Polestar Pumps 367 Horsepower into the S60 and V60

2017 Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar (Credit: © Volvo)

I remember growing up through all of the years of Volvos being relatively boring rolling bricks that had little more than great safety features going for them. Today, Volvo rigs are better than ever—safer, faster and sexier—and they just keep getting better. A great example of this is the improved version of the S60 and V60 Polestar that Volvo just released.

These new Polestar-touched 60-series rigs are actually down two cylinders from the previous versions as they move from a 3.0-liter six-cylinder to a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. This new engine is a retuned version of the T5 Drive-E powerplant tweaked to deliver a staunch 367 horsepower and 347 pound-feet of twist, giving it 22 more horsepower than the previous S60 and V60 Polestar. Volvo achieved this massive power increase—127 horsepower and 89 pound-feet—relative to the 2.0-liter T5 Drive-E engine by adding a larger turbo, new connecting rods, revised camshafts, an enhanced air intake, and a high-flow fuel pump.

2017 Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar (Credit: © Volvo)

All this extra oomph flows through a Polestar-tuned eight-speed auto transmission and out to all four wheels via a BorgWarner all-wheel-drive system. The end result is a 0-to-60 sprint of 4.7 seconds (4.8 seconds for the V60 Polestar) and a top speed of 155 mph.

In addition to being fast, the Polestar-tuned 2017 S60 and V60 are nimble handlers thanks to the 53-pound weight loss over the front axle to balance out its weight distribution, 20-inch rollers wrapped in Y-rated Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber, a Polestar-touched electronic power steering, Polestar Öhlins shock absorbers, 80 percent stiffer springs, 371 mm (14.6-inch) slotted rotors, and more.

Volvo hasn’t announced pricing for the V60 and S60 Polestar yet, but it did announce that there will be 245 total available in the U.S., so you’d better get in line for one now.