Cool cars for your Gevalia run
Forbes: The Fastest Cars Under $50K
Forbes.com recently published an article about fun/FAST cars under $50k. The 2013 Volvo S60 R-Design isn’t the very fastest, but at 5.3 seconds 0-60, as far as daily drivers go, my bet is we’re the most stylish and comfortable. And I believe the safest. Just the modern, Scandinavian design alone suggests something bad is under that hood and can handle whatever the road can dish out. Wonder if police get a hard time from their chief for pulling over a fast Volvo?
dan
Posted in S60 R-Design | 2 Comments »R-Sport – R Design – Polestar
Caution: Before you start short changing your kids lunch money, cashing in all your soda bottles and getting your Ebay account in order, this first Polestar Production is bound for Australia. Why? Seems a Volvo means something different down there and is often unfairly compared to BMW M series and Mercedes-Benz AMG, so they need a fighter ship to go head-to-head with those Germans. When will we get it? I just do not know at this point. BUT we will absolutely keep you informed about what is happening, along with a time table if possible.
Most of you know the Swedes are about engineering, okay, and styling, but more like subtle engineering. When we had R-Sport way back, gosh probably before many of you were in diapers, and Volvo was Bolbo, we had R-Sport. It was a skunk works kind of operation run by Gunner Anderson, a wonderfully nice gentleman and one wicked rally driver. I had the privilege of being chauffeured by him around the Hällered test track rally section. What he could do with a 544 was legendary. Only Eric Carlsson from SAAB was his equal.
Honest, it was a skunk works shop. I remember ugly pink/beige buildings away from the factory floor and HQ in Gothenburg, sometime around 1972. So anyway, back to Swedish engineering. Swedes were working with B18 and B20, rock solid 5-main bearing 4-cyl engines. Cylinder head flow was really good with our Staged engines and we had one wicked set of headers. Many people tried to build headers, but about the only one who came close was Richard Gordon up at IPD in Portland, OR. Long before computers, math was by slide rule.
So now we have morphed R’s to Polestar’s skunk works. Cool.
Here’s the press release from VCC:
Introducing the world-first production version of the Volvo S60 Polestar
Developed from 17 years of motorsport experience, and sharing DNA with the Volvo S60 Polestar Concept Car, the first road car from Polestar to be put into production is here – the Volvo S60 Polestar.
“We have built a car that we, as car enthusiasts, want to drive,” says Christian Dahl, Managing Director of Polestar. “This is a driver’s car, bringing out the very best of the already competent Volvo S60 chassis with our experience and technology from motorsport.
“We received a fantastic response to our Volvo C30 and S60 Polestar concept cars, so we are very happy to now introduce our first production car to the Australian market. This is an important step forward for Polestar, one that promises an exciting future.”
Australia pilot market for limited edition project
A limited production run has been developed exclusively for the Australian market as a pilot project, with the first cars being delivered to customers in late June 2013. Introduction of the Volvo S60 Polestar to further markets is under investigation pending the response of the Australian introduction.
“The Australian market for performance cars is, and has always been, strong,” says Matt Braid, Managing Director of Volvo Cars Australia. “We are delighted to be able to offer our customers the Volvo S60 Polestar, a car more than capable of getting into the thick of the action in this competitive segment of the market.
“The work done by Polestar on the S60 is impressive to say the least – they have transformed the already fun to drive Volvo S60 into a great handling driver’s car.”
Extensive chassis development – by racing drivers
Key to the development of the Volvo S60 Polestar was the extensive work done on the chassis over thousands of test kilometers in Europe – from the fast autobahns in Germany to the twisty roads of southern Spain, and the freezing cold of northern Sweden.
Volvo Polestar Racing driver Robert Dahlgren, a 33-year-old Swede with 10 years as a Volvo factory racing driver under his belt, has been an integral part of the development work.
“The Volvo S60 Polestar is a car that we are truly proud of, our first step to a production car available to the customers,” said Robert Dahlgren, Volvo Polestar Racing driver.
