The Volvo XC60 T8 AWD Polestar Engineered you see here seems like a throwback to a time when the Swedish hot-rodders transformed sensible machines into tarmac-devouring monsters. But is this electrified XC60 the embodiment of all that Polestar is and should be? I don’t know. And I really don’t care. All I know is that I really like this thing.
So about that name…
For many car nerds the definitive Polestar vehicles are things like the original C30 Polestar Concept from 2009, or the original 2014 Polestar V60 wagon. For me a Polestar needs a long roof, an exterior shod in bright Rebel Blue paint, and a catalog of performance add-ons to let me feel like a BTCC driver. This XC60 Polestar Engineered lacks that searing blue hue, but delivers on the other stuff.
You can already see those 21-inch alloy wheels, Pirelli P ZERO summer tires, and Akebono 6-piston front brake calipers ready to squeeze massive cross-drilled rotors. Crawl underneath the thing—or maybe just remove a wheel or two—and you’ll see that this Volvo is also riding on Polestar Engineered springs and manually adjustable Öhlins shocks. Take a minute to check out the unique bumpstops while you’re down there. Then stand up, take a minute to stretch your legs and ponder the fact that these parts also contribute to this XC60’s lower ride height before making your way to the front of the vehicle to pop open the hood and gaze at the Polestar Engineered strut tower bar.
Any other mods?
Outside of the black exterior accents and yellow seatbelts, no not really. This XC60 is a T8, meaning it’s a plug-in hybrid, so it’s not like there’s a plethora of bolt-on go-fast parts available. But this powertrain consists of a 312-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gas engine paired with an electric motor good for 143 battery-powered ponies. Volvo also doesn’t obfuscate things with “net combined” power numbers, and simply says that this XC60 T8 outputs 455 horsepower and 523 lb-ft of torque. Better yet, despite all the electrified stuff, the transmission still uses real gears—eight of them, to be exact. Those who care about fuel efficiency—and if you’re buying a plug-in hybrid Volvo, that’s probably you—will be happy to know that this sporty crossover still gets an EPA-estimated 28 MPG combined and 63 MPGe.
Wait, did you say “yellow seatbelts”?
I sure did, and it’s a damn delight to see such playful touches in the cabin. That’s not to say Volvo doesn’t fancy things up a bit. The front seats are trimmed in Nappa leather, and that crystal shift knob is a true thing of beauty. Up front, the fit and finish of the materials is befitting of a premium brand, though things fall apart slightly in the rear. Those rear outboard seats may be heated, but that whole bench is trimmed in vinyl. And, in what I am finding to be a common theme across many electrified Volvos, a big ol’ battery-covering hump eats up a whole lot of that rear legroom. It’s not awful, but for your passengers’ sake, maybe it’s best to pretend that middle rear seat just doesn’t exist.
Hey, we’re over 500 words in, and there’s no rant about touchscreens. What’s up with that?
Here you go: there’s a big 12.3-inch touchscreen display and it controls almost everything. So, you know… all my usual complaints apply here. It’s tough to navigate. And for a company whose name is practically synonymous with safety, it’s puzzling that they’d equip this car with something that demands you pull a significant amount of attention away from the road for even the simplest adjustments.
But is the sound system fancy?
Yep. It’s a Bowers and Wilkins system that’s got 1410 watts and 15 speakers ready to send your favorite easycore riffs straight to your ear holes. This system also has settings to simulate the acoustics of a small jazz club or concert hall, but I don’t need post-processed reverb on top of my source recording’s post-processed reverb. Use it as a standard audio player and it sounds fantastic, though.
So the big question: how does it drive?
Short answer: it drives quite nice.
Long answer: this Volvo XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered both lives up to, and slightly falls short of, that Polestar badge. You feel each one of those 523 torques each time you take off from a stop light. The steering feels sharp, quick, and most of all, communicative. And in normal, commuting conditions—which is pretty much 100% of my driving these days—this Volvo feels like an exceptional driver’s car.
While its electrified powertrain provides a nice kick in the pants when accelerating—it’ll get you to 60 mph in under five seconds—it seems to get bored after doing so. Contrast this with something like Honda’s Civic Type R, which not only engages with you, it eggs you on. It pushes you to push it as hard as you dare, telling you with every input that it can deliver so much more.
This Volvo? Polestar may have added some go-fast parts to the thing, but they didn’t engineer out its sense of being sensible. I’m sure it can be thrilling on a Volvo-sponsored private race track. But on the street, just as you think you’re getting to the fun stuff, its demeanor shifts back to one of responsibility. It’s like the Civic R keeps encouraging you to eat more candy, whereas the Volvo XC60 Polestar Engineered offers you a gluten-free cookie before reminding you that you need to eat more vegetables, and shouldn’t you be exercising more?
At the end of the day this is still a Volvo crossover we’re talking about—and people buy these because they’re as predictably safe as a bank vault. So does this Volvo XC60 T8 AWD Polestar Engineered make me feel like a BTCC driver? No, but it makes the driving I actually do feel downright enjoyable, and for me, that makes this particular Polestar all it really needs to be.
Like pictures? Of course you do. Check out more of the Volvo XC60 T8 AWD Polestar Engineered in the photo gallery below.
