Volvo V90 Cross Country - A Swede Escape

It's a known fact that South Africans simply don't buy wagons. The reason? Well, I’d argue that there isn’t one, the majority of Zaffers seem to just be put off by them. It’s unfathomable when you consider two things; they’re perfectly practical and latterly, they’re arguably very stylish. There’s something about that shooting-brake style profile, that bold raked flank that is inherent of a car that favours big booty over an actual boot. I’m a fan, most car folk are, yet they don’t sell.

So, it’s brave of Volvo, a practically fringe manufacturer in terms of sales, not perception. No, the game of perception has been won a long time ago, the Scandinavian brand producing some of our favourite cars of the last decade. Quietly cool, the entire range is desirable. And this, the V90 Cross Country, a wagon in wellies – this one is my favourite favourite.

It's big. It's so very big

It is isn’t it? At a length of 4926mm it’s officially longer than a BMW X5, and just a ball’s hair shorter than Volvo’s XC90. And because it skims the tarmac as opposed to riding in the air like the aforementioned SUVs, the V90 feels like it covers more of the asphalt. It’s hardly skipping stone flat though, being a Cross Country it receives the raised suspension treatment, complete with black plastic under-body addenda, a clue to its rugged aspirations, bolstered as it were by All Wheel Drive which we’ll cover just now.

But those looks, Mjolnir in Brown. A jewellery-wearing brute, albeit a very handsome one. Massive alloy wheels reside in each corner (and oh boy, there’s some distance between them) adding some aggression to the total package, not that it needed it. Remind me why we don’t like estates again? Someone?

Slipping into that velvet viking

Well hello, that’s nice. The cabin of the V90, much like the rest of the Volvo range, is a beautiful place - cosseting and refined, littered with chrome accents and details. The interior naturally apes what you’ll find in the S90, it’s booted sibling, but can still be appreciated here where it has been distilled in gravel-travel friendly format. Technology abounds, but so does cowhide. Surfaces are a tactile treat, analogue dials and switches for the most part except when it comes to that enormous vertically-oriented touch-screen.

I’ve made my disdain for slidey-swipey HVAC controls known before and I’ll admit they’re pretty dire here as well, but leaps and bounds ahead of the experience in the recent Peugeot 3008 and 208 vehicles we tested. Sign of the times, I guess we just must get used to it. Otherwise it really cannot be overstated what a swell living space the V90 Cross Country is.

Straight lines and everything else

Volvo currently employs a one size fits everything strategy with their engines, that’s a two-litre, turbo charged, four-cylinder engine in both petrol and diesel formats, outputting a variety of kilowatt and torque statistics to suit the performance and price of your desired model. In this D5 guise the magic numbers are 173kW and 480Nm which when run through our magic calculator err, I mean Volvo’s 8-speed automatic transmission, equate to a top speed of 230kph, a 0-100kph sprint of 7.5 seconds and thanks to the magic of diesel, a meagre carbon payload of 139g/km, while sipping to the conservative tune of 5.3l/100km.

I flatten the pedal on the right and sure enough this wagon hauls ass. The sound is pleasantly guttural but to compare it to a tractor would be so 2000 and late. Think purring panther more than a product from CAT. Point it along your favourite twisty tarmac however and sadly the laws of physics will interject; let me explain. This car, with its Eight-Speed Geartronic transmission weighs two tonnes before I climb aboard. There are dynamics here, but they’re by no means of levels you’d consider as performance. It’s capable enough, competent even and with an engaging steer thanks to a confidence-inspiring helm and grippy all-wheel drive, but it constantly reminds you of what you’re driving. A Volvo. Wagon.

Okay, let’s wrap this up

The Volvo V90 Cross Country is a fantastic car, if not the perfect lifestyle accessory for someone like me. That is, someone who often needs to move a lot of camera gear and random things around, enjoys stuffing mountain bikes into the back (or onto the roof) as well as hiking, running or camping gear and so on.

But here’s the bit I haven’t mentioned – this incredibly well-appointed, perfectly practical, easy on the eyes Volvo estate will cost you R903,300 in the Inscription trim. Personally I think the price is right on the money, but when discussing it with the regular buying public I noticed the same reaction, mild concern. “That’s a bit much isn’t it?” No, if it was an SUV with this sort of performance, kit and utility they wouldn’t have batted an eyelid.

And just like that I think I now understand why South African struggle with wagons. It is because there exists a thing called an SUV. And in a country where more is more (or is that more for your money?) it is hard to fight the sheer value prospect of a crossover vehicle. Which in my humble opinion then makes the V90 Cross Country one for the connoisseur.

Volvo V90 D5 Cross Country Inscription Specs: