The Swedes are an understated people, and though not known as the most taciturn of the Nordic peoples—the Finns are better known for that—they aren’t the type to wax lyrical about their motorcars. Volvos are known to be reliable people carriers and designators of a safe, middle-class existence, after all. So when they build a road-going rocketship, take it to the Nurburgring, and set a new record for sedans, what do they do? Calmly move on with business. No party, no celebrations, no confetti. It’s all a little depressing, no?

Well, the car is anything but sad. Tuned by Volvo’s performance-arm, Polestar, who build their touring cars for the World Touring Car Championship and have, in recent years, sold their cyan-blue road cars to the public. The road-going S60 Polestar is a revised version of a car which has enjoyed some success over the last few years, but the newest iteration is polished in a way that makes it something more than a slightly wacky, off-beat alternative to an M5—which, incidentally, it happened to outpace at the Nurburgring last year.

The S60 Polestar uses a 2.0-liter four that’s both turbocharged and supercharged. The colossal (for a four) 362 horsepower and 347 lb-ft of torque is sent through an eight-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels clad in 245-section Michelin Pilot Sport Cups. Though porky at 3,800 pounds, it soaks up the bumps well with Ohlins dampers and massive, 14.6″ Brembo brakes at the front axle give it the ability for repeated hard stops. Far from a people carrier, isn’t it?

The Polestar’s Ohlins dampers offer big-buck damping.

The Polestar managed a 7:51.1 lap at the ‘Ring, which stood as the record for several weeks until the big powerhouses brought their four-door bruisers in. First, Porsche’s Panamera Turbo snagged a 7:38, and then the V6-powered Alfa Romeo Giulia nipped another six seconds off that. The Polestar’s performance looked quite tame after that, which is probably why they decided to keep it quiet—but we’ll chalk it up to Scandinavian modesty.