Volvo News: Volvo Introduces Polestar Engineered for Next S60

[William Maley]

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Next week, Volvo will unveil the next-generation S60 sedan at their new plant in South Carolina. To whet our appetite, Volvo has dropped some teaser photos and information on the new Polestar Engineered tuning pack that will debut on the S60.

Only available on the T8 Twin Engine, the pack increases output from 400 horsepower and 472 pound-feet of torque to 415 and 494 respectively. Volvo says the changes to the ECU improves fuel consumption and "refines the automatic gear selection."

For the chassis, the Polestar Engineered tuning pack introduces recalibrated multilink front and rear suspensions, adjustable front strut, adjustable Öhlins shock absorbers, and a set of Brembo brakes.

S60 models equipped with the Polestar Engineered tuning pack will be easy to identify with brake calipers painted gold, a set of lightweight wheels, black chrome exhaust pipes, and gold seat belts.

The Polestar Engineered tuning pack will be available on the V60 and XC60 when it launches early next year. Volvo is planning to build a small number of these models for the global market.

Source: Volvo

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Volvo Cars and Polestar launch new Polestar Engineered electrified performance offer

Volvo Cars, the premium car maker, is launching a new upgraded electrified performance offer called Polestar Engineered, specifically developed for its new 60 Series T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid cars.
 
The announcement comes one week before the company will reveal its new S60 premium sports sedan at the inauguration of its first US manufacturing plant in Charleston, South Carolina. The plant is the sole production site for the new S60, which is the first Volvo car made in the US.
 
Polestar Engineered, developed by Volvo Cars’ electric performance arm Polestar, is a complete offer, applying Polestar’s performance engineering expertise to the car’s wheels, brakes, suspension and engine control unit. The offer reflects Volvo Cars’ and Polestar’s commitment to electrification.
 
“Electric cars are our future,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and CEO at Volvo Cars. “Today starts a new era of Volvo electrified models enhanced by Polestar’s performance engineering prowess. This strategy is firmly grounded in our shared belief in an electric future for the car industry.”
 
Polestar Engineered debuts on the forthcoming new S60 premium sports sedan. The offer is exclusively available on the top-of-the-line T8 Twin Engine and is positioned above Volvo’s R-Design versions.
 
Polestar Engineered will also be offered on the new V60 wagon and XC60 SUV from next year, available globally in limited numbers via Volvo dealerships and Care by Volvo, the company’s premium car subscription service.
 
New lightweight wheels have an open design to show off the eye-catching gold-painted six-piston brake callipers, the new hallmark color for Polestar Engineered components. Polestar emblems, black chrome exhaust pipes and gold seat belts also identify Volvo cars equipped with Polestar Engineered enhancements.
 
The Brembo mono-block six-piston brake callipers are cast in one piece and optimised for rigidity. The brake pads have increased heat tolerance while the brake discs’ slotted design further improves heat reduction.
 
The Polestar Engineered multi-link front and rear suspension incorporates premium Öhlins shock absorbers with dual-flow valves that allow stiffening in the springs and dampeners while retaining comfort. The strut bar and adjustable shock absorber design are shared with the Polestar 1 plug-in hybrid performance car.
 
Fine-tuning of the engine’s control unit increases the S60 electrified T8 Twin Engine output to 415hp* combined, with 494 lb./ft. (670Nm) of torque – the standard T8 Twin Engine delivers 400hp* and 472 lb./ft. (640Nm) combined. The software upgrades improve fuel consumption and emissions-neutral performance, and refines the automatic gear selection.
 
“The new S60 T8 Polestar Engineered is an electrified car that does what you want it to,” said Henrik Green, senior vice president of research and development at Volvo Cars. “All components have been fine-tuned to work together, delivering a responsive and exciting driver’s car.”
 
*US specification.

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[David]

Excited to see this bad boy and see how the look is of this tuning feature pack. I wonder what the cost will be to have the superior Brembo brakes, suspension, etc. 🤔

[smk4565]

So still less power than a C63 or M3 and this Volvo is wrong wheel drive.   Unless they make it rear drive, it doesn't matter how much power they put in the S60 or S90.

