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Black Sapphire Metallic limited edition Polestar V60

12K views 41 replies 18 participants last post by  JAM2 
#1 ·
Dealer just informed me V60 P* has just arrived in Washington. They have to attach the winglets and some other stuff. I could have it as early as Weds. afternoon, but I'm waiting til Friday because of work. I am very excited!
 
#3 · (Edited)
Thanks, I pick it up at noon on Friday. I'm pretty stoked. I hope to corral my nephew, a professional photographer to takes some pics when I get it home. The first thing to do is window tint, I love what Kief did to his BSM V60, 35% all around, except I will do 20-25% on rear hatch. I still can't believe I'm actually getting one. This will be my ninth Volvo, dating back to a 1963 P1800S in high school, many more followed. I have read every road test and every post I could find about this amazing car. This car will be babied, but also driven like it was built for. There's almost too much anticipation on my part, because no car is perfect, and sorry Polestar if it's not perfect I will modify what you've done, lol.
The thing is I really identify with Volvo's, every company and person for that matter have core values, the way I see it Volvo's core values have always been safety, Swedish sensibilities and reliability. Now, with this Polestar release, they have thrown in world class handling and performance. I wanted one the minute I saw one. I put a deposit down on one in mid July, found out in early August I was too late, they were sold out. Found out in late August the general manager of the dealer had secured one and did I still want it, YES. Cancelled the order for a Macan turbo, same dealer, Audi's are nice, (all my wife will buy) as are BMW's and Porsche's. Just give me a hot Volvo wagon and I'll be happy.
 
#4 ·
The first thing to do is window tint, I love what Kief did to his BSM V60, 35% ceramic all around, except I will do 20-25% on rear hatch
Congrats Madden!!!
Just to clarify, I didn't get ceramic tint. I got Suntek 35% CXP Carbon Series. Regardless, the tint makes the car look that much better!
 
#5 ·
For some reason I thought you got ceramic tint, nonetheless your car looks awesome and I'm going to do the same % tint to mine, thanks for posting the pictures.
 
#6 ·
Congrats! Glad these are steadily making it to owners.
 
#8 ·

This is what the V60 P will replace.
 
#9 ·

A lot of mods to this one, it was a beast. The Polestar will be more than an adequate replacement lol. Just a few hours from now I'll be driving around in a new hotrod black Volvo wagon.
 
#11 ·
Now that I've put all of 100 miles on her I thought I'd share my initial impressions.
1) I love the car.
2) The suspension is compliant but firm. It's the best handling car I've ever driven. Very confidence inspiring. It's a fun car to drive.
3) The car gets up to speed very quickly.
4) I didn't notice any tire noise, the tires are quiet.
5) The seats are awesome. They hold you in place while being very comfortable at the same time.
6) Sport mode releases the beast within, the exhaust note is sweet.
More later...
 
#12 ·
All good news. Tried to pm you, but seems your box is full. Sent an email instead.
 
