This cleverest version of this Swedish make’s compact sports utility offers a new definition of click bait.

Base price:  $129,900
Powertrain and performance:  2.0-litre four-cylinder DOHC turbocharged and supercharged petrol engine with plug-in hybrid electric drive. 246kW/6000rpm, 430Nm/2200-5400rpm (Combined 311kW/670Nm). All-wheel drive. 2.2L/100km.
Vital statistics: Length 4688mm, height 1658mm, width 1902mm, wheelbase 2865mm. Luggage 468 litres. Wheels: 21-inch alloys with 255/40 R21 Pirelli P-Zero tyres.
We Like: Versatile five-seat SUV design and stylish proportions, excellent seating comfort and visibility, wide-ranging capability from low consumption efficiency to high performance SUV.
We don’t like: Those bright gold seat belts.

IN an era where you occasionally lift the bonnet to check washer fluid levels or perhaps take a quick glance at the dip stick, this Volvo presents a chance for a little more hands-on interaction than usual.

A key part of the performance content for the top-of-the-range XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered is an Ohlins adjustable suspension featuring competition car-style Dual Flow Valve Technology.

If you want a take a couple of minutes beneath the bonnet – and a little more challengingly under the rear wheel arches – you can dial the suspension damping of your choice into this rapid SUV.

 After a couple of days of driving in the firmly damped XC60 flagship I dived into this click-and-count procedure. As long as you have an understanding of clockwise and counter-clockwise - and can count to 22 - you are in the adjustment business. 

It was evident the test car had been adjusted towards the stiffer range of settings and to experience contrast I opted for Volvo’s recommended Comfort setting (15 of the 22 available clicks). 

It took much of the harsher response out of the city driving and lumpy surfaces but the XC60 remained securely planted on the highway with a wide tyre and track stance to accompany taut chassis control.

If I drove the XC60 long term I’d probably remain at or near that recommended Comfort setting. A quick run up the Coromandel or some favourite Waikato back roads might call for a few more clicks toward the firmer performance settings.

This is the second of Volvo’s top-end ‘Twin Engine’ T8 AWD models I’ve sampled recently. The powertrain combines 2.0-litre petrol power boosted by both a supercharger and turbocharger along with plug-in hybrid electric drive. It’s the rear electric motor that provides All Wheel Drive.

Along with the Ohlins suspension and a front strut tower reinforcement bar the Polestar Engineered content also includes high performance Akebono braking hardware and forged 21-inch Y-spoke alloy wheels with grippy 255/40 R21 Pirelli P-Zero tyres. 

Visual cues include flared wheel arches to house the big Pirellis with a gloss black grille and roof rails and subtle Polestar exterior badging. Inside less than subtle gold seat belts communicate the Polestar status. 

In total the powertrain delivers 311kW and 670Nm of torque. There is a surge of acceleration when prompted (with 0-100kmh in a claimed 5.2 seconds) but the prime attribute is the immediate and smooth torque delivery and low-effort overtaking response as turbo urge and electric torque combine with the close ratios of the eight-speed Geartronic transmission.

Plug-in hybrid status also allows for short zero-emission journeys using the power stored in an 11.6kWh lithium-ion battery housed in the centre tunnel. It’s an easy overnight charge from a domestic power supply and the best estimated range I saw with a fully charged battery was 35km.

The plug-in XC60 is heavier, slightly less aerodynamic and rolls on wider tyres than the V60 T8 AWD I had driven earlier and which had signalled a 40km EV range. Volvo claim a combined cycle consumption figure of 2.2L/100km which is achievable on short city runs with a high proportion of EV driving.  With some highway running I averaged 6.5L/100km. 

The new V60 and XC 60 cars are very similar in stylish cabin design and simple operation including the dash layout, Head-Up Display and portrait format Sensus 9.0-inch touchscreen.

The taller configuration of the XC60 partially overcomes one issue that compromises the V60 - the rear passengers sit a little more upright in the SUV and the centre tunnel isn’t as raised and that makes the fifth passenger position a more viable place.

Specification highlights include a premium Bowers and Wilkins audio system, powerful LED headlights with adaptive high beam control and a sports cabin theme with charcoal roof liner and contoured sports seats. 

The supportive seat design and comfortable driving position allow the benefit of SUV raised sight lines but the XC60 retains a sense of sitting in the cabin rather than seated up particularly high. The front seats are power adjustable and heated, there’s a powered tailgate and a panorama sunroof is standard for the Polestar Engineered version.

The test vehicle was in standard specification without optional equipment and priced up at $129,900. Luxury-performance rivals include the Audi SQ5 and this swift Swede also finds an interesting position between rival plug-in and performance SUV models.

Where customers are left to choose between the Mercedes-Benz GLC 300e plug-in and Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 performance models – or similarly the BMW X3 xDrive30e or X3 M40i – the XC60 in Polestar Engineered guise delivers both efficiency and performance skills set in a single vehicle.