Volvo V90 Cross Country: First Drive Review

Volvo V90 Cross Country side

Sensing an opportunity in the market for a ‘multi purpose vehicle’ that wasn’t van-like, Volvo decided to take its V70 station wagon, raise it a bit with some chunkier suspension, install all-wheel-drive and some plastic clad bumpers and voila! – the V70 Cross Country was born. In fact, the XC nomenclature that we have come to associate Volvo with today was originally used for the first time on the V70 Cross Country (X-Cross and C-Country). That was in 1997. Fast-forward 20 years to 2017, and Volvo has decided to update its model portfolio and the Cross Country badging is now offered on the V90. And yes, it is the V90 Cross Country that is coming to India!

Volvo V90 Cross Country Front Facia

The standard V90 is essentially the wagon version of the S90 sedan that won the 2017 NDTV Design of the Year and Premium Car of the Year. It is also a finalist at the 2017 World Car Awards for the Luxury Car of the Year. And the V90 Cross Country is the pumped up and beefed up version of the standard car with plastic cladding, different bumpers and of course, a raised suspension too. The V90 Cross Country also gets silver scuff plates on the front and rear bumpers and in the case of the car seen in the pictures here, studded winter tyres that are an essential for driving in the snow or ice. In fact, the V90 Cross Country takes the V90 and its pure design and makes it just a tad bit more ‘Mad Max’. The sides also get a set of plastic skirts and of course, like you would expect with anything of this nature, you get some plastic wheel arch extensions too. My favourite part of the design though has to be the rear tail lamps that are identical to the normal V90. See one of these in the distance and there is no mistaking what car it is!

Volvo V90 Cross Country Rear Design

Volvo V90 Cross Country Interior

Volvo V90 Cross Country Side Profile

So what is it like to drive? Well if you had to explain the V90 Cross Country in a word, it would be ‘comfortable’. The V90 CC is genuinely one of the best sprung cars this side of the Rs 75 lakh range that we have been in. The Indian spec will not get the standard suspension but instead will be offered only with the higher spec self-levelling air suspension. This means that even if the car is packed with five people and a lot of luggage, the ride height will remain constant. This will also mean that the V90 Cross Country will have the ride quality to take on most Indian roads and iron out (most) bumps and potholes with relative ease. The other plus point is the raised ground clearance it has to begin with. Now from the pictures, it might not look much, but at 210 mm, the car has more ground clearance than the likes of the Audi Q5 and to put things into perspective, even more than the Tata Hexa! That said, the high ground clearance might be a little affected in real life performance by the fact that the V90 Cross Country is a long car and has a long wheelbase.

Volvo V90 Cross Country On Ice

Everything about the V90 Cross Country is aimed at making it an easy and effortless car to drive. The light steering wheel for example may not give the best feedback while I was sliding around on the ice like a certain Mr.Ken Block, but on the road it had just the right weight to warrant minimal steering input. Even parking the large V90 was easy with the 360 degree cameras combined with the light steering wheel. Of course as you go faster, the steering does weigh up slightly. The V90 CC also gets driving modes like Eco, Rough Road, Dynamic, Comfort and Individual and the difference in engine and suspension settings is quite recognisable.

Volvo V90 Cross Country Front Grille

The V90 Cross Country in India will come with only a diesel engine to begin with. The 2.0-litre engine though is not the D4 spec that comes in the S90 but a more powerful D5 spec which makes 235 bhp. In fact the V90 Cross Country is even more powerful than the D5 spec on the XC90! With minus 20 degrees iced up conditions, pushing it to any limit was out of the question. But in terms of sheer drivability, the V90 Cross Country did settle down really well and was quiet enough to enjoy a hushed conversation in. But when we did find the need to slam it slightly to overtake an ever-so-careful tourist in a rental, the 480 Nm of torque gets it up to speed quickly. All while maintaining a dignified calm! After all, the V90 isn’t exactly meant to excite race car drivers but to make sure the race car driver can get back home with their family, dog and the weekly shopping safely in the back (and in sheer comfort). If your want to be fussy, the only thing the V90 CC lacks is paddle shifters. But then think about it. Does a jumped up wagon really need a set of paddle shifters? Not really.

Volvo V90 Cross Country Badges

So the verdict is simple. The V90 Cross Country is the ideal car for someone who does want a large-ish vehicle but doesn’t quite like the idea of lugging around a full sized SUV. It is also the ideal car for someone who does not want to go with the herd and buy a German premium car. Now, even though we really like the concept of the lovechild between a wagon and an SUV, the cross wagon market in India is a niche inside a niche, but one that has never been explored. The V90 Cross Country will make it to India by May 2017 and will be priced around Rs 65 lakh. Volvo plans to sell about 100 cars by the end of 2017 and if the V90 Cross Country does prove to be successful, it will trigger Mercedes-Benz and Audi to bring in the E-Class All-Terrain and the A6 All-Road respectively. We think there is certainly a market for these pumped up luxury sedans/wagons - or at least there should be! And even though Volvo plans to sell just a few cars, we are sure their customers will get exactly what they have been looking for. Even those who don't quite know it yet, or as Bono sang - still haven't found what they're looking for!