2025 Volvo XC60 T8 Polestar

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There’s a Volvo you might be very interested in if you’re looking for something like a Porsche Macan GTS that looks like a Volvo.

A Volvo with close to twice the standard power – and for about $15k less to start than what comes standard in the Macan GTS.

What It Is

The Volvo XC60 is a compact crossover made by the Swedish brand known most of all for its safe vehicles. The XC60 T8 Polestar is an extremely powerful – and very quick – Volvo that can safely make mincemeat of a Porsche Macan. Because it is powered by a turbo-supercharged engine augmented by a powerful plug-in hybrid system.

Have you seen those YouTube videos of what appears to be an old man shuffling into the gym who ends up benching 400 pounds?

That’s what we’re talking about here. Zero to 60 in just over 4 seconds – and just over 12 seconds through the quarter mile.

As OJ used to say – look out!

Prices start at $47,050 for the base B5 Core iteration of the XC60 – and that one comes standard with a 2.0 liter four cylinder/mild-hybrid drivetrain that touts 247 horsepower, which isn’t  much less than you get in the base trim Porsche Macan – which looks like a Porsche. It also has a 2.0 liter four and it touts 261 horsepower – and costs $62,900 to start.

The T8 Polestar iteration of the XC60 lists for $75,200 but for that you get a modified version of the 2.0 liter/hybrid drivetrain. One that touts – wait for it – 455 horsepower and 523 ft.-lbs.of torque as well as the capability to travel about 36 miles without burning any gas at all, assuming you left it plugged in to charge overnight.

For a lot more money – Porsche money – you could also buy the most powerful iteration of the Macan, which is the GTS, which lists for $89,000. And for that you do get a larger (2.9 liter) V6 engine but not as much horsepower (434) nor the plug-in capability, because this one’s not a hybrid.

What’s New For 2025

The XC60 carries over essentially unchanged – with a few trim designation changes.

What’s Good

T8 Polestar is a Porsche slayer – that looks like a Volvo.

A plug-in Porsche slayer that can run without burning any gas.

Interestingly different from the rest.

What’s Not So Good

Ride might be too firm for some.

Some of the fun functions – such as being able to stream movies via Prime through the LCD touchscreen – are turned off unless you’re parked. For your safety.

Even though it’s less expensive than a Porsche Macan, it’s still expensive.

Under The Hood

Like so many other crossovers, the XC60 comes standard with – no surprise – a 2.0 liter four cylinder engine paired with a “mild hybrid” system that shuts off the engine when the vehicle isn’t moving (or coasting/decelerating) to increase gas mileage and lower the “emissions” of the just awful gas that does not cause pollution (CO2) . . . yada yada.

This combo makes 247 horsepower, output that’s competitive with the other 2.0 liter fours you’ll find under the hoods of so many other crossovers. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

The point is there’s nothing special about that.

What’s very special is the 2.0 liter four and plug-in hybrid combo that powers the T8 Polestar iteration of the XC60. It has a turbocharger and a supercharger, plus the power of a pair of high-output electric motors. This ensemble summons 455 horsepower and 523 ft.-lbs. of torque – enough to get this Volvo-looking crossover to 60 in just over 4 seconds. Which makes this Volvo quicker than every Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini made during the ’70s and most of them into the ’80s and ’90s.

It can also be driven for about 36 miles on battery power alone, which makes this Volvo a fuel-flexible vehicle more so than a (temporarily) “zero emissions” vehicle. The latter helps Volvo comply with federal regs that aim to make it effectively impossible to  sell vehicles that still have engines, because engines “emit” that awful gas (CO2) that isn’t a pollutant. The plug-in hybrid setup satisfies the requirements sufficiently –  while not trying down the vehicle’s owner with a tether. You can plug-in the Volvo. But you do not have to. It is an important distinction.

Put another way, you can just drive this Volvo. Without planning around having to stop – and wait – for a charge.

When you do have time – as when you’re at home and not needing to drive anywhere – you can plug this Volvo in and after a few hours of that, you’ll have range enough to drive about 36 miles, without needing to stop for gas. More finely, you’ll be able to drive about that far even if you can’t get gas – and that could be a handy capability at some point down the road.

This Volvo can also be recharged at pubic “fast” chargers, like full-on EVs. But unlike full-on EVs, if you get to the “fast” charger and it’s not working, you can roll down the street to the next gas station.

Speaking of gas:

Volvo touts 28 MPG – city and highway. That’s damned impressive for a 455 horsepower crossover that can run a 12 second quarter mile.

An eight speed automatic is the standard transmission – as is a full-time AWD system.

On The Road

Did this Volvo just do a wheelie?

