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A veneer of wood-look siding once was de rigueur for the well-dressed wagon, but today it seems the only way to sell a station wagon in America is to adorn it with the trappings of an SUV. So it should come as no surprise that Volvo has created a Cross Country version of its new V90 wagon-it follows in the tire treads of recent similar offerings such as the V60 Cross Country, Subaru?s Outback, Audi?s A4 Allroad, and the Volkswagen Golf Alltrack.
At Volvo, the Cross Country theme goes back 20 years, the name having made its debut on a version of the boxy V70 wagon in 1997. Back then, the company had no SUV to sell; today, of course, it has the XC90 (its most popular model), as well as the smaller XC60. Why would a buyer choose the wagon over an SUV? It could be the better fuel economy or possibly the handling, but for most it likely will be styling. Good thing, then, that the Cross Country does little to mess with the design of the V90, arguably the most stunning member of Volvo?s fashion-model-gorgeous 90-series family.
On the Cross Country, the wheel arches and lower body are edged in a band of plastic (in black or, as an option, body color); the front lower fascia and the rear bumper are redesigned; the grille trades its vertical chrome bars for black bars inset with tiny chrome squares; the window-surround molding is black; and there are model-specific 19-inch wheels. People who find even those minor changes a tragic bastardization should know that the regular V90 also will be sold here, but it arrives a few months later and will be available only via special order.
The Cross Country sits about 2.6 inches higher than the standard V90, and all-wheel drive is standard, as is hill-descent control. The Cross Country will come to America in T6 form only, which means its 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder is both turbocharged and supercharged, here making 316 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. The regular V90 will be available as the lower-spec T5 as well, with a 250-hp turbocharged four and front-wheel drive. (The T8 plug-in-hybrid version sold elsewhere won?t appear in the U.S. market.)
Read more on Car and Driver.