Polestar Gives the XC90 T8 More Power

Throwing around the phrase 'the most powerful Volvo ever' seems slightly odd. At the moment, the most powerful Volvo you can buy is the XC90 T8 PHEV with 400 horsepower and 472 pound-feet. But the folks at Polestar believed more power could be made from it.

Polestar has announced a new Performance Optimization program for the XC90 T8 that increases power to 421 horsepower and 501 pound-feet of torque. The run to 62 MPH has been reduced from 5.6 to 5.5 seconds. It might not seem like a huge increase, but consider that the XC90 T8 weighs 2.5 tons and can carry up to seven people. Polestar says the program will not affect the vehicle's fuel economy and EV range.

The Performance Optimization program also improves throttle response and a gear-hold function for the transmission. This system works by not going into a higher gear when it detects the vehicle is turning at high lateral g-forces.

”Just a week after the introduction of the S90 and V90 optimization, we move forward by launching our optimization for the exciting and technically advanced XC90 T8 Twin Engine. This gives customers who want a new level of driving pleasure with their XC90 an easily accessible and attractive performance increase,” said Niels Möller, Chief Operating Officer of Polestar in a statement.

The Performance Optimization program for the XC90 T8 is available now in Europe, and will come to the U.S. this October.

Pic Credit: Volvo