Volvo S90, V90 get Polestar boost
Swedish brand's E-Class rivals to get the go-fast treatment. In Oz from OctoberVolvo's latest magnum opus, the large S90 sedan and V90 wagons, are to be given more vigour thanks to the company's hot shop, Polestar.
The S90 and V90 will be launched this month in Europe and are scheduled to hit Australian dealerships in October and December respectively. It’s now confirmed they will available from launch locally with Polestar performance kits for the D5 and T5 models, and possibly the twin-charged T6 too.
Volvo's new large luxury car duo will rival the likes of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5 Series and Audi A6 says the company, which insists its cars maintain parity with the Germans.
Polestar has decided to limit the current tuning program to the engine only, so although the power hike for the 2.0-litre D5 turbo-diesel is modest (from 172kW to 176), so too will be the asking price, expected to add under $2000 as a dealer-fit option.
The extra herbs reduce the car's 0-100km/h acceleration time by a tenth of a second, to 6.9 and 7.0sec for the S90 and V90 respectively.
Polestar claims the kit not only improves engine performance but also sharpens throttle response, gearshift speed and precision, and will also hold gears longer as drivers near the redline.
Niels Möller, COO of Polestar, said his team will continue to enhance the performance of Volvo's new vehicles. "The S90 and V90 already offer excellent driving dynamics and we are delighted to raise the performance level even further with Polestar Performance Optimisation."
In October, the Swedish skunkworks will also offer tuning for the 2.0-litre turbo and supercharged (twin charged) T6 engine, which already generates 235kW and 400Nm. No power or torque figures have been released for the Polestar version of this engine or the T5.
Greg Bosnich, Volvo Car Australia's Director of PR, told motoring.com.au the Polestar kits will be offered on the S90 from launch here in October 2016 as a dealer-fit option.
He also outlined the new opportunities the S90 will create for the Swedish brand.
"With the launch of the S90, Volvo is clearly intent on shaking up the prestige sedan segment with its distinctive executive class sedan," said Bosnich.
"The Volvo S90 is Volvo Cars' entry ticket into the prestige segment club," he said, commenting that it "marks a giant step forward for Volvo Cars".
Stay tuned for our first drive of the new model in a few weeks.
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