Volvo S60 2013 Review

We all know that Volvos are quite good to crash. But no-one buys a Volvo to go fast or just for the enjoyment of driving. Until now, perhaps.

Thanks to a Swedish company called Polestar, and an Australian push for performance that includes - yes, really - V8 Supercars racing from 2014, there is something new, fairly special, and definitely memorable, in the Volvo catalogue. It's an S60 the company is pitching up against a spread of go-faster hero cars including the brilliant BMW M3 and sledgehammer Mercedes-Benz C63.

The Volvo S60 Polestar will never seriously threaten the M3 or C63, but it's a fair bit cheaper and capable of cracking along fairly briskly without flicking your bowls' hat off the parcel shelf or going soft on safety. It will even sprint to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds and has to be held back to 250km/h at the top end.

It's not cheap at $109,950, but it is exclusive with just 50 copies. And it's coming first to Australia because Volvo Car Australia knows its needs to be more than just the safety-first car company in a land where people still like cars and like to drive.

"In short, we see this a sa driver's car. And car built to work in all weather, all season and all roads, every day, and not just on the perfect day," says Hans Baath, the Swedish head of Polestar, at the S60 launch this week in Brisbane.

It's also a test case, a first, to see if the car has potential for other countries and if Volvo should do more stealth work on its other models. "Choosing Australia was quite simple for us. It's a country were the car is a vital part of everyday life. There is a huge car culture here."

VALUE

The bottom line is $109,950 and that's a lot when you can get a T6 all-wheel drive for $65,490 and a Teknik-tweaked version for $75,490. But Volvo wants shoppers to consider it against an M3 at $155,100 and a C63 at $154,900.

The car picks up a bunch of Polestar stuff but, in reality, it's a conservative package. All the Polestar improvements are done on the regular S60 production line, unlike companies like HSV that need to get base cars into their workshops to do real improvements.

Volvo calls it a Q-car - a tag snitched from the Q-ships of the World Wars, which were cargo ships with big guns - but these days it's probably better to describe it as a stealth fighter. It is definitely flying under the radar and the only giveaway - on around a quarter of the cars - is bright blue bodywork that salutes Sweden's motorsport racing colour.

The only option on the Polestar car is a sunroof for $2650 and there are only 50 cars in a limited run. For now, at least.

TECHNOLOGY

Any turbo car is relatively easy to tweak, but the trick is getting the package balanced. It's about engine output first, but also ensuring the car doesn't turn into an unruly, fire breathing beast. There is no risk of a runaway here, for Polestar has been a performance partner at Volvo for more than 20 years and the only external changes to the engine are a free-flow exhaust. The rest is down to computer programming.

The end numbers are 257 kiloWatts and at least 500 Newton-metres - obviously more - linked to a tweaked Haldex all-wheel drive system that picks up launch control, but with an engine that still won't rev to the redline and a six-speed auto that shifts faster but has no flappy paddles and a touch-change that's set for cruising not sporting.

The big development on the Polestar car is Ohlins suspension that's both firmer and more compliant than a regular S60. It's even adjustable if, as if, you take the car to a racetrack. There are also bigger and better brakes, with 19-inch alloys and sticky Bridgestone Potenzas.

DESIGN

Even in bright blue, the Polestar Volvo is a stealthy car. There is a tiny rear spoiler and a deeper dam under the nose, as well as big alloys covering impressive brakes, but that's about it.

The cabin is disappointing with only a build number and a tiny Polestar badge in the top of the shift lever. The seats are standard, so is the trim, and there's nothing to remind you that you've splashed more than $100k on the car.

In a lot of ways it's like the Aurion Sportivo. So, a bit naughty for someone in the midstream of motoring but definitely not nasty. "This is the thinking man's performance sedan. We didn't go big on the external modifications," says Matt Braid, managing director of Volvo Car Australia. "The bodywork changes are for a reason. It's not about winning the brochure wars."

SAFETY

Nothing changes on the safety front, which means five-star NCAP protection and a bunch of driver assistance schemes. But, really, this is an S60 that should do even better because it has more grip, better brakes, and is likely to be driven by someone who is actively conducting the car and not just dozing at the wheel.

DRIVING

Within 200 metres I know the S60 Polestar is not a threat to an M3 or a C63. It's brisk from the lights, with a solid mid-range turbo shove, but there is none of the excitement or theatre of the German master blasters. It's not nearly nasty enough.

So I settle back to enjoy the car, and find it surprisingly enjoyable. The big improvement by the Polestar team is in the chassis, which is both rigid and compliant - a combination that's rare in a car that starts life as a front-wheel drive family bus.

The car copes brilliantly with bumpy roads, sits down tight without crashing or banging, and is enjoyable to hustle - but not hassle - over some winding and undulating mountain roads out of Brisbane. It's a grand tourer with panache, although the bright-blue bodywork prevents any really stealthy attacking.

But push harder and things are not so good. There is no support in the front buckets, the auto gearshift is counterintuitive for a performance car, the brakes start to stink, and the safety-net settings in the engine means it will not hold a gear or downshift on demand.

So Polestar has done some great work, but I can feel the limitations of a conservative company and the need to run the car down the regular S60 production line. There is no chance to be really daring, just a bit different.

Polestar began as a race team and the company clearly knows how to get a result, but this time has only produced a solid midfielder in a class studded with winners. It's a good effort for the first time in the event, but more work - and more daring - is needed to really score.

VERDICT

Nice, not nasty, in a class where nice cars are not enough and real drives expect a bit more passion.

Volvo S60 T6 Polestar

Price: from $109,950
Engine: 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder turbo
Power: 257kW and 500Nm
Transmission: Six-speed auto, all-wheel-drive
Thirst: 10.2L/100km
0 to 100km/h: 4.9 seconds