There’s plenty going on at Volvo Cars at the moment, what with the Polestar tuning arm being transformed into a new “separately branded” electrified high-performance company and the Gothenburg automaker itself committing to a future of electrification.
But the Swedes have still found time to tweak the new XC60, handing the range-topping T8 derivative a new peak output of 314 kW. Polestar says the T6, T5, D5 and D4 variants will also be offered with similar updates in the future.
With this “enhancement” courtesy of Polestar, the XC60 T8 matches the similarly updated XC90 T8 as the most powerful Volvo model ever built. No word yet on the official torque figure (although the tuned XC90 makes 680 N.m).
Polestar says the update improves five key areas of the hybrid powertrain, without having an impact on the warranty, emission levels, claimed consumption of 2,1 L/100 km nor claimed electric range of 45 km.
The updates alter engine performance, throttle response, off-throttle response, gearshift speed and gearshift hold, according to Polestar, which adds that the enhancements provide greater mid-range power and torque.
The gearbox, meanwhile, shifts faster and the gearshift points have been calibrated to utilise the fresh mid-range performance. And the gear-hold function maintains a selected gear when cornering with high lateral g-force in order to avoid unsettling the balance of the car.
Unfortunately, Polestar has yet to reveal official performance figures for this updated model, but considering the XC60 is both smaller and lighter (and already hits three figures in a claimed 5,3 seconds in standard trim) than the similarly fettled XC90, it should far improve upon the latter’s claimed 0-100 km/h time of 5,5 seconds.
“Our goal is to create usable performance in everyday driving situations for Volvo owners who want an enhanced driving experience,” said Henrik Fries, vice president for research and development at Polestar.
“The new XC60 has provided us with an excellent base to work on with a dynamic chassis and a state-of-the-art powertrain. With the Polestar optimisation, it makes the new Volvo XC60 a true driver’s car,” he added.
The new XC60 is scheduled to launch in South Africa in the second quarter of 2018.
