I own the previous gen V60 Polestar, 2018 model. Love it! No exhaust on this 2020 was a big let down, feels more like a T8 with some exterior extras, the old ones feel more racing inspired, and more complete imo.
Nice review! Actually like the fact that you introduce yourself as an accomplished race car driver, it aligns the viewers as to the capability and experience of the reviewer. Also nice shots of the car. Looking forward to watching more...
Thanks, Erkan. Glad you enjoyed. The racing thing seems to alienate people just as well. Sunday’s review is the new McLaren GT, shot in the same style as this Volvo piece.
Very very nice review and car ! I've got one of these and I just have a correction to do: The top speed isn't 130, it's 155 mph. 130 mph is the speed limit of the T6 Twin Engine V60. ;) Other than that I'm with you, and for the muffled exhaust sound: i'm going to put an old Polestar exhaust system in that V60. The engine in the T8 is basically the same as the Polestar, albeit the old Polestar had some improvements in the internals. ;)
Thanks for watching. I’m going to have to disagree with you there. I’m not mistaken and Volvo explicitly provided me with that data point. I have no business testing that on public roads, so I didn’t.
Brian Makse Very strange, as I managed to hit the 250 km/h governor on the Autobahn. Surely some market stuff, but it doesn’t remove anything to this car anyway. :)
Could be a regional calibration. You never know. Like I said in the piece, the first thing I’d do is firm up those rear dampers. Second is get some lightweight wheels. Which colour did you choose?
Brian Makse I did get the max stiffness on both ends and it’s a great car, it gets around corners beautifully with little to no understeer/body roll. The factory settings are more of a stiff-ish ride. I chose the Black Stone color, it really looks gorgeous with this paint, and because the only details that stand out with this color are the golden stuff + the badges, it has this stealthy look that I don’t think you get with the Osmium Grey you’ve got to drive.
Agreed. I have a '16 V60 Polestar and if there is ever a doubt as to if I bought the right car or not, all I have to do is put in in sport mode and stomp on the pedal ;) I love how that I6 sounds, and did not get a '17 or newer for that reason alone.
I'm enjoying alot the front engine rwd, I'm 45yo and still drive spirited an ATS RWD. Will this wagon give me the same good chassis feeling as the rwd's and the fun drive, with the added space benefit?
Excellent question. The answer is no. This is a fine car, but it’s not like a rear drive sedan in any way. It’s much heavier and drives like an all wheel drive car all the time. If you go in with that expectation, you’ll be fine, but may I suggest a CT4-V Blackwing?
Glad you caught that! Those are my personalized, custom splitter guards, following our interview with Dodge chief designer in the fall. They're appeared in a couple of recent reviews and will show up in a couple more soon.
Well, you want the on the softer side of the range, but it's been over a year since I've driven this car, so I don't recall any of the details and can't give you any specific guidance.. I've never adjusted these dampers because you have to get under the car to adjust the rears. They way they work is pretty sophisticated and unique among road car dampers.
@@BrianMakse Thanks - I just got one on Saturday. It's a really likeable car. And that's coming from a 2014 M5. The ride's fine, no idea what the damper settings are, there's no reading/setting on the actual knobs. Guess I'll have to find the Polestar manual online...
@@steeludder9889 There should be an Ohlins booklet with the car. If there isn't or if you have any trouble finding one, let me know and I'll place a request through my channels.
@@BrianMakse much appreciated - I just got the info I needed from the online manual. The front dampers are set to zero believe it or not, properly stiff, ha!
So I'm a little confused with the HP. You mention that the gas engine has 328 hp and electric is 87 hp. Why do they add these numbers together when it's doesn't appear that on a dyno the power would be a total as the electric I think just pops in to assist for a little.
The electric motor engages in a range of conditions, but the system will never combine both motors at 100% output. As I explained, this car can be driven solely on the electric motor, within certain parameters.
@@BrianMakse thanks for taking the time to reply. It may just be me, but I don't see how they can say it's a TOTAL 415 hp. Guess I'm missing something. I love Volvos.
