You know that the world is changing when a carmaker like Volvo, once the staple of doctors and soccer moms, which cherished the brand’s safe and square (in both meanings of the word) station wagon models, starts engaging in “factory-authorized” tuning for some of its models.
Volvo North America announced that its Sweden-based, long-time tuning partner Polestar, maker of the one-off 405HP AWD C30 and 330HP S60 performance concepts, has developed software upgrades for the 2008MY and later C30, C70 and S40 models equipped with the five-cylinder turbocharged gasoline T5 engine.
The performance upgrades will be available through official Volvo dealers from November 14 at a suggested MSRP of $1,295. The kit boosts power and torque by 23HP and 29 lb-ft respectively by increasing airflow in the combustion chamber and advancing spark timing.
“Our performance-oriented customers have told us they wanted a tuning option for their vehicles,” said Chris Dauerer, Volvo Cars North America’s vice president of customer service. “With Polestar, we are able to unlock the power potential of our engines which leads to impressive acceleration and a more memorable driving experience – not to mention it adds value to the vehicle.”
Being factory-backed, the tuning package retains the original manufacturer warranty.
