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2020 Volvo V60, XC60 get the Polestar Engineered treatment

Volvo will build more S60 Polestar Engineered sedans, as well.

Steven Ewing Former managing editor
Steven Ewing spent his childhood reading car magazines, making his career as an automotive journalist an absolute dream job. After getting his foot in the door at Automobile while he was still a teenager, Ewing found homes on the mastheads at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog and Motor1.com before joining the CNET team in 2018. He has also served on the World Car Awards jury. Ewing grew up ingrained in the car culture of Detroit -- the Motor City -- before eventually moving to Los Angeles. In his free time, Ewing loves to cook, binge trash TV and play the drums.
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Steven Ewing
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Volvo Polestar Engineered Models

A trio of Polestar Engineered Volvos -- how lovely.

 Volvo

If you're bummed you didn't get one of Volvo's superlimited-production S60 Polestar Engineered sedans before they sold out, well, buck up, little camper. Volvo announced Wednesday it's bringing a few more high-performance treats to the US -- and this time, they'll even be wagon- and SUV-shaped.

Starting this summer, you'll be able to order Polestar Engineered versions of the wagon and crossover. These cars get the same upgrades as the S60 Polestar Engineered sedan, including a nifty Öhlins suspension and bigger brakes with gold-painted calipers. On top of that, you'll get a similar list of visual enhancements, including new wheels, black chrome tailpipes and a gloss black grille.

Of course, you also get a power boost. All Polestar Engineered cars are powered by a higher-output version of Volvo's T8 Twin-Engine plug-in hybrid powertrain, putting out 415 horsepower and 494 pound-feet of torque. Compared with the standard XC60 T8, that's an increase of 15 horsepower and 22 pound-feet. And since Volvo doesn't offer a T8-trim V60 in the US, this is your only way to get a plug-in hybrid version of Volvo's excellent wagon.

Volvo Polestar Engineered Models

Big wheels and gold calipers look rad on the XC60 crossover.

 Volvo

We'll admit, the Polestar Engineered model isn't our favorite version of the S60 sedan. Its powertrain isn't as smooth as the turbocharged T5 and turbocharged-and-supercharged T6 options. Plus, the transition between regenerative and mechanical braking is really harsh. We found this to be true of the not-for-US V60 T8, as well.

Volvo hasn't announced pricing for these models, but based on current XC60 T8 numbers, it's safe to assume they'll land somewhere north of $60,000. Unlike the 2019 model year S60 Polestar Engineered, which was limited to just 20 cars for the US, there will be "considerably more" 2020 models, a Volvo spokesperson confirmed to Roadshow. That includes a second run of S60s, and Volvo says the 2020 models "will be available via traditional channels and not through Care by Volvo" (the automaker's subscription service).

Considering the buzz the S60 Polestar Engineered sedan generated when it launched, I can't imagine Volvo will have a hard time finding homes for its latest batch of hot hybrids. Besides, that V60 just looks hella good.

Polestar Engineered parts for Volvo 60-series T8 models

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Originally published April 3, 10:22 a.m. PT.
Update, 10:40 a.m.: Adds comment from Volvo.