“We have taken the best bits of the standard S60 T6 and our S60 Polestar Concept Car, creating a vehicle that puts a smile on your face when you drive it over your favourite twisty road. At the same time, it is more than capable of everyday driving, too.
“This is, in my eyes, a very good combination of the Volvo and Polestar core values: safety and performance.”
Cutting-edge technology straight from the racetrack
Just as important as the men and women from Polestar who developed the car is the technology underneath it.
The Volvo S60 Polestar shares technology from the Polestar racing cars, like dampers from Öhlins, high capacity brakes, and the extensively developed, highly-tuned chassis.
A new aerodynamic package has also been developed, including a front splitter, rear wing and diffuser – all having been tweaked and modified in the Volvo Car Group wind tunnel in collaboration with the Volvo Research and Development team.
The six-cylinder turbo-charged Volvo T6 engine has been optimised by Polestar with a bigger turbo, new intercooler, revised engine mapping and racing exhaust to produce 350bhp and 368 foot pounds. The S60 Polestar accelerates from 0-100km/h in just 4.9 seconds, via a Polestar-tuned six-speed automatic gearbox – which also features a launch control system – and a Polestar-tuned Haldex 4WD system. The car is governed to a top speed of 250km/h.
—
Technical Specifications
Performance
- 0-100 km/h 4.9 sec
- Top speed 250 km/h – limited
Engine
- 6-cylinder inline T6 engine, 2953 cc
- 257kw (350bhp) @ 5700 rpm
- 500+Nm @ 2800-4750rpm
- Max 6500 RPM
- Polestar engine software
- New Borg Warner turbo
- New intercooler
- 2.5″ stainless full-flow exhaust system with 3.5″ tail pipes.
Chassis
- Polestar Öhlins, 2-way adjustable shock absorbers
- Upgraded springs
- o 60N/mm front, 65N/mm rear. (80% stiffer than stock)
- Upgraded stabilizers front and rear
- Upgraded rear tie blades
- Upgraded top mount in front and rear
- Upgraded toe link arms in rear
- Strut brace with carbonfiber enforcement
- 235/40R19, Michelin Pilot Super Sport
- Bespoke Polestar rims, 8×19″ ET51
Weight
- 1684kg – same as standard S60 T6 R-Design
Drivetrain
- AWF21 automatic gearbox
- o Launch control
- o Modified transmission software for faster shifts and launch control
- o Modified AWD software for more rear torque
Brakes
- Front:
- o 336×29 mm ventilated discs
- o Jurid 958 performance brake pad
- Rear:
- o 302×22 mm ventilated discs
- o HP2000 Brembo performance brake pads
Aero
- New Polestar front splitter corners
- New Polestar rear spoiler
- New Polestar diffuser
Interior/Exterior
- Polestar door trims
- Polestar badge on front grille
- Polestar badge on boot
- Polestar gear shift knob
- Polestar badge on engine
- Polestar limited edition plate on door sills and steering wheel
- Black outside mirror covers
Great news on hump day.
dan
Posted in Polestar | 6 Comments »I like Costco
Why? It’s a game my wife and I play. Can we get get in and out for under $200? Never happened, but that is the challenge. We have the best intentions just to get yogurt and a few other staples, but there is always something jumping out that screams “Buy ME.” So we do and we never win. Recently, they had an awesome deal on fresh Florida strawberries and we were out of Jalsberg cheese and…well, we went over $200.
Here’s one Swede deal for those thinking about a new Volvo. For some time now we have sold cars through Costco and frankly, we did well. I suspect their shoppers are very much Volvo thinkers. In the old days, the men probably would have worn jackets with elbow patches and smoked pipes, and the ladies with cotton summer dresses and sun bonnets.
This is from Costco’s press release: “The Volvo Limited-Time Offer is not the first collaborative effort by the Costco Auto Program and Volvo. The companies came together in the winter of 2007 for a holiday promotion on all XC90 models, and have since joined forces four more times to bring exclusive offers to Costco members. However, the current promotion is the first to include Volvo’s entire lineup of new 2013 and 2014 models; vehicle selection for the previous offers included one to three models.”
