Source: The following CNET Road Show post by Steven Ewing explains how modifying the brake-control software on the Volvo S60 Polestar transforms the sport sedan’s performance.

ROCKLEIGH, N.J. – In the two years since I first drove the Polestar Engineered S60, Volvo’s really only changed one thing: the brakes. But this seemingly small tweak actually makes a huge difference. With this important piece of the performance puzzle sorted, the S60 Polestar Engineered is finally the fully realized sport sedan it always intended to be.

The hardware was never the issue; the big, six-piston Brembo front brakes provided lots of stopping power. But the electronic brake-by-wire software — where the brake pedal sends a signal to a computer, which then tells the brakes what to do — was poorly tuned. Volvo tweaked the software and made a few minor hardware changes, resulting in a braking experience that not only provides better feedback to the driver, but vastly smooths out the transition between the S60’s regenerative and mechanical braking.

The old brakes were so hard to gauge that you’d unknowingly apply too much pressure, the nose of the car would dive and the S60’s rear end would unsettle — right before a turn, no less. Even worse, those grabby attributes made the S60 Polestar Engineered kind of a hassle to drive in the city or in stop-and-go traffic. I’m happy to report that at all speeds, the new setup is way, way better.

Related post:
Polestar 2 Features Brembo Brakes

That’s a great thing, because the rest of the Polestar Engineered treatment makes the S60 a real hoot. The 2.0-liter I4 engine is the same one you’ll find in Volvo’s other T8-badged cars. It’s turbocharged, supercharged and works in conjunction with an electric motor mounted at the rear axle for a healthy total of 415 horsepower and 494 pound-feet of torque.

The eight-speed automatic transmission largely fades into the background, so much so that I don’t even bother with the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

And with the electric motor a-hummin’, the S60 Polestar Engineered has through-the-road all-wheel drive to enhance grip, especially if you live in a place with lousy weather. The entire post can be viewed by clicking HERE