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Volvo V60 Polestar review (2014-2016) - can a Volvo estate really be exciting? - Design

Rare and rapid, the Volvo V60 Polestar is a fine alternative to German performance machines

Evo rating
RRP
from £49,665
  • Subtle, well-executed performance car
  • Engine lacks charisma, plays it a little too safe

No complaints here, especially if the car is in Rebel Blue. Sitting on a set of gorgeous 20-inch alloys, the V60 Polestar exudes menace and there’s little doubting its potential. Those rims do look painfully prone to kerbing, as they sit proud of the rubber-band 245/35 tyres. The V60 is one of Volvo's curvier creations, which does mean it’s not as capacious an estate as some of the boxy wagons that have come out of Gothenburg before. At 430 litres, it’s not exactly tiny but nor does it match the carrying capacity of its main rivals.

Everything about the Polestar’s styling is beautifully judged, such as the gloss black detailing higher up the car, the matt black rear diffuser with the large, spaced twin tailpipes and the subtle boot spoiler. One of the coolest things on it is the Polestar logo – a sky-blue square with the company’s named spaced out along the bottom edge and a star flaring to the upper right of the brand. It’s a motif we hope to see on more road-going Volvos in the near future; it could one day be as commonplace a feature of our roads as an M with a tricolour stripe to one side of it.

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