Polestar optimization for a XC60 D4
 

Hello
I'm wondering if the polestar optimization for the Volvo XC60 D4 AWD is worth it.
Here is the spec sheet of the polestar optimization for my car:
https://engineered.polestar.com/uk/p...tomatic-2018-1

I will pay this in euros so it's around 1200€. For that price, is it worth it?

Thanks

There are quite a few threads about this for the D4 XC90/V90/S90, but the summary is usually the same; it’s worth it in terms of smoothing out the gearbox changes and hesitation, but not worth it in terms of increased power.
Hope that helps.

I have it on my D4 and would recommend it.

I think the car feels much more lively in the mid range and the additional torque is quite noticeable. Don't get me wrong it doesn't exactly transform the car into something else but does make a difference.

Personally I think its worth it & would do it again.

Mike

I have it also. What can i say rather than it's a little bit too expensive in my opinion and i guess pretty much everyone's opinion? Beside that i subscribe everything said by the other two members. It doesn't feel that you are driving a completely different car but makes the driving experience more dynamic, more intuitive, more complete and more alive in the mid range. More calibrated more responsive engine and gears. Go for it! If you can afford don't think twice. Life is too short and if we don't once in a while satisfy our small desires and spoil ourselves with something we care, so what's the point of being alive and work to achieve goals? I get it... 1200 € it's a trip to somewhere it's a small vacation period of rest and enjoyment. I was aware of the money i was going to spend on a small increase of power. But if i take pleasure from it why bother with the multiple possible choices i could have done with those 1200€?? :tongwink: I hope my comment helped you clear your mind! :regular_smile:

I've got it on the D5 XC90.

No it isn't worth the money and you do get a free trial in the UK. I was going to have it removed until the very last day of my free trial when, as it happened, the Rolls Royce Cullinan was launched and a couple of reviews came on the telly and YouTube. What swayed the Polestar for me was the cost of the star constellation headlining in the Cullinan at up to £30,000. That and my mortality put the hitherto ridiculous cost of Polestar into a different perspective and I decided to buy it.

The gear change sharpens up slightly with better change points and that's about it really. Within a few days you forget what it was like without it. The programming really should be available as standard as another drive mode option to pick using the wheel, or better still just by pushing the gear selector sideways in the traditional manner. The fact they charge extra for it and and then present it in a fancy box with a blue badge to stick on the car's arse, plus a certificate a few weeks later means diddly squat. That's just marketing.

It's just another alternative ECU map which really does not materially alter the car's utility or performance significantly at all.

So whether you think it is worth it is down to the value you put on money verses any perceived drivability improvement you find, if any. While I do not regret having it fitted, neither would I have regretted not fitting it had I stuck to my original intension and had the Cullinan not been launched that week.

So in summary, I blame Rolls Royce for my having Polestar fitted.

You drive more than 2 tones of a SUV and you were expecting a huge difference for more 20 NM of torque and 5 HP?? That is why the only difference you found was a slight improvement in the gears sharpness.

But i do agree with you when you say it should come from factory and as an alternative drive mode option. And i also think as i have said, it's expensive for what it is. But in a XC60 D4 with a free weight of 1791 kg (mine) and with a improvement of 10 HP and 40 NM of torque, it does clearly make a difference. Believe it or not but it does. But as you also said, it all comes to the point of whether you find worth it and down to the value you put on money.

But make no mistake...XC60 in terms of drivability is a more complete experience. Way more agile and manoeuvrable and more dynamic too.

I didn’t say I expected anything and I got precisely what I expected, which isn’t much for the money, marketed and packaged to seem like more than it is. What it is should be part of the car as standard, just as CarPlay and AAuto should be.
Performance in outright terms has significantly improved with increased miles covered, as I outlined in a very recent post. In fact now that it has 20,000+ miles on, up a specific hill where it would only hit 85 previously, it now hits 100mph. That’s not down to Polestar but the ending of the mechanical running-in process.

Maybe Polestar contributed slightly to it.

Certainly. About half as much extra as my strimmer.
The increase in power and performance over the first 15000 to 20,000 miles dwarfs that of Polestar. This applies to every Diesel engine i’ve had for decades. They all improve substantially with time and use in both better performance and fuel economy but Polestar adds a tiny bit extra.

Ok, I'm convinced that is a good improvement but pricey. So it's up to my wallet to know if I can pay this or not.
Also not searching for a super increase in power but the optimization part is really the key here.
Just for info, I drive mostly in the ECO mode for now. The car only has 1600 km and the mileage is not super for now.
When i change to the dynamic mode that i really enjoy, then the whole hell breaks lose and my consumption increases in about 40%.
The Polestar optimization could be a long term investment where i could get that money back in 3 to 4 years if driving in dynamic mode because the consumption will also improve with the optimization.
Thanks