By: IOL Motoring Staff
Gothenburg, Sweden - Volvo's Polestar performance division has released an upgrade package for its flagship XC90 T8 Twin Engine hybrid SUV.
It boosts total output to 311kW and 680Nm, making this the most powerful street-legal Volvo yet, and knocks the 0-100 launch time down to 5.5 seconds - without affecting the hybrid SUV's nominal fuel-consumption rating of 2.1 litres per 100km or its 43km pure electric range.
SA drive: Volvo's XC90 T8 Twin Engine
That's because the electric rear-axle drive system is unchanged at 65kW and 240Nm - but the combustion engine that drives the front wheels gets an ECU upgrade that increases quoted power output from 235 to 246kW and peak torque from 400 to 440Nm. It also tweaks throttle response, gearshift points and shift speed for a sportier drive.
Perhaps its most important feature, according to development driver Thed Bjork, the reigning four-times Scandinavian Touring Car champion, who's now campaigning a Polestar S60 in World Touring Cars, is the gear-hold function, which locks the gearbox during cornering with high lateral g-force.
That prevents unexpected gearshifts in mid-corner that can unsettle the car's balance, so you can stand on the loud pedal and drive out of the corner like you mean it.
“It was amazing to be able to work with the same type of technology on the XC90 as on my S60 race car,” Bjork said. “A big SUV such as the T8 is far from what we usually work with, but the object is the way - it's about usable performance.”
You can order the Polestar software package for your XC90 T8 through any Volvo dealer in South Africa; correctly installed, it won't affect the car's emissions rating, fuel consumption, service intervals or factory warranty.
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