First drive in the new Volvo V90 Cross Country

Volvo’s classic estate goes off-road.
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Graham Scott|Autocar2 February 2017

SUVs are insanely popular, and big estates are perennially popular. Combine the two and you have the V90 Cross Country. It should be a sure-fire winner, although obviously companies like Audi, with its A6 Allroad and Mercedes-Benz with its E-Class All Terrain, will be fighting Volvo for muddy-track position.

Certainly the V90 Cross Country looks the part. There are the usual rugged claddings for the wheelarches and sills, the skid plates – which are made of metal not metal-looking plastic – and all the rest, but there are some more comprehensive changes.

The ride height is up by 65mm, and the vehicle is wider too, with track widths up front and rear. In the normal V90 there is the usual battle between a luxurious ride and sporty handling, whereas in the Cross Country they’ve gone all-in for a luxurious ride. It’s so smooth and compliant it feels like really luxurious off-roader.

Yet, unlike in some even bigger, taller SUVs, the Volvo has full control of its body, with damping and (optional) air suspension coping admirably with cornering loads while continuing to deliver a delightfully refined ride.

The 2.0-litre four-pot diesel engine produces buckets of torque and is almost silent when you’re running at steady-state. There is plenty of torque to keep things relaxed, and you can cover a lot of miles, whether they’re on the black stuff or the brown stuff, in your Cross Country without raising a sweat.

The cabin will certainly not encourage you to get all sweaty. It’s very refined, spacious and gracious. The 9in portrait-shaped touchscreen works well and looks great, and the whole cabin exudes a charm and quality that sets it apart from much of the more traditional Germanic opposition.

It’s a long-distance cruiser of some excellence. Some might view it as compromised by having the real ability to handle muddy and rocky tracks, but actually the outcome points to a different result.

The work done to make it viable off-road means that the on-road ride has been notably improved. This off-road-enabled car is actually a better on-road estate in many ways than the standard V90. And that’s high praise.

Volvo V90 Cross Country D5

Price £43,585
Engine 4cyl, 1969cc, turbo, diesel
Power 232bhp at 4000rpm
Torque 354lb ft 1750-2250rpm
Gearbox 8-spd automatic
Kerb weight 1848kg
0-62mph 7.5sec
Top speed 140mph
Economy 53.3mpg (combined)
CO2/tax band 139g/km, 27%

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