INTRIGUING AND FULL OF TECH ... BUT WHO THE HECK IS IT FOR?
Volvo’s Polestar Engineered version of the S60 T8 is the most interesting car I have driven this year. And the reason I find the S60 PE so interesting is because I can’t quite put my finger on who it’s for, why it’s packaged as it is, and, indeed, what Volvo hopes to accomplish with it.
First off, there’s the powertrain. It’s the fully-loaded double-bacon cheeseburger of automotive design. Starting with something fairly simple — a double overhead cam four-cylinder engine — Volvo then adds a supercharger for low-end torque, a turbocharger for top-end boost, and a hybrid electric motor for zero-r.p.m. grunt. Volvo then throws in an 11.6 kwh battery just so the S60 doesn’t, for 40 kilometres or so, actually need those four pistons or its superand turbochargers.
That high-tech gas engine drives the front wheels alone, while the rear axle-mounted electric motor drives the rear wheels, the whole shooting match conjoined by a computer that renders a sophisticated allwheel-drive system.
The amazing thing is how well all these disparate parts work. The engine is a delightful combination of immediate throttle response and happy-to-be-revving top-end rush. Altogether, it’s good for 328 horsepower and a most excellent example of the breed.
Without a doubt, it’s one of the most deliciously smooth four-cylinders I’ve sampled. And that’s before you’ve thrown in the extra 87 h.p. and 177 poundfeet of torque from the electric motor. Add it all up and there’s 415 h.p. and 494 lb-ft of torque, an incredible figure from what started out as a lowly 2.0-L four.
It’s not all moonlight and roses, however.
The jump off the line is nothing short of impressive. Zip no further than the 4.3 seconds it takes to scoot from rest to 100 km/h, and you’ll wonder why anyone builds cars any other way. Leave your foot in it, however, (you know I had to do that for research purposes, right?) and once the electric motor runs out of steam, you’re left with a four-cylinder that’s powering a pretty heavy car.
That’s because the S60 Polestar Engineered is lugging around about 233 kilograms of battery and electric motor, compared with the T6 non-hybrid version, which also sports the super- and turbocharged four-cylinder, albeit with 316 h.p. rather than 328. Indeed, since the electric motor disconnects completely above 160 km/h or so, it’s likely the lighter, bare-bones T6 will be faster above that speed. And, yes, once the electric motor disconnects, the S60 is front-wheel driven.
The real reason I’m somewhat confused is Volvo’s decision to equip the S60 PE with the most seriously sporty suspension this side of a Ferrari 488 Pista.
Now, lots of cars have adjustable suspension; toggle a little switch on the steering wheel or centre console, and some electronic actuators buried deep in the chassis will bump up the compression damping.
However, the PE’S Ohlins shocks on the S60 PE are manually adjustable. As in, you need to get out of the car, pop the hood to access the front dampers, and then twiddle a couple of knobs on each strut tower. For the rears, it means heading into the trunk and fiddling underneath the carpet.
And for something that supposes to be a grand touring ride, the settings seem awfully stiff, varying from the mere rattle-your-fillings firm to Omgplease-don’t-run-over-that-antbecause-i-just-had-hip-surgery Mack Truck stiff. It’s wonderful if you’re a 23-year-old racer who just graduated from motorcycles, or a 63-year-old auto journalist who still gets most of his kicks from said motorcycles, but for those not looking to conquer the Nurburgring, it may be a little much.
That’s where I think the mere riddle becomes outright mystery. I know that Ohlins makes electronically adjustable suspension that would render the system more convenient. And the Swedish suspension maker does know how to make compliant dampers.
The S60 T8 Polestar Engineered is an absolutely wonderful car. It’s surprisingly competent when driven on electric power. The oh-so-sweet powertrain is proof positive that, yes, four-bangers can indeed power luxury cars without shame. It’s positively frugal, our test averaging but 4.1 L/100 kilometres overall when we were meticulous about plugging it in at every opportunity, a positively amazing figure for a car with 415 horsepower. Its expansive and luxurious cabin, save for a somewhat complicated Sensus infotainment system, is truly up to the standards of BMW and Mercedes-benz.
What driving the Polestar Engineered version did is convince me that the regular T8 — officially called the T8 AWD — is, for most people, the S60 to have. I might be silly enough to want to twiddle suspension knobs, I do it pretty much every time I ride my bikes, but most Volvo owners, I suspect, would be better off without the exasperation or the rough ride.