Instrumented Test
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Proving racing’;s worth, in reverse.
The inherent balance of an inline 6-cylinder engine makes it attractive to drivers like us, and it contributed to the legendary status of historic cars such as the Nissan Skyline, many Jaguars, and numerous BMWs. The unbent 6 is a dying breed, even though, becoming a lot more uncommon each and every model year, sort of like station wagons and clutch pedals.
Volvo has pretty significantly given up on clutch pedals but nonetheless gives both a wagon and a straight-6. The latter, we’re told, will continue indefinitely even as the Chinese-owned Swedish brand has sworn fealty to a future that is all about 3s and 4s and hybrids.
The only way to get a Volvo V60 with the 3.-liter turbocharged inline-6 (rather than the 2.-liter Drive-E turbo 4 or the 2.5-liter turbo 5-cylinder) is to select the prime T6 R-Design and style model and all-wheel drive. That vehicle, as tested right here, also wears a Polestar badge on its tail, referencing the common computer software upgrade from Volvo’s racing companion that lifts output to 325 horsepower and 354 lb-ft, compared to 300 and 325 for the very same engine as installed in the S80 sedan.
Midyear Mojo
The auto tested right here is marketed as a 2015.5 model, which means that Volvo upgraded the in-dash infotainment technique to incorporate some of the functions on the all-new XC90, such as 3G connectivity (Sensus Connect) and Sensus Navigation (which can get routes sent from your phone or computer and involves cost-free map updates via 2025), plus power lumbar help for the seats. Otherwise, it is pretty significantly the same as the 2015 model that we ranked third in an earlier comparison test against the Audi Allroad and the BMW 3-series wagon. Aiming to show that these Euro-wagons make good options to crossovers, the comparison wasn’t quite apples to apples—Volvo did not but have the V60 Cross Nation model that will match up a lot more directly against the Allroad, as it packs a raised suspension, significantly less power, and a decrease value tag. The T6 R-Design truly has a lowered suspension and a a lot more overall performance-oriented mission. That is why it types the basis for the limited-edition, Polestar-branded models of the S/V60, which have proved common adequate that Volvo now plans to make a lot more of them than it initially announced.
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The sticker on this instance bumped right up to close to $ 50,000 with only 3 possibilities: $ 925 for a blind-spot warning method, $ 750 for 19-inch wheels with summer functionality tires, and $ 1550 for the Climate package that puts heaters in the seats (front and rear), the steering wheel, the windshield, and the washer-fluid nozzles. It would take an additional $ 12,000 to get into a higher-efficiency Polestar wagon and more than $ 10,000 added to buy the Polestar sedan we tested recently.
The variations in between the T6 R-Style and the Polestar do not look that enormous at the track. This auto got to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds versus 4.5 for the Polestar sedan, which has 20 much more horsepower and weighs 117 pounds less. Our wagon ran the quarter-mile in 13.5 seconds at 105 mph, only .4-second and 2-mph slower than the Polestar. We managed .88 g on the skidpad versus the Polestar’s .91, and the wagon stopped from 70 mph in only 157 feet (8 much more than the Polestar sedan). This latter figure was a pleasant surprise—the comparison-test V60 triggered complaints of a squishy pedal and required 20 feet longer to stop. Meanwhile, the complete-bore Polestar version of this automobile gets 6-pot Brembo calipers up front as one particular of its hardware upgrades.
What these numbers do not inform you is that the T6 R-Style does not really feel as sweet and responsive as the Polestar edition. The steering responds much less promptly, and shifts from the 6-speed transmission really feel lazier. The normal tune on the Haldex all-wheel-drive system likewise requires a moment prior to transferring torque to the rear axle, contributing to energy understeer and reluctant turn-in. General, the T6 R-Design and style feels like a hot-rodded version of the V60, a little ponderous and clunky, whilst the Polestar has a much more refined, sophisticated tune that feels as smooth and balanced as its straight-6.
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Follow that Star
The infotainment upgrades function effectively enough even though relying on the exact same hardware for the interface (who else nonetheless has a full phone keypad on the dash?). It even appears to respond more promptly than before, addressing one of the complaints we had in last year’s comparison test. And the motorized lumbar improves on the seats, which we’ve lauded for their mix of assistance and extended-variety comfort. 1 way to appear at all this is to say the T6 R-Design comes fairly darned close to the Polestar version’s functionality at a 20- to 25-% discount. That’s a lot of cash you could save although obtaining most of the goodness.
We don’;t forget asking yourself when we very first drove the Polestar edition if some of the changes—like stiffer suspension bushings and mounts—shouldn’t be regular kit on the T6 R-Design. These components, unfortunately, would be hard for an owner to retrofit they’re installed in Volvo’s factory prior to the vehicles being shipped over to Polestar for further ministrations.
Just before Volvo lets its marketing department decide that motorsports does not match the corporate mission (yet the around-the-globe sailing Volvo Ocean Race does?), it ought to think about other possible rewards of a connection with a racing group. The racers look to know one thing about suspension tuning that the production side could find out from—the only part of their chassis answer that may be prohibitively high-priced is a set of shock absorbers from Öhlins. Recalibrating the transmission and all-wheel-drive technique in the Polestar style shouldn’t cost a lot and would go a extended way toward optimizing this car for the type of buyers who may possibly otherwise shop 1 of the German brands.
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