From Porsche to Polestar

[modocrat]

Although not RWD but a nicely specc'd C43....

 

[MR_Y]

Although not RWD but a nicely specc'd C43....

Eish, you are the devil

 

[TBP88]

Did you say *19* l/100km in a volvo 2l? Surely there's an issue. That's mad.

 

[TBP88]

My dad has the similar (but obviously much less powerful) V40T5, he gets 6-8l/100km and that's a mix of driving, albeit likely less spirited than you're gonna be in the polestar, but I can't fathom the consumption figures you're getting. It's E60M5 levels.

 

[MR_Y]

Did you say *19* l/100km in a volvo 2l? Surely there's an issue. That's mad.

Seems to align with what other Polestar 2.0 owners are saying online. But this is only when pushing the car really hard for a trip.
Though, even the long term 16 litres average is high.
It seems that the supercharger chows fuel under 3000 rpm since the turbo charger only kicks in after that point (but also the supercharger runs too).
I can bring a trip average down to 13, but that is just cruising on the highway.

The engine is basically a road going version of the Cyan Racing (Polestar's World Touring Car racing arm) S60 car. That car has the engine (though a 1.6 litre) that forms the basis for the S60 Polestar road car. With the emphasis on performance, fuel consumption is horrendous. Very little of the engine is shared with the normal Volvo cars.

Interesting to note that the 2015 S60 Polestar, that had the slightly less powerful but slightly torquier 3.0 V6) gives better fuel consumption in the real world.

I have a meetup with other Polestar 2.0 owners for a run before year end. Will also get their real world feedback.

 

[Eust]

Get a C63, will save you fuel 🤣

 

[MR_Y]

Get a C63, will save you fuel 🤣

Was actually thinking about that.
This car is quick but it drinks like a V8.
Anyway, I need to drive with a lighter foot and see what happens.
Can't resist the urge to put it in S mode at every traffic light....

 

[MR_Y]

Well, after doing some research...
I see now that I may have been driving the car incorrectly 🤦‍♂️
So to have many other owners of this model.

In Normal or Sport mode, the supercharger kicks in at low revs and stays spinning. This chows fuel, but it does eliminate lag and helps keep the car on the boil at low revs.

The recommendation is to switch the car to ECO mode when starting off and when in traffic and also when cruising. ECO basically neuters the supercharger. It also allows the car to coast when cruising (like going into Neutral). However, Kickdown will turn off ECO.

Anyway, those who have used the ECO switch (noting that the stop/start can be switched off in ECO), have got results below 13 litres with mix of driving conditions.

Will be keen to try this soon and revert.

In other news, my sunroof panel has arrived but still waiting for my exhaust tip.

 

[modocrat]

Using Eco mode will make the car lazy and will most likely frustrate the hell out of you. Sport mode or nothing 🤣

 

[Spanky]

Interesting. I see these cars, or at least the later MYs, have a hidden Sport Plus mode. Wonder how much that chows fuel

 

[MR_Y]

Interesting. I see these cars, or at least the later MYs, have a hidden Sport Plus mode. Wonder how much that chows fuel

My car also has the hidden sports plus mode:
1. Click gearbox into Sport
2. push the gear lever forward (+) and hold it there
3. At the same time, pull the downshift paddle twice.

I tried it once but it keeps the revs too high and is more for the race track. It feels like you are killing the engine. If you change gear, it cancels the mode.

 

[MR_Y]

The ECO button trick worked.
A bit laggy at low revs, since the supercharger is cancelled in this mode.
Kept ECO on in traffic.
Switched back to Normal on open roads.
Average has dropped to 13.

 

[Eust]

Honestly that sounds crazy.
A relatively modern day, performance engine that needs to be driven in ECO mode to keep it at 13l per 100, madness.
My ESS V8 Supercharged M3 is at the same consumption, which is setup on full attack mode all the time, by default.
But enjoy it for what it is, driving in Eco on a performance car, haha.

 

[Kal23]

That is crazy! GLWS

 

[MR_Y]

That is crazy! GLWS

Jokes aside, will see how maintenance costs pan out next year. The car is out of Plan from 1 Nov.
If the maintenance cost starts to bite, then together with the fuel, it will be reason enough to sell mid next year.
These cars are keeping decently strong values on Autotrader, even though the demand is quite niche.

The ECO mode is decent enough for urban traffic, where you really don't want to waste fuel as you crawl along. For open roads, it is switched off.

Anyway, I have a run to Cullinan coming up soon. Time to light the fires and burn them tyres...

 

[MR_Y]

Been dailying the car for the past week, since the EcoSport had to be used for other duties.
Average has dropped to 12.8 litres per 100km.
Eco mode was not touched, unless it was really standstill traffic.
My driving style has not changed - I still belt it at every traffic light, if clear to do so.



Anyway, my new glass sunroof is being fitted next week. The new exhaust tip is still on the way. Service so far from Volvo has been good, especially after they sorted out their warehouse issues.

I decided to not use this car again for the upcoming BMW Club skidpan event, seeing that the maintenance plan is gone and wear and tear items (Brembos being one) would be for my own account. Will take the X3.

 

[Nish_H]

That is much better and acceptable consumption now.

 

[MR_Y]

That is much better and acceptable consumption now.

Ja, the car was a garage queen for most of its life. So I guess giving it daily driving duties may have loosened up the engine a bit.
I still need to see my Fuelio figure at my next fill up, just to confirm. Switching it to Eco (not auto stop/start) in standstill traffic also helps

 

[MR_Y]

On another point, the previous owner was a smoker and even though the car has been valeted, there is still some of the old smoke smell in the car. Any suggestions how to deal with it? Unless, a full steam clean is required?

 

[Camiel Singh]

On another point, the previous owner was a smoker and even though the car has been valeted, there is still some of the old smoke smell in the car. Any suggestions how to deal with it? Unless, a full steam clean is required?

Try the Meguiars Air Refresher for cars. Works pretty well from what I have seen.