Volvo V60 Cross Country verdict

Should you buy a Volvo V60 Cross Country?

It’s all too easy to be beguiled by the Volvo V60 Cross Country’s styling: after all, it’s a devilishly handsome – and very capable – estate car, with a subtle flurry of SUV-aping styling cues that are – and will likely remain – bang on trend for many years to come. If you choose to buy it on that basis, we would understand.

Given the choice of the Swede or the similar Audi A4 Allroad, Skoda Octavia Scout or Volkswagen Golf Alltrack, we’d opt for the Volvo.

But tone down the heart rate and dial-up the brainwaves a little and it begins to make less sense. The regular Volvo V60 range is deeply appealing in its own right, plus there’s a broader range of more efficient engine choices and the fact that many models are less expensive than the Cross Country, without a sacrifice in quality.

Similarly, the ‘proper’ SUV alternative, the XC60, handles with similar aplomb on-road, is more capable off it and offers more space for passengers within a similarly sized footprint.

So, should you buy a V60 Cross Country? No. If you want a Volvo SUV, the XC60 performs that role much more convincingly, while it offers no real-world tangible benefits over a V60 estate.

Further reading:

• Discover why we rate the Volvo V60 estate so highly with our full review
• Too often overlooked: Subaru’s Outback is an interesting Cross Country alternative
• Like the V60 package, but want something larger? Enter the V90 Cross Country