Zander Drives Cars

Crossovers are rarely exciting. They are pumped out in mass numbers to as wide an audience as possible, most of the time making them as boring as humanly possible. So, when auto manufacturers set out to build performance variants of these cars, they normally do their best to make them as insane as humanly possible to make you know exactly what you’re in for even before you’ve entered the dealership. However, Volvo’s Polestar-tuned XC60 is unlike that. It’s subtle. It isn’t painted red. It doesn’t have a V8. It goes against every basic rule of performance crossovers. So, has it worked out for them? Can you make a fun crossover without following basic principles? Well, yes.

From the outside, there is almost nothing to distinguish this top-of-the-range Polestar from any other XC60. Unlike having huge hood vents or obtuse paint colors, Volvo was a bit more discrete. The two ways to tell if you’re parked next to this (or any Polestar-tuned Volvo) are the following: 1. gold brakes. 2. a teeny-tiny “Polestar-engineered” badge on the grille. That’s it. Yes, this does have larger wheels, but most people wouldn’t notice that. There are no huge badges, no gold stripes, just those two little indicators that this is the T8. Side note, yes the full name of this car is the Volvo XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered, but for simplicities sake, I’m calling it the Polestar. Still, even with the lack of acknowledgment that this is a sporty SUV, the XC60 as a car still does look fantastic, especially in black like this one.

I lied. There are three indicators of a Polestar Engineered Volvo. The third is the gold seatbelts. I’ve never really understood the idea of Polestar switching their signature color from cyan blue to gold, but I can’t say I have any major complaints about it. The interior of the XC60 is the same way. Like all Volvo interiors of this generation, it’s very well made, feels good to touch, and looks good as well. One of the main stand-out points of this, and every other top trim Volvo model, is the inclusion of an Orrefus crystal shift knob. I personally think these shifters look better in cars with lighter interiors (all Polestar-tuned Volvos have black interiors), but it does give a legitimate element of exclusivity when you fondle it. Rear seat legroom is not too bad in a car this size, I’m 6’1and I could comfortably manspread in the rear of this car without issue. Speaking of seats, they are super duper comfortable, and the front ones have tiny Swedish flag tags on the sides of them.

I’m not going to go super far in-depth over the center screen of the XC60, it’s the same unit as in every other Volvo. It’s responsive, easy to navigate, and has all the customization you would need. What doesn’t, however, is the drivers display screen. Aside from a map feature in between the two main dials, there were no customization options from what I could find. This is both strange but also disappointing considering that every other Volvo I’ve driven has very good screen customization. Unfortunately, the technological disappointments didn’t stop there. There were three main things that miffed me. 1. Bluetooth. While it did connect to my phone, wouldn’t play any of my music through the car. It just kept loading. 2. no wireless CarPlay. See, that sucks but is forgivable in some cases, but 3. there is no wireless charging. I’m sorry, but we’re at the point now where I can get a Civic with wireless charging, but not a $76,000 Volvo? I know this is one of the older cars in Volvo’s fleet, but even the S60 has wireless charging.

But, don’t let my technological upsets lead you to believe this car doesn’t have anything, because there is still a lot going on in this car. You get heated front and rear seats with a heated steering wheel, USB-C and 12-volt power options, a HUD, wired CarPlay and Android Auto, a fantastic Bowers & Wilkins sound system, BLIS with cross-traffic alerts, a 360 camera, adaptive cruise control, pilot assist, lane-keep assist, and an extra Polestar driving mode. Let’s talk about that.

The XC60 Polestar is powered by a 2.0l 4-cyl paired with a plug-in electric motor offering 455 hp and 523lb-ft of torque. It’s mated to an 8-speed automatic that sends power to all four wheels, or just the front two if you’re cruising around normally. Volvo says that this does 0-60 in 4.5 seconds, but looking at both a test that I did (safely) and one from Car & Driver, the acceleration is more like 4.2 seconds, which puts it on pace with its wagon and sedan cousins, and faster than opponents like the Mercedes-AMG GLC43 and Audi SQ5. I’ll be honest, finding an accurate MPG rating on this car was more difficult than I feel it should have been. Fueleconomy.gov states that the XC60 re-charge gets 57mpge, but I’m sure someone will fact-check me on that. EV range alone is an estimated 37 miles.

This drives so well, I mean, it has to. This has an upgraded chassis, brakes, and suspension, to give the car a racey-er feel You can tell the Polestar team took time to play with the suspension and handling. In Polestar mode, the ride is BMW hard and the steering is tight and precise. I have no doubt that this thing could keep up with something half its size. It is simultaneously very quick and sportscar-like, but also very civilized when you want it to be. “Pure” mode actually makes this thing comfortable. Performance SUVs have a difficult time choosing to be either rock solid or comfy-cozy, and aside from Mercedes, I can’t think of any brand that can balance the two effectively.

Also, I guess here is a good place to put this, but I couldn’t get an engine shot of this. The right hood latch wouldn’t unlatch no matter how many times I tried to open the hood. I guess this can speak on reliability, but I’ve heard my fair share of both love and horror stories with this car.

Engine bay photo credit: carscoops.com

The XC60 Polestar is like that Jeremy Clarkson “but I like this” meme. The regular XC60 Recharge is better for daily driving, no doubt. You get the same power, it’s cheaper, plus it has some extras like ventilated seats. But, I like this. It’s weird, but not weird enough to take away from what the regular XC60 has. You still get 85% of what’s originally there, just with some extra cool points. It’s under the radar, and just a little bit daft. So yes, the regular XC60 is brilliant, but I like this. A lot.

As always, a massive thank you to the folks down at Koons Volvo for letting me come in and hoon this thing around (respectfully, of course) for a little bit. They’re great people, and they’re one of the few Volvo dealers in the state that has any Polestar models on order. Click here to view their inventory.