A performance-oriented sub-division of Volvo, Polestar has made its grand entry in the Indian auto segment with the launch of S60 Polestar (the go-fast version of Volvo S60 sedan), at a price of INR 52.5 lakh, ex-showroom Delhi.
Volvo and Polestar had a motorsport history and it all started in 1996. Later, Polestar worked on the enhanced performance versions of the Volvo cars. And at last, in July 2015, the Swedish luxury brand, Volvo acquired the Polestar which is now referred as Volvo’s performance division.
The first ever production road car developed by Polestar for Volvo worldwide was the S60 which first went on sale in 2013. After acquiring in 2015, the S60 received a mid-cycle update with new styling cues. Between 2014 and 2015, the Polestar S60 was launch in limited 1,500 numbers which were sold in limited international markets. Those units were powered by a 3.0-litre turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine which is good for 345 hp and 500 Nm. the engine was paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission and send power to all four wheels.
Now, what we get here in India is the updated 2017 model year Volvo S60 Polestar which was revealed in April 2016. It replaced the higher volume 3.0-litre unit with smaller 2.0-litre 1,969cc four-cylinder twin-charged (turbo and supercharged) petrol engine from Volvo’s Drive-E series. The mill is capable of churning out the massive power of 367 hp and a peak torque of 470 Nm.
The updated engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission instead of the old 6-speed. Other updates to the car include a stiffer suspension, a larger air intake, a bigger turbo and a higher capacity fuel pump in order to enhance the engine performance.
Also, the carmaker has reduced the overall weight of the vehicle by 15 kg and enhanced the weight distribution by cutting the load from the front axle.
Coming on the performance, the sedan comes with a Polestar-enhanced all-wheel drive technology and attains 100 kmph in 4.7 seconds, while the top speed is electronically limited to the 250 kmph.
On the rivals, the Volvo S60 Polestar will take on the Mercedes-AMG C 43 and Audi S5 in India. It’s just a glimpse of performance from Volvo, a lot is on its way. Since the Swedish carmaker considers India as a potential market, we can expect the most powerful Volvo ever - the XC90 T8 Twin Engine Polestar in near future.
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