2024 Volvo V60 Polestar Engineered
Price: $77,500 CAD
Colour: Thunder Grey
I’ve been married for nearly 20 years. While the heat may have dimmed a little over that time, I have maintained my loyalty to her and never strayed. It may be time to revise that policy. I drove the Volvo V60 CC last year and proclaimed its perfection. I said it lacked for nothing. I loved that car with a white-hot intensity that has continued to burn. I remember thinking at the time it had just the right amount of power. I must now admit that I was wrong. More is better and in the 2024 V60 Polestar Engineered, we get way more power and it is indeed way better.
I often vacillate regarding the effectiveness of PHEV systems. Some days I think they’re too expensive and unnecessarily complicated. Other days I think they’re a practical solution to the real-world short comings of battery powered electric vehicles. Today, I think they really are a useful tool. The V60 Polestar Engineered is a PHEV and features the nearly ubiquitous 2.0L Turbocharged engine mated to an electric drivetrain that delivers 455hp and 523 lb/ft of torque. That is an incredible set of numbers to put into a small estate car like the V60. Combine the raw numbers with the 55kms of pure electric range and you get something that will kindly tear your face off while still delivering fabulous, blended fuel economy. The only downside to this system is the option to charge the battery off the motor. It doesn’t charge fast enough and really chews through the fuel which destroys those beautiful economy numbers.
Since Volvo makes a big deal about this version of the V60 being “Polestar Engineered”, what does that mean? What do you get for that little badge glued to the front grille. First, you get great seatbelts. They are a fabulous goldish color and attract a boatload of attention. I know after a couple of years they’ll get stained and look hideous but in the hear and now they are amazing. You also get real-world useable stuff packaged as something called the “Polestar Chassis”. This includes upgraded suspension, brakes and a lowered ride height. I expected some of this equipment to give the V60 a much harder ride and spoil the whole thing but, while it is a stiffer ride, it’s still very comfortable. I’m not sure how they’ve achieved this, but it’s very well done. Typically, sports-oriented vehicles like this are a sea of compromise, but not here.
I mentioned that the V60 PE has lower ride height. I will admit my generous proportions and old bones felt that upon entering/exiting the car. I fully understand and agree with the decision, but I did ponder what this car would be like with the ride height of the V60 CC. They could call it the V60 Polestar Engineered Geriatric Edition.
In general terms, estate cars are very much on life support around the world. In North America I’m pretty sure they’re dead but nobody bothered to tell Volvo, so they keep making them. It surprised me then just how much head turning the V60 PE elicited as I drove from place to place. I was picking up my son from basketball practice at his school and while sitting in the parking lot two school district employees arrived in their over-sized Transit van to take care of something. As soon as they hopped out of their vehicle, they spotted the V60 and stopped, stared and chatted between themselves. They did whatever they needed to do inside the school and returned a few minutes later and wandered over on their way back to their vehicle. I spent ten minutes filling them in on the V60 PE and all the wonders it contains. Their interest was fascinating because they weren’t man-bun wearing, wheat grass drinking hipsters. These were real men with bushy beards and beer bellies, and they liked the V60 a lot. This interaction got me thinking about something that also struck me while I was driving the V60 CC last year – this thing is truly rare. It’s far rarer than any of the usual European exotica that we’ve become immune to. In the last year I’ve probably seen 2 other V60s. Plenty of other Volvos but almost no estates. Combine that with the pure blood sports car buried inside and you really do have a car that has it all.
