2015 Volvo S60 Polestar Review and Road Test

Development of the third generation high-performance Volvo S60 Polestar took a familiar path – get the motorsport team on the job. Polestar is Volvo’s competition arm – responsible for the S60 Polestar model in the first place – so to improve the racy S60 sedan they called on years of racing development.

“All tracks are different and every race is full of surprises and changing conditions, so the last thing you, as a driver, want is a car that surprises you,” explained Polestar boss Christian Dahl. “Exactly the same thing applies for the open road, so these cars (the S60 Polestar sedan and all-new V60 Polestar wagon) have been built to be consistent and give the driver a high level of control and feedback, never surprising the driver regardless of situation or conditions – we call this a balanced package.”

We think Christian is selling himself a bit short there – we thought the previous generation Volvo S60 Polestar was pretty damn fine. That said, the latest version is better all-round in lots of minute details - for example, sporty drivers will appreciate the more rear-biased set-up for the all-wheel-drive system.

Volvo S60 Polestar Overview

While about the only thing it shares with the race car is the hallmark Volvo blue paint scheme, as we know the S60 Polestar sedan is the vehicle used by the Garry Rogers Motorsport team in local V8 Supercar racing. And what a spectacular first year it was for the racing Volvos – five wins, nine pole positions and fifth in the championship for Kiwi superstar Scott McLaughlin.

Not since the Nissan GT-R back in the 1990s has a new car made such an impact on local Touring Car racing. And yes, it’s a Volvo.

As we know, Volvo Australia broke ranks with the rest of the Volvo corporation by co-operating with the Swedish Polestar operation to initially develop to the road-going S60 Polestar in 2011. The local success of the high-performance sedan resulted in versions now being sold in Canada, Japan, North America, Britain, Switzerland, the Netherlands and back home in Sweden.

Now the third generation Volvo S60 Polestar has arrived in Australia boasting extra grip (thanks to unique Polestar 20-inch alloy wheels with Michelin Pilot Super Sport 245/35 ZR20 tyres), improved shock absorbers and all-wheel-drive system, new engine and transmission calibration, a new stainless steel active exhaust system, better brakes and a more upscale/sporty interior.

The garage at www.carshowroom.com.au was home for a week to a Volvo S60 Polestar sedan which retails for $99,990 (we hope to get a V60 Polestar wagon shortly).

Volvo S60 Polestar Engine

Unlike the V8 rear-wheel-drive race cars, the road-going Volvo S60 Polestar is equipped with Volvo’s turbocharged six-cylinder T6 petrol engine. Maximum power is 257kW at 5250rpm and peak torque of 500Nm is delivered at 3000rpm.

Combined-cycle fuel consumption is rated at 10.2l/100kms – better than the locally-developed V8 sedans by a fair margin.

Drive is to all four wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission and Volvo’s Haldex system. Changes for the latest model Volvo S60 Polestar pleasingly see steering wheel paddle shifters and a recalibration of the transmission for faster shift times (and introduction of launch control).

But perhaps the best news is a new 2.5-inch stainless steel exhaust system with 3.5-inch tailpipes. Now Volvo’s racy six-cylinder has a suitably impressive exhaust note.

Volvo S60 Polestar The Interior

If pushed, we’d deduct points from the previous generation Volvo S60 Polestar models for their interiors which were a little under-done for a car in this league. That’s changed with the updated model delivering significant improvements which provide an interior befitting a car with that price sticker.

Included are seats in a new Nubuck/leather combo and a not insignificant amount of carbon-fibre look trim highlights. The Nubuck/leather also extends to the three-spoke steering wheel.

On the comfort front, we liked the driving position (lots of rake/each adjustment for the steering wheel) and the Car Showroom juniors had no complaints about the rear seat comfort. Your www.carshowroom.com.au correspondent’s full-size golf bag fitted into the boot – another plus score for the Volvo S60 Polestar over some rivals.

We really like Volvo’s current dashboard/instrumentation design. The large digital speedometer inside the rev-counter and navigation/boost gauges is a clever layout which is both easy to rear and space-efficient…trust those efficient Swedes.

