2020 Volvo XC60 Polestar Engineered
For this week’s review we’ve gotten our hands on the brand new 2020 Volvo XC60 Polestar Engineered, a twincharged supercharged plugin hybrid. It is the first Polestar crossover to come to North America.
Disclosure: Volvo Canada provided me with the 2020 XC60 Polestar Engineered for a week to test drive, and photograph. All photos in this blog post was taken by me. #VolvoXC60PolestarEngineered
ACCELERATION: 8.5/10
Plug-In Hybrid - 415 HP / 494 lb-ft
2.0L I4 Turbocharged Supercharged Engine:
328HP @6000 / 317 lb-ft @ 2200-5400Rear Axle 87 HP / 177 lb-ft
5.1 second 0-100 km/hr
BRAKING: 9/10
The massive brakes and wheels help bring the car to a stop quickly! 100-0 km in 106 ft
HANDLING: 7.5/10
The handling is way better than a regular Volvo but it’s driving dynamics aren’t quite at the level of a performance crossover.
RIDE: 7.5/10
Maybe due to the higher center of gravity, I experience more bobble head when driving on rougher roads compared to when I was in S60 Polestar
CABIN NOISE: 8.5/10
Very quiet in the cabin if you’re in hybrid mode. If you’re using gasoline only mode there is more engine noise!
FUEl ECONOMY: 9/10
56 MPG Combined
30 KM EV range
EXTERIOR: 9.5/10
Gorgeous wheels design unique to the Polestar model
You can tell it’s a polestar from the fender flares, gold brake caliper, and black/white logo on the grill and rear.
Under the hood there are two gold knobs for you to manually set the damper levels of the front suspensions. To manually adjust the rear suspensions it is right ontop of the rear wheels. It’s a bit trickier to do the rear but take a look
INTERIOR FOR DRIVER: 8/10
It is a very interesting car to drive because when you drive in electric only mode you’re in rear wheel drive mode. When you’re in gasoline mode you’re a front wheel drive car. And even all wheel drive if you switch the drive mode to constant AWD
Like all the other Volvos it looks amazing with the metal trim accents
Because of the battery the center console storage is a bit small.
Viewing angles for the driver is good and seats are comfortable & supportive!
27 km electric range, so it’s possible for most people to get to and from work.
Equipped with the Bowers & Wilkins sound system. VERY NICE! The audio system is one of my favourite points in the interior.
INTERIOR FOR PASSENGERS: 7/10
Really wish to have USB or USB-C charging available for rear passengers.
Panoramic sunroof extends far into the rear and lets in tons of light!
Big hump in the middle of the floor to fit battery stuff which could make it uncomfortable if you need to fit 3 adults
INTERIOR STORAGE: 8.5/10
29.7 Cu Ft with seats up
60/40 folding seats
Has a pass through in the middle seat.
INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM: 8.25/10
I like the tablet style infotainment system but boot up time still feels a bit too long. After it does load up, it’s very responsive. The cool thing is if you’re from somewhere cold you can wear gloves and still use the screen because it uses infrared tech instead of haptic like our smartphones.
The 360 view camera is the best I’ve seen. I couldn’t figure out how to split the screen to display both the 360 and rear camera at the same time which I would prefer.
Supports Android Auto and Apple Car Play
OVERALL IMPRESSION OF THE 2020 Volvo XC60 polestar engineered:
Volvo’s XC60 Polestar Engineered has outstanding engineering, design, performance and safety. It may not be as fun to drive as some of the performance oriented luxury crossovers but it is a well rounded one. It’s spacious for families and has an elegant minimalistic interior. It’s a stylish SUV perfectly fitted for an urban active lifestyle.
It’s certainly worth a test drive if you’re in the market for a electrified luxury crossover. A major con for me is the 100 K+ price tag after taxes for the Polestar Engineered trim. I think if they could get the price down to 85 K all in it would be very attractive option.