[balthazar]

2 hours ago, smk4565 said:

So still less power than a C63 or M3 and this Volvo is wrong wheel drive.   Unless they make it rear drive, it doesn't matter how much power they put in the S60 or S90.

Ask yourself this, and really think it thru.

Why doesn't the C63 outsell the C300?

[Drew Dowdell]

19 hours ago, smk4565 said:

So still less power than a C63 or M3 and this Volvo is wrong wheel drive.   Unless they make it rear drive, it doesn't matter how much power they put in the S60 or S90.

494 lb-ft of torque at what is likely a VERY low RPM which is still significantly more than either the C63 or M3.  No one is going to care which wheels are driving because they’ll be more worried about keeping them from spinning even with AWD. 

You really need to get over your horsepower fetish with all of this EV tech coming. Torque is the number to compare now.

[smk4565]

18 hours ago, balthazar said:

Ask yourself this, and really think it thru.

Why doesn't the C63 outsell the C300?

Price.

1 hour ago, Drew Dowdell said:

494 lb-ft of torque at what is likely a VERY low RPM which is still significantly more than either the C63 or M3.  No one is going to care which wheels are driving because they’ll be more worried about keeping them from spinning even with AWD. 

You really need to get over your horsepower fetish with all of this EV tech coming. Torque is the number to compare now.

Absolutely it matters but when the car has a 60/40 weight split or whatever the S60 has and puts most of the torque to the front wheels then the torque is useless.  Different class of car but the M5 and E63 can send 100% of torque to the rear wheels.  A 494 lb-ft Volvo is about as useful as a 494 lb-ft Acura TLX or Lexus ES.

[Drew Dowdell]

16 hours ago, smk4565 said:

Price.

Absolutely it matters but when the car has a 60/40 weight split or whatever the S60 has and puts most of the torque to the front wheels then the torque is useless.  Different class of car but the M5 and E63 can send 100% of torque to the rear wheels.  A 494 lb-ft Volvo is about as useful as a 494 lb-ft Acura TLX or Lexus ES.

What kind of seasoning do you want on your crow when the specs finally come out? The base FWD XTS has a 60/40 front/rear weight distribution.  There is no way an AWD 4 cylinder with electric motors and batteries in the back is going to be 60/40.

Further, you reveal your ignorance about Volvo’s powertrains. The electric motors are in the back and only drive the back wheels, so not all of that power is going to the front, it’s split front/back, but they operate independently. (The RX operates this way also).

 

 It’s about as close to symterical as you can get without Quattro.  Additionally, the system can favor the rear wheels for power delivery.

The Polstar 1 coupe with the concept version of this same power train has a 50/50 split and weight distribution.

In summary....

[balthazar]

3 hours ago, smk4565 said:

Price.

Right- very good!
And if a C63 starts at $68K... how is another same class performance vehicle that is cheaper than that, not welcome in the market?

[David]

On 6/13/2018 at 7:00 PM, smk4565 said:

So still less power than a C63 or M3 and this Volvo is wrong wheel drive.   Unless they make it rear drive, it doesn't matter how much power they put in the S60 or S90.

So how would you justify the Polestar in comparison to the craptastic A to C class AMG versions. I think this kicks their ass.

[smk4565]

On 6/14/2018 at 9:52 PM, balthazar said:

Right- very good!
And if a C63 starts at $68K... how is another same class performance vehicle that is cheaper than that, not welcome in the market?

Who says the Polestar will be cheaper?  These new Volvos are nice, but they are crazy expensive too.   An XC90 Excellence trim is $105,000, I mean that is ridiculous.  If you want to charge AMG or M money, you better bring it, and I don't think you can do enough to an S60 to compete with an AMG or M car.

[Drew Dowdell]

7 hours ago, smk4565 said:

Who says the Polestar will be cheaper?  These new Volvos are nice, but they are crazy expensive too.   An XC90 Excellence trim is $105,000, I mean that is ridiculous.  If you want to charge AMG or M money, you better bring it, and I don't think you can do enough to an S60 to compete with an AMG or M car.

The Excellence trim is not competition for AMG, it's not trying to be. It's competition for Designo. 

