Volvo’s AWD V90 has power and luxury

PINEY LAKE, COLO. It took a 20-kilometre, kidney-pounding drive up a rock-filled, rutted dirt road to get to where Volvo was unveiling its newest member of the Cross Country family, but the Rocky Mountain panorama that greeted us was worth the pain. The car wasn’t bad, either.

“Designing a Volvo Cross Country is not a styling exercise, a plastic job,” said Thomas Ingenlath, senior vice-president of design at Volvo Cars.

“The V90 Cross Country brings a surprising and intriguing combination of a strong, powerful exterior and a luxurious, Scandinavian interior. It (is) a blend of powerful off-road capability in a most elegant, sophisticated, tailored wagon suit.”

Models bound for Canada will be powered by a 316-horsepower, supercharged and turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine mated to an eightspeed automatic transmission, with power routed to Volvo’s newest generation of Haldex all-wheel drive. Ground clearance is a rock-straddling 201 millimetres.

Inside is a cabin that delivers a high level of luxury, says Volvo, combining all the latest connectivity and entertainment features, including a high-end Bowers & Wilkins sound system.

The Cross Country completes the 90 Series model lineup, which also includes the award-winning XC90 crossover, the S90 sedan and the V90 wagon.

The new V90 Cross Country will arrive in Canada in the first quarter of 2017, with a starting price of $61,900.