{"id":34238,"date":"2025-03-13T11:58:20","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T15:58:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=34238"},"modified":"2025-03-13T11:58:20","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T15:58:20","slug":"payne-plug-in-volvo-v60-t8-is-a-rocket-ship-in-wagon-clothing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/payne-plug-in-volvo-v60-t8-is-a-rocket-ship-in-wagon-clothing","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Plug-in Volvo V60 T8 is a rocket ship in wagon clothing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pontiac<\/em>\u2015When the auto industry zagged toward electric SUVs, Volvo zigged to an X60 plug-in hybrid station wagon.<\/p>\n

Sleek looks, hatchback utility, electric smoothness, no range anxiety.<\/p>\n

After plugging into the 220-volt charger in my garage for four hours, the V60\u2019s battery was fully charged to 40 miles \u2014 enough to get my daily chores done on battery power alone, but with another 490 miles of gas range in reserve should I need to take a road trip to, say, northern Michigan.<\/p>\n

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Freight train. The Volvo V60 T8 eAWD Polestar Engineered is very quick with 4.1-second 0-60 mph run and terrific, AWD torque off corners.<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

The Volvo wants to do it all. Which explains the absurdly long name: Volvo V60 T8 eAWD Polestar Engineered. Let\u2019s break it down.<\/p>\n

\u27a4V60.<\/strong>\u00a0The V designates Volvo\u2019s wagon class as opposed to the S60 sedan or XC60 SUV. It\u2019s a handsome thing. The $51,490 V60 starts as a Cross Country model with a higher, SUV-like stance to accommodate easier entry and egress. Step up to my stealth-black, performance-focused $72,445 Polestar Engineered tester, and the V60 steps down to a more aggressive stance. Approach the rear with its bat-wing vertical lights and the V60 looks ready to rumble. V for vroom.<\/p>\n

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The Volvo V60 T8 eAWD Polestar Engineered is a utility wagon in an SUV age. But its low stance and big power make it a credible performance car.<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u27a4T8 eAWD.<\/strong>\u00a0A lot of treats to unpack here. T is short for Twin Engine, meaning the Volvo carries a combined gas-and-electric drivetrain that can be used independently or in tandem. The Swede uses the same all-wheel-drive drivetrain concept as the Chevy Corvette E-Ray \u2014 but in reverse. Where the Corvette uses its mid-mounted V-8 engine to drive the rear wheels and an electric motor to drive the fronts, V60 T8 uses its front, turbo-4 cylinder engine to drive the front wheels and the electric motor to drive the rears.<\/p>\n

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The Volvo V60 T8 eAWD Polestar Engineered combines electric motors and a turbo-4 engine for a remarkable 523 pound-feet of torque, more than double the standard turbo-4 Cross Country model.<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u27a4Polestar Engineered.<\/strong>\u00a0The gas\/electric double whammy leads to some impressive performance numbers. While the standard Cross Country model boasts a respectable 247 horses and 258 pound-feet of torque, adding the electric motor bumps those numbers to 455 horsepower and 526 torque. With the e-motor proving low-end torque-fill, the V60 accelerates like Thor\u2019s Hammer with Car and Driver clocking a 4.1 second 0-60 sprint.<\/p>\n

Better act fast\u20152025 is the last year for the Polestar Engineered model. Volvo\u2019s decided to zig to EV SUVs.<\/p>\n

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Sinister Swede. The Volvo V60 T8 eAWD Polestar Engineered dressed in black with Thor’s Hammer headlights presents a menacing look to complement its prodigious power.<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u27a4What\u2019s it like, Payne?<\/strong>\u00a0Driving the V60 T8 is like unwrapping a new toy. Follow the instructions and there are all kinds of fun features to discover. Like Easter eggs, Volvo likes to hide them.<\/p>\n

Install a $2,000 charger in your garage and you can fill up the battery each night like a smartphone. With 41 miles of charge at my disposal, I went deep. Deep into the Settings (that little gear Easter Egg in the bottom right of the vertical 12-inch dash screen) where I chose PURE mode for the battery part of the twin-drive chain. Then I chose ALWAYS START IN PURE ON STARTUP so that \u2014 when I returned to the car with an armful of groceries \u2014 the Volvo would automatically start in battery-only mode.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a 14.9-kWh battery \u2014 not a 75-kWh moose like my AWD Tesla Model 3 \u2014 so don\u2019t go drag-racing anyone on Woodward, but the Swede glided \u2018round town like Zetterberg on skates. No gearshifts, no droning CVT transmission, just silky electric power.<\/p>\n

Expect your mileage to vary depending on temperature, but I managed 90% of range (37 miles) in the metro area as I cruised roads as diverse as Telegraph, I-696 and two-lane city streets.<\/p>\n

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Orrefors glass tops the Volvo V60 T8 eAWD Polestar Engineered shifter. Classy.<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Monostable shifters have come a long way from BMW\u2019s first awkward efforts, and Volvo\u2019s tool is a class act. Make that glass act. Swedish glass maker Orrefors crafts the shift knob for Volvo, and I flicked it back and forth between R-N-D-B.<\/p>\n

Wait, B?<\/p>\n

B for Brake. It\u2019s another Easter Egg \u2014 for brake regeneration \u2014 so you can one-pedal drive the V60 using the electric motor\u2019s resistance as you brake (and put charge back into the battery at the same time. I told you this was a fun toy). Regen is a common EV feature popularized by the Chevy Bolt and Tesla, but Volvo extends one-pedal driving to its gas-electric hybrid mode as well. Just select B \u2014 instead of D \u2014 whenever you drive forward.<\/p>\n

When the battery runs out, the Volvo defaults to HYBRID mode using the gas engine (which, by itself, will get you a healthy 490 miles). But POLESTAR mode unleashes the full potential of the T8 twins.<\/p>\n

Select POLESTAR (inside the Settings screen) and the V60 suspension noticeably stiffens. The steering wheel gets heavier, the exhaust note lower.<\/p>\n

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The Volvo V60 T8 eAWD Polestar Engineered has a plug-in hybrid drivetrain that powers the front wheels with gas, the rear with an electric motor.<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Grrr. Awright, Payne, enough of this green cruisin\u2019, let’s terrorize some Priuses.<\/p>\n

The full 525 pound-feet of torque comes on in a rush. I\u2019m generally critical of rough Volvo transmissions, but the electric motor\u2019s torque-fill tidies that up. ZOT! This Volvo\u00a0goes<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Look closely and you\u2019ll see big, gold Brembo brakes behind the wheels \u2014 a giveaway that this is a Swede with teeth.<\/p>\n