2017 Volvo S60 Polestar: First Drive Review

While we’ve always liked Volvo’s cars for their safety, refinement, build quality and other reasons, the car maker seems to be enjoying success only now in the country. That’s thanks to its nice looking designs, especially the V40 and S60. Volvo’s XC90 though is a luxury SUV that has given German car makers like Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz enough reason to worry, with its kind of design, features, quality and feel. And now the Swedish car maker is all set to launch the performance versions of its cars in the country, starting with the svelte-looking S60 Polestar.  

To give you a perspective, Mercedes-Benz has AMG, BMW has its M division while Audi has its S and RS line-up of performance cars on offer in India. Volvo is set to enter this lucrative segment of performance luxury cars as well, with its performance subsidiary Polestar. Volvo acquired Polestar in 2015 and since then has been developing performance versions of its regular cars. 

With the kind of response Volvo has received for the XC90 and our love for fast cars, it was only a matter of time before the brand added some much needed pizzazz to its product portfolio. And what better way than to bring in the car that forms the base for their WTCC (World Tour Car Championship) challenger – the 2017 S60 Polestar.

In terms of design, the 2017 Volvo S60 Polestar follows the ‘beauty in subtlety’ mantra. As the name suggests this car is based on the S60 and it shares the same silhouette. Volvo has given it with sportier looking front and rear bumpers to go with the Polestar badge. The piano black accents on the bumpers and rear spoiler further add to the car’s appeal. And it isn't just about the looks. Volvo claims the front splitter and rear spoiler have been designed to increase downforce, thereby aiding the car’s dynamics.

The 20-inch wheels you see here are exclusive to Polestar models. To further distinguish it from the standard S60 there’s Polestar badges on the front grille and at the back. The 2017 S60 Polestar looks beautiful, especially in this cyan blue shade which is also known as Polestar blue, and we would say Volvo has done well to ensure that it has the characteristics of a performance car despite keeping things very subtle. 

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The story inside the car isn’t very different, as the S60 Polestar doesn't seem to believe in bragging about its racing DNA. Polestar logos on the seats and gear lever are the only pointers towards the car’s sportier intent. Other changes include Polestar branded door sills, aluminum sport pedals, Nubuck leather door inlays, center arm rest and seats. The front seats are well bolstered as you would expect of a performance car but are also surprisingly well cushioned. Blue stitching on the seats and steering wheel looks cool but we would have loved to see more of it on the dashboard. 

The dashboard feels well built with textured hard plastic on the upper half. The layout of the centre console is identical to the standard model with the only difference being the use of carbon fibre in the Polestar version. I am not a huge fan of this layout though as it has too many buttons for my liking. Buttons/knobs to control the 7-inch MMI, dual zone climate control as well as a few other features are all placed too close to each other. 

The steering wheel is the same as the standard S60, however the Polestar edition gets three adjustments soft, medium and hard to suit your driving style, but more on that later. Behind the wheel, the 3-pod instrumentation is neat, easy to read and informative. 

Moving onto what matters the most in a performance car – the engine. Volvo has given the older 3.0-litre 6-cylinder motor the boot and has fitted the 2017 S60 Polestar with the Drive-E 2.0-litre 4-cylinder unit. Despite its lower displacement this engine makes 367 horses as opposed to the 345 from the six pot motor. Volvo and Polestar haven't just revamped the ECU for the higher output though, the 2017 S60 Polestar gets a bigger turbocharger and intake, new cam shafts and a larger fuel pump. Peak torque though has gone down from 500Nm to 467Nm. 

Expectedly, the car feels quick to respond to inputs and is eager to take-off, whether in sports mode or normal. A lot of the initial thrust is also courtesy the fact that the engine is twin-charged. Keeping acceleration crisp at low revs is the supercharger, and as the needle on the tachometer goes swings around, the turbocharger kicks in to offer more punch. Thanks to the supercharging and turbocharging there is absolutely no lag in the power delivery, which shows in the car’s acceleration. The S60 Polestar does the 0- 100kmph dash in just 4.7seconds claims Volvo. Yes, it won't give you the thrills like some of the 6-cylinder engines or the V8s in the business but is quick enough to make you grin. While the acceleration gets you smiling, it’s the exhaust note that sounds is music to the ears. If that still isn't good enough, Volvo claims the S60 Polestar will return 12.8kmpl. 

The S60 Polestar gets an 8-speed Geartronic transmission. The shifts are smooth and precise and it wouldn’t be wrong to say it is up there with Volkswagen’s dual-clutch transmission in terms of the speed and precision of the shifts. The beauty of the transmission though is in the curve hold function. When you let off the throttle while cornering, the gearbox remains in the lower cog, allowing you to get that extra bit of power on the exit. And if you take control in your hands and use the paddle shifters, unlike most cars, the transmission allows you to stay at the redline. 

To aid the car’s handling Volvo has offered three settings for the steering – soft, medium and hard. Soft is primarily for city driving where the lighter wheel aids in parking and tackling traffic. The steering weighs up nicely when set to hard, and feels precise around fast corners, providing good feedback. Changing the steering settings can be a task though. It requires you to bring the car to a halt and toggle through the menu. The Volvo S60 Polestar employs adjustable Öhlins that have 80 percent spring rate and is 15 percent stiffer than the stock car. The car we drove on the streets of Marseille in France was on the medium setup. Body roll was well restricted and the car attacked corners with likeable precision even in medium. While we didn't encounter any bad roads, the ride felt a bit bumpy when driving over undulated roads. On bad roads the major cause of concern could be the car’s low ground clearance. At 128mm it is just 8mm lower than the standard S60 and chances of it scraping over the larger bumps are higher. 

The 2017 Volvo S60 Polestar is expected to hit our shores around November this year and when it does, the car should be priced close to the Rs 65 lakh mark. To be launched in four colours, only 50 units out of the 1500 produced for global consumption will come to India initially.

To sum it up, the S60 Polestar is an extremely engaging car to drive with its kind of performance, the sporty transmission and also the car’s precise handling. And that’s besides the fact that it looks absolutely smashing. Key to the car’s success will be its pricing for the Indian market though, since the luxury performance car market in India is already teeming with a range of German cars. The Volvo though has the ability to stand out in this growing crowd with its distinctive design and of course the affable blend of performance and everyday practicality it offers. And of course, it is a Volvo, which means the S60 Polestar is one of the safest cars around too.