Car of the week - October 22 - Volvo V60 Polestar

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  • Imagine the scene. You have inadvertently manoeuvred yourself into the wrong lane at the traffic lights. Your lane goes left and you want to go straight on. Luckily, you are at the head of the queue and fancy your chances of moving over to the right lane once the traffic lights turn to green without too much of a problem.

    However, to your right is somebody who immediately sees your predicament. He is sitting in a half-decent car, is determined not to let you into his lane and has already started to rev up his engine in anticipation of beating you off the line.

    – Car of the week: October 15: Chrysler 300s

    – Car of the week: October 8: BMW Alpina b6 Biturbo Gran Coupe
    – Car of the week: October 1 – Cadillac ATS-V Coupe
    – Car of the week: September 24 – Hyundai Sonata 2.0-litre Turbo

    It is at times like this that your competitive juices begin to flow and you need a car with a bit of oomph and I have to say that I was not overly confident that the Volvo I was sitting in was the right machine to deliver the acceleration I was going to need.

    Even now, despite the company’s hugely successful motorsport record, the word Volvo tends to be more synonymous with solid Scandinavian reliability and super comfortable, ultra-safe vehicles rather than cars that set the pulse racing.

    However, the Volvo V60 Polestar shrugs off that image as soon as you see it. It looks aggressive and the colour our test car came in – a rather striking Polestar blue – seemed entirely appropriate for the job it was about to be asked to do.

    And I can tell you that as soon as those traffic lights changed and with the car set in sport mode the bloke on my right never had a hope as I put pedal to metal. All he would have seen was a blur of blue as this bad-ass Volvo took off with surprising velocity and I was in the correct lane before he could blink. It was a deliciously triumphant feeling and was the moment my view of Volvo probably changed for ever.

    Having covered motorsport for most of my working life I was, of course, aware that Volvo cast off their mega-boring image years ago but have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the potency of the V60 Polestar which is also available as a sedan – the S60.

    Aesthetically, it creates an instant impact with aerodynamics clearly a priority. The front is nicely sculptured with signature black Volvo grille and sporty looking front facia and splitters.

    The side is sleek and the rear has a sophisticated appearance with a subtle roof spoiler, nicely designed light cluster and double exhaust and diffuser.

    Colour is the only option on this car but Polestar Blue looks extremely cool, oozing a confident star quality. It doesn’t exactly shout aggression at you but it looks athletic enough to suggest that it is faster than your average Volvo, which of course it is.

    Polestar, now fully owned by Volvo, have been preparing the company’s racing cars for nearly 20 years and their version of the V60 and S60 have been developed to provide high-performance as well as the legendary Volvo comfort and reliability.

    Both are powered by a six-cylinder 3-litre turbo engine which has been tuned by Polestar to produce 350bhp and torque of 500nm which is available at 3000rpm. It is paired with a recalibrated six-speed automatic gearbox which puts the power down to an all-wheel-drive system, providing impressively responsive acceleration and traction.

    The gear changes are shortened when you put the selector into sport mode which also tightens up the suspension and opens the exhaust valves, creating a very pleasing noise.

    The chassis, springs and shock absorbers have all been modified and the V60 is fitted with 20-inch Polestar wheels. The combined result is a very tasty piece of kit which provides performance, comfort and versatility.

    The interior is possibly a bit too understated but the Polestar racing theme continues with Alcantara leather seats, and steering wheel with blue-stitching, carbon-fibre and metal trim, cleanly designed instrument cluster, and all the controls are nicely arranged on the centre-console.

    It is packed with the latest technology and the sat-nav is among the best in the business. The seats are extraordinarily comfortable and there is plenty of room in the back, although this is a compact car.

    Driven in normal mode it offers more than sufficient acceleration and is perfect for everyday driving in town or up and down motorways. Put it into sport mode and you up the ante considerably and the V60 comes alive, delivering great acceleration with a nice aural accompaniment.

    The four wheel drive system guarantees ultimate traction and the handling is what you would expect from a car engineered by a company dedicated to racing, dealing with everything you could sensibly throw at it with ease. This car’s closest rival is probably the Audi S4 Avant based on performance, build quality and comfort.

    This V60 is not particularly cheap at Dh229,900 but its power and versatility make it an excellent and distinctive alternative to its German rivals.

    Although the current engine is superb it is destined to be phased out and almost certainly replaced by Volvo’s new four-cylinder twin-turbo unit with even more power. Bring it on!

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