Volvo V60 Polestar review (2014-2016) - can a Volvo estate really be exciting? - Performance and 0-62 time

Volvo claims a 0-62mph time of 4.8 seconds, with top speed limited to 155mph. The Polestar feels up to matching those claims and certainly the quickest car in the range. The Polestar’s benchmark sprint is over a second quicker than the otherwise range-topping D6 'Twin engine' hybrid, which takes six seconds to achieve the same standing start acceleration.

The figures are actually a little quicker than those of the old six-cylinder car too (which took five seconds flat to cover the 0-62mph sprint), partly thanks to a drop in weight to 1721kg - a useful drop from the hefty 1,834kg of the old car, so the smaller engine has less mass to propel.

The eight-speed automatic gearbox is a significant improvement on the old six-speeder and the car certainly feels quick - certainly as it approaches the 7000rpm red line, thanks to a healthy dose of old-school turbocharged boost. What it loses out to its predecessor is the aural character that defined every journey with the old 'six' - the twincharged four just doesn't have the same attractive exhaust note and a just-audible supercharger whine doesn't quite offset that.

And ultimately, it's still a relatively small engine pulling a fairly heavy car, so you're always fighting that mass at lower speeds, with slower responses than you'd hope for when you get on the throttle.