2017 Volvo V40 D4 Inscription Polestar Enhanced: Private Fleet Car Review.
Volvo are advertising that they one of the fastest growing luxury car makers. There is no doubt at all that they are well and truly on the march upwards when it comes to their luxury aspirations and they’re also bringing along their Polestar compatriots for the ride. But how does the Volvo V40 D4 Inscription with Polestar enhancements work?
When one thinks of a luxury car, they’ll think of features, comfort, and perhaps the word “cossetting”. They may even tie that word to the ride quality and handling, where one may “waft” along, with the road seemingly endlessly flat and without bumps.
This is not what the V40 D4 Inscription Polestar Enhanced delivers. It rides on wonderful looking 19 inch alloys, shod with superb Pirelli 235/35 rubber. Herein lies the problem. 
Combine ultra low profile tyres with sporting suspension (Polestar adds bespoke coils and shocks) and the result is a rock hard ride that magnifies every crevice and expands every pebble. Harsh is one word that can be used. Comfort can not, nor can cossetting. Then there’s the steering rack ratio; it’s en pointe when out on the road, but try a three point turn and it feels as if there’s something blocking the rack either side.
Governing for a Clean Vehicle Future
As the year approaches an end, several contentious issues appear set to spill over into 2017. Notwithstanding the farewell to Ford and Holden’s contributions to the manufacturing scene, the ACCC played a central role this quarter in defining a future framework applicable for all industry stakeholders.
Preparing For The Summer Road Trip
Christmas and New Year are just around the corner, which means that the summer holiday season is finally upon us. This doesn’t just mean that this will be my last post here for 25016 (not sure what my fellow Private Fleet bloggers will be doing, though!). It also means that a lot of us are thinking about the big summer road trip. A lot of us take our annual vacation at this time of year, and still more of us travel to stay with the relatives for Christmas – I know my in-laws are on the road heading towards my place as I write this. The main intercity and interstate roads get a lot busier as people start doing a Chris Rea (i.e. driving home for Christmas) and as others head off for a getaway.
OK, there’s all the usual road safety things to be aware of, such as fatigue, irritability after being cooped up in a car with hot, grumpy kids for hours on end, increased police presence on the road as they clamp down on speed, etc. and ping you for being just the teeniest bit over the limit and slapping you with a hefty fine right before Christmas, etc. etc. I’m sure I’ve written about this in the blogs of Christmas past.
Claw Marks: The Jaguar Driving Experience.
Many car companies offer buyers of their products a driving school experience. Jaguar is no different in that respect. Where this fabled British car company does differ is that…well….you get to drive Jaguars. Sydney Motorsport Park is the venue in NSW and I recently had an opportunity to do a session with the Jaguar Drive Experience.
The afternoon session kicks off with a catered lunch, before an introduction to the team and instructors. There’s no doubt as to the qualifications of the drivers, with V8 Supercar driver Tony D’Alberto and GT driver Nathan Antunes amongst them.
Each session is planned to be timed down to the second; that includes a video presentation, a rundown of the history of Jaguar, and splitting attendees into teams and being identified into numerical order for the driving sessions. The cars on display give a good insight into what Jaguar is all about: a choice of supercharged V6 and V8 hardtop F-Types, the supercharged V6 XE, and the limousine with a machine gun, the supercharged 5.0L V8 XJ.
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