Volvo S60 Polestar T6 MY13 2013 review

When Volvo announced in June that it would enter V8 Supercars next season, I couldn't help thinking about bowling hats sliding around on parcel shelves and wondering how to tie them down. What would the race regulations have to say about an unsecured piece of headgear?

An absurd idea, of course. A case of reflex brand association.  But it's precisely the sort of connection we all make. It shows how much mental reorganisation is needed to put the two ideas in the same sentence. Volvo and racing? Come on.

For those with longer memories, this will be less of a struggle. Volvo competed with its S40 in the 2.0 Litre Super Touring Cars series in the 1990s, winning at Bathurst in 1998 and taking the manufacturers' title a year later. It has kept its eye in with stints in overseas events, including the Scandinavian Touring Cars Championship.

As the V8 Supercars rules have changed, but the general perception of Volvos has stayed broadly the same, it has come back for another go. This time the race car is an S60 powered by a V8, which is not a combination you can actually buy. Although that matters only if you think that, beyond the badge, V8 Supercars actually have something in common with their showroom equivalents.

However, there is a link. Volvo's pet motorsport operation, Polestar, which prepares its track racers in Sweden for the STCC, has come up with a specially tuned version of the S60. It's called S60 Polestar, and it's Volvo's pitch for the performance sub-brand buyers who have a huge appetite for BMW M cars, Mercedes AMGs and Audi Quattros.

The S60 Polestar trials the idea in an Australia-only limited edition of 50 cars that went on sale in June, as Volvo announced its V8 Supercars involvement.

VALUE

The S60 Polestar is based on the regular performance flagship S60 T6 R-Design, the top-spec version of its mid-size junior exec, which comes with a turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine and body-hugging seats for $75,140. The S60 Polestar is almost half as much again; at $109,950 it is easily the most expensive Volvo you can buy.

DESIGN

The S60’s Polestar package includes revised suspension, 19-inch wheels instead of 18s, and Polestar calipers for the brakes with performance pads. The transmission is the same six-speed automatic, although tuned by Polestar, and the car retains the electric steering system on the S60. Its quoted dry weight of 1684kg equals a T6 R-Design.

On the outside, the Polestar gets a body kit including a rear wing and discreet badging with the tuner's square blue logo. The same blue is also available for the whole car, although red and white are alternatives.  Inside you'll find heated leather-faced seats, satin highlights, a soft dashtop and unusual metallic trim on the centre console that is reminiscent of Scanpan cookware, although that probably wasn't the goal. It's a typically excellent Volvo interior with just a few inherent issues, such as rear headrests that restrict vision. The dials are straightforward and include a helpful speed limit indicator but, as far as I could tell, no digital speedo. There's a counter-intuitive electric park brake that you pull for off.

From a buyer's perspective it is not much of a lift over the donor car, with most of it unchanged from the R-Design treatment. The logo under the transparent gearshift cap is a nice touch but it could do with a bit more Polestar badging, since that's what you're paying for. The steering wheel is too large for the context and features a naff numbered inset showing which one of the 50 examples you're in. For the extra you could expect more nice textures and colours, more satin trim.

The equipment level compensates a bit, with everything you get in a T6 R-Design plus some. So it includes intelligent lights, parking sensors, premium sound, sat nav, Bluetooth and adaptive cruise control. There's little to add except a sunroof, which is another $2650.

For passengers, there's just as much room as a standard S60 but the boot is a different matter. A spare tyre sits on the cargo floor, getting in the way. In an Orwellian use of language, this is what's known as a “space-saver”. But it doesn't save any space at all, it occupies it.

ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION

Volvo’s Polestar enhancement adds a bigger turbocharger, new intercooler and race exhaust to the S60’s 3.0 litre straight six. The result is 33kW more power, for 257kW, and 60Nm more torque, at 500Nm.  The 250km/h top speed is unchanged from the S60 T6, which is where most luxury brands set the limiter. Surprisingly, fuel use is unchanged at 10.2 litres per 100km average. The difference comes in acceleration; with launch control, the Polestar is more than a second quicker to 100km/h than the donor car, at 4.9 seconds. That's quick in anybody's language, Swedish or German.

SAFETY

Volvo is better known for safety than performance and the Polestar includes all the brand's safety software, such as auto-braking at low speeds if it detects an imminent collision with a car or human. However, the pedestrian airbag that debuted on the V40 hatchback recently has yet to be fitted to the S60 range.  Some of the driver alert systems are becoming obsessive in their coddling. I particularly liked the “rain sensor with tunnel detection”.

DRIVING

The S60 Polestar drives as well as any Volvo I've sampled although, like the cabin, it feels constrained by its starting point. The engine is mounted high and transversely under the bonnet, which is not ideal from a handling perspective, and with all-wheel drive it ends up feeling more like a performance Audi than a performance BMW or Mercedes.

So there's plenty of grip, but the chassis feels a bit tall and doughy. Turn in could be crisper. There's no shortage of power or pace, and the engine has a pleasing snarly tone although it's a background soundtrack.  The combination of turbo lag -- the delay between throttle application and acceleration -- plus a transmission that isn't the quickest to shift means engine response from low revs requires patience.

It's better when asked to deliver while already rolling. The transmission can hunt for gears a bit in D. Sport mode turns up the wick although there are no steering wheel paddles for manual shifting; you must use the lever, which operates counter-intuitively with a push for an upshift.

There's a hard redline at 7000rpm, but left to its own devices the transmission changes up earlier regardless of mode. The steering, usually a Volvo weakness, is among the best I've encountered from the brand but it could be more engaging and the car's turning circle is a wide 11.9m. The 19-inch wheels also generate quite a lot of tyre noise and ride quality can be brittle.

VERDICT

Overall, the S60 Polestar moves the bar for Volvo but doesn't change its character. It's a corduroy car in running shoes and, while it delivers on outright pace, it lacks the sort of excitement dividend you should expect for a $34k premium. It nibbles at German performance territory rather taking a wholehearted bite.  That may be the fate of Volvo's race return too. This year's newcomers Nissan and Mercedes have been rolling chicanes for the Holdens at the front of the pack.

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