It feels like it did – when you floor the pedal from a dead stop and 500-plus foot pounds of torque come online. But this is an AWD ride – so instead of getting air under the front tires – and leaving rubber all over the road – it grabs the asphalt like a startled cat sinking its claws into your flesh and jumping forward so immediately it takes a long second for it to register in your head what just happened.

This is, after all, a Volvo.

And Volvos are not supposed to accelerate like Porsches. This one does, which is a form of entertainment that’s as rare as it is delightful. Chiefly – as regards the latter – because no one expects it. Not your friend or wife that just got their neck adjusted when you punched it – and not the Porsche Macan driver sitting in the next lane over at a red light waiting for the light to turn green.

Then it does – and he’s still still sitting there. Wondering what just happened. It’s not possible! How could it be? And then: I want my money back!

Traffic cops aren’t looking at you, either. Why would they? It’s a Volvo – and a crossover at that. Everyone knows Volvo crossovers aren’t Porsches. So they look hard at the guy in the red Macan whose Porsche stands out in traffic – and pull him over for doing 69 in a 65 while you slide on by doing 80.

Because everyone knows Volvo drivers don’t drive like that.

And that’s exactly why you can drive like that. This thing is one of the Top Five Sleepers of the past 30 years, right there with the V6 Camry you can’t buy anymore. Like the Camry, it looks innocuous and hasn’t got a reputation for being one of those cars everyone knows was made to satisfy the need for speed.

This unassuming-looking Volvo crossover doesn’t even have the usual sewer pipe exhaust tips to give the game away. No shark vents cut into the sides. No huge airfoil atop the liftgate. Nothing to give it away except the enormous brake calipers powder coated yellow poking through the rims.

But so many vehicles have upgraded (and powder coated) calipers that it’s not a fatal tell.

This Volvo also lives up to what’s under the hood in the curves. The seatbelts auto-cinch tight as the cornering forces get close to 1 G, which doesn’t result in the tires losing their grip unless you do actually get close to pulling that many Gs. Push it some more if you have the skills; the Volvo’s capabilities won’t let you down. And when you’ve decided to settle in for the long haul, you’ll enjoy seat heaters that get piping hot rather than just warm – and same goes for the steering wheel heater. It gets hot enough to heat through the gloves you may have thought you needed to wear.

Swedes don’t mess around when it comes to such things.

Like all new vehicles, this one has an array of “driver assistance technology” but – and this is surprising – they aren’t nearly as peremptory as they are in many other brands of crossovers, which aggressively attempt to parent your driving. The only parenting it does do – which is probably because of lawyers – is when it automatically turns off the movie you were streaming through the LCD touchscreen when the vehicle begins moving.

At The Curb

The XC60 is a small crossover – just 185.4 inches end to end – but it is a Volvo crossover  and so not shaped like a crossover trying to look like a 911, say. Like the Porsche Macan. Which does look 911-like. But that look costs space. The Porsche’s only got 52.3 cubic feet of total cargo-carrying space vs. 63.3 for the Volvo and because it sits lower – to look like the Porsche it is – it has less headroom for passengers inside. Porsche doesn’t even publish those stats – probably for the obvious reason.

In the Volvo, there is the same 38 inches of headroom for both the front and rear seat occupants – because the XC60’s roofline isn’t low and doesn’t slope toward the rear in order to make it look like it’s something other than a crossover. And there’s also 38 inches of legroom in the back, which means this Volvo crossover is just exactly that. Meaning, it is a practical vehicle that just happens to really haul the mail.

The T8’s plug-in port adds to the image of practicality while also being practical. It is located where it ought to be – for practicality – up front on the driver’s side front quarter panel, which means you don’t have to back the thing up to get close enough to reach the outlet on the side of your house or inside the garage.

When you sit down behind the wheel for the first time, you’ll notice some unusual flourishes – such as the twist-knob on the center console you twist to the right to start (and shut off) the turbo-supercharged-hybrid-augmented drivetrain. It’s an interestingly different way to start vs. the usual push-button start that’s become as trite as a barbed-wire tattoo on the upper arm of a gym rat.

Like everything else, this Volvo has a large touchscreen that you use to make adjustment to the climate controls and stereo controls (and the T8 comes with a superb B&O stereo that has depth to it that’s uncommon, even today – when every luxury vehicle comes standard with an excellent stereo. This one’s even more excellent). But – unlike most of the others – the Volvo’s isn’t touch hypersensitive and the icons are big enough to touch/swipe accurately while the vehicle is being driven.

A small but extremely thoughtful touch is LED lighting for the door panel map pockets, so you can see what’s in them.

