Witbank - Volvo’s hottest car, the S60 Polestar, is now available in South Africa but there’s an unfortunate detail I must disclose before we carry on. Out of the 750 Polestars built this year, all 28 allocated to Mzansi are sold.
Still, Volvo South Africa felt it worthwhile to hold a press launch for the new car, and out of those 28, three were set aside for thrashing around Witbank’s RedStar Raceway by a select group of local media. As part of that select group, we weren’t asking any questions.
Polestar performance has been available in our market since 2011, but only as an add-on engine software upgrade to existing Volvo models.
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This car is the full Polestar monte, built from its 20 inch tyres up as a high-performance sedan to take on cars such as Audi’s S4, the BMW 340i M Sport and Merc’s soon to be launched C450. But those comparisons might be a little misleading, and here’s why.
Volvo and the Polestar Performance team resisted the urge to jump feet first into the power wars fought by full-on RS, M and AMG cars, and instead of equipping this S60 with 300+ kilowatts, they slotted in a 258kW/500Nm three-litre turbo and focused more on chassis, brakes and aerodynamic tuning.
Confused? Let me explain. This fettled S60 gets a set of Öhlins racing shocks with 30-way adjuster knobs almost exactly like the ones in Volvo’s championship-winning Swedish Touring Cars. They’re also the same as those in Lamborghini’s Aventador, but with much more range in adjustability.
You won’t find this setup in any RS, M or AMG road car, or any road car we’ve ever heard of for that matter.
UPGRADED RUNNING GEAR
Its floating front brake discs are a huge 371mm in diameter, gripped by six-pot Brembo callipers. Springs are 80 percent firmer than in a normal T6 S60, and swaybars are tightened up by 15 percent. All suspension mountings and bushes have been upgraded for less play, and the Haldex all-wheel drive system has been recalibrated to send more torque to the rear wheels.
A fully functional rear diffuser, boot spoiler and special front bumper complete with bottom splitters were optimised in Volvo’s wind tunnel, and the cabin’s been completely plastered with racy suede coverings and subtle (real) carbon-fibre finishes are applied to the centre console.
So it’s basically a racing car for the road then, right? Well… sort of. Volvo claims a brisk 4.9 seconds from 0-100km/h, and it might be possible given the launch control it’s equipped with, but it’s still a heavy car loaded with safety and comfort features. Its all-wheel drive system also means understeer comes in sooner than ideal for track use, and its six-speed autobox is a little old-school in comparison to snappier versions in other performance sedans.
No matter because, as mentioned, all 28 were sold ahead of launch for R735 000 each. But remember, the Polestar ECU upgrade is still available for other models, and for a lot less money. Just don’t expect 30-way shocks. - Star Motoring
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