Volvo will be unveiling the new generation S60 next
week, at a special event held at the Charleston manufacturing facility, in
South Carolina. However, that’s not the only major announcement the Swedish car
marque made, as they also spoke about a ‘Polestar Engineered’ range-topping S60
model. The flavor will slot above the R Design variants and make use of the T8
Twin Engine and an electric motor.
The internal combustion lump delivers 400 PS and 640 Nm of torque, and when paired with the small electric
motor that forms a PHEV powertrain, the total output available is 415 PS and 670 Nm of torque, in US-spec.
According to Volvo, “the software upgrades improve
fuel consumption and emissions-neutral performance, and refines the automatic
gear selection”. At the same time, the company’s VP of R&D, Henrik Green,
describes the model as an “exciting driver’s car”, stating that “all components
have been fine-tuned to work together”.
Besides offering some details into the oily bits of
the car, the company has also mentioned a few other upgrades that will draw a
clear line between the S60 T8 Twin Engine and the rest of the S60 family. These
are the Polestar badges, black chrome exhaust pipes, specific alloy wheels,
Brembo brake calipers with a gold look said to be “the new hallmark color for
Polestar Engineered components”, and golden seatbelts.
There’s a Polestar-made multi-link suspension too,
on both axles, which stiffens the springs and dampeners while retaining
comfort, whereas the strut bar and adjustable shock absorber design are shared
with the Polestar 1.
As expected, the new plug-in hybrid powertrain won’t
be limited to just the third-gen S60, as Volvo will also offer it in the V60
estate and XC60 SUV. However, the latter two derivatives won’t arrive until
next year, when they will be offered globally in limited numbers.
