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Test drive: Volvo V60 Cross Country, a supremely versatile Scandi estate

LLM motoring editor Lisa Curtiss reviews the Volvo V60 Cross Country, a comfortable and practical 4×4 estate car.

By Lisa Curtiss   |  

Few if any car manufacturers are doing more than Volvo to create vehicles which are as well built, beautifully designed, incredibly practical, eco-conscious, great to drive and of course safe. The excellent V60 Cross Country takes the traditionally boring concept of an estate and transforms it into a sleek, stylish, and capable all-rounder anyone would be delighted to own.

It’s a car for all uses and seasons. Spacious enough for most busy family or corporate needs, there’s ample knee, shoulder, and head height throughout, and large windows provide excellent visibility all round. The boot is substantial too.

Volvo V60 Cross Country on road

As the promotional copy tells is, this is a ready-for-anything estate – built for wherever life takes you. Don’t be fooled by its elegant lines – it means serious business and features a raft of technology such as all-wheel drive, Off Road mode, high ground clearance and Hill Descent Control to provide the sure-footedness of a mountain goat – with superb traction, grip, and safety, leaving you to simply focus on enjoying the drive. Whatever the weather and roads have to throw at you, the Volvo V60 Cross Country can more than cope and safely take you wherever you want to be.

Economical, and created with the environment in mind, The V60 Cross Country is a mild hybrid which means it recovers energy produced when braking and stores it in a 48V battery. When this energy is used, fuel consumption and tailpipe emissions are both reduced. Many of the materials used are sustainable too.

Volvo V60 Cross Country side view

Out on the road, the V60 Cross Country proves an engaging and spirited drive, with plenty of pace on demand, and barely perceptible gear changes. Steering is just right, as is the suspension which smooths out most road surface offences whilst being firm enough to be wallow free. It’s equally at home tackling local errands as it is significant motorway jaunts. A solid, versatile all-rounder.

Viewed first hand, the V60 Cross Country is generally hailed as the best-looking estate of its class (with only its larger V90 sibling coming close). This appeal continues inside where you’ll discover a cabin that really sets the bar in terms of style, substance, ergonomics, comfort, and space. It’s also highly versatile too, with a good number of loading and seating configuration options. There are some lovely touches such as a stunning handcrafted gear shifter in genuine Swedish crystal is made exclusively for Volvo by Orrefors. Plus, it’s light, bright, and airy thanks to a panoramic roof which lets light flood in, creating a natural, spacious feel for everyone in the cabin.

Volvo V60 Cross Country exterior detail

Today’s Volvos come with a raft of state-of-the-art info/entertainment tech to enhance your and your passengers in car experience. Features include Volvo’s Digital Services Package which conveniently harmonises you, your V60 Cross Country, and your digital life. Google is built in – so you get favourite apps like Google Assistant, Google Maps, and more on Google Play right in your car for a helpful, personalised, and seamless driving experience. There’s also the Volvo Cars app too which enables locking and unlocking, cabin pre-cleaning and cabin heating or cooling.

Other cabin features include a head-up display showing driving speed and navigation on the windshield. These help you keep focused by allowing you to watch your speed, follow turn-by-turn navigation, and more without having to look down and lose focus on the road. The brightness of the head-up display adapts automatically to the light conditions, and you can set the system to suit your own personal preferences. There’s also an advanced air purifier in the Volvo V60 Cross Country which helps you and your passengers enjoy better and healthier air quality.

Volvo V60 Cross Country interior

Being a Volvo, safety is paramount, and the V60 Cross Country is supremely equipped. Highlights here include cross traffic alert, blind spot information system (BLIS) and lane drift detection, plus four cameras which provide a 360° view and flank sensors increasing awareness of objects at the side of the car, to help you park confidently even in confined spaces.

Volvo’s V60 Cross Country is a fantastic all-rounder providing class-leading space, safety, capability, comfort, and style.

volvocars.com/uk/cars/v60-cross-country/