#13 ·
I cleared the old stuff, lol 5 pages worth.
Ok, I am really starting to love this car now. I played around with the steering weight, first I did heavy, good at speed but too heavy at slow speeds, drove around all morning, then switched to medium this afternoon, perfect. Then I switched it to "ESC off" mode, that's when I fell in love. It totally transforms the car, the car feels more agile and the steering seems more responsive to driver input. I had a button I could turn off stability control on my old V50, but I never noticed much of a difference, so I always left it on. The Polestar is a completely different animal, the steering lightens up and I swear it sounds meaner. The car practically begs to be driven hard. I found out one thing inadvertently, the car will NOT upshift at redline in manual mode, my Acura would and so did the Porsche with PDK. I wonder if it does in launch mode?
I came into this really wanting another car with a manual tranny, but willing to take a chance on the Polestar since all reviews pretty much gave the upgraded P* tranny a thumbs up. I can certainly live with it, and this is coming from a diehard MT guy. I actually like it in manual mode, the shifts are crisp and immediate. I find the car a little too sedate in D, good thing we have a choice, paddles could be a speck taller, I just adjusted my hands a tad lower from where I normally put them on the wheel. I also like the fact you can shift into 1st before a complete stop.
I don't do a lot of freeway driving, if I did I would probably adjust the suspension to a softer setting, most of my driving is back roads getting into Seattle from the north, I avoid I-5 like the plague. But I went for a jaunt on I-5 just to see how the car is on the interstate and I went straight to an stretch of road even my Acura, a big floaty SUV with 60 series tires hates, the P* hated it too. The suspension reacts to bumps very quickly and feels very compliant but this stretch creates a constant rocking that is annoying, most of the time it was perfectly fine. The setting it comes as is meant for spirited driving, not cruising the interstate. If you spend a lot of time on the interstate, you might want it delivered with a softer setting.
Ok the bad.
My wife does not like it in sport mode, she thinks it's too loud, not her car, but I leave it in D when she's in the car. personally I think the exhaust is sweet. I could listen to it all day, and it does turn heads. I never drive in D alone, that exhaust note is intoxicating.
Not related to the car, but parking lot mishap put 12" scratch in rear panel down to primer, now I know Volvo uses white primer underneath the BSM color, I would have thought they used black or dark gray, probably all cars get the same primer, but chips will show white. It goes into the body shop next week for repair. I could rant about a certain uninsured ethnic group that shares a common border with our country, but I won't go there. I get a prize for first polestar in for repair, karma because I showed great restraint when it happened, I didn't even curse.
The sound system is fine, but it won't blow you away.
The suede or nubuck on the seats might be hard to keep clean, they are kind of a magnet for soil and debris.I wonder if there is some type of fabric protector I should put on? I ordered a seat cover from Volvo for the back seat. For now our 80lb. German Shephard is perfectly content in the back with the seats down.
In summary, the car is everything I hoped it would be. I spent a good chunk of change trying to make my V50 a car of this caliper, it's not even close, I've driven a V70R, not even close. This is beyond doubt the best driving car Volvo has ever made, does it compete and set a new standard? My experience is somewhat limited to Volvo, Audi, Acura and Porsche, so I can't really say, is this car fun to drive, I give that a resounding, YES.
 
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#15 ·
"S" mode in auto ( no paddle shift). click shifts ( on it's own) at about 3950 rpm , fails to 1st at stop signal ,

tedious staying under 4k rpm ., at 390 miles = 230 miles till ultra vrrm
I always use the paddles, I like to be in control of shift points, I'm in the camp that thinks a new car hates constant speed but does not mind being pushed once in a while, I certainly don't abuse it, but give it varied rpm and speed.
 
#14 ·
Big thumbs up madden. Thank very much for taking the time giving us the detail. As one stuck on the sidelines I must live vicariously thru the early owners. Feeding that need is much appreciated.
 
#18 ·
I don't think I can add anything picture wise that hasn't already been done on a BSM P* V60 by Kief and others. Once I change a few minor details I'll post pics.
 
#19 ·
Ok after living with the car for 10 days, I thought I'd share a few more thoughts about this car.
First of all, my wife calls it a Polecat, thank-you honey.
The car is simply awesome, I've barely tapped into what this car is capable of, and I am continually amazed by it's prowess. It is completely unflappable.
One of many things I appreciate about this car is the active exhaust, if I want to be quiet and sedate, I have that option in D. I love the sound of the exhaust in manual mode, better yet I have a choice. Pushing my other Volvo's with a DP and catback, they were always loud. This is so much more refined.
Capable, precise and refined, three words that can barely describe this car, and that's understated, superlatives aside, it's hard to describe how truly capable this car is. I think Polestar did a great job making a truly great handling car, while sacrificing very little very little in the comfort dept. you feel expansion joints and every nuance in the road, but they are never jarring, albeit on a washboard type surface on a concrete interstate, not perfect, then again most cars hate this scenario.
For me, Volvo/Polestar hit this one out of the park, regardless of price, I can't think of another car I would rather own. I almost didn't get one, long story. I'm so glad I did, my fallback was a Porsche Macan Turbo, or SQ5, if I didn't get the Polestar,Macan turbo was nice, more expensive, Audi about the same price, I'd rather have the V60 P*. I was a little nervous buying a Polestar without a test drive, I had already test driven an Audi SQ5 and a Macan turbo when I thought I wasn't going to get the V60 P*, the alternatives were nice enough, but they were not this car.
 
#20 ·
Further confirmation and I am right with you. My fall back was a Macan but loaded up the way this is we would have been looking at least $20k higher and I know without a doubt this suspension is superior. Something I forgot to mention in my reviews, and it's very important, the handling makes this heavy car feel light. You almost can't believe how a car this heavy can be so nimble. Would you agree?
 
