant starts at £39,865 and a BMW 335i M Sport Touring with 306hp would cost from £38,865, is nearly as bold as the trademark Rebel Blue paint.
