Used Volvo V60 Polestar 2014-2016 review

What results is 345bhp, 369lb ft and a launch control-governed 0-62mph claim of 5.0sec. Not quite the stuff of like-for-like Audi RSs or Alpina BMWs, but it’s probably gutsy enough for a level-headed Volvo. There has never been a more powerful production car from Gothenburg than this.

That was until the 2017 model was announced which is destined for the UK. The changes under the bonnet are huge, mainly the 3.0-litre engine has been replaced with a 2.0-litre unit which has been tweaked to produce 362bhp, which certainly puts it in the same power ball park as the Audi RS3, Ford Focus RS and the Porsche Cayman S.

A bigger overhaul has been carried out on the V60’s chassis, informed by the experience of running current Volvo S60s as racing cars since 2012 but optimised for the road. Polestar Motorsport added the stiffness and dynamic poise required for this V60 in several ways, starting with a carbonfibre strut brace between the two front suspension turrets.

Shorter suspension springs were then fitted, making for a ride height lowered by just 3mm over that of the standard V60 T6 R-Design. That small difference may not strike you as much, but the spring rates were increased by a whopping 80 per cent, with the stiffer pair on the rear axle, as tends to be the case in performance cars where the need for clean directional response gets the nod over outright ride comfort.

New Öhlins dampers were specified, but damping was toughened up elsewhere through the use of stiffer top mount and tie blade suspension bushings.
The running chassis overhaul is completed by 371mm Brembo front brake discs with six-piston calipers and bespoke Polestar Motorsport 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres.

Outwardly, Polestar’s modifications to the V60’s body are quite subtle – and entirely suitable for an effective ‘sleeper car’ mystique. The extended front lip spoiler reduces high-speed front axle lift, while the new roof spoiler and diffuser do the same for the rear. Small, blue Polestar badges also feature on its nose and rump.

This car’s chassis isn’t playful like that of some four-wheel-drive cars, such as a VW Golf R, or one that responds by shuffling power around to find grip where it otherwise wouldn’t, as an Audi RS4 might. And, of course, its power isn’t biased to the rear, so it doesn’t like a ‘bung’ like some super-saloons.

It pays to be more cautious and nudge up to the Volvo’s tendency to let go at the front first. Then, by smoothly applying the throttle, it’s easy to get the best out of it by allowing the four-wheel drive system to send power to the rear if the fronts become troubled, in turn pushing the Polestar out of corners at a genuinely impressive lick.

Driven thus, the Volvo V60 is at its most rewarding. Which means not as rewarding as the finest fast estates but a darned sight more so than any Volvo in recent memory.

But although it’s impressive and at times engaging, the Volvo seldom strays into an area you’d consider to be truly fun. It steers pleasingly enough, with medium weight and good consistency, but this is a front-led, mostly sensible estate car that happens to have quite a turn of pace.