Even though SUVs and crossovers are now its biggest sellers, Volvo’s continued to cater for those who live in the depths of the English countryside and wear lots of tweed with its Cross Country range of jacked-up estates and occasional saloons. Now, there’s a new one, the Volvo EX30 Cross Country, and confusingly, it’s based on a car that was already a crossover.
Volvo EX30 Cross Country – front detail
That’s the all-electric EX30, the smallest model Volvo currently sells, and while it does already ride higher than it really needs to because that’s what people like these days, we wouldn’t recommend trying to take it across a muddy field.
In the Cross Country, on the other hand, you might be okay. It’s had the regular XC treatment, riding higher than standard and kitted out with the usual black plastic cladding. On the front ‘grille’, you’ll see an engraving of the topography of the Kebnekaise mountain range in northern Sweden.
Volvo EX30 Cross Country – interior
It can be further kitted out with stuff like 18-inch all-terrain tyres, mudflaps and the roof rack you see in these lovely, cosy-looking pictures. These can all be packaged together at a discount via the ‘Cross Country Experience’, which will also “create an entire ecosystem around [the Cross Country] models, supporting our customers as they embrace adventure,” according to Volvo CEO Jim Rowan.
Volvo hasn’t confirmed powertrain details but has said the Cross Country will be all-wheel drive (obvs) and get a quoted max range of 265 miles. This presumably means it comes with the regular EX30’s Twin Motor Performance drivetrain, which packs a healthy 422bhp. Whether the treatment will also be available for lesser rear-wheel drive EX30s is unconfirmed.
Volvo EX30 Cross Country – rear
The sort of people that buy Cross Country Volvos tend to keep them for a very long time, because they last forever and not much else this side of a Subaru Outback does what they do. That means that someone who bought an original V70 Cross Country back in 1997 might finally be getting around to maybe, possibly considering replacing it in the next decade – reckon the EX30 fits the bill?