Volvo S60 Polestar Exterior & Styling

Big news on the outside are the wheels. This generation Volvo S60 Polestar gains good-looking 20-inch Polestar alloy wheels mounted with excellent Michelin Pilot Super Sport 245/35 ZR20 tyres.

Also new is a bootlid spoiler.

Styling is a personal thing, but in our eyes, the Volvo S60 Polestar is a ripping good-looker – we like the modern shape and its already abundant ‘street cred’ is certainly enhanced by those meaty new alloy wheels.

Pleasingly our Volvo S60 Polestar was painted in ‘Rebel Blue’ – the traditional Volvo racing colour. Much like all Ferraris should be red, all AMG-Mercedes-Benz should be silver and all BMW M vehicles should be white…well we’re just saying…

Volvo S60 Polestar On The Road

Cars like the Volvo S60 deserve roads like (insert your favourite twisty road). In our case here in Melbourne that’s the climb up to Olinda and also the Black Spur.

Over those roads the Volvo S60 Polestar excelled and showcased its racetrack-developed chassis to the full. Letting the turbocharged six-cylinder work hard (accompanied by that raucous new exhaust note) was a sensation and swapping cogs was much better thanks to paddle-shifters (it was always strange previous S60 Polestars didn’t have them) and a recalibration of the transmission software for faster shift times (and to provide launch control).

But, as per the previous Volvo S60 Polestar, it was the performance of the chassis which really stood-out. Changes to the Ohlins/Polestar adjustable shock absorbers, retuned ESC, ABS and Haldex all-wheel-drive system were all aimed at sharpening the Volvo S60 Polestar’s overall package.

So cornering is flatter, grip levels are markedly improved and, when you get to the sportiest settings, there is a distinct feel of rear bias when the Volvo S60 Polestar takes its mid-corner ‘set’. It’s all very high level and rapid of course and, like all all-wheel-drive cars, at the very (high) limit, understeer is noticeable when you nail the throttle mid-corner.

But back things off a bit in the adjustability department and the Volvo S60 Polestar is a happy camper even in cumbersome working week traffic gridlocks. So this high-tech Swede would be much easier to live with every day that the domestic donor vehicles for V8 Supercar racing.

Volvo S60 Polestar Challenges

Our only point’s deduction for the Volvo S60 Polestar – an it’s a minor one – is the six-speed automatic transmission which can be a bit ‘clunky’ handling all that 258kW/500Nm of turbocharged six-cylinder goodness.

 

Volvo S60 Polestar Verdict

A fair-dinkum high-tech, high-performance European sedan with legitimate claims to take-on the best of Germany or indeed the local V8s. This isn’t your tyre-smoking, oversteering, donut-inducing hotrod, rather the Volvo S60 Polestar – just like say the Audi S4 - is all about that great engine and high-tech all-wheel-drive wizardry which makes it astonishingly quick and rewarding to drive.

Now Polestar has given its S60 road-rocket the high-performance and classy interior it always deserved.

Yep, no doubt about it, the Volvo S60 Polestar is a Car Showroom Favourite. We’re into cars like this because they bristle with the sort of technology which makes the car industry great.

And yes, with this car Volvo definitely should be considered in the same league as those ‘S’, ‘AMG’ and ‘M’ badged cars from Germany.

Volvo S60 Polestar The Competition

Audi S4 ($105,000) is awesome and underscores the best in high-performance German sedans. A tad lighter than the Volvo S60 Polestar at 1705kgs and with 245kW/440Nm of supercharged V6 driving through the seven-speed Stronic transmission and Quattro all-wheel-drive system, the Audi S4 delivers driving enjoyment with a capital ‘E’. And Audi’s beautiful interior should not be overlooked.

And as Volvo races the S60 Polestar in V8 Supercars, let’s look at the home-grown rivals.

From HSV we have the Gen-F GTS priced at $95,490, powered by the 430kW/740Nm 6.2-litre supercharged V8 and from FPV it’s the GT-F with a 351kW/570Nm supercharged V8 (six-speed manual).  Both are superb but of course are rear-wheel-drive giving the Volvo S60 Polestar an edge when roads like the Bells Line Of Road in NSW or the Black Spur in Victoria get wet and slippery.