• Same interior space as a regular V60
• Extra ride height is a blessing and a curse
• Boot is still enormous, though

How much space is there?

As much as you get in the standard Volvo V60, which is to say plenty. The front seats are comfortable and generously proportioned, while the rear seats offer lots of leg room and ample headroom. The tall centre tunnel robs some foot space from the middle passenger, but everyone else travelling in the Cross Country is very well catered for.

Volvo’s broad centre console might not be to everyone’s taste as it occupies quite a lot of space in the front of the cabin, cleaving the space in two. We rather like it though – it makes you feel very cocooned and that roll-top panel hides a wireless smartphone charger and a pair of cupholders.

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You can also make the V60 Cross Country appear larger on the inside by opting for the Ultimate specification. This adds a panoramic sunroof which allows more natural light to flood into the cabin.

Boot space and storage

Like the standard Volvo V60 estate, the Cross Country’s boot has a capacity of 648 litres (when loaded to the roof) with the rear seats in place. Fold the second row flat and that increase to a maximum of 1,431 litres. That’s good, but it still trails the BMW 3 Series Touring.

However, Volvo has included a few practical extras such as a boot divider, tie down points and a shopping bag hook. We found the latter feature particularly useful when the boot was empty. They stop delicate items (like boxes of washing powder or a single shopping bag containing milk and eggs) from getting thrashed around the boot and turned into an homage to Jackson Pollock.

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It’s not all good news, though. The Cross Country rides 60mm higher than the regular V60 as part of its off-roading makeover. That means the boot height is elevated by the same amount. That distance might not sound like much when you’re loading up a few shopping bags, but it could make it more challenging to slide in a heavy wardrobe.

Is it easy to park?

Reasonably, yes. Standard equipment for the cheapest Plus model includes front, rear and side parking sensors, as well as a 360-degree parking camera. The parking sensors are rather cautious (the warning tone can be constant while you’re still a foot away from an object) and the cameras produce a very sharp image. So, if you reverse it into a bollard, you’ve only got yourself to blame.

Safety

• Five-star Euro NCAP score
• Lots of standard safety technology
• Clever airbags, great crash structure

Crash safety has long been Volvo’s strongest suit. It has been a technological trailblazer for decades now – and the V60 can join the company’s long list of cars to be awarded a five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP. Given that the Cross Country is a variant of the standard V60, Euro NCAP hasn’t tested the car separately. However, the five-star rating has been transferred to the off-road model.

The testers were particularly impressed by the V60’s crash performance. In every test, the estate’s body protected the occupants from serious injury – and the testers sang particular praise of the car’s seats which do a great job of preventing whiplash in the event of a rear-end collision.

Volvo’s driver assistance technology performed very well, too. Euro NCAP’s tests showed the company’s autonomous emergency braking system can prevent collisions with pedestrians and cyclists – and Volvo even says the technology can recognise a range of large animals, even at night. There’s also a system called oncoming lane mitigation which can help prevent head-on collisions.

Every new V60 Cross Country also has a top speed of 112mph, after Volvo introduced a speed limiter for all its cars in 2020. Systems like these are a result of Volvo’s Vision 2020 programme, which is the company’s self-imposed aim of preventing deaths and serious injuries in all its new cars.

Watch the Volvo V60’s Euro NCAP crash test