2015 Volvo V60 and S60 Polestar first drive

What Is It?

The 2015 Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar lineup consists of an all-wheel-drive sedan and wagon duo from Volvo's new performance partner and racing team from back home in Sweden. The name Polestar might sound unfamiliar to those new to the brand, but the company has been racing and tuning Volvo cars since 1996. Polestar's racing and tuning efforts didn't go unnoticed, and the company soon found itself in a partnership with Volvo not unlike the early days of Mercedes-Benz tuner AMG.

Polestar's first official collaboration with the automaker resulted in a tuned C30 hatch available through Volvo dealerships, giving Volvo fans a taste of what the racing company has been using on the track. A second limited edition offering in Australia in the form of the Polestar-tuned S60 sedan tested the waters further, apparently with success, which is why the U.S. will be receiving a modest batch of Polestar-tuned S60 and V60 models very soon -- 120 cars to be precise.

Polestar used the S60 T6 and V60 T6 R-Design cars as a starting point, both of which already produce a healthy 325 hp at 5,600 rpm and 354 lb-ft of torque from 2,100 to 4,200 rpm. The engineering team at Polestar has fitted the cars with a new Borg Warner twin-scroll turbo and intercooler, adjusting the Engine Control Unit (ECU) along the way, resulting in the cars producing 350 hp at 5,250 rpm and 369 lb-ft at 3,000 rpm. Not a tremendous jump in power on paper--and Polestar engineers will readily admit as much--but the cars' abilities are improved in much more dramatic fashion with the improvements that Polestar has made to the chassis and suspension.

The S60 and V60 cars feature springs that are 80 percent stiffer than the stock units found on the S60 R-Design, which work wonders when coupled with

By Jay Ramey