#22 ·
V60 R-design is 3,780 the Polestar V60 should be very close to this. Nimble is a relative term, my V50 was nimble, a mini is nimble, the V60 P* doesn't feel like a car carrying so much weight, that's for sure. Is it precise and unflappable, yes. Will it feel utterly composed in the twisties, yes. Does it feel light on it's feet for such a heavy car, yes. The more I drive it, the more I like it.
 
#26 ·
Agreed again. Like I said in one post, it is not a go kart by any means, but it is just so light on its feet that you can't help but notice it.
 
#24 ·
20" wheels add weight, as do those big front brakes, and fully optioned, it does not surprise me it's a little heavier than a V60 RD. It sure does not handle like a 4000 lb car. I still can't get over what a bargain this car was over a fully loaded V60 RD, considering all that came with the car. If I bought a fully loaded V60 RD and spent 30K on it I couldn't duplicate what Polestar did, reworked turbo, FMIC, wheels, big brake kit, rear spoiler, front splitters, custom Ohlins suspension, bigger rear sway bar, strut bar, stiffer springs, bushings, engine software, Haldex software, interior, active exhaust,etc. and to tie it all together with a full factory warranty is just incredible. I feel very fortunate to have one. No car is perfect, but for the way I drive, and the roads I frequent, this car comes awfully darn close to perfect for me anyway.
 
#25 ·
20" wheels add weight, as do those big front brakes, and fully optioned, it does not surprise me it's a little heavier than a V60 RD. It sure does not handle like a 4000 lb car. I still can't get over what a bargain this car was over a fully loaded V60 RD, considering all that came with the car. If I bought a fully loaded V60 RD and spent 30K on it I couldn't duplicate what Polestar did, reworked turbo, FMIC, wheels, big brake kit, rear spoiler, front splitters, custom Ohlins suspension, bigger rear sway bar, strut bar, stiffer springs, bushings, engine software, Haldex software, interior, active exhaust,etc. and to tie it all together with a full factory warranty is just incredible. I feel very fortunate to have one. No car is perfect, but for the way I drive, and the roads I frequent, this car comes awfully darn close to perfect for me anyway.
It definitely does for me to!
 
#27 ·
I have a set of 18s and 19s for my other car. They weigh exactly the same! Rubber is heavy, so even though the 19" rim probably weighs more than the 18" rims, the 18" tires weigh more than the 19" ones due to the extra sidewall rubber. In theory, even though they weight the same, the 19" could spin up faster as there is LESS mass at the extreme edge versus the 18s.

We need Mythbusters to figure this out. It always bugs me when people say that the smaller wheels are better for acceleration.
 
#28 · (Edited)
I once wrote a post on a Mercedes Benz forum I used to be active on that calculated the moment of inertia of tire + rim combos of smaller or larger rims. (I found it, two of them)

http://mbworld.org/forums/performance-upgrades-tuning/126587-speedybenz-board.html#post1384400
and
http://mbworld.org/forums/performance-upgrades-tuning/126587-speedybenz-board.html#post1385188

It doesn't take MythBusters, just a bit of physics and mathematics to provide the numerical proof of the impact it has. And yes as you stated, the moment of inertia of the tires dwarfs that of the rims, which defines in a simple way of saying it, how much the rims + tire combo "resists" spinning up thereby impeding the car's acceleration.

Sorry madden; getting off topic again.
 
#29 ·
No problem, I tried to read all that stuff in your links, it was a little more than I needed to know, lol.
 
#30 ·
;) I get it. Was just preempting anyone saying "prove it".

Moral of the story, if two tires have the same grip dry and wet, and one is 28lbs and the other 24-25lbs? Using the lighter tire is much more significant than a lighter rim several times less weight.
 
#32 ·
After being a week without my car, I got it back today. It went into body shop to get a scratch repaired and a full polish and detail, I know it's a brand new car. I'd take a picture but it's gonna rain here in Seattle for the next 6 mos., lol, but they really did a good job, it looks better than brand new. I'm just loving this car, after being without it for a week, I really appreciate it all over again.
 
#37 ·
I bet you will be more careful parking at the mall from now on :) I only have a lowly T5, but it is also black and shows every little ding. So I play it safe and usually park pretty far away from the stores, where the chances of it being scratched up by some inconsiderate moron are low. Of course this is not entirely fail-proof either - sometimes I leave the car "in the open", with no other cars parked within 20 yards, only to find it sandwiched between two huge dirty trucks when I return :mad:
 
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