VOLVO V40 T5 POLESTAR
Polestar Performance Pack doesn’t quite deliver on its promise
FEW FIRMS HAVE CAUSED US AS much head-scratching in recent years as Volvo. For decades the Swedish brand has been trying to shake off its sensible and ever-so-slightly staid image with forays into motorsport, highlights including the boxy BTCC 850 Estates of 1994 and the bellowing S60 V8 Supercars in Australia from 2014 until last year. Yet look at Volvo’s current road-car line-up and you’d never guess it had enjoyed much on-track success. There’s the usual mix of fashionable SUVS and plug-in hybrids, but nothing that’s likely to get your throttle foot twitching.
However, dig a little deeper into the price lists and you’ll stumble across the name Polestar. The Swedish tuning firm has been behind most of Volvo’s racers for the past 20 years, but in 2013 it launched its first production cars in the form of the S60 saloon and V60 estate. Then in 2015 Volvo took control and brought Polestar in-house with a view to delivering a range of bespoke highperformance hybrid and electric vehicles (you can read more about this venture on p68). In the meantime, there’s an ever-increasing list of go-faster bits for current Volvos, and the latest addition to the portfolio is the £4725 Polestar Performance Pack for the V40 T5 hatchback.
So what do you get for your extra outlay? Under the bonnet there’s a new intake kit and air filter, plus a freer-flowing stainless steel exhaust. This combination boosts power by 8bhp to 250bhp and torque from 258lb ft to 295lb ft. Performance gains are modest, with 0-62mph completed a tenth sooner in 6.2sec.
External changes are subtle but include attractive 19in Polestar alloys, which do a good job of filling the V40’s arches, while Polestar’s spring and damper kit is 10mm lower and 20 per cent stiffer than the standard R-design suspension. It’s all rather promising.
So it’s a shame you can’t really hear the revised exhaust from the driver’s seat. There’s a distant burble at idle, but once moving the Volvo’s droning and characterless four-cylinder dominates, which is frustrating because from the outside the twin tailpipes emit a pleasantly sporty rasp. The increased performance is equally hard to detect. There’s strong shove above 2800rpm, but none of the eager throttle response that marks out a VW Golf GTI or Peugeot 308 GTI.
The suspension modifications are more successful. Get past the firmness at low speed and the V40 rides with more control and compliance than the standard R – although severe potholes can send a crash through the cabin. Body roll is also reasonably well contained, and there’s tenacious grip.
Unfortunately the steering remains bereft of feedback and is slow, denying the car the sort of agility you’d expect from a hot hatch. There’s also some torque-steer out of slower bends – the Volvo feels most at home through fast sweepers, where it’s planted and poised. Another inherited V40 weakness is the eightspeed auto, which is smooth enough but responds to the paddles with lazy and slurred Cvt-like shifts. Other V40 demerits include the over-servoed brakes, a hellishly confusing infotainment system and a boot that’s smaller than that of most superminis.
Add the Performance Pack to a standard (£31,285) V40 T5 R-design and the price rises to £36,010, which is a lot of cash – a five-door DSG Golf R is more than a grand less. On that basis, the flawed Polestar looks certain to remain an exclusive, expensive and headscratching hot hatch curio.