S60 Advice on S60 T8 Polestar Engineered

[DS60T8Pole]

Hi,

My name is Daniel and I have fallen in love with a S60 T8 Polestar Engineered I have seen. I am so close to buying a 1 year old one

I am hoping there are people on here who have, or had one in the past. Not much information online. I have noticed WRXseeker has one but I cannot message them directly.

The S60 T8 Polestar Engineered is such a stunning looking car and on paper seems perfectly suited to me as I drive 20 miles to and from work everyday but also appears to have the dynamic drive ability too. Many people have warned me away simply because they say Volvos are boring, “not your kind of car”. I personally think they are wrong in this case. Just hoping some people can confirm this.

I currently drive a Cupra 290 and had an S3 before that. In the past I also had a Civic 2.2 idtec. I am getting older now and clearly getting a little more sensible. Could you please answer a few questions I have?

1) I have read it handles really well with the Ohlins struts. Is this true?

2) I have also read the gear box is a bit slow and has a mind of its own. What is your opinion on this?

3) Do you think I could get to and from work comfortably on electric only. It is a 21 mile round trip.

4) Have you done any 100 mile plus trips? If so what fuel consumption did you average?

I would appreciate any other information you wouldn’t mind sharing from your experience. Looks like such a special car.

Thank you in advance for your time.

Daniel

[Familyman 90]

A £56,000 car and you're worried about fuel consumption?

I don't know about the S60 T8 specifically, but ive spent some time with the XC90 T8 and that would manage your commute on electric with a little care. I cant see the smaller, lighter, more aero S60 being worse.

[DS60T8Pole]

Thanks, My commute is stop start and 30/40 limits. I like the idea of being emission free and cheap running when not seeking performance. But have the petrol engine to avoid the headache of public charging on the odd long trip as well as for its performance.

[smithsc]

I can't help you as i'm still awaiting my S60 PE to be delivered (June 22) i'm very much like you, currently have a new M135i Xdrive got a Focus Mk1 in the garage for summer.

Ive gone for the Volvo for a few reasons:

- Looks I think it looks amazing with the 20" wheels
- Economy (with the larger battery on the new ones I can get to work and back)
- Comfort (although it wont be as comfy as a non PE it'll still be a comfortable cruiser)

[DS60T8Pole]

Fully agree. Picking it up today. (Hopefully). Will let you know. Your m135i will be a lot like my s3 so will let you know comparison.

[rhd443]

Originally Posted by DS60T8Pole

Fully agree. Picking it up today. (Hopefully). Will let you know. Your m135i will be a lot like my s3 so will let you know comparison.

You will love it! Sorry for the long reply, but I've lived with an S60 T8 for 2 years now and its top bananas , i might not keep it due to not liking the Volvo dealer attitudes but thats personal preference.

I have the non PE T8 version but with the polestar software, (i didn't want the wheels scuffing if i caught them in a multi storey or the ricers trying it on with me) but you will love the refinement of the new S60 coming from a Seat Cupra thats for sure!

21 miles is achievable easily in hybrid mode without using Pure mode, but it depends on how the roads are, 21 miles at 75mph on a motorway it probably will not do the entire trip, but the same mixed or part motorway would be fine as you say!

Just remember that you need to stay below 79mph for it to not trip the engine in, and if you have a 2020 year car you are picking up, the needle in Pure and Hybrid mode allows you to trip it over and start the engine easily, newer ones are harder to start the engine so your right foot doesn't need as much feathering on the throttle.

The other thing, you will find on some cold mornings if you haven't pre-conditioned it the engine may start initially anyway as the auto heated seats come in (or heated steering wheel etc) and the load increases, but it will soon turn off again and really it doesn't engage driven wheels, it merely starts and then turns off again like a toyota prius does.

The gearbox is not slow, I came from a VW DSG wet clutch pushing over 350bhp and it changes gear very quickly, the only thing it does sometimes if you want to floor it and arent in manual paddle mode already, it can think for a second before it decides to go off like a scalded rat. The electric motor keeps pushing during gear changes so you barely loose power during the change either!

100 mile + journeys, you can expect if you are clever, between 45 and 50mpg, i usually let the sat nav deal with it, once you add a destination in, your find on motorways the electric power needle is reduces on motorways so it forces petrol use, that way it keeps battery charge for traffic queues or roundabouts/coming off slip roads etc. If you want to stop the engine from stop/starting (it wont bother you but i do feel sometimes it does it too fast/often when people pull out infront of you and you back off the accelerator), use AWD Mode on the motorways and flip it back to hybrid on other roads. Its not a chuggy diesel so you barely know the engine has started/stopped anyway.

Ignore what familyman 90 says about affordability, I can afford a 50k car, but i am conscious of petrol prices so i know exactly what you are asking in terms of how to best use the technologies in the car.

Cant comment on the ohlins struts, but mine with standard shocks is amazing, i can throw it into any situation at high speed, you will be very happy with the handling. The only thing you will notice if you've had an S3, is that the T8 will behave like your cupra did, front wheel biased, so its predicable and can on occasion spin the fronts and understeer when coming out of a bend on full power. (put traction control into off to get full power when driving hard).

