2017 Volvo S60 And V60
Polestar
Volvo fans may have to wait
a little longer until the Swedish manufacturer pulls the covers off a Polestar
version of the new S90/V90, but that doesn’t mean the firm's performance brand
hasn’t been busy.
Equipped with a new 2-liter
four-cylinder twin-charged engine, borrowed from the S90 and XC90, the updated
S60 saloon and V60 estate Polestar have dropped the previous 3.0-liter
straight-six powertrain. Output rises to 367 PS and 470 Nm of torque, or 17 PS more but 30 Nm less over the previous
versions.
The increased performance
comes from a bigger turbo, a supercharger, new conrods, a higher-capacity fuel
pump and a larger air intake, from Polestar, which help the 0 to 100 km/h sprint time lower by 0.2 seconds, to 4.7 seconds in the S60 and 4.8 sec in
the V60, compared to their predecessors, while top speed remains electronically
limited at 250 km/h.
Despite the extra punch,
Volvo states that the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in the two cars are
"at a class-leading level", as they stand at 7.8 lt/100 km and 179 g/km in the S60 and at 8.1 lt/100 km and 186 g/km in
the V60.
The 8-speed Geartronic
automatic gearbox has been enhanced by Polestar and so has the four-wheel drive
system. Moreover, the high-performance division is also responsible for
shedding 20 kg from the total weight, which helps the S60 tip the
scales at 1,751 kg, while the V60 weighs 1,796 kg.
Tweaked power steering and bigger brakes should furthermore enhance their
performance, while the new 20-inch lightweight wheels will contribute to their
fresh appeal.
The 2017 Volvo S60 and V60
Polestar are the quickest cars the performance brand has ever made and, with
their introduction, the company will expand the number of markets where
Polestar models are sold, from 13 to 47, while doubling production volume from
750 to 1,500 units annually.
