COUNTRY ESTATE
Volvo’s AWD station wagon begs the question: do you really need that SUV?
OUTSIDE Europe, the estate car is something of a dying breed, being all but usurped by a slew of SUVS. But having sampled the Volvo V90 Cross Country, I think it’s fair to say that I feel as much pity for the less-enlightened folk who automatically assume an SUV is a superior choice as I do for estate cars as a collective, because their preconceptions will see these car buyers missing out on a wonderfully polished and practical product.
The gradual progression of Volvo’s estate models from achingly dull boxes to more visually digestible fare has been well documented, but the V90 kicks any such appliance-like estate connotations into touch. Although it’s a massive car, only 14 mm shorter than the XC90, and commands plenty of attention, its design treads a neat line between graceful and masculine. It’s also good to see that, in keeping with the V90’s svelte appearance, Volvo has been fairly reserved in the manner in which it’s applied Cross Country staples such as the protective lower-body cladding and raised ride height.
It’s the latter, at a handy 210 mm, which lends the V90 a pleasing degree of roughroad ability. No, it won’t tread fearlessly where many SUVS will go, but this model’s frontbiased torque-apportioning AWD and a stability-control system that intervenes in a measured fashion makes it feel surefooted on loose, rocky surfaces. The example I drove was also equipped with the optional rear air-suspension setup that, although pliant, is sometimes caught out at lower speeds on the washboard surfaces that are characteristic of well-used local dirt tracks. Otherwise, the V90 wafts along rough roads with ease and, while the steering sits more on the comfort-oriented side of the dynamic spectrum, the grip and measured body control keep you abreast of what the car’s doing beneath you.
You’d expect the 2,0-litre, four-cylinder turbodiesel to have its work cut out propelling the near-two-tonne V90 with any fervour, but Volvo’s claim that the Powerpulse system – essentially a booster that spools up the larger of the engine’s two turbos – negates lag is a solid one. This unit’s power delivery feels near linear and, with a healthy dollop of low-end torque and an eightspeed transmission that’s smooth and responsive, lends the V90 sufficient overtaking punch.
The only black mark against this unit is the noticeable clatter at idle, even when the engine is warm. It’s probably as much a symptom of the lavishly appointed cabin being as well constructed and quiet as it is mechanical refinement. Inside, there’s room aplenty for passengers and their goods, especially with a luggage compartment that’s generously proportioned with the rear seats in place and cavernous with them folded.
As satisfying as the V90 is to drive – it’s grippy and palpably more composed than most SUVS – the chance to play with the Pilot Assist semi-autonomous driving system was too tempting to pass up. We’ve made use of the system in a couple of Volvo’s models, predominantly in town and the moderate speeds on its outskirts, and while effective in its own right, it was sometimes rather abrupt in its braking. In the V90, on the open road this system felt a lot more assured in its operation, responsively interacting with fast-moving traffic and conditions in a fluid and natural-feeling manner. Although I initially viewed it as more of a technological showpiece than a practical feature, it was a genuine salve to the knotty shoulders and tired arms I had endured from keeping things on track while swiftly traversing twisty dirt roads with considerable changes in elevation.
The fact that our market has something of an infatuation with SUVS – with the impressive XC90 ironically enough among the number – means that the V90 is wading into unfavourable territory. Yet, once the ride height and macho connotations associated with SUVS is stripped bare, it’s plain to see that cars such as the V90 drive more assuredly, often feature more practical packaging and have enough ground clearance and allwheel grip to deal with the sort of off-road conditions that the vast majority of us will tackle. Even the associations of frumpiness that has clung to estates for so long doesn’t really hold true with the V90. Have the wherewithal to look past these long-held conventions and you’ll find a genuine foil to even the most accomplished premium SUVS.