Volvo S60 T8 Twin Engine. Polestar works its magic on new range-topping hybrid S60.
Volvo’s revamp of its range continues with an all-new S60 compact executive saloon to rival the BMW 3-series G20 and Audi A4 B9 Typ 8W. Closely based on the handsome V60 estate, the new S60 will be the first Volvo built in the USA, and also bucks the class trend in being available with petrol engines only.
If miserly fuel economy is your thing, there’s an alternative in the hybridised T6 and T8 versions, but, curiously, those looking for extra performance will likely be drawn in the same direction. That’s because the T6 and T8 ‘Twin Engine’ plugin hybrids are both more efficient and more powerful than their lesser T4 and T5 siblings thanks to their combination of a turbo- and supercharged 2-litre four-cylinder driving the front wheels and an electric motor powering the rears.
Those wanting even more performance will be able to order the flagship S60 T8 in ‘Polestar Engineered’ form. Polestar’s upgrades to electrical components and sof tware give the range-topping model a total of 409bhp with 690Nm of torque – 15bhp and 20Nm more than standard. Polestar has also paid attention to the chassis, fitting new Öhlins dampers, an aluminium front strut brace, six-pot monoblock front brake calipers co-developed with Brembo and gripping 371mm front discs, and forged 20-inch wheels, all with the aim of further sharpening the driving experience. Despite the generous power output, the T8 Polestar Engineered is not so much a rival for cars such as the Mercedes-AMG C63 or BMW M3 (G20 based), rather models one rung down such as the Audi S4 and AMG C43.
European Volvo fans will have to wait to get their hands on an S60, however, as USA and Chinese markets are being prioritised, meaning we won’t see these models until 2019-2020 in UK.
