The all-new Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance model is the quickest-accelerating Volvo ever. That might not sound like a noteworthy achievement at first, but when Volvo's back catalog includes hot wagons like the 1995 850 T-5R (5.8 seconds to 60 mph), the C30 Polestar hot hatch (4.6 seconds), and more recently, products from Polestar, the feat suddenly seems a lot more profound.
Volvo's new hot electric crossover can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds. This impressive turn of speed is thanks to a 268-horsepower motor on the rear axle and a 154-hp motor on the front. The combined power output is 422 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque.
This isn't the most powerful Volvo around, however. The Volvo S60, S90, XC60, XC90, and their wagon variants in Recharge T8 guise all produce 455 hp and 523 lb-ft, and yet even the quickest of those, the S60 T8 Polestar Engineered can only hit 60 mph in 4.1 seconds.
But if Volvo's combustion-powered cars can't match the EX30, then what about its battery-electric vehicles?
That brings us to the doorstep of the Volvo C40 Recharge. Volvo's first mainstream EV comes standard with a dual-motor setup, which produces 402 hp and 487 lb-ft of torque. Thanks to the additional torque, you'd expect it to be faster, but the excessive weight seems to hold it back. The C40 Recharge weighs 4,817 pounds compared to the EX30's 4,140 lbs.
The weight makes a big difference, so the C40 only reaches 60 mph in a leisurely 4.7 seconds. (Can you believe we live in a world where 4.7 seconds is leisurely?)
Volvo has nothing, so we turn to Polestar for a rival.
Many consider the Polestar 1 a flop, but its 609-hp and 738-lb-ft plug-in hybrid powertrain and gorgeous looks made quite the statement. It set the tone for upcoming Polestar models, and that's where Volvo likely wants you to go if you want something with a bit more zest.
But even compared to Volvo's spun-off performance brand, the EX30 is still quicker.
The Polestar 1 is no longer in production, but at 4.2 seconds from 0-62 mph, it was still slower than the EX30. Even after a facelift for 2023 and an available Performance Pack to give the Polestar 2 476 hp and 502 lb-ft, the lifted performance sedan is only capable of the same 4.2-second 0-60 dash.
With 517 hp and 671 lb-ft in its top spec, the Polestar 3 SUV is targeting a 4.6-second dash, but its size and weight work against it. Meanwhile, the sportier coupe-SUV Polestar 4 is the quickest Polestar model yet, hitting 60 mph in 3.8 seconds thanks to 536 hp and 506 lb-ft.
The Leader, But Not For Long
At present, not even the finest offerings from Volvo's performance brand are capable of besting the EX30, but that won't be the case for much longer. Two forthcoming models in the Polestar 5 and Polestar 6, the latter a 2+2 sports car that wants to rival the Porsche 911, will have 872 hp and 663 lb-ft, and both plan to usurp the EX30 from a dig. While neither is in production just yet, Polestar is targeting a 0-62 mph dash of 3.2 seconds, comfortably eclipsing the EX30.
But at only a few tenths of a second quicker, the Polestar 5 and 6 don't diminish the EX30's achievements. If anything, they highlight how incredibly quick this subcompact SUV is. It might be Volvo's smallest ever crossover, but it delivering near-supercar performance in a family-friendly package.