Where design, safety and versatility meets

The V60 is not a new car, but late last year Volvo launched the cross country in South Africa. With 68mm of ground clearance over the standard cross country and rugged soft-roader looks, the Volvo isn’t usually the first place consumers look when buying a vehicle of this type. It has quirky design characteristics and a mish mash of old and new technology.  We take a closer look at the V60 Cross country to see what the Swede’s were thinking.

Exterior

As mentioned before the V60 has been raised 68mm in the Cross Country version making the Volvo perfect for those that live on small holdings or off the beaten track. The addition of grey coloured skid plates, scuff plates on the sides and fender guards give the Cross Country the visual appeal of a vehicle that belongs in rough and tough off-road areas. A large honeycomb styled grille with a radar cover and level adjustable halogen headlamps round off the front end. The gloss black detailing around the side windows sets off the roof rails and side mirrors and 18 inch wheels fill the wheel arches while around back, integrated exhaust tips and reshaped rear bumper with the cross country embossing finish off the in style. Overall the outer appearance of the V60 Cross Country is very pleasing, its safe styling and that makes it just a little boring.

Interior

The interior is well appointed with leather and chrome being the order of the day. Volvo has equipped the interior with just about everything they had on their shelves and more so with the optional Techno pack being fitted. The interior styling however is somewhat dated and seems light years away from what is currently available in the XC90. The centre console seems cluttered with controls that are reminiscent of a scientific calculator. Everything works, but it is somewhat fiddly to operate. If Volvo can sort this out, the interior in the facelift could be amazing.

Engine and Drivetrain

In future, Volvo will only be fitting their vehicles with a 2.0l powerplant, where the diesel and petrol will share the same engine block. The V60 we tested was fitted with a 2.4l, five-cylinder diesel engine that produces 140kW and 420Nm of torque. Fuel consumption is a miserly 5.7l per 100km. Power is sent to the wheels via a six speed automatic transmission and an all wheel drive system. The engine is a point of contention, as it does sound rather agricultural at idle and seems to sound strained at higher revs.

Verdict

Volvo has decided to only have two versions of the V60 available in SA namely the Inscription and Momentum. They are well priced and a pleasure to drive but being styled by architects for architects and a not so pleasing engine tone, we will have to see what the face lifted version looks like before we decide ultimately whether we would spend money on one.