2015.5 Volvo V60 Cross Country

Luxury off-roaders take many forms these days, but not many of them are true wagons. And of those that do exist, a good many of them are Volvos. Volvo credits itself with starting the luxury off-road wagon segment in 1997 with the V70-based XC70. And it's had the segment pretty much to itself ever since, with the exception of the occasional Audi Allroad or Subaru Outback. Now Volvo is doubling down in this nichy-est of niches by adding the V60 Cross Country to its lineup for 2015.5. Like the XC70 (which isn't going away), the V60 Cross Country is for people who want a comfortable car they can take off road, maybe. These are city slickers by and large, who perhaps once or twice per annum find themselves driving down a lumpy dirt driveway or muddy path en route to a campsite. Do they need locking differentials or a winch? No. Will they ever use up all 7.9 inches of the V60 Cross Country's ground clearance? Probably not. But just in case, these folks are glad they have it. And the rest of the time, they're glad they are not in an SUV. Putting ourselves in their shoes for much of our first drive of the V60 Cross Country, which took us from Calistoga to Lake Tahoe, CA, we came away quite satisfied. We scouted for photo spots on either side of the area's legendarily beautiful roads as if we were the car's imaginary target-market owner, looking for antique stores or strawberry stands. We saw little terrain we felt the car couldn't handle. When we veered off the pavement and perched it by a vineyard or a rock face, we were pleased with the V60's solid structure and well-tuned shocks' ability to mute off-road impacts. Nary a squeak or rattle emanated from the roof, dashboard, or pillars as we crossed shallow ditches and climbed over small obstacles. The suspension's generous wheel travel kept the car's tires in contact with the ground while its Haldex all-wheel-drive system kept them moving, sending up to 50 percent of the engine's torque to the rear wheels if the fronts slipped even 1/17th of a rotation. But we made no attempt at any wheels-off-the-ground stunts, nor did we point the car toward any piles of craggy boulders, felled trees more than six inches in diameter, or open river crossings. That's not the point of this car, and remember, we were behaving like the customers for whom the V60 Cross Country is intended. These folks are more mild than wild. Hence, the day became a bit of an adventure for which the car seemed perfectly suited. And should we have found an antique shop or stopped at a winery, we could have loaded up the day's acquisitions in the back. Not a bad way to live, really. Putting our driving gloves on, however, we found the V60 Cross Country to be a slouch on the road. Volvo claims its venerable turbocharged five-cylinder – with 250 horsepower …
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