GOT IT ALL!
PLENTY TO LOVE ABOUT THE 2019 VOLVO V60 CROSS COUNTRY.
LULEA, SWEDEN • If you’re going to test the absolute limits of the latest Volvo V60 Cross Country, where do you go? If you’re Volvo, you head for the frozen tundra in Northern Sweden and the ice roads on the Gulf of Bothnia. It’s a harsh and rugged environment that stressed every aspect of the latest wagon — not the least of which was its ability to keep its riders warm in bitterly cold temperatures. It passed that test with flying colours.
The latest Cross Country takes the outgoing wagon and imbues it with everything needed. This time around, it has stronger styling, better comportment, and a very willing and workable powertrain. As before, the V60 Cross Country is a five-seat, mid-size wagon built on Volvo’s Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) that underpins all 90- and 60-series vehicles. This gives the mechanicals a solid base of operations, as the various tests proved.
The first series of tests taxed the Cross Country’s long-travel suspension, ground clearance — it’s 61 millimetres higher than the standard V60 — and all-wheel-drive system. The AWD is a Haldex design that normally powers the front wheels, but can send up to 50 per cent of the drive rearward by engaging an electro-hydraulic clutch. When pulling away, it uses all four wheels to prevent unwanted wheel spin. Once moving, its operation is so smooth, most will never feel the system doing its thing.
After selecting off-road mode, which engaged the hill-descent control system, the Cross Country inched down a significant decline at a slower-than-walking pace, and without leaving the driver white-knuckled. Once at the bottom and facing an equally intimidating uphill climb, the all-wheel-drive system hooked up smartly with minimal wheel spin — this was, after all, on the edge of a vast body of water and on mostly glare ice.
The hook-up aspect came through loud and clear again on a ditch crossing. Even when teeter-tottering on the left front and right rear wheel, and with the left rear wheel about 400 millimetres off the ground, the all-wheeldrive system split the power evenly front to rear. Using the brakes to send the power to the wheels with grip, it made light work of a tough obstacle. You expect this sort of capability from a Jeep, but not a family wagon.
The V60 Cross Country arrives with a 2.0-litre turbofour that makes 250 horsepower, and more importantly, 258 pound-feet of torque at 1,500 rpm. It’s a smooth and willing worker, driving the wheels through an eightspeed automatic transmission. The combination delivers a run from zero to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds, which is more than satisfactory.
So, having established the V60 Cross Country has some off-road cred, it was time to go ice racing and flex the engine’s muscle. This was the fun part of the icy experience, but in fairness, the Cross Country was wearing studded winter tires. The little claws did improve traction, but when all is said and done, at speed ice is still ice and as slippery as a welloiled politician.
The exercise demonstrated that when in Comfort mode with the electronic stability control system working, it was an entirely predictable drive. The response to steering input was quick and the tendency for the back end to go walkabout was minimal as long as the driver did not entirely overcook a corner. Selecting Dynamic mode amped up throttle response and stretched out the shift points. It also put a little more weight in the steering. Again, it remained entirely predictable.
Turning off the traction control dialed back the intervention point, pretty much putting it in full-on drift mode. The electronics still gathered things up before the Cross Country swapped ends, but it sure took the predictable and transformed it into entertaining. The two different disciplines showed the suspension has the ability to absorb large undulations while keeping body roll to a minimum, and the response to steering input was crisp. There are precious few crossovers that can boast similar traits.
The interior makeover has been done equally well. The new look puts Volvo’s Sensus infotainment system, with its nine-inch touch screen, front and centre. It’s quick and intuitive, and mercifully, it works while wearing gloves. It also supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The V60’s front seats remain two of the very best in the business. And then there’s the required utility: The rear seat accommodates two adults with surprising room for a mid-size wagon, and there’s 658 L of cargo space. Folding the seats down bumps that to 1,441 L.
Where Volvo is to be taken to task is putting two key safety features into option packages. Blind-spot monitoring is part of the $1,800 Vision package, while Pilot Assist with lane-keep assist is part of the $1,500 Convenience package. By all means, keep the other content in the two packages as options, but these two safety features should be standard.
What’s not to love about a vehicle that has all the utility and versatility of a crossover, but the ride comfort and dialed-in handling of a car? The V60 Cross Country blends these two divergent abilities very nicely, and it throws in some off-road ability for good measure. The V60 Cross Country will start at $48,900 and arrives in dealers in March.
WHEN IN COMFORT MODE WITH THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM WORKING, IT WAS AN ENTIRELY PREDICTABLE DRIVE.