Volvo S60 Cross Country First Drive Review – Raising the Game

The S60 CC is available only with the D4 AWD driveline. Yes, it’s a 4×4 turbo-diesel with high ground clearance in the body of a sedan. How ingenious is that? Of course, that also means that the ageing 2,400-cc in-line five unit is used. It makes 190 PS and 420 Nm which is fed through, you guessed it, the six-speed Geartronic automatic. It’s not the best or quickest gearbox around, but it gets the job done. There is some lag evident as you get going, but then you get used to it somewhat. There are drive modes and the ‘S’ mode does enliven things a bit, especially with the paddles. The sound deadening is still not up there and the ride quality, thanks to the standard Dynamic chassis, is the same as the S60: on the firmer side. Thankfully, the high(er) profile rubber, 235/50 R18s, provides just enough to keep the ride reasonably supple on all surfaces.

That said, the tweaked suspension and traction control systems, complete with corner torque vectoring, negate body-roll or any form of identifiable physical movement during a sudden direction change; although the physical proportions of the car and the fact that it has been raised higher do play a part in the whole experience. Of course, that’s one side of the coin. The other is not being concerned with touchdown midway through a speed-hump or worrying about contact when going off the road-shoulder and on again. Another standard feature is hill-descent control — straight from the XC60. No sedans around here offer that.

The AWD driveline is, as always, front-biased but up to 50 per cent can be sent to the rear. The traction is good and the car feels planted and in control at all times, even on loose soil. Kicking up the dust in a sedan did gather quite a crowd especially in the suburbs of the nation’s capital. It can do it. It just can. And the best part is you’re smiling wider after knowing that it can. This is a car that can deal with all-road and quite a few no-road conditions as well. Simply put, it seems like a wise car to have at one’s disposal given our road conditions and areas, many out of the main cities, which several people need to travel to, some quite often.

Safety systems now, and this is a new Volvo, so I’ll try and keep it short. The IntelliSafe suite incorporates laser-assisted City Safety auto-braking up to 50 km/h. No radio frequency use here, which also means that the Adaptive Cruise function doesn’t, well, function. Actually, it isn’t offered here. Stability control, traction, brakes with anti-lock and corner traction control and torque vectoring, and, lest we forget, a full complement of airbags, all make the equipment list. Look at the brochure and the ‘Safety’ section has an ‘S’ (for standard) following every line.

So that’s what the new S60 Cross Country is like. It’s probably the most sensible car around if you have a lot of varied terrain — highways, dirt roads and a reasonably shallow pond — to deal with on a regular basis, and have Rs 38.9 lakh plus tax to spend on a luxury sedan. For what it offers, that’s a seriously competitive price; probably one of the few things that make more sense than the car. Raising the sedan? Without a doubt. Raising the game? Evidently, yes.

THE RIVALS

Mercedes-Benz GLA 200 d

The luxury compact crossover with a three-pointed star is the closest in the portfolio to match this Swede’s credentials, before the GLC-Class Coupé comes in.

Audi Q3 35 TDI

Ditto.

BMW X4

While this is a four-door coupé SUV, it isn’t here yet, and it rivals the upcoming Mercedes GLC Coupé, also not on sale anywhere yet.

NEED TO KNOW:

VOLVO S60 CROSS COUNTRY D4 AWD INSCRIPTION

• Price: Rs 38.9 lakh (ex-showroom)
• Engine: 2,400 cc, in-line five, turbo-diesel
• Max Power: 190 PS at 4,250 RPM
• Max Torque: 420 Nm at 1,500-3,000 RPM
• Transmission: Six-speed, automatic, all-wheel drive
• Weight: 1,776 kg

Tags: 4x4, allroad, car, cc, Cross Country, Drive, economy, family, india, luxury, New, offroad, Review, S60, safety, saloon, Scandinavian, sedan, volvo