Overview

SUVs are immensely popular in the UK. During the first quarter of 2023, seven of our top 10 best-selling cars were SUVs, with both the Nissan Qashqai and the Ford Puma securing places on the podium. However, not every driver wants (and even fewer arguably need) a high-riding SUV.

The Volvo V60 Cross Country offers a solution to this problem. It’s an estate car draped in SUV accessories, which aims to offer drivers 90 percent of the SUV experience with none of the SUV sacrifices. Like an SUV, it has a lifted ride height, a more commanding driving position and some off-road ability – but because it’s basically an estate, it’s still fun to drive down a windy B-road.

Volvo used to have a lot of competition in the SUV-ified estate market, but these days it almost has the space to itself. Cars such as the Skoda Superb Scout, Mercedes C-Class All Terrain and Audi A4 Allroad are no longer available in Britain, meaning buyers’ only other options are currently the Subaru Outback and the far cheaper, front-wheel drive Ford Focus Active Estate and Dacia Jogger.

Volvo has tried to make buying a V60 Cross Country as simple as possible. Like the standard V60 estate, there are just two specifications to choose from (called Plus and Ultimate), although the company has trimmed down the off-roader’s engine range to just one option. For reference, the conventional V60 is available with four powertrains, including a plug-in hybrid.

The V60 Cross Country’s sole engine option is Volvo’s B5 powertrain. This is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder mild hybrid petrol unit with 250hp. It’s hitched to an automatic gearbox and a four-wheel drive system as standard, which is befitting of its rugged off-roading brief.

To complement its lifted ride height and four-wheel drive system, the Cross Country gets some tough black plastic mouldings on its bumpers and wheel arches, a model-specific matte black radiator grille, 18-inch alloy wheels and some clever off-road tech such as hill descent control which makes it easier to drive down steep, slippery gradients.

Apart from these changes, though, you get the same virtues (and drawbacks) of the standard V60. These include its Google-powered portrait infotainment system, highly adjustable driving position, touchscreen climate controls, extensive suite of safety equipment and enormous boot.

The biggest question is whether the V60 Cross Country is worth buying over the standard V60 or indeed a comparably sized SUV. Or is this mash-up a Jack-of-all-trades and a master of none? The conventional V60 appears on our list of the best estate cars, so this off-road variant must be good right?

Keep reading our review to find out. Over the next few pages, we’ll assess the car’s practicality, interior quality, technology, driving experience and running costs before offering our final verdict.