The Rest

The T8 comes loaded, which means you get almost everything standard – which means there are just a few cost-adding options available. Two of the few are a Protection package that adds all-weather floor mats and a child seat booster package. This contrasts – again – with the Porsche Macan that is also well-equipped as it sits but gets very expensive when you add a few of the numerous options available. A loaded Macan GTS – which is already $89,000 – can easily cost six figures when loaded.

And it still won’t have as much power as the $75k – loaded – XC60 T8 Polestar.

The Bottom Line 

If you’re looking for a Porsche wolf in Volvo sheep’s clothing, this is the one you’ve been looking for.

. . .

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31 COMMENTS

  1. Macan EV…..

    A rear-wheel-drive base model joins the Macan EV lineup for 2025 with a single 355 horsepower electric motor which Porsche says can power the SUV to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds.

    At the other end of the performance spectrum, the 4S trim also launches for 2025. This dual-motor model makes 442 horsepower and boasts a claimed 60 mph time of 3.9 seconds.

    The Turbo ups the ante to 630 hp.
    The Turbo will be the quickest, and we estimate it will be able to hit 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds.

    Polestar….. Zero to 60 in just over 4 seconds

    https://www.caranddriver.com/porsche/macan-ev

  2. Polestar…plug in hybrid…..an EV…plus an ice drive train…..the most defective problem filled vehicles being sold today……EV’s…..same issues……

    impossible to fix….no parts available…no tech’s that know how to fix them…..forget about it….will sit in the service dept for months….then written off because it can’t be fixed…..

    Are EV fires connected to this?……then written off because it can’t be fixed…..push the loss on to the insurance companies…then downloaded onto car insurance buyers…….

    • What if…and hear me out here, this is pure conjecture and 100% fanciful guesswork, but DOES come from a place of “I know how they do things.”…but what if the California wildfires were actually caused by a charging EV, and all the OTHER stories we’ve heard…”Smart Meters”…”Mexican arson gangs”…”Directed Energy Weapons”…

      What if every single one of those stories is cover for the fact a charging EV probably started the fire, and they don’t want to cast supreme doubt and outright rebellion against their EV “movement”?

      Maybe it’s time we start suggesting this on social media…see if it gains any traction…or, more tellingly…immediate pushback and attack.

    • Four electric buses caught fire overnight in Massachusetts, raising serious questions about EV safety.

      Meanwhile, Lion Electric has demanded removal of two videos covering similar incidents involving their electric school buses.

      All the data on EV fires everywhere is hidden…..if it was released….EV sales would drop to zero….screwing the net zero agenda….

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51yZGvCPrJE

    • That was the first thing I thought too, upon reading Eric’s headline: Polestar = Polecat, another stinking EeeVee.

      Polestar is a tainted brand name. It should be retired immediately.

  3. If the interior is the usual stylish, high quality stuff Volvo is known for, I want one. I recently bought an X5 and the wife wants a smaller car. But an additional $60K ain’t happening anytime in the foreseeable future. Maybe get a used one in a few years.
    I love the X5, by the way. I plan to keep it for along time, so I guess I get to find out about that famous BMW maintenance and repair cost. Or maybe I will be pleasantly surprised with the 2025. I’m big on maintenance and don’t drive like a fool very often.

  4. Nice car. I didn’t realize that the Chinese owned Volvo. How much of America do the Chinese own. I know that they own Smithfield Foods plus other iconic American brands like AMC, GE Appliances, The Waldorf Astoria, Lenovo etc. Who knows how much land the Chinese own!
    Looks like America is for sale. The Japanese are trying to buy US Steel. Oh the times they are a-changin!

  5. How the hell is that 4cyl engine in sideways putting down 455/523? I don’t get it.
    The pic doesn’t show a driveshaft going towards the rear.
    Electric motor in the rear?

  6. Does Volvo still nail the seats? I recall testing — and nearly buying — a V70R. I was blown away by how comfortable they were while also holding you in place during hard driving. The best combo of comfort and performance. Period. Nothing else from the German brands was close.

  7. I’ll never forget the time I saw with my own eyes a Volvo that someone had shoehorned a Ford 302HO from a donor Mustang into.

  8. How do you do it? Just when I want to hate on every new vehicle you bring me one I really like! Last week the Jetta and this week my old friend the Volvo. I haven’t had one in many years but this one is absurdly cool.

    There have been other Volvo sleepers, like the 745 Turbo and the (real) V70R. But this is just a whole different level. Nice job, Volvo!

    Thanks for the review, Eric!

  9. pretty cool car, and certainly a good change for a car company that usually never touted performance. but they are still playing within egregious regs. 4cyl t&s? hybrid, not for me.
    Only way I would be ‘forced’ into it is if I had a volvo dealer near me. don’t.
    Really glad I just got two of last ’24 grand cherokee’s with V8’s. maybe they’ll come back?

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