Volvo XC60 T8 E-AWD Polestar: Carving Its Own Niche
Volvo has produced a high performance, hybrid SUV. It’s technically brilliant, gorgeous to look at, but no one will buy it.
And that’s a damn shame, really, because the Volvo XC60 T8 E-AWD Polestar is excellent.
First up, Volvo’s current range of wagons and SUVs are some of the finest looking things in their respective segments. Taut lines, swooping roof lines, all paired with the occasional stark upright edge or corner, in the typical Swedish fashion, makes the XC60 a handsome beast, and with the Polestar touch, like those optional 22-inch wheels, it’s a stunner.
Things inside, likewise, are equally jawdropping. This model features stunning aluminum and leather trimming around the dashboard and the crystal clear Bowers & Wilkins audio system. The deeply contoured front bucket seats are just as well-trimmed, with leather and contrast yellow stitching. Don’t forget the matching yellow seat belts. It’s a cohesive theme around the entirety of the interior where every single element feels substantive, even the nine-inch infotainment screen.
This is a good thing because while the outside curb appeal is important for where you’re going, the interior is where it has to count while you’re going there. Fortunately, even on those optional 22-inch rollers, the ride quality is superb, and that is thanks to some Polestar magic.
Polestar’s motorsport background shows in the XC60 T8 Polestar, as it featured custom-valved, adjustable Ohlins dampers. Those are manually adjustable, too. Pop the hood and Polestar has etched a diagram in the large shock tower brace which indicates what happens when the shock adjusters are turned. This offers the ability to toggle between a comfy street damper setting and a backroad-ready firmer setting, in seconds. The ride quality feels expensive, and amazingly well-damped. It’s a sensation that’s hard to explain until you ride in the Volvo’s lesser-suspended competition. It will make you a believer.
It looks good, is comfortable and rides well. It’s also very fast. The Polestar features a 2.0-liter inline-four cylinder engine that is both supercharged and turbocharged. That engine is paired with an 87 horsepower electric motor (hence the “E-AWD” moniker), and the end effect is shocking. The combined output is 415 horsepower and 494 lb-ft of torque. Of course, with the electric motor offering instant torque delivery, it feels very fast at around town speeds.
Naturally, being a Volvo this super speedy XC60 also features enough safety features and technology to earn its Volvo badge. Blind spot monitors, lane departure warning and correction, a semi-autonomous “pilot assist” system, adaptive cruise control, collision avoidance, pedestrian detection and 11 airbags are all part of the XC60 package.
All of this comes at a price, of course, and that is where the Osmium Gray Metallic Volvo will struggle, because, as delivered, this test vehicle costs $73,490, including the $995 destination charge. Will almost no standalone options, if you want this highest spec XC60 you will have to pay dearly for it. Certainly, an Audi SQ5 will cost less before options, but once you option it up (and you will), the price disparity dwindles. The Mercedes-Benz GLC63 AMG also offers similar performance at a similar price point, but the problem for Volvo is that, as excellent as the XC60 T8 E-AWD Polestar is, many consumers don’t yet associate Volvo with high-performance luxury SUVs like they do Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz. It’s a new special vehicle, surrounded by an array of established special vehicles.
Want to see more Volvo goodness? Follow Jake on Instagram, it’s all cars all the time.
