• Five stars at Euro NCAP
• More safety kit on offer as optional extras
• Four-wheel drive available

Volvo S60 Cross Country safety is expected to be exceptional because not only did the Volvo V60 (on which the S60 is based) receive the full five stars when tested by EuroNCAP back in 2012 but the Swedish firm tests its cars far more rigorously than that.

Rigorously tested for safety

The firm crashes around 100 different examples of each new car in reality and over 30,000 examples in a virtual world, to ensure the finished product is as safe as possible.

And so the Volvo S60 Cross Country does its best to prevent incidents. Traction and stability control come as standard, while the optional four-wheel drive helps improve grip and traction. There are six airbags as standard to take care of occupants should an impact be unavoidable.

There’s also whiplash protection, ISOFIX fitment for child seats and City Safety which can help avoid an accident entirely at low speed.

Optional Safety packs available

Those wishing to augment the above with extra safety kit are well catered for also, with various safety options available.

The Driver Support Pack includes Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake, Pedestrian and Cyclist detection, Adaptive Cruise Control, Queue Assist (in the automatic versions), Lane Keeping Aid, Driver Alert Control, Road Sign Information Display and a Blind Spot Information system with Cross Traffic Alert. That pack costs Volvo S60 Cross Country buyers £1,900.

Volvo S60 Cross Country practicality is much like that in the Volvo S60 saloon, with a cabin that is exactly the same. That means there’s ample room in the rear for a pair of adults, though the sleek roofline does mean they’ll need to watch their heads on entry and exit. The transmission tunnel stops it being as comfortable as it could be for three passengers.

There’s just 380 litres of space available in the boot, though this can be expanded by folding the rear seats flat for lager items. The Volvo V60 Cross Country is much more flexible in this regard.