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are these polestars worth the price of admission?

8K views 42 replies 22 participants last post by  kenhoeve 
#1 ·
hi there. new member here with a genuine curiosity around the MY16 Polestars. i hadn't been in a volvo in over 15 years until i went to visit a local dealer this week to check out an S60R. in all honesty, i found the interior to be shockingly appealing, precise, low-key and the seating absolutely living up to the hype of OMFG comfortable and supportive. i could have walked away with a V60R on the spot if it weren't for the fact that i'm more interested in waiting for the MY16 V60 Polestar to possibly become my new daily.

i have zero intention of tracking the V60 (c'mon... no 6-speed?), so balls-out performance isn't at the top of my priority list. what is at the top is utilitarian functionality, a near-luxury comfort interior, something with a significant amount of power (relative to sub-three-second hypercars) and of course the quirkiness that the polestars represent. i come from three gens of modded subaru STIs, daily-drive a MY15 Forester XT and have a garage queen MY14 C7 Z51 M7 with all of the bells and whistles such as competition seats, mag ride, multi-mode exhaust, etc.

i want to replace the forester with the polestar, but i'm hesitant over the auto-tranny as i've grown to hate the CVT in the forester as well as the completely unsupportive seats made for those with asses and waistlines much wider than mine and my GF's. other vehicles i've cross-shopped are the GLA45, SQ5 and Macan Turbo, none of which offer a manual. the A4 avant and 328 sportwagon are out due to their anemic drive trains. the focus ST and golfR are too small for me. i am on the hunt for a ultra-low-mileage MY14 E63 wagon in any color other than black since the $100K+ on new ones is ridiculous, but so is having two cars to myself, or spending $60K on a little volvo wagon i guess. :)

so tell me, polestar owners, is this a recommended buy? i did place a deposit on a V60 Polestar in RB, but if it really doesn't get here until november, i fear i'll lose interest unless i can count on it being something special.

tldr; first-world problems. own a C7 vette and an eight month-old forester XT. should i buy a V60 polestar?
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Yes, yes and yes. To put is simply, you are the target customer for the car. There is no car in the US, which is where I assume you are based on your cars, that offers its performance, utility, quirkiness and limited availability for the price. I could go on into the details if you want and we have in other threads many times. I've put almost 8,000 miles on mine and love it.
 
#14 ·
Thanks to you and all others for the replies. Your wrapped V is stunning and I've been admiring it for about a week now.

With this being a model with so few examples in the wild and even fewer owners talking about it, I perhaps didn't go far enough back into the older pages of the forum to find more owner reviews. Is there a definitive delivery and owner's impression thread somewhere?
 
#3 ·
I would speculate buyer satisfaction is very high for a great majority of owners that bought this, and made use of the greatly enhanced limits Polestar managed to dial-in to it.
 
#6 ·
I came from a V50 AWD 6-speed that I extensively modified, KW V2 Coilovers, Enem cams, K16 turbo, bigger injectors, DP, 3" catback, FMIC, Meth injection, brakes, intake,inlet plenum, Autotech stage IV tune,IPD sway bar, +2 light weight wheels, etc. It was faster, lighter and more nimble than the V60P. That being said, the V60P is a far better car.
It's so much more refined and composed, it's unflappable. Launch mode is a kick, very few cars can hang with this car off the line. For what you get over a fully loaded V60RD, in the US anyway, the car is a bargain. I love mine. Occassionally, I miss having a MT, but the auto in the V60P is fine, it feels a little lazy in D, but pop it into S and it's a whole new ballgame, plus that exhaust note, sweet!
 
#7 · (Edited)
...but the auto in the V60P is fine, it feels a little lazy in D, but pop it into S and it's a whole new ballgame, plus that exhaust note, sweet!
And most Polestar owners love flipping between D and S to close and open the exhaust valves. It's fun to play cat and mouse with other drivers having them ask "where is that sweet exhaust note coming from... couldn't be that Volvo?!?". :)
 
#10 · (Edited)
I've driven a Focus se and a st, both junk. The RS might be a fun "little" car, but hardly in the same category as a V60P.
Edit. The Ford Focus RS is aimed squarely at the Subaru WRX, this is Ford's target and to a lesser extant the Golf R. I think the Ford will probably do quite well with in this market. A lot depends on the price, nonetheless, it is not a competitor to the V60P.
 
