V90 Cross Country rugged elegance
FIRST LOOK: Volvo’s luxurious new high-performance, rock-straddling wagon a perfect fit for Canada
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 panorama of the Rocky Mountains 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. It is based on honest capability,” 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 offroad capability in a most elegant, sophisticated, tailored wagon suit.”
A good fit for the Canadian market, the V90 Cross Country is more than capable of four-season usage. Models bound for our country will be T6 versions, powered by a 316-horsepower, supercharged and turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine mated to an eight-speed 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 V90 Cross Country takes the elegance of the V90 and transforms it into an all-road car that delivers safety, comfort and performance in a capable and adventurous package,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of the Volvo Car Group.
The new V90 Cross Country will arrive in Canada in the first quarter of 2017, with a starting price of $61,900.