Yes, it’s thirsty but the straight-six under the bonnet of the new V60 Polestar is Volvo’s best sounding engine yet. Even better than the sadly short-lived V8. Such a shame then that the turbo 3.0-litre is also for the axe. No chance of a reprieve, Volvo?
To be fair, this engine series has been in production for quite some time, having been introduced with the current S80 in 2006. Back then, Volvo called it the Short Inline Six (SI6) family and it’s been fitted to all manner of vehicles, including the Freelander.
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A big engine fitted sideways under any car’s bonnet is an unusual site and these days, there aren’t a lot of them around. The obvious problem can be too much mass over the driving wheels but in the case of the V60 Polestar, this is offset by an all-wheel drive system. With 257kW (350hp) and 500Nm of torque, it’s needed.
This new, most expensive variant for the four-year old wagon is not quite a series production model. VCC dipped its toe in the water with the limited edition and high-priced S60 Polestar, a car that was sold only in Australia during 2013. All were quickly snapped up.
The estate, meanwhile, was first seen at the Chicago auto show this past February. It entered production in June and just 750 sedans and wagons will be made in 2014. Of this combined total, the majority will be coming to Britain, thanks to our tradition of embracing fast Volvo estates. That goes back 20 years to the era of the 850 R.
This new model is built at the Torslanda plant in Sweden. While it goes down the same line as other V60s, this is the first time that an independent partner has been part of the production process at the suburban Gothenburg factory. There is some additional finishing at nearby Special Vehicles.
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By GlobalData”We are delighted to see the first cars leave the factory and it has been an exciting journey together with Polestar to see these cars from the drawing board to the actual finalised product being produced with us on the factory line,” Magnus Hellsten, Volvo Cars’ vice president of Car Manufacturing in Europe announced as the first model came off the line.
The UK will be getting 125 units of those 750 S60 and V60 Polestars this year, with the other markets being Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA. Every one of the 125 will be fully specified with all factory options, the only choice being which of four colours – Rebel Blue, Black Sapphire Metallic, Bright Silver Metallic or Ice White – to choose. The on-the-road price is GBP49,775.
Let’s get the criticism over and done with. It might have been a glitch with the test car, as it had a button on the key fob and also on the dashboard for remote boot opening (and closing?) but for fifty grand, there should be an electric tailgate. You can also tell this car dates from the era when Ford’s cost cutters were all over Volvo like a cheap suit, as someone has had to specify just one internal boot handle, and it’s offset. OK, it can sometimes be a minor inconvenience but to premium car buyers, these things are noticeable. Perhaps there will be an upgrade for the MY2016 cars.
For the interior, the only thing I would single out is perhaps a slight sense of claustrophobia in the test car’s back seats. This is due to the combination of a standard sunroof and therefore the headliner having to sit lower, plus it’s finished in dark grey. There’s no problem in the front if you just slide the glass roof’s sunshade open.
I drove the car as its owners likely would and saw an average of 19mpg which is bang on the official Urban number. Combined is a more reasonable 28mpg. I must admit, I am starting to see why Volvo has this policy of fitting only Drive-E four-cylinder engines to all future models. The XC90 is the first fresh design since this range of low emissions petrol and diesel 2.0-litre units appeared. Should there be a Polestar version, you’d imagine it will have a more powerful version of the supercharged and turbocharged engine that will be in the T8 Twin Engine derivative (the plug-in petrol hybrid).
Polestar is the company’s touring car championship partner, and the name will become increasingly familiar as yet more models adopt it in the coming years. The new V60’s 2,953cc engine, while a Volvo design, is manufactured in south Wales by Ford. BorgWarner supplies the twin-scroll turbocharger (unlike the T6 in the earlier S80 and XC90, this isn’t a twin turbo engine). As for the chassis, this is tuned by Polestar, with Ohlins dampers specified, along with six-piston Brembo brakes and a 60mm diameter active full-flow stainless steel exhaust system.
Those shiny tailpipes are one of the first things you notice about the car when walking up to its rear, along with the huge alloys and wide tyres. Put the six-speed automatic transmission into Sport rather than just Drive and the most glorious sound is your reward. It’s not in the same category as an old M3 or a Porsche Cayenne V8 diesel but it IS really something special for a Volvo. I wasn’t sure that six gears would be enough but in practice, they are, though an eight-speeder would be so much better for emissions (237g/km) and economy.
You can charge to 62mph in 5.0 seconds and the top speed is limited to 155mph. Traction off the line is remarkable. Since the V60 went back, I have been driving a Scirocco TDI. Pulling out of the same slippery junction near my home, the Polestar just rocketed off the mark if I needed it to but the VW’s front tyres struggled for a heart-stopping second on one occasion.
So a gold star for active safety but the Polestar has a lot more up its sleeve than just a superbly smooth Haldex coupling for its Instant Traction all-wheel drive system. This includes City Safety (activates the brakes if you fail to, between 2 and 31mph), Lane Departure Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control with Full Auto Brake, Road Sign Information, Active High Beam (one of the better applications I’ve come across as it always flicked off just before oncoming cars needed it to) and Volvo On Call (GPS assistance). You will also find the latest version of BLIS, the blindspot alert invented by Volvo, which now has CTA Cross Traffic Alert to let you know if someone veers into your path as you’re reversing. And finally, there’s Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection.
The seats are a sports design and measure up to the usual high standard which means never do I get back ache in any Volvo. Their facings are a mash-up of alcantara and leather, finished with light blue stitching and the usual fry-your-buns super-hot seat heaters are here too. Don’t worry, settings 1 and 2 will keep you nicely toasty: leave 3 for the Swedes and their winters. The doors feel really solid but aren’t too heavy, the paddle shifters are positioned in exactly the right place and have the + and – symbols cut out of the metal, and generally everything you touch feels and looks good. Something I noticed, though: unlike the steering wheel and seats, the infotainment system can take a short while to fire up.
There’s a space saver spare and of course the driven axles beneath the boot floor but despite this, there’s a lot of luggage space: 557/1,241 cubic litres with seats up/folded. You can also carry 75kg on the roof and even with all the luxury gear, the car itself weighs 1,811kg – Volvos are almost always less lardy than their German equivalents. Compare the outgoing XC90 to something like the X5 if you need another example.
One other thing. There has been some mention of the ride being too hard for British roads. I disagree. There are cobbled streets in my town and on them, the car was fine. Not one instance of a seatbelt gravity lock or a rear passenger getting bounced around. Maybe some other media found roads which were quite different to those in my part of the world, which is the south west and the M4 corridor. To be fair, parts of London can have some nasty potholes and grounding speed humps. You can change the settings too, if they’re overly firm.
As a long time fan of sporty Volvos, especially the larger estates, I was prepared to be disappointed by the V60 Polestar. It did seem to promise a lot but I know its platform is getting on a bit, as is the basic engine. However, what this means in practice, is what often happens with the firm’s cars – they receive constant model year tweaks and often get better as they approach mid-life and beyond. This is now my favourite Volvo and the brand’s best car yet. Please let the next, four-cylinder one sound this good.