#13 ·
I'm have a bipolar relationship with the P*. It's a love and love it more type of situation. I have only driven German cars since 1994, and must say that I am thoroughly impressed. Even my German dealership thought is was a great value.
 
#17 · (Edited)
I'm in this camp. First Swedish car, disrupting my streak of over 15+ German machines in a row. In some ways, I think that can make JAM and I maybe a little more objective vs. a Volvo fanbois that has had many and views this as the pinnacle of the brand. I also agree it is an impressive car...namely the chassis. Also the tech/features are really nice for my DD duty...for whatever reason, that seems to be a point some in the media have used as a negative. My take is the interior styling is dated (but elegant), but a lot of the tech content has been updated. Aside from a power hatch on the wagon, I'm not wanting more. The transmission is the low-point without a doubt. Not just because I prefer manuals, but relative to the 8 speed units used in the market today that perform with nearly the same agility as dual-clutches, this unit just cannot measure up, even with Polestar massaging the software for it.
 
#19 ·
The V60 P* is a fantastic wagon. The R-Design is probably 8 to 9/10ths of the Polestar for daily usage, depending on how you drive :) The brakes and suspension elevate the driving experience while the turbo and exhaust give a little more go go power. Find a dealer with a R-Design and Polestar and drive them back to back. Polestars come with summer 20s and there are limited options for 19-inch wheels for all-season/winter but the BBS SRs and Polestar 19s look sharp.

The V60 offers just enough additional cargo capacity that you can haul a set of tires, an 8ft step ladder, bags of fertilizer, etc.

If you get one in Rebel Blue not only will you stand out, its faster than the other colors ;) ( j/k BSM owners ). I went with the R-Design because of budget constraints otherwise I would have went for a V60 P*. The V60 is a unique vehicle here in the U.S. and the Polestar edition makes it even more so. 274 S60/V60s are coming for 2016 and the split is 40/60.
 
#22 ·
I was in a similar position having a 2001 Audi S4 as my daily driver and a 2015 Stingray, z51, 3LT. I bought a 2016 S60 Polestar and got it yesterday - I LOVE IT! I doubt at this point you will be able to find one if you didn't order it - they only brought in 120 to the US - mostly wagons. If you can find one - buy it - the car is comfortable, fast and unique - a perfect daily driver.
 
#24 ·
Since I also drive a B5 gen S4, I'd like your perspective between the cars, especially size-wise. All the mfgs are making each successive gen larger than the last (e.g. the new S3 is now former S4 size). Friends who don't know what an S4 is call it "a nice little car." Amazing that the Focus RS came up here (maybe only in jest), as it's almost the same as the B5 S4.

Oh and of course your comments on performance etc. And if you had the 6spd, do you miss the manual? I think I would, and my wife would definitely.
 
#40 ·
new they are not, it’s my opinion take it with a grain of salt.

in a few years in the used market they will be a great value.

way to many better performance luxury cars for the price, m3, amg, audi s4, etc etc etc
 
#41 ·
new they are not, it's my opinion take it with a grain of salt.

in a few years in the used market they will be a great value.

way to many better performance luxury cars for the price, m3, amg, audi s4, etc etc etc
The discussion is specifically about the V60 Polestar. Your comments are valid with regards to the S60 but do not apply to the V60 as none of those cars are available as wagons.
 
#42 · (Edited)
Here's my $0.02, I think it's worth it. I also came from a modified STi, a 2006. I needed more space, but still wanted something I could autox and take to a track a couple of times a year. The V60 Polestar is the only performance wagon available in the US under $100k. There are plenty of performance SUVs, but they didn't do it for me. I see the Polestar as the STi wagon Subaru never built. It's heavier, but you don't notice that at anything other than 10/10ths.
 
#43 ·
How are the roads in your area? I ask because smooth roads are very complimentary to the stiffer suspension settings on this car. I was running 10/10 but the 10/5 setting is so much fun with the smooth roads here. Still compliant, but so sharp. If you can run stiffer without any downside it is a much bigger deal on this car than many others with conventional dampers. After a few weeks of driving the V70R, 135, and XC90, I grabbed this one and the P* has such a good chassis it puts a smile on your face just pulling out of the driveway, it's just so solid. Just saying if your roads are good, you have a lot more potential to keep the car in the fun zone full time.
 
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