Put it in polestar mode, turn ESC off, ensure you have some charge in the battery and floor it, you will love it even getting old! I have v-boxed mine at 4.4 seconds to 60mph, which is superb for a 2 ton car. If i keep it i'll be doing the Heico upgrade

https://www.heicosportiv.de/en/produ...r-upgrade-1789

[DS60T8Pole]

Don’t apologise. I really appreciate the long reply. Thank you. It has excited me yet more. Picking it up tomorrow now. A lot of good advice in your reply above that I have not heard from anyone else (reviews from journalists) so thanks. It’s the little things that matter. How have you found the complex twin engine drivetrain in terms of reliability. Had any issues under warranty? Check engine lights etc.

[rhd443]

Originally Posted by DS60T8Pole

Don’t apologise. I really appreciate the long reply. Thank you. It has excited me yet more. Picking it up tomorrow now. A lot of good advice in your reply above that I have not heard from anyone else (reviews from journalists) so thanks. It’s the little things that matter. How have you found the complex twin engine drivetrain in terms of reliability. Had any issues under warranty? Check engine lights etc.

Glad it's helped, I did a lot of research before buying and I'm glad I did. It was this or a Tesla 75D or a Model 3 performance (polestar 2 wasn't out at time of ordering) and I don't want to be fannying around in a public service station charging on my way to Wales

I have had two issues, first a piece of trim broke (plastic clip) and Volvo tried to blame me for fitting a dashcam, it was covered only when I argued it and asked for the old part back so I could get an independent check done under a microscope.

Second I have had issues with a noise/humming type vibration from the electric motor when accelerating, which seemed to go away greatly when I loaded the tyre pressures up to full load spec (I normally run tyres lower for comfort). It's been to two dealers and neither said there's an issue with it, so I'm living with it hoping it's tyre related. But it's one of those noises that you can't forget once you know it's there!

But in terms of reliability, I drove it hard from new, Its nice and loose now at 13k miles and hasn't let me down at all, no oil used like the VW TSi engines, no funny noises from the engine when starting from cold etc, I have access to autodata and according to that, the cambelt interval is 120 months so I just get in and enjoy it worry free motoring!

You will get the Harmon kardon sound system too, it's amazing so enjoy the drive tomorrow and feedback!

[DS60T8Pole]

The Original owner specked the Bowers & Wilkins system in the car I collected. Very lucky. Yes you are right. The refinement is beyond anything I have experienced. Just fantastic. The quality is amazing. The cabin is just a lovely place to be. Everybody at work commented on how fantastic it looked. Drives so smooth, no trim rattles or vibrations at all. Very solid which enhances the sound system further. Turn it right up and it has significant bass. There is no rattling or vibration from the trim like on my old Cupra. Very impressed. Power delivery is so smooth. Cannot believe how quick you get up to speed without even realising. The lack of jolt between gear changes due to the electric motor filling in the gaps makes it feel slower than it actually is. The fact it gets up to 60 in 4.5 seconds with no launch control means it will beat most AWD hot hatches off the lights in everyday driving. You could add half a second to the 0-60 times of all the German cars that rely on launch control. Easily gains speed quicker than my Cupra on a stretch I know well but does not feel it. Overall I absolutely love it. Everyone comments on the Polestar wheels and Brembo brakes. A real feature and eye catcher along with the Thor’s hammer lights.

[DS60T8Pole]

Volvo S60 polestar engineered will get from point to point quicker than my old s3 which would be similar to your m135i. The Volvo is miles better at pulling out onto fast roads at junctions. My s3 would bog down a little before the revs climbed, then it went. I am assuming the electric motor and super charger really help the Volvo from a standing non launch control start. The Volvo has huge torque figures and that is why it pulls from a standing start so well. However it will not feel like it. There is a lack of drama which means you are astonished when you look at the speedo and see what speed you are doing with no apparent effort. (In PE mode with some battery charge). I absolutely love it. It is very different and more refined than a hot hatch but I have no doubt with the same tyres it could keep up with my Cupra and s3 on the road fairly easily. I was a little disappointed at first with some understeer around a few of my regular bends but realised I was taking the corner faster than what I did in my Leon Cupra. You can build speed so quickly without even realising in the Volvo. Plus my Cupra had pilot sport 4s tyres. My Volvo has just the pilot sport 4. 4s on the Volvo should help it improve even more with the bulkier reinforced side wall. It does feel heavy but the Ohlins deal with the weight so well. It feels heavier than my old Cupra but not 2 tonne heavy. Somewhere in between. Brakes are good but the car does not slow down quite as well as my Cupra, but again that could be tyres. To be fair I haven’t really tested the brakes fully yet. Engine feels more like a six cylinder engine that I test drove than a 4 cylinder. Just does not sound like it. The engine sounds better than people say though. I do like the subtle super charger whine. I love it and definitely made the right choice over another hot hatch.