It’s not a big deal. The system is calibrated to produce a maximum combined 415hp. They could do a bit more, they could certainly do less, and I’m sure the engineers have their reasons. If I’d been on the launch, I’d have asked for clarification.
kind of a shot at Doug Demuro at the beginning. The "I'm a professional racecar driver" thing you always mention really makes you sound self-entitled, too.
Arrogant, perhaps, but not self-entitled. That’s not even the intent. With over 90% of viewers being totally new to this channel, this is quick way to convey that I know what the fuck I’m doing with a wheel and pedals. If viewers don’t like it, there’s always Doug’s channel where they can buy into his remarkably unqualified handling scores.
@@BrianMakse I like that you say you are a racing driver. It conveys that you are better at judging the car's handling than some other car vlogger. Anybody with no car background can make car content and spout bullshit about handling, doesn't make it real. Question though (because I'm not a pro behind the wheel), how much lighter would the wheels have to be to make a real difference on this car?
I'm here for a qualified assessment of the performance instead of what's under the spare tire cover. I take bits of each journalist's review before I test drive
I own the previous gen V60 Polestar, 2018 model. Love it! No exhaust on this 2020 was a big let down, feels more like a T8 with some exterior extras, the old ones feel more racing inspired, and more complete imo.
Yeah that’s probably where I would trim the fat - the silencer.
And everywhere else I could find to reduce the added 500lb from the electric motor.
Nice review! Actually like the fact that you introduce yourself as an accomplished race car driver, it aligns the viewers as to the capability and experience of the reviewer. Also nice shots of the car. Looking forward to watching more...
Thanks, Erkan. Glad you enjoyed. The racing thing seems to alienate people just as well. Sunday’s review is the new McLaren GT, shot in the same style as this Volvo piece.
Thank you for the review. What color is that vehicle?
This was three years ago, no idea.
Very very nice review and car ! I've got one of these and I just have a correction to do: The top speed isn't 130, it's 155 mph. 130 mph is the speed limit of the T6 Twin Engine V60. ;)
Other than that I'm with you, and for the muffled exhaust sound: i'm going to put an old Polestar exhaust system in that V60. The engine in the T8 is basically the same as the Polestar, albeit the old Polestar had some improvements in the internals. ;)
Thanks for watching. I’m going to have to disagree with you there. I’m not mistaken and Volvo explicitly provided me with that data point. I have no business testing that on public roads, so I didn’t.
Brian Makse Very strange, as I managed to hit the 250 km/h governor on the Autobahn. Surely some market stuff, but it doesn’t remove anything to this car anyway. :)
Could be a regional calibration. You never know. Like I said in the piece, the first thing I’d do is firm up those rear dampers. Second is get some lightweight wheels. Which colour did you choose?
Brian Makse I did get the max stiffness on both ends and it’s a great car, it gets around corners beautifully with little to no understeer/body roll. The factory settings are more of a stiff-ish ride.
I chose the Black Stone color, it really looks gorgeous with this paint, and because the only details that stand out with this color are the golden stuff + the badges, it has this stealthy look that I don’t think you get with the Osmium Grey you’ve got to drive.
Great colour. I’d soften up the front dampers a little bit. Give that a try and after hitting a few corners, let me know what you think.
I couldn’t live without the sound of their old I5’s and I6’s, my 13 T6 might be the newest Volvo I own just for that reason
The six is so cool, but I don’t think it’ll ever come back.
Definitely not
Agreed. I have a '16 V60 Polestar and if there is ever a doubt as to if I bought the right car or not, all I have to do is put in in sport mode and stomp on the pedal ;) I love how that I6 sounds, and did not get a '17 or newer for that reason alone.
I'm enjoying alot the front engine rwd, I'm 45yo and still drive spirited an ATS RWD. Will this wagon give me the same good chassis feeling as the rwd's and the fun drive, with the added space benefit?
Excellent question. The answer is no. This is a fine car, but it’s not like a rear drive sedan in any way. It’s much heavier and drives like an all wheel drive car all the time. If you go in with that expectation, you’ll be fine, but may I suggest a CT4-V Blackwing?
