I ran in the Intermediate group but for Novice they have some nice training before each 20-minute on-track session. It’s all point-to-pass, safety first so you’re not going to be doing door-to-door racing or anything but you do get to go fast. Anyway, I used to have a Dodge Charger with a 6.4 liter motor over the front wheels, so that car understeered a lot, but a good dose of throttle brought the back end around easily. Not so much with the Volvo. In fact, I would say the biggest complaint I had was that I do not know when the car it at the limits of adhesion, which is not something you want at over 100 mph.
The track itself is a 2.3 mile course with 12 turns and about 200 feet of elevation gain. Before I went on track I used painters tape to block the sensor under the rear view mirror and on the sensor on the front grill under the Volvo logo. A warning light went on but that’s all. I also tightened up the dampers to 4-clicks before the hardest setting.
I started out slow, trying to get a feel for the limits since the software doesn’t allow for any shenanigans like tire spin, drifts, etc. I kept pushing faster and faster around corners, and hit what I think are decent limits – I relied on how much the tires were squealing to tell me when to back it off a little. Overall the car was remarkably stable but in tight corners the car’s weight became apparent. It was a little frustrating having to let a Civic pass me on a corner, only to be right behind them on the straight since the V60 is pretty quick.
Acceleration: I did hit the speed limiter several times on the straighaway (112 mph) but I didn’t feel cheated of speed – that was about as fast as I’d want to go on that particular track. The car seems strongest from about 40 mph up to 90 mph – it gets there SUPER quick. I’d finish a corner at, say, 45 mph, and in a matter of a few seconds I was at 94 or 95 mph, which meant I needed a lot of…
Brakes: Strongest performing part of the car, in my opinion. Stable, strong, hard to overheat. Really Volvo, great job on the brakes.
Handling: There is no hiding the fact that this is a heavy car, and it shows when cornering. The suspension does an admirable job, but there is no getting away from the fact that this outweighs some other cars by over a half-ton. It is also another nod to the strength of the brakes.
Other: Factory tires did well – I probably put 5k miles worth of wear on them in 60 minutes of track time, but tires are consumable items. Transmission is not sporty, even in Polestar mode. When decelerating into a corner, it often would not downshift, so upon track out I was in a much higher gear than I wanted, so when I hit the gas it needed to downshift, which takes time. Yes, its a half-second, but when there in an M3 bearing down on you, half seconds matter.
Wish list: I wish there was a more sporty traction control setting that allowed for a little wheelspin and slip angle. I suspect the software is what helped keep me on the track when I, err, may have ran out of talent in a few spots, so some intervention is still welcome.
Overall: Ya know, I was on the fence with this car, strongly considering selling it. But on the ride home, I softened up the Ohlins, put on the tunes, and it was such a comfy ride home. This car is a nice blend of sporty without being as tiring as my old Charger or a Mustang, and quiet and refined when my mid-50 year old self wants to just chill. I think I’ll keep it. Next stop: Quarter mile drag strip. Shooting for a 12-second run.