Volvo V60 and S60 Polestar get performance upgrades

Volvo’s motorsport partner Cyan Racing and the Polestar performance arm have enhanced the V60 estate and its S60 sedan sibling with race-proven parts.

The 367hhp models have been upgraded with adjustable suspensions produced by Öhlins that is 80 percent stiffer than the standard V60 springs, six-piston Brembo brake calipers with 371mm discs and bespoke 20-inch wheels shod in Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres.

There are also carbon fibre bits to reduce weight and aerodynamic modifications to the exterior to increase downforce by about 15 percent on the V60. The parts include a new front splitter and side sills. The S60 also gets an extended rear spoiler which helps that sedan's downforce increase by about 30 percent.

Polestar fine-tuned the new models at the Nürburgring, where it also temporarily held the lap record for the fastest production four-door car with its S60. The record was later beaten by the new Honda Civic Type R and then the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio.

Volvo claims that the improvements enhance the handling and high-speed performance of its 60-series models without hindering on-road usability. The 367hp/470Nm  turbocharged four-cylinder engine used to power the S60 and V60 is the same and so is the transmission. The 0-100kph sprint still takes 4.7sec and 4.8sec for the S60 and V60, respectively.

Just 1,500 units of the upgraded models will be produced. 

While the V60 is not available in India, Volvo had launched the S60 Polestar here in April, 2017.