Lean, green perplexing machine
It's green, comfortable, has loads of storage and it's safe. It's the whole package and more. It really should be the perfect car, so why do I have an issue with the Polestar Engineered edition of the Volvo V60?
Everyone loves a wagon right? The long lines creating great looks, storage room you can actually use without the added real estate from a massive SUV, a great drive and more. But that's not the case, wagons aren't popular, at least in North America, Europe gets it though.
The Volvo V60 was first released in 2010, replacing the V50, and V40 before that. It got an update in 2014, and in 2018 we got the current generation. There is the standard version, with various trim levels, including our hybrid test car, as well as a more rugged, Cross Country version. Our tester for the week is the Polestar Engineered version. No longer the 'Polestar' as that became a standalone brand focusing on electric and hybrid vehicles. The Polestar Engineered model was added to the V60 lineup for 2020. Let's take a closer look.
We start with the numbers; because 415 hp and 494 lb-ft of torque are some exciting figures for a family wagon. Those seem more like advertised numbers though. This is the T8 version, featuring a 2.0L, turbo and supercharged engine producing 328 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque paired with an electric motor producing 87 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque. Combined, those numbers match, but in the real world, it doesn't quite work. Even if you could simply combine the two power units, the 8-speed transmission would likely let you down. The acceleration is enough for keeping up with traffic and easy passing, but it still feels lacking, and not that of a 400+ hp car.
It could be the gearbox leaving us wanting more, or it could just be that it is a large vehicle, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. There's loads of cargo space that comes with the wagon body and plenty of legroom for all passengers to be comfortable. Sport seats from the R-Design trim throughout are covered in Nappa leather and paired with Gold seat belts. I liked the contrast with the bright addition, but my better half (not you Shane [ed note: well, I never!]) was not a fan. The seats are supportive and comfortable and as much as I like a good sport seat, I think these may be a little too sporty for a car of this nature. I never found the car influencing me to drive harder, rather the opposite, and a softer leather would have been welcomed here. No wireless phone charger but an incredible Bowers & Wilkins sound system. Possibly the best system I've heard in a car. Put it in the Gothenburg Concert Hall setting and you're privy to some of the greatest aural pleasure you've ever had in a car - front or back seat. I found myself playing the music louder and louder, just because it was so clean, the highs never became too harsh.
Driver aid technology includes the pilot assist with navigation, collision mitigation support, lane keeping aid, blind spot monitoring, road sign information, 360 degree camera, park assist pilot and the optional heads up display. All the systems work well without taking attention from driving. The heated 'aquablades' deliver the washer fluid more efficiently and properly clean the windshield. The park assist works, though I find it's much easier and quicker to do it without assistance. You can choose to have adaptive brakes if you desire, which has a different feeling for the different driver modes. Personally I would turn this setting off, in some modes it felt like the brake pedal was pushing against you, it was odd.
Visibility in the car is excellent, even better with the mechanical folding rear headrests, where a quick selection drops the headrests opening up the view behind you. Or gives a good smack to the misbehaving kids; you pick. The seating position is great and the large center console brings an executive feeling. The heated steering wheel is wonderful and has 3 levels to choose from, rather than on or off, just be sure to avoid the cold plastic and metal bits. The seats heat up quick, though I found even the lowest setting was quite hot and was missing a warm setting. The touch screen is very responsive, but it takes a bit to figure out the layout and where everything is. But once you do it's very well laid out.
As for the exterior, this car is a looker. It's imposing in a subtle way, where it doesn't scream annoyingly for attention, but demands a fair amount of attention. The long lines all work on the V60, with careful thought into how each crease matches up. The gold calipers sitting on massive rotors stand out and tie in the seat belts inside. The large rims are a proper fit for the level of sportiness this trim aims for. This is a contender for best looking family car.
For how much I like this car there is still something that ruins it for me. The drive modes. For me, and probably everyone else, there is no good drive mode option, and when you have 5 different settings to choose from, that's a problem. The options are as follows: Constant AWD, Pure, Hybrid, Individual, and Polestar Engineered. The Hybrid mode is touted as the everyday mode but I feel it falls short. The range on the battery is only 35km, so we probably want to conserve that when we can right? Well, not so much here. Constant AWD is a good option, but you don't want to be using that all the time, and the rear power will drain quick if you do. Pure works if it's not much more than a grocery run. The Hybrid mode is far too focused on using electric power that it runs out far too soon. The battery is the main power until you get over 120 km/h, which we probably shouldn't be doing, right everyone? If we don't want to as much battery we can just use the Polestar setting right? Well, you could, but it might be the least inspired 'sport' setup that I've encountered. A sport setting, if that is what this is going for, isn't just revving higher, which it seems is all this mode does. The moment you select the mode it drops a gear and just holds it. I was coasting along the highway and for some reason it decided the 7th gear was more appropriate, even after I manually selected the 8th gear it switched back to the 7th gear when the manual mode timed out. Why? I took my foot completely off the gas at one point and rather than changing gears, it slowly brought the revs down while staying in some higher gear. I want higher responsiveness, not higher revs, when picking a sport mode. Maybe the Polestar Engineered mode isn't going for sporty, but look at those massive brakes and the sport seats, they don't make sense otherwise. Either you're using too much battery power, for it's small capacity, or it's being wasteful from revving higher. take your pick. Think the individual mode will help? No, just setting up the different areas using those same driving modes. Give me a smart city mode and a decent sport mode. I don't need the battery on the highway, I need it in traffic or the city, but by the time I get anywhere, the battery is depleted.
I don't mean to bash the car. It has numerous merits with a serious Achilles heel. But I believe a simple firmware update could save this car. The range on the battery told me 35km, but with how the driving modes were setup, it seemed more like the hybrid range was 35km, and the battery gave much less. You have the ability to hold the battery's charge manually, but why can't we have a setting where it automatically does it, rather than having to take your attention from the road.
I really like the V60, it looks amazing, there is so much luggage space yet it doesn't feel massive, and it can be quite enjoyable to drive. But, unless an update were to happen to improve the driving modes I would say go for the T6 Inscription. The Polestar Engineered trim starts at $82,000 CAD, which is quite a bit, and it doesn't feel like it has hit the mark yet, though it easily could.
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