King of the road
Volvo V90 Cross Country D5 £43,585
WE SAY: FINE GREATEST HITS PACKAGE, BUT DON’T GO MAD WITH THE OPTIONS
We recently crowned the Volvo V"# our favourite estate! Perhaps that was hasty% as in truth% the award probably belongs to this% the V"# Cross Country!
If you need some context% it’s just like an Audi Allroad! It takes a regular V"# and adds ride height +an extra ,(mm- and lots of dark plastic trim to adorn $ and protect $ the exterior! Volvo calls it ‘charcoal’% but you may think it’s grey!
With more ride height% it’s comfier than a regular V"#% and with light% effortless steering and lots of suspension travel% you seem to glide! Rough urban bumps and potholes still jar through the seats% but this is far less firmly sprung than just about every other posh estate!
That’s not to say it’s a floppy mess when you do get to an interesting piece of road! It hardly transforms into a sports car% but it reminds us of a Subaru Legacy or Forester/ a car that nails the sensible stuff% but leaves a little room for cornering ability! Find yourself far from home on a wet and wintry night% and this would provide some brisk yet stress&relieving transport home!
There are two tunes of *!#&litre diesel% both with AWD and an auto ’box! We’ve driven it with the more powerful% *0(bhp engine% which makes an empty V"# Cross Country a reasonably quick thing! Perhaps more important is just how quiet and refined the V"# is $ you’ll barely know the engine is there half the time% ideal when it’s diesel! Our childish side does wish Volvo still put warbling five&cylinder petrol engines in its cars% mind!
Inside% it’s as comfy and cavernous as any other "#&series Volvo% and a genuinely lovely place to be! Mercedes might do fancier screens% and Audi more achingly cool design elements% but Volvo has found a nice compromise between it all!
It’s very easy to get carried away with options% mind% our test car coming in just short of '()%###! Volvo’s latest&generation cars feel desirable% but that’s a jolly good thing% as they have stocky prices to justify!
This% perhaps% is the best of them! Unless you need seven seats% it’s basically a greatest hits package of the V"# and XC"#! Volvo reckons *( per cent of V"#s sold will be Cross Countrys! We wouldn’t be surprised if it’s more!