Volvo C30 Polestar

[lanz]

fonte: TG drives Volvo C30 Polestar - BBC Top Gear

[HaagenDazs]

Já tinha colocado algumas info sobre o carro aqui: http://forum.autohoje.com/forum-gera...com-405cv.html

[CarlosAndrade]

There are a number of Very Fast Hot Hatches around at the moment. The 350bhp Focus RS500 has just landed. We're getting our hands on the 395bhp Cosworth Impreza very, very soon. And don't forget about the Golf R.

But this might just be the fastest of the bunch...

This is the Volvo C30 Polestar Concept, a 400bhp, all-wheel-drive mini-monster built by Volvo's official Swedish race outfit. And TopGear has just driven it round Volvo's Gothenburg test track...

It is fast. Worryingly fast. One of the very quickest small things we've ever driven. Polestar says the C30 recorded a 0-62mph time of 4.6 seconds... and that was going easy on the transmission. They reckon a full-bore test would see it go close to four seconds flat. It'll lap Volvo's test track quicker than an Evo X... and within a few seconds of Volvo's C30 touring car.

The Polestar C30 uses the 2.5-litre turbo five-pot already found in the T5 (and the Focus ST and RS), but heavily revised and fitted with a larger turbocharger to achieve that 400bhp output. There's less turbo lag than in, say, the Evo FQ-400, and once the engine gets spinning past 4,000rpm, things get all warpy and ballistic. Oh, and it sounds like half an old F1 engine. Deafening. Brilliant.

Torque steer? Not a bit of it. The C30 borrows Volvo's tried-and-tested four-wheel-drive system, but Polestar has worked over the differential to give the car a much more rear-wheel-drive flavour. There's masses of grip, but the C30 can be coaxed into gentle oversteer if you stamp on the brakes on the way into a corner. Cue heroic crossed-up exit.

The C30 never feels like it'll deposit you in a barrier, but it's a hell of a lot more involving than, say, that Golf R. In truth, the aggressive diff and brake set-up would probably be deemed a bit lairy for everyday use, but on a twisty road, it's one of the most entertaining cars we've driven in years.

It doesn’t look half bad, either. Those ‘eyebrows’ over the front arches and kick-up front winglets have been inspired by the C30 touring car, and there’s a double spoiler at the rear for added downforce. The cabin isn’t quite so successful – there’s more suede in here than a Britpop revival night – but the stitchy race seats are lovely, lovely things.

Despite being a concept, the Polestar C30 feels properly bolted together, surviving a day of mechanical test track abuse in the hands of TopGear and Robert Dahlgren, Volvo's touring car ace.

So will it get built? Good question. Polestar already offers a handful of modest engine enhancements for Volvo road cars, but wants to become Volvo's Renaultsport - a performance sub-brand producing proper hot versions in-house.

Top Gear

Looking Good...

[CarlosAndrade]

Autocar Review



Polestar race team developed C30 - it could become Volvo's 'M-division'



0-62mph in Focus RS-beating 4.6sec



Dynamically, it feels like a well-sorted Mitsubishi Evo



Massive adhesion, telepathic steering and neutral chassis balance



Reinforced bodyshell and race-spec suspension



ECU gives a relatively narrow power band

What is it?

The Polestar concept is either a bit of a tease from the company behind Volvo's Swedish Touring Car effort – or an early look at a new direction for the brand's faster products after the recent divorce from Ford.

The Polestar concept made its debut at the recent Gothenburg Motor Show, and was developed by the same team responsible for Volvo's entry in the Swedish Touring Car Championship.

In essence it's a fantasy hot hatch, built from an enthusiastic raid on the corporate parts bin and with performance intended to show up rivals – including that of the Focus RS.

The concept gets a mega-tweaked version of the 2.5-litre Volvo T5 engine that also powers the Ford, claimed to knock out 400bhp and – with drive delivered to all corners via a Haldex clutch and two clever diffs – the Polestar is also claimed to be capable of demolishing the 0-62mph benchmark in just 4.6 seconds.

What's it like?

In a word, quick. In two words, naffing quick. The engine's banzai ECU gives it a relatively narrow power band, but once the turbo spins up it delivers impressively forceful acceleration that feels more than a match for the brash claims made by the spec sheet.

Despite its provenance as a showcar, the Polestar has been engineered to be driven hard, with a reinforced bodyshell, race-spec suspension, monster brakes and even some aerodynamic tweaks intended to produce downforce at speed. The six-speed transmission has had its ratios rejigged, and talks to the wheels via a race-spec clutch.

On Volvo's tight, cresty test track in Gothenburg it delivered an impressively lashed-down driving experience, with massive adhesion, telepathic steering and a neutral chassis balance that makes it easy to find the sweet spot between understeer and (mild) oversteer.

Good manners are underwritten by the all-paw chassis, and the concept seems to genuinely enjoy being driven quickly. Dynamically it feels like a well-sorted Mitsubishi Evo. Even, whisper it, a junior version of the Nissan GT-R.

Flaws? Well leaving aside the Polestar's slight lack of production viability, it's fair to report that not all of it feels up to road-going standards.

The cabin feels aftermarket-downmarket, with Alcantara swathing almost every surface, the rear-biased brakes would be too extreme for everyday use and we're not really convinced the XXL chassis settings would stand up to the scrutiny of a proper British B-road...

Should I buy one?

You're very unlikely to get the chance. Polestar admits that a production version of its C30 is a long shot – not least because it would need to wear a pricetag of over £40,000 to be viable.

But what it does show is that Polestar is serious about becoming Volvo's equivalent to RenaultSport, or even BMW's M-Division. And on the evidence of this C30 – and newly-divorced Volvo's clear desire to add some excitement to its brand – that would probably be a good thing.

[lanz]

Aquelas linhas, aquela cor e aquele interior

[eLniNo]

Eu acho horrível!

Mas deve ser máquina.

[OffLogic]

e videos?

[lanz]

YouTube - Volvo C30 Polestar Performance Concept Prototype

[lanz]

YouTube - Volvo C30 Polestar Performance Concept Prototype at Ferrita Sweden

[terrorjj]

Que maquinão!

[VorsprungDurchTechnik]

Muito bom!

Se simplificarem a coisa, vertendo a receita para uma versão de produção, pode estar aqui a chave para uma "bimmerização" da Volvo.

Acho que o caminho deve ser esse, o da autonomia sustentada.
Focarem-se numa gama estreita, mas profunda. A BMW ganhou sustentabilidade com 3 séries. Poucos, mas bons.

[JoaoC89]

Fantástico, deve ser cá uma máquina

[MAN35]

Eu acho horrível!

Mas deve ser máquina.

X2

[caditonuno]

o interior é que é um pouco esquisito. parece tipo veludo. mas o que me interessa mesmo são os números e o motor. já tinha visto um tópico com alguma info desta, mas aqui está mais completo.

[CM]

Que máquina fantástica!!!

[oXavier]

Por breves momentos pensei que não tinha tracção às 4

[Agent]

Realmente o interior parece um pouco estranho, mas...

De resto parece ser uma grande bomba!

[Abilio]

Besta!!!

[Dano]

SE não gostam mandem os vossos pra mim que eu não me importo.


Já tinha um olho por este carro, mas com o re-styling e agora com esta versão, fiquei mesmo babado por ele.

[OffLogic]

Por breves momentos pensei que não tinha tracção às 4

E depois quem é que aguentava os custos de trocar de pneus a cada 1000 km?

[THESEXPISTOL]

Prometo aqui que se algum dia a Volvo produzir este carro, eu não morro sem ter um!

[oXavier]

acho que andava um rumor de que iam ser produzidos uns quantos com tracção às 4

[THESEXPISTOL]

acho que andava um rumor de que iam ser produzidos uns quantos com tracção às 4

Lá vou começar a apostar no Euro milhões. É por uma boa causa!

[oXavier]

penso que era esta a noticia Volvo to launch new performance line with production C30 PCP

[THESEXPISTOL]

penso que era esta a noticia Volvo to launch new performance line with production C30 PCP

Vai ter que ser um destes!

[b00ster]

É um carro brutal... a Volvo podia começar a oferecer coisas destas nos seus modelos - ainda que, possivelmente, mais acessiveis. Já que grande parte dos seus modelos de topo com motorizações de topo deixam muito a desejar na condução, normalmente.

Quanto a este C30, só não gosto do uso excessivo de alcantara... até o volante foi forrado na totalidade, só escapou o simbolo! Tablier, certas zonas das portas, zonas de contacto/pegas... isso sim. Mas não exagerar.

[oXavier]

a alcantara no volante é para o agarrares melhor

[b00ster]

a alcantara no volante é para o agarrares melhor

Não é isso... como disse, acho muito bem que seja forrado na pega e que todas as restantes partes com as quais entras em contacto durante a condução também. Mas na totalidade acho que fica mal, tanto no volante como no resto do interior. Como em tudo, há que ter um equilibrio.
E eu gosto muito de alcantara, tanto do toque como do aspecto.

Exemplo...

C30 Polestar (penso que dá para ver tudo, parte superior e inferior do tablier, portas, volante, ao meio, no local do travão de mão, etc, tudo forrado) :



M3 CSL (exemplo do volante):



Mas é a única coisa que não acho muito bem no carro. De resto, excelente.

[Aimless]

Quero um destes

[WM]

e falavam noutro tópico de carros de produção cheios de azeite...