Click here for more information about our Costco offer.
Just to show one of our Swedes for sale. 
dan
Posted in General | 2 Comments »Scandinavian Design 101
Simple, isn’t it.
dan
Posted in design, Scandinavian Design | 1 Comment »S60 Challenge
I was talking to Bill Casey, our Customer Care Manager in Rockleigh, to see how things are going. He usually gets calls from customers who have an issue with their car, but he said lately his group has taken calls from people wanting to express their surprise in the latest Volvo cars and that they were hooked after a test drive. Mostly, “I never would have known your cars were so good if I hadn’t tried one out.” That is the key to our brand. If you’ve owned one, you already know, but those that have never tried a Volvo, I suspect they think that we still think inside the box. Okay, I know you box lovers will blast me in the comments, but as Peter Horbury once said, “We kept the toy and threw away the box.”
So to combat the difference between what people think about German engineering and Volvoness, our marketing group came up with a way to show our confidence in S60, especially against one of our competitors, Audi A4. Audi makes nice German cars, we make nicer Swedish cars. Try a Volvo and if you still buy an Audi A4, we will make your first month’s payment, not in Euros, but in green backs. And you are on your own after that.
Visit this site for details:
Enjoy the ride.
dan
Posted in S60 | No Comments »
Northern Wolf in Swedish Wrapper
Thanks Polestar for this image. I just love PhotoShop. 
dan
Posted in Polestar | 5 Comments »Good design is “just right”
In the past, I’ve not been a hard core fan of Jalopnik. Maybe because they write things about cars that are unecessary, maybe just the way they think about what manufactures should be doing…can’t put my finger on it, but that’s just me. However, I do agree with their latest Volvo design analysis of the V60 from their trip to NY Auto Show a few weeks ago. In a sense, Raphael is writing about what good deign is about. Judging from the comments, there are many opinions and frankly, that is what good design should be about. The Love it or Hate it school of design never advances anything. Kind of like Chrysler’s Prowler.
Raphaels article, distilled down, is about timeless design, about a design not clouding your mind with “Is it fish or fowl?” Design should be seamless from front to rear, top to bottom. We all know XC90 is getting along in years, like 11 in production and probably 13 since it was designed but it still looks okay, IMHO. S80 and S60 still look good, yet their design goes back to 1992 with the Environmental Concept Car (ECC).
Peter Horbury always talked about how to create something that just felt good. While I’m not certain he had much input into V60, his ideas are kept alive in our design studios.
Jalopnik: Why it Looks Good: the Volvo V60
Good week to you all.
dan
Posted in Scandinavian Design, V60 | No Comments »S60 – #2 out of 6
We’ll take that any day.
USA Today and Motor Week Television (PBS) joined forces to pick apart six sport sedans with max cap pricing of 46k. In short, here is what they had to say about our Herring Hauler from Valhalla:
What we liked: Comfort and ride. “By far, the most comfortable car here,” Robinson said. “Our S60 has Volvo’s base suspension setup, and it rides marvelously,” Mays said. “Shock absorption, cabin isolation and suspension noise (or lack thereof) all stand out.” Seats. “Among this group’s taut seats, the Volvo’s cushy chairs are a welcome break,” Mays said. Styling and interior. Jose and Jimmee Medina liked the dashboard’s “understated elegance,” and seat leather’s “nice, worn-in look.” “Very non-pretentious,” Jose said. Value. “The price makes it a relative bargain in this group,” Healey noted, “even if you add in the price of the crucial infotainment gear it lacks.”
What we didn’t: Performance. “Feels front-heavy, and overall heavy, on the track,” Healey said. “Soft brakes, sloppy steering and plenty of body roll limit the handling front,” Mays said, “and you’ll notice it on winding roads, not just a racetrack.” Gas mileage. “The mileage makes it much harder to be excited about the quick acceleration,” Wiesenfelder said. Interior materials.“Some materials didn’t exude luxury, especially the shifter and its plastic cover,” Thomas said.
