Polestar will be occupied making all-electric cars lawful now, but that doesn’t mean it’s too busy to present co-owner Volvo a hand with some efficiency upgrades for the Swedish automaker’s most standard objects. The 2021 Volvo XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered is okay instance, a slump-in hybrid promising no longer easiest inexperienced credentials but a bump in energy beneath the hood and in pleasure from slack the wheel.
Volvo’s T8 Polestar hybrid powertrain combines a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas engine – with each supercharging and turbocharging – with an electrical motor. Gasoline energy gets pushed to the front wheels; electric to the serve. The is what Volvo calls eAWD, along with a whole of 415 horsepower and 494 lb-ft of torque.
That’s up 15 hp and 22 lb-ft over the non-Polestar model, and it approach 0-60 mph arrives in 4.9 seconds. Pushed more sedately, ask 26 mpg in the city, 28 mpg on the toll road, and 27 mpg blended, or 57 MPGe. In pure electric mode, Volvo says you’ll get about 19 miles from the 9.1 kWh battery.
Charging is by means of a port on the front driver’s aspect hover. Figure on a three hour payment whereas you would possibly maybe admire a Stage 2 30 amp outlet to hand; more like a day whereas you easiest admire an everyday 110V socket. The XC60 T8 uses regenerative braking to mechanically top up the battery whereas you’re on the transfer, and in its most potent force mode will actively top up the battery when it can maybe well to be obvious that that you just continuously admire the most energy on faucet.
Opting for the most-costly Polestar Engineered shipshape doesn’t factual coax a runt more out of the drivetrain. The styling gets a boost, too, with 21-run 5-Y Spoke sunless polished solid alloy wheels, dual constructed-in tailpipes, and gloss sunless shipshape the achieve the regular XC60 would possibly maybe maybe well customarily put on chrome. The gold Akebono brakes clamp on big discs, and additionally glimpse mighty honest glimpsed between the wheels’ spokes.
As you would possibly maybe well ask for a efficiency-minded crossover, there’s adjustable damping too. Volvo’s bag of Ohlins machine, then again, can’t be managed via its dashboard touchscreen or the force mode dial. As any other, it be valuable to physically click a knob on each damper, giving you 22 varied settings to hang from. Frankly, the foundation of pulling over and making an are trying to tweak the firmness because there’s a sinuous ripple of street up ahead – or because these onboard are complaining of the stiffness – is comical.
Fortunately, then, Volvo dials it in at an inexpensive compromise out of the manufacturing facility. Less assailable than a former XC60, no doubt, but easiest to the level the achieve issues preserve flat and even in eager riding. Immense wheels and stiff suspension are customarily a recipe for a more percussive poke, however the Polestar manages to preserve faraway from one thing too aggressive.
Essentially it feels very worthy living up for impromptu play. Leave it in Hybrid or Constant AWD modes and the XC60 will thrum spherical with restful finesse, reliably planted and with out a shortage of torque for overtaking or spurting faraway from the lights. Volvo’s mix of inside of combustion energy with the electrical motor is handled neatly; most of the time you’d advise you admire been in an everyday AWD crossover, and the conditions you wouldn’t are when the rear’s instantaneous shove provides you a welcome surprise.
Notch over to the Polestar Engineered force mode, then again, and issues get feistier. By no approach unruly, even supposing with all that torque there’s hundreds of opportunity to ascertain Volvo’s dedication to traction. It’s relaxing and punchy, even supposing a equally-priced Porsche Macan is restful more horny in the corners.
Internal, Volvo’s cabin stays a nice role to search out yourself. The seats are relaxed for long-distance cruising, and there’s hundreds of fine quality provides to your fingers to search out like valid metal and Nappa leather. Long gone is the launch-pore picket in the regular XC60, modified with silver mesh shipshape for the Polestar, but there’s no compromise on cargo living: as a lot as 63.3 cu-ft with the rear seats down, and a 3,500 pound towing potential.
There’s a 12.3-run reward for the motive force’s instrumentation – whole with a easy-to-observe gauge showing you the achieve the electrons are flowing – and a extra special Bowers & Wilkins audio machine on the alternate solutions checklist. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are customary, as is a head-up reward, navigation, panoramic sunroof, heated front and rear seats plus steerage wheel, and a 360-stage digicam.
Just a few areas are starting achieve to characterize their age. The 9-run Sensus touchscreen regarded big when Volvo debuted it in 2015; on as we converse time and age, it feels a runt diminutive. Its interface is restful straightforward – as long as you undergo in mind which aspect to swipe to search out the motive force-aids and settings – but Android Car on the XC40 Recharge is a pointed reminder that there’s better to achieve serve. The wi-fi charging pad in the center console, meanwhile, is a runt too runt for the largest smartphones to suit on successfully.
I will’t fault Volvo’s security tech, then again. Adaptive cruise control, LED headlamps with nook-bending lights, front and rear collision mitigation and lane-holding support, blind draw warnings with rear spoiled-traffic signals, and parking support are all included. Pilot Abet, Volvo’s hands-on driver support package cope with lane-holding, is on hand, and works well, even supposing I’m more interested by the Dual carriageway Pilot machine the automaker targets to introduce from 2022.
Soundless, looking ahead to that would possibly maybe mean missing out on the XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered’s charms nowadays, and that would possibly maybe be a shame. It’s a beautiful, helpful, and safe hybrid crossover that makes as worthy sense ought to you’re riding sedately as it does ought to you achieve your foot down. Essentially the supreme arena is note.
An everyday 2021 XC60 starts from $41,700 (plus vacation draw), and a Volvo XC60 Recharge Hybrid from $53,500. This Polestar Engineered model kicks off at $70,195 then again – albeit sooner than any US tax credit and incentives – at which level you’re aesthetic worthy in Porsche Macan GTS territory. No, the Macan isn’t a slump-in hybrid, but it’s a map more rewarding driver’s vehicle.
In the live, even supposing I will’t in actuality quiz the Polestar treatment right here – original, manually-adjusted dampers aside – I additionally battle to recommend this top-spec XC60 versus its regular PHEV sibling. Certain, you fail to mark a runt energy, but you proceed to get the peace of mind of eAWD and the crossover’s well-liked practicality and wonderful appears. The 2021 Volvo XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered is rapidly and succesful, but that efficiency fettling nudges it into territory with some heavy hitters.
