Despite it being known fact that the current iteration of the Volvos ’60 series isn’t long for this world, the Swedish marque still believes there plenty of life yet in their midsize premium offering. Polestar agrees - and frankly so do we - so have prepared some high performance versions of the S60 and V60, updated for the 2018 model year. Prices have not been mentioned, so keep in mind that they could cost the same as the 2017 versions.
This slight revision comes roughly a little more than a year after Volvo and Polestar announced some big changes to pair earlier where, in the main, they were stripped of their unique transversely mounted 3.0-litre straight-6 turbocharged engine and in its place had a 2.0-litre twincharged Drive-E motor with slightly more power, specifically 270kW and 470Nm.
An eight-speed transmission is tasked with shifting duties, sending motive force to all four corners through a Borg-Warner-developed all-wheel drive system. The S60 Polestar reaches 100km/h from rest in 4.7 seconds while the slightly heavier V60 does the same in 4.8 seconds.
None of that has changed this time around and instead Polestar have chosen to focus its efforts fully on the car’s aerodynamic package. All in all, they claim the new front splitter, side sills, and rear spoiler extension, all made in lightweight carbon fibre, increases downforce by 30 percent - an astonishing number.
No doubt these new bits were borne out of the crucible of motorsport, using expertise gained from the Polestar Cyan Racing team’s endeavours in the WTCC (World Touring Car Championship). Much of that was earlier tested on the secret Nurburgring test car that took the record for the fastest four-door road legal car to lap the Nordschleife, only that Volvo and Polestar chose to keep their mouths shut about their achievement.
Other visual changes include high-gloss black Polestar diamond cut wheels, carbon fibre door mirror casings and a new colour; Bursting Blue Metallic. The interior has been updated with a new seat upholstery, blue contrast stitching and Polestar embroidering. In total, Polestar says that over 250 components have been added to the S60 and V60 over their standard configurations, including an adjustable Öhlins shock absorber system and six-piston Brembo brake callipers with 371 millimetre discs.
In this 2018 guise, only 1,500 examples will be produced, possibly highlighting this generation’s end of life to make way for a new S60 and V60 hewn from the underpinnings that have spawned the S90, XC90, and new XC60. What isn’t clear is if Volvo will produce both body styles in equal numbers, meaning 1,500 units of each, or will it be split in to pairs of 750 cars.
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