Last year’s S60 Sedan was the first Volvo car to get the Polestar touch. Next up will be hotrod versions of the XC60 compact SUV and V60 wagon.
For those unacquainted, Polestar Engineered is Volvo’s equivalent of the Mercedes-AMG or BMW M Division. But unlike its German peers, Polestar Engineered doesn’t just add tuned suspension and boost the turbos to hell and back in a bid for extra horsepower. Okay, yes, Volvo is putting both a turbocharger and a supercharger on its 2.0-Liter four-cylinder engine, but that’s only to get the front wheels spinning; the rear wheels will be powered by an electric motor. The Polestar Engineered 60 Series cars will crank out 415 horsepower and 495 lb-ft of torque. On top of the outright power, they will sport Ohlins suspension, Brembo brakes and subtly flared wheel arches.
With the electric motor powering the rear wheels, you also have the option to run on electricity only as well, giving the Polestar Engineered cars zero-emission capability, another stat the Germans can’t boast.
In the ’80s, Volvo first showed the world it can build fast cars with the race-bred Volvo 240 wagon. Since then, the company has consistently offered sleeper performance vehicles that fly under the radar, especially in the shadow of the headline-stealing Mercedes-AMG and BMW M cars. More cars like the Polestar Engineered XC60 and V60 should change that.
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