What makes a hot hatch? If the art of hot hatchery is purely defined by lots of power and the lack of a boot, then you have an equal number of cars that are either unacknowledged or mislabelled as hot hatches.

The Suzuki Swift Sport, for example, is regarded by many as a hot hatch despite its modest 134bhp output, but we doubt many of its admirers will laud a Volvo V40 T5 Drive-E for its 245bhp that far supersedes even the limit of the Golf GTI – an industry benchmark – let alone that of the humble Suzuki. Evidently, the formula is more complex than hypothesised. But we suspect Volvo is only short of one key ingredient: marketing.

Volvo did right with the Drive-E moniker that distinguishes newer offerings running on its modular four-cylinder powertrain from older models that still had traces of Ford DNA.  However, “Drive-E” doesn’t evoke the same spirited sensations induced by the sound of “Sport” or “GTI”. It isn’t supposed to.

The latest T5 of Volvo’s entry model isn’t marketed as a V40 R because performance is outranked by efficiency on the Drive-E priority list that focuses on satisfying the educated demands of its typical buyer. And as much of an icon the 850 R was for the brand, the days of using a letter now almost always associated with Honda and Volkswagen to identify a fast Volvo are over. Today is the day of Polestar.

Polestar started out as a motorsports outfit that tuned and raced Volvos in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship – a spinoff of the popular BTCC that took off in 1996, with a Viking touch. In the championship-winning years that followed, the Polestar developed a synonymy to high performance Volvos in a way not unlike Lewis Hamilton’s ambassadorship of the Mercedes-AMG brand. This success culminated in a few road-legal experiments with the Gothenburg principal, beginning with the 2010’s C30 Polestar Concept which packed a whopping 450bhp and 510Nm of torque.

With Polestar earning plenty of nods from enthusiasts and Volvo eager for a corporate facelift after decades of ‘boring car’ accusations, it was only a matter of time before the Swedish manufacturer acquired the racing outfit it supported from day one for mass production goals. That takeover materialised in 2015, which is why you can get a V40 T5 Polestar Edition straight out of the showroom today.

While it isn’t quite endowed with the manic performance of the C30 Polestar Concept, the factory-enhanced V40 T5 Polestar is still one of the feistiest things you can get for less than RM250k at present, torque steer and all. Its ECU-chipped output gain of 8bhp and 50Nm over the regular T5 may not sound colossal in isolation, as is the fact that only a 10th of a second is shaved off the century sprint. However, none of the tweaks to the T5’s straight-line prowess is detrimental to its stock fuel efficiency which is unmoved at 6.1L/100km. And we’re only at the tip of the Polestar-branded iceberg.

A key player in the T5’s efficiency is the 8-speed Aisin-made automatic the Drive-E engine is mated to by default. As superb as it is on the fly, we reckon the old 6-speeder would have made for greater acoustic thrills when paired to our favourite bit of Polestar kit, the intake and exhaust. These new airflow components produce a bark and burble that is intoxicating in a way few sub-300bhp sportscars are, especially during a cold start. If we were Swedish, we’d be outdoors by at 7am on the coldest winter mornings just to hear this soundtrack at its most dramatic chorus – a proper pick-me-up in more ways than one.

If your blocked eardrums can’t tell the exhaust from a stock one, the ride-tightening absorbers and coil springs that are part of the RM14,538 chassis upgrade – existing V40 owners can retrofit Polestar parts individually or as a complete package – ensures that no passenger leaves the car with his or her derriere unruffled by Polestar suspension. The ride leaves little room for bounce and lean, but it’s what a track-frequenting Volvo owner, if such a person exists, will want. Sadly, the steering doesn’t have the panache to match the firmer setup around the apexes. And are we wrong to expect adjustable damping given its five-figure price tag? Last we checked, the GTI’s ‘Tech Pack’ which bundles in DCC (Dynamic Chassis Control) only costs RM10,000…

There’s still plenty of Scandinavian magnetism elsewhere in the V40, most of which is amplified by the Polestar badges, that will keep it marketable to certain buyers. Unfortunately, this is where the list of add-ons that strengthen the V40 T5’s case as a worthy rival to the Golf GTI ends. The ‘Interior and Exterior’ refurbishment which will set you back RM8,735 is so subtle it’s almost invisible. And while the 19-inch lightweight Polestar wheels look fantastic, the fact that a set costs RM21,079 swaps all driving fun for fear the moment rocks, bumps or kerbs come into view.

Some of the unmet expectations stem from the fact that the V40 T5 was already quite a hoot to begin with – a sleeper of a proper hot hatch that never really needed the help of any fancy kit or badging to bring out the best of its capabilities. With many of its refinements being minute, if not mostly cosmetic, the Polestar Performance Package feels like a sprinkle of expensive sea salt – RM59,999 all-in to be precise – on an already expertly seasoned Swedish meatball.

We think the regular T5 is salty enough, in a very palatable way – very spicy too. But if you already have one parked in the driveway and want to spruce things up, the Polestar Performance Package is one of two tasteful, if not entirely sensible, paths to tread on, the other being the R-Design route. After all, don’t you want to stay isolated from the constantly Snapchatting Fast-and-Furious crowd?

SPECS
Engine: 1,969cc, 4-cylinder turbo, 253bhp, 400Nm
Economy: 6.1L/100km, 143g/km CO2
Performance: 0-100kph in 6.2 secs, 240kph
Weight: 1,525kg
Price: RM240,888

VERDICT: 7/10
Polestar involvement carries so much promise but ultimately struggles to improve an already impressive product. Existing V40 T5 owners will be tempted to spec up, though.