- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
3.0T, 6 cyl.
- Engine Power
257kW, 500Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 10.2L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
First drive review: Volvo S60 Polestar
Bloody Volvo Driver.
Yep, the Swedish car maker just can’t seem to shake the tag... except this time it’s a whole lot different.
Rather than witnessing the fist-shaking through my rear-view mirror, this time I see the same frustration through the rear-view mirror of the car in front as he’s startled by the rapid approaching speed of the bright blue Volvo S60 Polestar.
And it happened a few times during our first drive of the Swedish car maker’s first dedicated high-performance sedan on the twisty mountain roads in the hinterland west of Brisbane this week, which is a vindication that not only is the S60 Polestar a rapid cross-country cruiser but one that it could finally banish that long-held reputation for good.
Yep, the S60 Polestar is a very accomplished sports sedan. But is it a worthy alternative to its more-established European rivals such as the BMW M3, Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG and Audi RS4?
At $109,950, it is the cheapest of the bunch and comes fully loaded with a long list of equipment, including leather trim, premium audio with Bluetooth streaming and phone connectivity, sat nav, dual-zone air conditioning, rear camera and Volvo’s suite of safety technologies such as adaptive cruise control with full auto brake and pedestrian detection and a driver alert system with lane departure warning, active high beam and road sign detection.
The rest of its numbers are also slightly lower than its rivals; the 3.0-litre turbo charged in-line six only produces 257kW of power - but a healthy 500Nm of torque between 2800-4750rpm - and it can slingshot from 0-100km/h in 4.9secs.
But Volvo says the car was not developed to win a “brochure battle” and admits it has a long way to go before it claim to match the heritage and appeal of its German counterparts.
Instead, it says the all-wheel drive S60 Polestar was designed to be the fastest point-to-point performance sedan in all-weather conditions.
“We see this as a driver’s car that is built to work on all roads in all conditions - not just a perfect day,” said Polestar Managing Director, Hans Baath.
And, after a torture test on Brisbane’s bumpy back-country roads, that’s not an exaggerated claim.
The S60 Polestar has an exceptionally well-balanced suspension set-up that is firm enough to generate staggering amounts of grip yet supple enough to lazily handle the worst of Australia’s pock-marked bitumen. The combination of its Ohlins coil-over dampers, which can be adjusted through 20 settings, carbon fibre front strut brace and larger anti-roll bars transforms the S60 into a genuine corner carver with a handling threshold well beyond the donor car. It is the standout element without a doubt.
But, the fact that it handles so sweetly and almost invisibly engages its rear axle under heavy acceleration, also allows you to extract everything from the tweaked turbo six, which has generous reserves of torque right through the rev range and a throaty exhaust note from its stainless 2.5-inch system with oversized tips.
The six-speed automatic has also been re-mapped for quicker shifts and it works well in full self-shifting mode, but there’s no steering wheel paddle shifts and the gear lever pattern is upside-down - which makes it frustrating to use during spirited driving. The larger brakes are decent for most conditions, but are prone to overheating after a few hard stops.
While the Polestar go-fast bits definitely introduce a new level of sportiness to the S60, it’s a shame Volvo couldn’t add a sprinkle of specialness to the cabin. The seats are flat, the steering wheel is too skinny and there’s nothing in the cockpit that indicates you’re pedalling the fastest car ever to wear the Volvo badge, or that you’ve splashed six-figures on one of just 50 cars in the world.
As a first-up effort, it’s a fantastic car that sets a class benchmark for suspension compliance and showcases the future potential for Polestar. It doesn’t feel like a run-of-the-mill S60 from behind the wheel, but it sure looks like one.
Vital statistics
Price: $109,950
Engine: 3.0-litre turbo six-cylinder
Power: 257kW @ 5700rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 2800-4750rpm
Transmission: 6-spd automatic; AWD
0-100km/h: 4.9sec
Fuel consumption: 10.2L/100km; 243g/km CO2