If you’re choosing and can only select one, do you prefer the previous model v60 polestar or the newest model v60 polestar engineered hybrid?
For me? The real six cylinder V60 Polestar.
The best part of this car is the optional Hellcat Splitter guards!
Glad you caught that! Those are my personalized, custom splitter guards, following our interview with Dodge chief designer in the fall. They're appeared in a couple of recent reviews and will show up in a couple more soon.
Brian, what damper settings would you recommend (front/rear) for sporty, yet not too harsh ride?
Well, you want the on the softer side of the range, but it's been over a year since I've driven this car, so I don't recall any of the details and can't give you any specific guidance.. I've never adjusted these dampers because you have to get under the car to adjust the rears. They way they work is pretty sophisticated and unique among road car dampers.
@@BrianMakse Thanks - I just got one on Saturday. It's a really likeable car. And that's coming from a 2014 M5. The ride's fine, no idea what the damper settings are, there's no reading/setting on the actual knobs. Guess I'll have to find the Polestar manual online...
@@steeludder9889 There should be an Ohlins booklet with the car. If there isn't or if you have any trouble finding one, let me know and I'll place a request through my channels.
@@BrianMakse much appreciated - I just got the info I needed from the online manual. The front dampers are set to zero believe it or not, properly stiff, ha!
Glad you got the info. Who set them to zero? That's a dynamic disaster!
Why have you added Yellow Tape in the front ?
The B&W is not Standard but Harman Kardon are that in this car.
It’s an inside joke on this channel.
In North America, the B+W is standard.
Other than the breaks and dampers is this "just" a regular V60 T8 with Polestar Optimization?
No.
How were the manual up/down shifts on this car? The T6 was pretty slow, is it any better on the Polestar Engineered?
Still on the slow side for the segment.
Hey! what if I get one with 20 inch wheels? Would it be better?
How do you quantify ‘better’?
So I'm a little confused with the HP. You mention that the gas engine has 328 hp and electric is 87 hp. Why do they add these numbers together when it's doesn't appear that on a dyno the power would be a total as the electric I think just pops in to assist for a little.
The electric motor engages in a range of conditions, but the system will never combine both motors at 100% output. As I explained, this car can be driven solely on the electric motor, within certain parameters.
@@BrianMakse thanks for taking the time to reply. It may just be me, but I don't see how they can say it's a TOTAL 415 hp. Guess I'm missing something. I love Volvos.
It’s not a big deal. The system is calibrated to produce a maximum combined 415hp. They could do a bit more, they could certainly do less, and I’m sure the engineers have their reasons. If I’d been on the launch, I’d have asked for clarification.
Awesome
Glad you enjoyed! Tell your friends! Post it on Reddit!
Color Me impressed with this Review! My dreams of owning something sweet have been depleted with Covid 19 taking my savings to survive and pay bills.
kind of a shot at Doug Demuro at the beginning. The "I'm a professional racecar driver" thing you always mention really makes you sound self-entitled, too.
Arrogant, perhaps, but not self-entitled. That’s not even the intent. With over 90% of viewers being totally new to this channel, this is quick way to convey that I know what the fuck I’m doing with a wheel and pedals. If viewers don’t like it, there’s always Doug’s channel where they can buy into his remarkably unqualified handling scores.
@@BrianMakse I like that you say you are a racing driver. It conveys that you are better at judging the car's handling than some other car vlogger. Anybody with no car background can make car content and spout bullshit about handling, doesn't make it real.
Question though (because I'm not a pro behind the wheel), how much lighter would the wheels have to be to make a real difference on this car?
Gurl, the insecurity you portray is real.... Some of us have racing licenses and some of us don't....
I'm here for a qualified assessment of the performance instead of what's under the spare tire cover. I take bits of each journalist's review before I test drive
367 hp old gen polestar 0 200 16.5 sec new gen T8 Polestar engineered around 19 sec 😔
I like the original 6 cylinder best!
You need to re edit the conclusion. You repeat the same sentence numerous times.