An S60 Polestar is most likely aimed at M3, S4 but will be the only awd plug-in hybrid option in the bunch. That makes it very interesting to me. 

[smk4565]

5 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

The Excellence trim is not competition for AMG, it's not trying to be. It's competition for Designo. 

An S60 Polestar is most likely aimed at M3, S4 but will be the only awd plug-in hybrid option in the bunch. That makes it very interesting to me. 

I know the Excelence is like their Maybach, it is a luxury trim, but still that is a lot of money for an XC90.  I have sat in the S90 sedan and thought, this is a nice car, I like the Swedish contemporary design of it, but then when you look at the price and it is E-class money, you think, ok, this is no E-class.   And there in lies the problem with the new Volvos.  

I think the XC40 looks good, all their new generation cars look good, the turbo charged, supercharged, plug-in combo is good.  I like what they are doing, but an XC60 for example starts $1,000 more than a GLC.   They want Mercedes-Benz money but don't have Mercedes-Benz level interiors, performance or badge cache, and that latter is the most important to most luxury buyers.  I mean who wants to spend $60k on a Volvo and then have to explain why they bought it instead of any 3 of the German cars.

[Drew Dowdell]

13 minutes ago, smk4565 said:

I know the Excelence is like their Maybach, it is a luxury trim, but still that is a lot of money for an XC90.  I have sat in the S90 sedan and thought, this is a nice car, I like the Swedish contemporary design of it, but then when you look at the price and it is E-class money, you think, ok, this is no E-class.   And there in lies the problem with the new Volvos.  

No, it's as I said, it's their answer to Designo. Select a GLS550 and select Designo and all the options required to match what the XC90 Excellence has ($109k and a heated steering wheel is still optional on a GLS?) and you're up at $110k.  That seems exactly right to me.   Mercedes doesn't even offer you a Crystal gear selector knob, so clearly the Volvo is better. 

I'm not going to knock the E-class as it is clearly an excellent car. The S90 stands up well against it in interior comfort. It has some of the best contoured seats I've experienced. It isn't meant, in its current configuration, to be a sport sedan. It is clearly built for comfort.  It also is larger than the E-Class like the CT6 is.  So the fact that you cannot see value in that is unsurprising. 

13 minutes ago, smk4565 said:

I think the XC40 looks good, all their new generation cars look good, the turbo charged, supercharged, plug-in combo is good.  I like what they are doing, but an XC60 for example starts $1,000 more than a GLC.  

The GLC has less interior room than my Encore or even the XC40 much less the XC60.  You must be a shorter guy and pack light to always prefer these cramped German cars over their larger competition at the same price.  Because of the airy feel of the cabin, the XC60 even feels bigger than it is inside. 

15 minutes ago, smk4565 said:

They want Mercedes-Benz money but don't have Mercedes-Benz level interiors, performance or badge cache, and that latter is the most important to most luxury buyers.  I mean who wants to spend $60k on a Volvo and then have to explain why they bought it instead of any 3 of the German cars.

Cinderella, you've lost a shoe. Could you be any more of a brand whore? 

I don't need to explain my purchases to anyone... and if I did feel the need, the explanation is simple. I picked the better car.  As far as the other Germans... I'd pick an Enclave or Nautilus or GLE or XC60 or QX50 or Grand Cherokee Summit or XT5 over a Q5 every day of the week.... don't be putting that pile up on a pedestal... and I don't even like the XT5.

The newest X5 looks compelling, but BMW interiors are about as cheerful as a graveyard on a wet Sunday. 

[smk4565]

The GLS is bigger than an XC90 though, you are talking Escalade money for a GMC Acadia size vehicle there.  And the Excellence trim I think is a 4 seater, if you want a luxury 4 seater I feel like there are better ways to spend $110,000.  And imagine if Cadillac priced the new XT6 over $100k, people would lose their minds. 

Like I said Volvo has some good stuff going on product and design wise and I like the hybrid and environmental stuff, that is all good.  I just think they charge too much for what you get.  For example, they want $155,000 for a Polestar 1 or  you could get a BMW 8-series for like $100k, or maybe $125k depending on how they price it, but look at the difference.