Bottom line: “Volvo packed a lot of style, comfort, performance and features into the S60 with a low price tag,” Thomas said.
Now that panel of judges are car guys. They are writers who test drive at least one new car a week and can feel a dime under their front right tire at 60 mph. Most automotive writers represent the best resource for consumers on how new cars look, smell and feel. They drive at a level of experience most of us will never know, that is besides race car drivers. But are they the average Joe and Jill who buy cars..probably not.
In a sense, BMW is what automotive writers bench mark everything against. BMW has earned that kind of acknowldegement. But there is this Swede waving her hand saying “Hejsan.” Accompanying this years gearhead judges were Jimmie and Jose Medina from Anahaim, CA who added their real world needs, experiences and expectations to this test. You know what they chose? The Volvo S60. In short, here is what they had to say:
The Volvo S60, the last car they drove, won their hearts and their minds. If forced to choose among the six contenders, they said it’d be easy to take the Volvo keys.
The S60 lacked some features such as navigation (desirable) and backup camera (not so much, in their minds). The Medinas loved the classy, comfy interior. They thought the S60 accelerated and handled as well as the BMW. And they couldn’t ignore its $38,000 price tag, a bargain compared to the others in the Challenge.
Navigation and a backup camera are part of the S60′s highest trim level. It increases the tab about $3,800, making the S60 more expensive than the $40,000 Audi A4, which didn’t have a navigation/camera system, but less than the BMW or Cadillac.
But ax the Volvo’s all-wheel drive — something not important to the Medinas. and seldom needed in California (three of the test cars didn’t have it) — and that shaves $2,000, making the Volvo’s final price around $40,900.
“I’d never have thought I’d go to the Volvo dealership,” Jimmee said, “but now I would.”
Bottom line, what a nice way to start spring.
dan
Posted in S60 | 1 Comment »Irv Gordon Approved Accessory
Irv is out west doing a video and photo shoot for his 3 million mile party and he just sent this:
Hi Dan,
Wish this Polestar Performance Upgrade offer applied to my 2002 C70. Haberman arranged for a C30 Polestar Edition for me to use from the airport, etc while here in Santa Monica…with a 6 speed manual transmission….what a hoot! The car is so much fun to drive and the performance is amazing! I thought my HP turbo was quick…but this was totally unexpected. What a great program for the new car owners. Once they try it they will never go back!
Irv
dan
Posted in 3 Million Miles, 3 Million Reasons to Believe, Irv Gordon | 1 Comment »NY Auto Show – Handbag Challenge
Volvo S60 interior
Last week SheBuysCars.com began a Pinterest promotion called “NY Auto Show Handbag Challenge” designed to get women excited about the NY Auto Show and encourage women to take a photo of their handbag with a car and tweet the image with the hashtag #NYAutoShowBags or go online to SheBuysCars.com to enter to win.
All photos will be pined to the Pinterest board “Handbag Challenge,” and contestants can qualify to win a $200 American Express Gift Card.
While at the show, be sure to check out the new Volvo V60, along with our interiors. Volvo’s are known for our mesmerizing interiors that are simplistic and functional. We embrace our Scandinavian heritage and design everything with a purpose. The interiors are not only gorgeous, but logically designed around the customer and perfect for storing your belongings (including your handbag!)
Volvo S60 interior
You can play along even if you aren’t at the New York International Auto Show. Tweet your photos (or email them to: Scott(at)shebuyscars(dot)com. New pictures will be added to the board throughout the campaign so check back daily for new Pin-opps. Various prizes, including tickets to the New York International Auto Show, will be given away throughout the 10-day campaign to randomly drawn winners from the Rafflecopter widget, with a Grand Prize awarded on April 7, 2013.
More details are here: http://www.shebuyscars.com/news/5533-the-new-york-auto-show-handbag-challenge-purses-cars-and-prizes.html
Posted in Auto Shows, New York International Auto Show | 1 Comment »
