Volvo S60 T6 PP 2011 Review

There's a serious risk that Volvo has produced a car you can lust after. The S60 T6 Performance Project (PP) takes the top spec level of the already respected mid-sized sedan and lifts it to new heights of performance and style.

Developed in conjuction with Volvo Australia, and spotlighted at the recent Australian International Motor Show, the car starts with the stonking T6 version of the S60. Then it throws in the extra fruit and attitude of R-Design spec and adds tuning by Polestar -- Volvo's motorsport partner, and successful campaigner in years of world, British and (of course) Swedish touring car championships - plus performance garnish from German tuning house Heico.

The result is something that looks sharp, goes hard and will leave you with a smile on your face. Ticks all the lust boxes, then.

VALUE

Volvo will be bringing in a limited edition of 50 cars starting in December, and they could disappear quickly, spokesperson Jaedene Hudson says. "There was a lot of interest at the motor show. People wanted to buy it right there and then."

However she says the final price is still to be determined. The bad news is that it's unlikely to be cheap. But if kept within a competitive margin, it will offer more bang for your buck than some other European brands - and much more bang outright than you ever dreamed Volvo could produce.

That means somewhere between the $70,000 of the current S60 T6 R-Design, and the nearest competitors. Mainly the Germans, of course, but with Lexus also well in the loop when you're looking for an upmarket sedan with spirit.

That puts the strategic ceiling at the $81,300 of the Lexus IS350 Sport Luxury - which still leaves Volvo a fair margin for movement - with the two nearest Germans the Mercedes-Benz C300 at $84,900 and the Audi A4 3.2 FSI quattro at $91,000. There's a BMW 335i M Sport at $108,200, but at that price it's nearly in another segment - and also not best value.

TECHNOLOGY

The Polestar tuning means the T6 engine - a 3.0-litre twin-scroll turbo petrol six-cylinder - develops an extra 18kW of power at 242kW and 40Nm at 480Nm. In addition, it spreads the power peak from 5600rpm out to 5400-6500, while the extra torque has a new peak of 3000-36000, rather than the lower - but flatter -- plateau of 2100-4200.

Polestar marketing director Hans Baath says the tuning aims to smooth out the turbo effect and deliver the outputs more progressively.

It also delivers quicker acceleration, dropping the 0-100km/h time from 6.1 seconds to 5-8 seconds, while maintaining the 10.2L/100km economy and 243g/km emissions.

The six-speed auto feeds the outputs to all corners, with a Haldex all-wheel drive system.

Heico's exhaust system and 19-in wheels with Pirelli tyres are added enhancements to the R-Design spec, which lowers the car by 15mm and includes sports suspension with better damping at the rear, plus stiffer springs and bushings.

DESIGN

The S60 is a well-shaped sedan to start with, and adding the R-Design body kit sharpens up the styling with a more aggressive front fascia, boot spoiler and rear diffuser. It doesn't shout at you, but it's enough to get second - admiring - glances.

The cabin gets the R-Design three-spoke steering wheel, sports seats with more bolstering, alloy pedals and ultra-techie blue dials.

It's yet to be decided what nameplate the car will wear, with the prospect of it bristling with badges by the time you add the blue Polestar square and Heico's logo to the R-Design.

SAFETY

We could just write 'Volvo' under this heading and leave it at that. But it's worth mentioning that in addition to a five-star crash rating and all the usual active and passive features - including eight airbags, flashing emergency brake light and emergency brake assist -- it has a crash-avoidance system that will prevent impact at low speeds by automatically braking you. But it doesn't have a spare wheel of any kind, so you have to rely instead on a goo kit. That's possibly fine in metro areas where the streets are swept weekly and you're not far from rescue if necessary. But if you do regular trips that mean wading through the rubbish strewn on highways, you might think about buying a fifth wheel and strapping it down in the boot.

DRIVING

The S60 T6 R-Design is already a bit of a stealth weapon, but adding the Polestar tuning gives it that bit of extra joy.

Granted, it's not going to swipe the mid-sized performance sedan crown from Merc's C63 AMG - but it's not going to cost $150,000 either. It's going to be somewhere about half that price but it's much more than half that good.

Polestar has lived up to their gleeful promise of smooth, strong pull from the 3.0-litre. And while it has dropped the 0-100km/h time by just 0.3 seconds - not something you're going to measure in everyday driving - it's very noticeable in the 80-110km/h overtaking range. Stamp the pedal and the S60 PP surges forward with the promise that there's more on tap when you want it.

Flicking the transmission over into Sport mode produces a marked mood change, giving you earlier downchanges, and also lets you hold a gear until the revs near the limit, raising the sweet Heico exhaust note to a stirring yowl. It's also going to raise the already double-digit fuel economy to somewhere with real bowser sting.

It's solid and confident on the road and you'd have to push it hard - very hard - to get it out of order in cornering. The car's weight and the all-wheel drive system means it doesn't feel as agile as something like the C63 AMG, but it's going to give the nearer price-point rivals a decent run for their money. And a share of their market.

VERDICT

It's a pity the edition is limited to 50, but that's still 50 buyers who might not go home with a German prestige sedan.

VOLVO S60 T6 PP

Price: $75,000+ (est)
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-scroll turbo six-cylinder; 242kW/480Nm
Transmission: 6-speed sports auto; AWD
Body: 4-door, seats 5
Safety: five-star (est): 8 airbags, ABS, EBD, BA and more
Weight: 1888kg (est)
Thirst: 10.2L/100km 95RON; 243g/km CO2
Sharp, stylish and punchy, but it's thirsty.