Volvo XC90 gets Polestar Performance Optimisation – but don’t get too excited

The Volvo XC90 – and other Volvo models – are now available with Polestar Performance Optimisation on the D4, D5, T5 and T6 models. Costs £835.

We’ve been waiting for Volvo to reveal if they’re building an XC90 Polestar – perhaps with something up to 500bhp – but all we’re getting for now is a small tweak – at a cost of £835 – for the D5 and T6 engines in the XC90.

Volvo are dubbing these tweaks ‘Polestar Performance Optimisation’, and it means an increase torque, power and throttle response – and more responsive settings for the gearbox – for the D6 diesel and T6 petrol Drive-E engines in the XC90. But they’re not exactly going to set the XC90 on fire.

The D5 diesel gets an extra 8bhp (now 230bhp) and an additional 22lb/ft of torque (up to 369lb/ft), and the T6 gets an extra 14bhp and 29lb/ft of torque.

Away from the XC90, the Polestar Performance Optimisation offerings are available for the D4 and T5 engines in the S60, V40, V60 and XC60, with the D4 getting an extra 10bhp and the T5 and additional 9bhp.

Volvo say the power and torque boosts – and tweaks to the gearbox – have most impact at medium revs, which will make them a more appealing drive.

But £835.00 does seem a bit steep for relatively modest improvements, although Volvo are offering them for £620.00 on AWD models until the end of December.