Volvo V90 Cross Country B4: Half step

Volvo and station wagon – they simply belong together, even if the Chinese Swedes have long since become an SUV brand, where models like the XC40 and XC60 set the tone. At the same time, the leap into electromobility is to be successful and all models in the portfolio are to be gradually converted to electric motors. The elegant as well as noble luxury class station wagon of the Volvo V90 Cross County appears like from another time, because unlike the normal V90, this one is not available as a plug-in hybrid. Here normal combustion engines – gasoline and diesel – do their powerful and efficient work with the active support of a mild hybrid system. This hybrid system includes an integrated starter generator along with a 48-volt lithium-ion battery and braking energy recovery. In contrast to the much more powerful competition, especially from Germany and England, four cylinders have to be enough under the hood, because while Audi, BMW, Mercedes or even Jaguar offer six and even eight cylinders in this class, in Sweden a cylinder quartet has to be enough for one to ensure appropriate propulsion.

An electric version or at least a plug-in hybrid is left out of the V90 Cross Country and so the 235 hp top diesel is probably the right choice for long-distance enthusiasts. For many, however, the basic version of the 145 kW / 197 PS strong Volvo V90 CC B4 should be sufficient, because it moves the 4.93 meter long all-wheel drive fast enough with its maximum torque of 420 Nm. From standstill, the all-wheel drive goes to 100 km / h in 8.8 seconds and the standard consumption is also okay with 6.2 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers – here the mild hybrid system should bring a reduction of 15 percent. The small battery pack provides an additional power of 10 kW / 14 PS / 40 Nm as an electric boost when accelerating strongly. If you want a sonorous engine sound or a long-distance top speed, you have to switch to the competition anyway, because Volvo has been sealed off at 180 km / h too early for some time, while models from Ingolstadt, Munich or Stuttgart usually only drop anchor at 250 km / h.

But even if the chic all-wheel drive struggles in the left lane of the motorway, it shines when it gets a little more impassable. This is not only ensured by the real all-wheel drive with electronically controlled multi-plate clutch, which, compared to an electric rear axle, delivers what it promises even on long mountain journeys, but also a slightly increased ground clearance of 21 centimeters. With a fording depth of 30 centimeters, there are even easy water passages. For most customers, more important is the high level of everyday use that the all-wheel-drive station wagon with the standard eight-speed automatic gives its user behind the wheel. We also like the high level of comfort despite the 19 to 21-inch wheelset and the space that gives you all the options on weekdays as well as on the weekend that is prone to leisure.

The interior is known to be one of the strengths of the Volvo V90, which costs at least 64,150 euros, and here the Cross Country produced in the main plant in Torslanda near Gothenburg does not differ from the normal Volvo V90. The workmanship is good, the styling subtle, as you know it from the Swedes. This also applies to the instrumentation, where the V90 may be a bit too puristic. The digital instruments give you the opportunity to play the themed images more differently than the V90 and its smaller brothers do. Only available as an option – the useful head-up display. Volvo has put the controls and the central multifunctional screen in the hands of Google, and that’s a good step. The menu navigation works flawlessly and the navigation is therefore unrivaled when it comes to route guidance.

In addition to the generous amount of space, the electrically adjustable seats of the Volvo V90 are convincing both front and rear. Retraction of the electrically extendable thigh support reveals an unattractive groove, as it once did with BMW, which is not conducive to comfort. In the rear there are folding headrests, heated seats and two USB interfaces – that’s how it has to be. Behind the electric tailgate, the trunk has a volume of 560 liters, which can be expanded to 1,526 liters by folding down the split rear bench. The standard equipment is great anyway, because the Volvo V90 Cross Country is offered in the best equipment variant Pro. Sensible, but only available visually: the adaptive air suspension on the rear axle with active suspension control.