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Lighter and faster for 2016 Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar

Alvin Lee

Volvo has unveiled the 2016 model year S60 and V60 Polestar with an all-new powertrain and lighter chassis.

Replacing the 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six engine that was first introduced with the models’ debut in 2013 is an all-new turbocharged and supercharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine. Despite firing with two fewer cylinders, the new Drive-E engine develops 270kW of power, a bump of 13kW over the previous output. Peak torque is rated at 470Nm, 30Nm less than before.

Mated to a new Polestar-optimised eight-speed Geartronic automatic gearbox, the S60 Polestar sprints from 0 to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds, 0.2 second quicker than before, while the V60 Polestar accomplishes the feat in 4.8 seconds, an improvement of 0.1 second over the previous time. Both cars are limited to a top speed of 250km/h.

The boost in performance comes from a bigger turbo, a supercharger, new conrods, new camshafts, a larger air intake and a higher capacity fuel pump to augment the engine. Elsewhere, traction is optimised with a BorgWarner four-wheel drive system.

On top of this new performance-optimised equipment, Polestar has reduced the car’s weight. The Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar are 24 kg lighter over the front axle and 20 kg lighter in total compared to the previous model years.

Volvo says part of the improved performance and especially handling compared to the previous model years is an optimised weight distribution. Despite the increased performance, average fuel consumption is a responsible 7.8L/100 km for the S60 Polestar and 8.1L/100km for the V60 Polestar wagon.

Other new features on the cars include a new 20” lightweight rim, Polestar calibrated electro-assisted power steering and a new slotted brake disc of 371 millimetres.

“By any measure these cars are seriously quick,” said Kevin McCann, Managing Director of Volvo Car Australia. “When they arrive in Australia later this year people will be genuinely impressed.”

“They are born at the racetrack, but built for the road. The cars are very composed through corners, with lots of traction and enough low-end torque to make them very, very quick. They combine Polestar’s 20 years of racing pedigree with Volvo’s inherent pragmatism and engineering heritage. The end result is two very quick but functional performance cars that can be driven on normal Australian roads every day of the year.”

These two new models also mark the globalisation of the Polestar brand.

The first road legal Polestar cars were launched in 2014 to limited markets. Today, Polestar is delighted to announce that it is expanding the number of markets where a Polestar will be sold from 13 to 47 and doubling production volume from 750 cars a year up to 1500.

Both cars trace their heritage to the new Volvo S60 Polestar TC1, the all-new FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) race car from Polestar Cyan Racing. The new road cars use the same base chassis, engine and philosophy of the team behind the development.

2016 Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar specification

Performance

Volvo S60 Polestar

Volvo V60 Polestar

Chassis

Tyres and rims

Engine

Transmission

Brakes

Curb weight

Fuel consumption (combined)