Conservative Swedish automaker Volvo recently shocked the world with the S60 Polestar, an electric blue sports sedan with all-wheel drive and 508 hp. Unfortunately, that car was just an engineering exercise for Volvo and the aftermarket company Polestar. The S60 may have been unique, but Volvo is bringing a bright blue performance car to production. Meet the C30 Polestar.
As the name implies, the C30 Polestar is based on Volvo’s compact C30 hatchback. With a rear end reminiscent of the P1800ES of the 1960s, the C30 was meant to be a fashion statement. That didn’t work, so Volvo decided to give the C30 some amphetamines.
The C30 Polestar has a tuned 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five engine that produces 350 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. That’s an increase of 23 hp and 37 lb-ft over the standard C30 T5.
Volvo didn’t release any performance figures, but said the C30 Polestar will get the same EPA mileage ratings as the regular C30: 21 mpg city and 29 mpg highway.
For the C30 Polestar to be taken seriously, it will need to go from 0 to 60 mph in the low six-second range. The Volkswagen GTI, the benchmark for popular front-wheel-drive hatchbacks, does it in 6.1 seconds; the standard C30 takes 7.1 seconds.
To improve handling, the C30 Polestar gets a “sports chassis” from the Volvo R Design line. That means 30 percent more spring stiffness and 10 percent faster steering ratio.
To differentiate the Polestar from lesser models, Volvo added an R Design body kit and some new matte black wheels. It is complemented by that hard-to-notice exterior shade that Volvo calls Rebel Blue.
The Polestar also comes with sunroof, power seats, HID headlights with LED daytime running lights and Volvo Keyless Drive. A 650 W sound system, 10 speakers and a navigation system are optional.
The C30 Polestar seems like a decent piece of equipment, but it could have been so much more. Like the S60 Polestar, the first super-C30 was a one-off concept. That car had 415 hp and all-wheel drive packed in a body kit from the Swedish Touring Car.
The production C30 Polestar is not as extreme, but it will be almost as exclusive. Volvo will build just 250 cars, one for each horsepower they produce.
By the way, exclusivity is expensive, but the C30 Polestar will cost just $32,445, just $1,000 more than the full C30 T5 R Design with the Premium Plus package. Buyers get everything the latter has to offer, plus an extra 23 hp. That’s not a bad deal for a potential collector’s item.
The C30 Polestar may not be as crazy as any of the Polestar concepts, but it’s a step in the right direction. One day, the Polestar could become Volvo’s equivalent of BMW M or Mercedes-Benz AMG.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn