What is Volvo Polestar Optimization?

Polestar has been leaning on its go-fast speciality to fine tune Volvo vehicles for decades. 

Today, the performance division uses its 20+ years of motorsports expertise to offer the Polestar Engineered Optimization program, which allows Volvo owners to upgrade their rides for faster response, improved balance, and even more intuitive driving. 

Let’s take a look at exactly what the program entails: 

Polestar Engineered Optimizations are software-based upgrades that boost performance and driving experience in six key areas (bolded below) by upping mid-range power, speeding up reactions, and optimizing drivetrain control. In other words, they ‘optimize’ your Volvo’s performance. 

For example, overtaking on the highway or simply going for a spirit drive on a windy road is at once made safer and more eventful via a recalibration of the throttle response to improve feedback and accelerator reaction. Adjustments made to the Drive-E engine performance also increase the powerplant’s mid-range output to make the vehicle more fun and reactive in the twisty bits such as highway on-ramps. 

Off-throttle response is similarly improved, providing more control through faster communication between engine and gearbox when the throttle is eased off of. 

Speaking of the gearbox, the package upgrades the gearshift speed – which in turn allows for faster acceleration and more direct reaction to driver inputs – and optimizes gearshift precision, calibrating points to sync with the improved mid-range performance and adding a ‘gear hold function’ that sticks with a chosen gear during fast cornering with high g-force. 

Lastly, the Polestar Optimization package also provides more torque for AWD by kicking extra power to the rear wheels for acceleration. 

As Volvo’s official electric performance partner, Polestar installs its Optimizations at authorized Volvo dealerships, and the changes do not impact original warranty or service intervals. If you’re interested in taking your Volvo driving to the next level, you can verify that your vehicle qualifies for Polestar Optimization through the model selector here. 

And to browse Volvo models available in the Waterloo area, check out Volvo of Waterloo’s current new-vehicle inventory.