Every Photo From Our Drive in the 2020 Volvo V60 Cross Country
Volvo's latest lifted wagon is a compelling alternative to its own SUVs.
Luleå, Sweden, near the Arctic Circle, gets about five hours of daylight in January, with average temperatures that flirt with zero degrees Fahrenheit. It's the kind of environment where Americans would expect big SUVs and 4x4 pickups to be the only ways to get around. But that couldn't be further from the truth: The most common vehicles are European-brand wagons—usually with an awesome set of giant, round rally lights mounted to the front end—with a good majority being Volvos. So, it came as no surprise that Volvo chose Luleå as the location for the launch of its newest wagon, the V60 Cross Country.
The Cross Country formula amounts to raising the body of an existing Volvo model, adding some body cladding and SUV-like styling bits, and marketing it to active-lifestyle types—a formula so simple IKEA probably illustrates it.
The new V60 Cross Country's ground clearance has been increased by up to three inches compared to the standard car, and adds an Off-Road driving mode (although it doesn't do much beyond slightly altering the standard all-wheel-drive system's programming and activating the car's hill-descent control, another new feature).
The V60 CC wears the requisite black plastic body appendages on the bumpers and wheel arches, different wheel designs, a new grille, and some CC-specific metal trim on the interior. Everything else is typical 60-series Volvo goodness, meaning slick exterior styling, a stunning interior with a sometimes slow-to-react touchscreen infotainment system, and some of the best seats found in any vehicle.
Volvo will offer the V60 CC only in T5 AWD form in the United States. That means a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four making 250 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque, the same as in other T5 versions of Volvo's 60- and 90-series models, is the sole engine option.
The V60 CCs we drove on the paved roads and snow-covered trails of Luleå were nearly fully loaded T5 AWD examples, all fitted with 19-inch wheels wrapped in studded Michelin X-Ice North 4 winter tires.
While the studded rubber made it difficult to get a real feel for the car's on-road manners, they didn't detract much from the overall experience aside from adding a bit of extra road noise. The standard V60's balanced handling and well-tuned steering are still present, but the Cross Country does feel slightly more muted and a bit less sporty in its reflexes.
On our second day of driving, Volvo took us onto the frozen Baltic Sea just off the coast of the city where it had created a makeshift racetrack that consisted of a fairly long straight, a couple dozen chicane-like curves, and two extremely long, sweeping right-handers.
We were initially instructed to put the car in its Dynamic driving mode but keep stability control turned on. When trying to get the wagon's rear end to kick out or when carrying too much speed into a corner, the car's electronic minders easily reined in the fun, applying the brakes to help quickly regain traction and stop the car from skidding or sliding.
When the V60 Cross Country hits dealer lots in the summer, its starting price should be a few grand higher than the V60 Momentum T5 FWD, suggesting a base price of around $42,000.
The V60 Cross Country checks all the boxes that the typical crossover buyer wants: a raised ride height, butch styling, lots of cargo room, and at least a semblance of off-road ability. With nearly all the benefits of the XC60 and almost no downsides compared to the standard V60, Volvo has created an excellent compromise by continuing to fill this niche.
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