Punchy S60 Polestar tested

At the end of last year I brought you the launch story of the limited edition Volvo S60 Polestar and I came away from the launch quite impressed by what it had to offer as an overall package that comes in at R735 000, but felt that as much as Volvo might say it is, it is not exactly a hardcore track car.

As I said then, this is not just a software upgraded Volvo, this is a car completely developed by Polestar and features many changes and upgrades across the board, from software to hardware, to make it a fun car to drive fast.

Some of the upgrades include modifications made to increase the rigidity of the chassis to cater for the 80% stiffer springs, relative to the standard S60 R-Design, along with high performance fully adjustable Öhlins shock absorbers and big 20-inch Polestar wheels on sticky 245/35 Michelin rubber.

The brake system has also undergone a substantial upgrade that now sees a six-piston Brembo system doing duty, faster shifting software in the paddle shift six-speed automatic, along with a recalibrated traction control system riding on a Haldex four-wheel drive system is also added into the high octane mix of goodies on offer as standard fitment.

And all of this makes for a full family size sedan that actually enjoys tackling a twisty road in a way you would not really expect of a Volvo.

I enjoyed my time with the S60 Polestar on the road at pace way more than I did on the track, and this is where I believe most, if not all, owners of the car will also spend their time.

At the heart of this machine is a grumpy enough sounding six-cylinder turbocharged T6 engine that has undergone extensive development with a new twinscroll turbo and intercooler to produce 258kW of power at 5 700rpm and 500Nm of torque from 3 000rpm.

The claimed numbers of 4.9 seconds to 100km/h and 17.7 seconds to 200km/h promised plenty, but no matter how I tried (launch control was the fastest) the best I could get was 5.8 to 100km/h and 22.3 seconds to 200km/h. This is a long way off what Volvo said this car could do.

Sure these are overseas-based claims and perhaps our high altitude with its thin oxygen-depleted air that doesn’t allow the turbo to spool up quickly, and weak 95 octane pump fuel has a bigger hand in this than is usually the case with other performance cars.

Look, it still sounds good and hits an electronically limited top speed of 255km/h fairly quickly, but just don’t go around trying to bully the likes of BMW’s 340i or Audi’s S4, or even the odd quick C-Class from the traffic lights, you will come off second best unfortunately.

Volvo says the Volvo S60 Polestar is designed to carry through Polestar’s engineering philosophy and deliver an engaging, precise and confident driving experience in all weather, on all roads and in all seasons.

This is not a car you only take out on special occasions or perfectly sunny days – it is a car built to be enjoyed 365 days a year.

So if you accept this to be the bottom line, and are not to fussed about how fast the car is in a straight line, then the Volvo S60 Polestar delivers perfectly on this promise.

And if you don’t, well, all 25 cars allocated to the local market were pre-sold before the units even arrived in the country.

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