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2023 Volvo V60 Cross Country – First Drive

Station Wagon

The Volvo V60 Cross-Country is All About Being Low and Long

While crossover SUVs are considered to be the do-it-all mainstream vehicle, the Volvo V60 Cross-Country makes for a great alternative. Compared to its V60 cross-over SUV, the Cross-Country variant is a station wagon and you don’t hear it often, but there are a few good reasons why you might want one. They sit lower to the ground; therefore, gives you a better handling and feel for the road, and it doesn’t miss out much on cargo space nor practicality either. Despite its family intentions, the Volvo V60 Cross-County comes with a very handsome exterior styling and a stunning interior an the powertrain equipped with a 250-hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine in AWD isn’t too shabby either.

New for model year 2023 comes equipped with minor styling upgrades including a tweaked front and rear bumper design and re-designed wheels. Volvo’s Google-integrated infotainment software also makes its way into model year 2023.

Front Headlights

Base model (V60 Cross-Country) starts at $49,950 with the Ultimate trim ringing up at $55,220.

Powertrain

One of the unique features of the Volvo its B5 engine that combines a 2.0L four-cylinder turbocharged engine with 48-volt mild hybrid system that produces 247 horsepower and 258 lb.ft of torque. Although not as well-performing as a full hybrid, the mild-hybrid system equipped on the B5 engine still helps on improving fuel efficiency via regenerative braking. That said, fuel economy EPA ratings score in at 22 and 31 mpg on both city and highway driving combined, which isn’t all that impressive.

Interior and Tech

The interior is where you get your money’s worth as it’s constructed with high-quality materials, clean aesthetics and just an overall unique Scandinavian feel.


Front driver and passenger seats remain one of the highlights of our review due to its high-quality perforated leather, excellent support with both heated and ventilated cooling. It’s even got a massage feature too.

leather seats

Equipped on our Ultimate trim comes with a Bower & Wilkins sound system which deserves accolade for its crisp and clear audio experience.

bowerandwilkins

Another unique feature of the Volvo V60 is its Google-integrated media system. Just like a smartphone, the media touchscreen is vertically-oriented portrait mode and it comes with some very high-value features you don’t get on other media systems such as Google Maps, Google Voice-Assist, and Google Play Store, that allows you to download apps like Spotify directly into your infotainment system. Yes, you can do all that with Android Auto, but the fully-integrated system adds a lot of convenience. Apple CarPlay support also makes its way into this year’s model as well.

Google Android

Test Drive and Final Thoughts

Initial road test quickly reveals the Volvo V60 CC as a definitive luxury vehicle with a very solid chassis, quiet cabin and smooth acceleration. Thanks to its lower center-of-gravity, the V60 CC handles and gives you a much better sense of the road as well. Fuel economy doesn’t do all that well unfortunately, leaving the need of a mild-hybrid system questionable and the warranty coverage of four years or 50,000 miles doesn’t sound all that enticing compared to what other manufacturers are offering, but the smooth and responsive acceleration in a tank-like vehicle was something we’d be willing to compromise for.

Rear

Specifications

  • Vehicle : 2023 Volvo XC60 (B5 Ultimate)
  • Vehicle Type : Cross-Country
  • Seating Capacity :2+3
  • Engine : Turbocharged 4-cylinder + 48V Mild Hybrid
  • Transmission : CVT
  • Price as tested: $55,220

Pros

  • Unique Scandinavian Design
  • Immense Horsepower and Acceleration
  • Google-Built in Services adds a lot of convenience
  • Practical compact station wagon form factor

Cons

  • Unimpressive Fuel Economy
  • Uncompetitive Warranty Coverage