• Two diesel engines on offer, but no petrol choice
• More diesel choice on the V60 Cross Country estate
• Four-wheel drive model features 2.4-litre diesel with automatic

If you want a petrol model you’ll be disappointed as Volvo S60 Cross Country performance is solely taken care of by diesel engines: 2-litre and 2.4-litre. The V60 Cross Country offers greater diesel choice because Volvo only expects 10 percent of all V60 and S60 Cross Country sales in the UK to be the saloon model.

Volvo S60 Cross Country 2-litre diesel engine

The 2-litre diesel engine fitted to the S60 is seen elsewhere in the Volvo range and produces 188bhp with a generous 400Nm of torque. The latter figure arrives from 1,750rpm and is available until 2,500rpm.

That sounds like a fairly narrow power band, but as long as you’re not planning on revving the car out, it makes for easy and swift progress with a strong mid-range.

Against the clock it will sprint from 0-62mph in 7.7 seconds, and can be had with a six-speed manual gearbox or eight-speed ‘Geartronic’ automatic with front-wheel drive. The automatic does slightly harm CO2 output; increasing from 111g/km to 120g/km. Economy follows a similar trait.

The good news is, should you want the automatic, it’s far better than the previous auto first fitted to the S60 and V60 ranges, with more decisive and smoother changes. Specify the optional steering-wheel mounted paddles and you’ll be able to shift gears yourself.

Four-wheel drive version features 2.4-litre diesel

If you need your S60 with four-wheel drive you’ll get an automatic gearbox regardless, and it’ll come with the 2.4-litre five-cylinder diesel engine. Choose this model and the 0-62mph time takes 8.8 seconds though top speed remains the same 130mph, and emissions shoot up to 149g/km while average economy drops to 49.6mpg – though you’re more likely to see around 40mpg in reality.

• Taller ride height but still composed
• Four-wheel drive system available

To drive, it feels much like any other model from the Volvo S60 and V60 range, and that’s no bad thing. Certainly you can’t feel the 65mm increase in ride height from the driver’s seat.

Great on road comfort

It’s fairly firmly sprung, but it’s never uncomfortable and the benefit is the S60 doesn’t roll much through the corners. The steering lacks feel and occasionally fails to wind off its lock automatically.

Driven especially hard you’ll notice a slight squirm from the wheel in the front-wheel drive model, reminiscent of torque-steer, but it’s not a car specifically designed for pressing-on in.

We’ve not experienced the Volvo S60 Cross Country off-road yet, but it’s not a car built to tackle the Land Rover Defender for 4×4 honours, merely a jacked-up executive saloon with some increased ground clearance and – should you specify it – a four-wheel drive system.