Volvo XC60 T6 Polestar Performance Pack | Spotted
No Ohlins or Brembos here like a proper Polestar, but there's a turbo six and 329hp to make up for it...
The car industry is full of unsung heroes. It takes thousands of people to make a car, which means the hard work of an industrious individual can go unnoticed by the outside world. Like the person who came up with all those ‘simply clever’ features you find on Skodas these days, or whoever came up with the idea of axle-lift, and so on.
One such unsung hero is a chap called Joakim Rydholm, the head of chassis development at Polestar and the man behind some seriously hot Swede machines. Rydholm has been Polestar’s dynamics guru for close to two decades and has worked on every road-going model the performance arm has ever made, right back to the original C30 concept from 2009. He’s a proper chassis whisperer, too. Legend has it that he once sat in the front boot of a Polestar 2 while it was moving just so he could get a better idea of how the Ohlins dampers were responding. So when you see a Volvo wearing a Polestar Engineered badge like the XC60 T6 you see here, you know there's probably something to it.
To give its full name, this is a Volvo XC60 T6 Polestar Performance Pack, so it isn’t one of the full-fat models like the S60 and V60s from the same era. It does, however, have a 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six with 329hp on tap - a 25hp uptick on the standard T6 and only 31hp shy of the all-out S and V60 Polestars. You did need to rev the thing out more to get the most from the upgrade, though. Peak power rises from 5,600rpm to 6,500rpm, while the full 354lb ft of torque doesn’t take effect until 3,600rpm, up from 2,000rpm. It did bring a notable improvement in acceleration, mind, dropping from 7.3 seconds on the standard car to seven seconds dead here.
Elsewhere, it’s standard R-Design trim, which is to say sharp looking with decent equipment. The cream leather interior looks surprisingly plush, especially by the standards of this generation of Volvo, which contrasts nicely with the aluminium trim. There’s a good amount of kit, with climate control, parking sensors plus an abundance of safety gear. It also benefits from the optional premium sound system. Appropriately, it's finished in the same Rebel Blue colour scheme found on the full-bore Polestars, which does a good job of jazzing up what is otherwise a sensible and subdued SUV.
That, unfortunately, is where the Polestar touches end. No shiny Ohlins here, nor are there big, beef Brembos on each corner. But, in all honesty, would you really want that on an old-school Volvo SUV? If you intend on using it for the school run like every other XC60, then probably not. So no, it probably won’t set your trousers on fire, but for an added dash of fun on routine journeys, this XC60 should have you well and truly covered.
Besides, if it was kitted out with more sophisticated Polestar garb, it wouldn’t be available for £9,999. Polestar-tuned S and V60s typically command double that, though they’re extremely hard to come by given that only a couple of hundred came to the UK. Meanwhile, a new XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered like this 2021 example here will set you back £35k, so you’re getting all the kerb appeal of a rare Swedish curio looked over (if only briefly) by the legendary Joakim Rydholm for a fraction of the price. Tempting, no?
SPECIFICATION |VOLVO XC60 T6 POLESTAR PERFORMANCE PACK
Engine: 2,953cc straight-six, turbocharged
Transmission: six-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 329@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 354@3,600rpm
MPG: 22
CO2: 249g/km
Year registered: 2013
Recorded mileage: 93,000
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £9,999
And benefits from being in a rather more reasonable road tax bracket!!
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17850401
Anyone know what the reliability of these is like?
Chaz
For reference our F25 35d is 313bhp and does 0-60 in 5.3 seconds and weighs around 1900kgs.
For reference our F25 35d is 313bhp and does 0-60 in 5.3 seconds and weighs around 1900kgs.
For reference our F25 35d is 313bhp and does 0-60 in 5.3 seconds and weighs around 1900kgs.
I think Volvos are one of the few brands where "The Big One" isn't worth having, the D5 was a better car, the powerful ones are always rather disappointing because >300bhp sets expectations the powertrain and chassis just can't live up to.
For reference our F25 35d is 313bhp and does 0-60 in 5.3 seconds and weighs around 1900kgs.
For reference our F25 35d is 313bhp and does 0-60 in 5.3 seconds and weighs around 1900kgs.
For reference our F25 35d is 313bhp and does 0-60 in 5.3 seconds and weighs around 1900kgs.
I suspect like many quick Volvos, it will be hampered by the company's irrational loyalty to a substandard gearbox that requires power limiting in first gear, I may however be wrong. It wouldn't matter to me, I can't remember the last time I buried the foot from a standstill. I suspect this Vovlo would be a rather restful daily with enough poke to have a wee bit of fun should you feel the need. A V8 XC90 would be more my speed though, slower, thirstier, less reliable...what's not to like? 
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff