The V60 has a quality feel and the floating central console stands out as a quirky design touch even though it was first seen on the S40 in 2004. The Swede’s win the top awards when it comes to design and functionality.

At first glance the V60 looks rather underwhelming, But look closely and spend your time in it, and the V60 cabin is one of the clearest and most comfortable places.

There’s a slimline centre console fascia, and the front is trimmed in matt carbon-fibre, and everything is within easy reach. The central display screen for the sat-nav, stereo and telephone is clear and finely detailed, even if the controller isn’t as intuitive as it should be, and the electronic instruments in front of the driver are equally impressive.

Polestar upgrades and improvements

In the Polestar, there are Nubuck suede seats with deeper bolsters and attractive blue stitching. As you’d expect the seats are incredibly comfortable, though you soon forget they are a ‘sports’ seat since they aren’t as firm as some rival chairs.

The Nubuck makes an appearance on the arm rests and steering wheel too, while the gear lever gaiter is stitched in blue to match the seats. Polestar badges appear on the top of the gear lever and briefly flash up on the main information screen on start up, while the pedals are a metal finish.

It’s a godsend that the Swedish firm can lay claim to offering some of, if not the, best seats in world – otherwise Volvo V60 comfort might fail to impress. The chairs themselves are fantastic, finished in a mixture of leather and Nubuck suede, with bright blue stitching and extended bolsters for better support. They’re not as hardcore, or as uncomfortable, as some of the sports seats found in its rivals, but all the better for it.

Even those occupying the rear bench will feel comfortable in the V60, the seats trimmed in the same fashion as those in the front with plenty of support, legroom and headroom – though you’ll struggle to get three burly adults sat side by side.

One of the biggest gripes we have is that the manual gear selector. It is mounted poorly for drivers who like to sit close to the steering wheel or those of us that like to place bottles in the holders in the central console. There is an upside. If you enjoy to travel in comfort rather than hurtling through a set of challenging bends then the V60 is the perfect option.

More comfort- than performance-orientated

Volvo may talk up the V60 as being sporting and dynamic, but in reality it’s a comfortable cruiser. Up front the Swedish firm’s knack of making armchairs that are both soft and supportive continues.

However, the low slung coupe-like roof restricts headroom and anyone over six foot tall will feel cramped.

Polestar differences

By far the biggest detriment to comfort is the race-orientated Ohlins dampers and suspension, with springs 80% stiffer than those found on the regular V60 T6. The dampers actually perform their job very well, coping with larger lumps and bumps particularly impressively and controlling the body in one swift movement.

However, the springs are far too stiff for typical British roads (but fine for track) and you can feel every single small imperfection under the huge 20-inch wheels and low profile tyres.

Even the loud(er) exhaust doesn’t intrude into proceedings, and the V60 Polestar remains quiet and refined even at motorway speeds – and if you want to drown out the extra tyre roar even more the excellent stereo system will happily and easily do that for you. Regardless of speed or stereo volume there’s little wind-noise to be detected.

The Swedish race engineers have re-worked the gearbox software to offer harder and faster shifts, but it’s still noticeably slower than the fastest dual-clutch automatics found in some rivals. At least that means when left to its own devices, on a gentle throttle especially, it does a decent job of slurring ratios and keeping forward momentum smooth and un-hurried.