What a Car - UK - (2020-04)

VolvoV90CrossCountry

D5PowerpulseAWDPlus

Mileage 7724

List price £51,110 Target Price £46,522

Price as tested £59,980

Test economy 37.0mpg

Of cial economy 49.6mpg (WLTP)

Dealer price now £31,101

Private price now £27,745

Trade-in price now £26,582

Running costs (excluding depreciation)

Fuel and 1.8 litres of AdBlue £1244

WillWilliams

[email protected]

84 April 2020 whatcar.com

THESEDAYS,ITcanfeellikeeveryothercar

isanSUV,andI’vegottoadmitI’vehadquite

afewofthosemyself.Butoverthepastfew

months,I’vebeenexploringwhethertheVolvo

V90CrossCountrymightrepresentabetter

wayforpeoplelikeme,whoneedsomething

thatcancarrylotsofkitduringtheweekand

doubleasafamilycarattheweekend.Likethe

rivalAudiA6Allroad,theCrossCountryisacar

thatoffersallthepracticalityofaregularbig

estatewhileaddingasmidgeofoff-roadability.

ComfortisoneoftheCrossCountry’sbiggest

strengths;Icansaywithoutquestionthatits

seats are the most cosseting I’ve ever sat in. In

addition to providing support in all the right

places, the driver’s seat can be set nice and low,

keeping my knackered knees happy. What’s

more, the steering wheel offers loads of reach

adjustment, so I never once emerged from the

Cross Country with even a trace of an ache.

The fact that the car’s ride is mostly fl at

and forgiving adds to its relaxed character.

However, it should be noted that my car was

fi tted with self-levelling rear air suspension,

which isn’t especially cheap at £950 but is well

worth adding for the extra control it brings.

Theoptionalpanoramicglasssunroof(part

oftheXeniumPack)cameinhandy,because

itallowedmetoshootfromuphighwhen

usingtheCrossCountryasacameracar.But

thoseofyouwhoaren’tphotographerswill

probablybemoreinterestedtohearthatthe

roofletsinlotsoffreshairwhenopen,while

keepingpassengersshelteredfrombuffeting.

Asabonus,theglassextendsbackfarenough

thatmyyoungsonwasabletolookoutofthe

roofandfindplentytodistracthim,whilethe

standardsidewindowblindswerehandyfor

keepinghimshadedfromthesun.

WerecentlypittedthisveryV90Cross

CountryagainstanA6Allroad,and(spoiler

alert)theresultwentintheAudi’sfavour.

However,I’dstillurgeyoutotrytheVolvoas

wellbeforebuying,becausethemarginswere

sotightthatyou’llprobablypreferwhichever

onemorecloselymatchesyoursenseofstyle.

TheA6Allroadfeltincrediblywellbuilt,as

Audisgenerallydo.ButtheV90CrossCountry

isfilledwithequallyplushmaterialsandits

ambiencefeelsaltogetherwarmer,especially

if you follow my example and go for the Blond

leather and matching roofl ining.

I’ll admit, I was initially a little worried that

the light-coloured seats would struggle to cope

with the rigours of daily life. But there’s no hint

of staining from denim jeans and the interior

looks as good now as it did on the fi rst day.

The engine I opted for was the D5 diesel with

the Polestar Optimisation upgrade, because

you get 45bhp more than you do in the entry-

level D4 and offi cial fuel economy is only 1mpg

worse. I averaged 37mpg, but that fi gure was

FINAL

REPORT

LOGBOOK

Has our posh four-wheel-

drive estate delivered on

its promise of top-notch

comfort and practicality?

climbing noticeably by the end of my time with

the car. With more miles under its belt, I reckon

you’d see 40mpg or more.

The only thing I found annoying about the

Cross Country was the positioning of the door

mirrors; they’re sited higher than they are

on the regular V90, apparently to improve

visibility when towing or on off-road jaunts.

Unfortunately, they get in the way at junctions

and roundabouts, forcing you to crane your

neck to see around them.

That aside, this is a car I’d thoroughly

recommend. It’s even surprisingly capable

off road, thanks to its arsenal of electronic

tricks. It’s also packed with details that make

life easier, including a three-pin socket that

allowed me to charge my camera batteries or

laptop on the move. Whether I was dashing

across the country to a shoot or ferrying the

family around, it suited my needs perfectly.

Volvo V90 Cross Country D5 Powerpulse AWD Plus

Cross Country didn’t mind

getting its feet wet; seat

comfort was a highlight