2013 Volvo V60 Polestar Photos, engines & full specs

Many people knew Volvo as a safe, soccer-mom vehicle suitable for school runs and weekend shopping, especially in the long-roof version, such as the V60, but only a few people knew that the V60 Polestar was a factory-made sleeper.

While some would expect most premium automakers to produce powerful wagons, such as the BMW M5 or the Mercedes-AMG E63 T-Model, just a few believed that Volvo could join the bandwagon with the V60 Polestar. That was a blue vehicle built on top of a regular V60, but there were over 240 components replaced so the vehicle could perform like a sportscar.

Polestar was Volvo's sporty team, and their brand color was light blue. That's why all V60 Polestar wore the same shade on the outside. In addition, at the front, there was a different lower bumper than on the rest of the V60 range, with a honeycomb mesh grille in the apron and unique canards. Apart from the large 20" light-alloy wheels, there were no other differences in the car's profile, while at the back, the tailgate sported a roof spoiler at the top. Finally, a pair of pipes flanked the rear diffuser under the bumper.

Inside, the V60 Polestar received carbon-fiber trims on the center stack and center console. In addition, drivers could enjoy the aluminum pedals. Since it was the top-spec version for the V60, it featured a leather-wrapped interior that covered not only the seats and rear bench but also the door cards. As expected for a performance wagon, the automaker installed high-bolstered front seats that could keep their occupants in place during high-speed cornering maneuvers.

Under the hood, there was a transversely-mounted inline-six turbocharged powerplant paired with a six-speed automatic gearbox. Power went into all corners, and, most unusually, the V60 Polestar featured a launch-control function. In 2016, the inline-six was replaced by a turbocharged inline-four.