A more fun,
engaging crossover arrives from Volvo.
For all the
love that the current crop of Volvos get, nobody’s calling them the most
exciting vehicles in their respective classes. The XC60 compact luxury crossover
SUV might have a stunning interior and the best looks in the class, but the
word “fun” doesn’t quite come to mind. Enter the 2020 Volvo XC60 Polestar
Engineered, the Swedish company’s attempt to bring some liveliness into the
compact luxury crossover segment.
Polestar,
the new brand of electrified performance vehicles under the same corporate
umbrella as Volvo, isn’t quite off the ground yet. Volvo has released teasers
of the electrified grandeur to come, but consider this Polestar Engineered
product an appetizer to hold us over.
The formula
is pretty simple. Retune the XC60 T8 model to squeeze an extra 15 horsepower
from its plug-in gasoline-electric powertrain, which brings the total system
output to 415 ponies. Add some structural bracing and Öhlins dampers to help
in the twisties. Then, round it all out with a set of Akebono brakes to bring
everything back down to legal speeds.
If that all
sounds familiar, it’s because Volvo did the exact same thing with the S60
Polestar Engineered. That compact luxury sport sedan, which was limited to 20
examples in the United States, sold out in 39 minutes. That doesn’t teach us a
lot about the demand for hot Volvos, but it certainly wasn’t fulfilled by 20
cars. Volvo expects to sell “significantly more” Polestar Engineered XC60s.
You’ll also be able to buy one outright, a departure from the subscription-only
model of the S60 Polestar Engineered and a welcome change.
The
Polestar Engineered XC60s stand out with golden Akebono brake calipers, unique
Y-spoke wheels, a gloss black grille, black chrome exhaust tips, and the
Polestar Engineered badge on the back. Inside, the Polestar models feature the
traditional golden seat belts with black cloth and leather seats, all tied
together by “Metal Mesh Aluminum” trim.
So the
interior is largely the same high-quality cabin found on most new Volvos but
with a slightly sporty flare. As we’ve said about every new Volvo since the
second-generation XC90 debuted in 2015, the interior is a lovely place to be
with a modern design and high-quality materials. The seats are still great, the
leather is still fantastic, and the Sensus infotainment system remains
divisive.
Volvo
expects to sell “significantly more” Polestar Engineered XC60s than it did hot
S60s.
I have long
been a fan of Sensus and its smooth scrolling and pinch-to-zoom functions. It
also supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, should you fall into the
anti-Sensus camp. Some are opposed to the idea of touch-based infotainment as a
concept, but nothing I need while driving is more than a tap or two away. The
Polestar Engineered also offers the same Bowers and Wilkins premium audio
system you get on Inscription models, with its trick concert hall mode and
extremely clear sound.
And if
you’ve spent time in any recent Volvo, you’ll find the Pilot Assist
semi-autonomous driver aid familiar. Automatic emergency braking and
lane-keeping assist come standard. With Pilot Assist enabled, the XC60 in all
forms is a capable highway cruiser. The seats are unbeatable and the cabin is a
great place to spend time, but there’s still more road noise than I’d like.
When passing, you’ll also hear a groan from the powertrain that doesn’t sound
particularly sporty or sonorous.
Speaking of
which, the powertrain is fundamentally the same as the one in the XC60 T8.
Volvo sticks a supercharger and turbocharger onto its 2.0-liter four-cylinder
and sends power to the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic, while an
87-horsepower electric motor, fed by an 11.6-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery,
powers the rear wheels. The full system is capable of 415 horsepower and 18
miles of all-electric driving. The Polestar Engineered model can sprint to 60
miles per hour in just 4.9 seconds and reach an electronically limited top
speed of 140 mph.
On the road,
the Polestar is quick on its feet. The electric motor provides a hefty shove as
soon as you stomp on it, but the combination of electric torque, gas power, the
goings on of the turbo and supercharger, and an automatic transmission means
that power delivery can be unpredictable. If you catch the plug-in powertrain
off guard, you’re likely to experience moments of lag. Once all of its systems
are contributing to forward thrust, though, the Polestar hauls.
It’s also
composed. The Öhlins dampers are adjustable mechanically, not electronically.
That’s a weird choice on the face of it for such a high-tech Volvo, but the
company wanted to use Öhlins dampers, in no small part because both companies
are Swedish. Öhlins hasn’t made an electronically adjustable set of dampers
for a car yet, so you’ll have to wrench on these yourself to adjust damping
strength.
Or you can
leave them as they come from the factory. In the normal street setting, the
dampers provide excellent body control and secure handling. They’re noticeably
firm, but not harsh or unbearable on broken pavement.
The Öhlins
dampers are adjustable mechanically, not electronically. That’s a weird choice
on the face of it for such a high-tech Volvo.
Steering is
precise and well-weighted, but there’s not a lot of feedback through the wheel.
The brakes are notably improved from the last XC60 T8 I drove, which had a
squishy and nonlinear feel to the brake pedal. Even still, this isn’t the same
driving experience as ultra high-performance crossovers from Mercedes-Benz and
BMW. With its electrified drivetrain and minimalist, Scandinavian interior, the
XC60 Polestar Engineered feels different from other sporty crossovers.
Volvo set
up for us a slalom course and a moose test simulation on an airfield. The XC60
Polestars there had their dampers in a more aggressive setting, showing off the
Volvo’s extremely flat cornering and confident braking. It was impressive, but
we highly doubt most owners will ever fiddle with the dampers before a spirited
drive.
But again,
you probably don’t need to. The XC60 Polestar Engineered is well-tuned for
street driving with occasional bursts of fun, like an S-line Audi or an M-Sport
BMW. It’s not a machine designed for the track, but it may just be the dose of
liveliness and fun Volvo could use
Source: Motor1.com
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