2016 Volvo S60 Cross Country Road Test & Review

2016 Volvo S60 Cross Country Off Roading ・ Photo by Lyndon Bell

Something of a first world solution to a third world problem, while doing this 2016 Volvo S60 Cross Country Road Test & Review, we wondered how readily Americans would accept the idea of a sport utility sedan. Yes, the concept does have a couple of precedents in this market; namely the 1982 AMC Eagle sedan, and 16 years later, the Subaru Legacy sport utility sedan (or SUS). However, aside from a rather small (though enthusiastic) fan base, those models suffered an ignominious fate. Which brings us back to our first world/third world premise.

While we here in the USA tend to think the automotive universe revolves around us, the fact is there are markets all over the world where this car might be a strong seller. Remember, Volvo (nee Geely) is a Chinese-owned company now. In rural China, India, and other nations whose economies are growing wildly as their infrastructure struggles to keep pace, a comfortable sedan capable of shrugging off crater-sized potholes, motoring through mud, gravel and whatever else comes along potentially offers significant appeal for the newly-moneyed who must venture out of the cities as part of their business dealings—or to visit family in the outer areas.

Models & Pricing

A subset of the Volvo S60 model range, for the 2016 model year, Volvo is bringing 500 copies of the S60 Cross Country to the United States. All will be identical in content. Plus, you’ll get any exterior color you’d like, as long as you choose to like what Volvo is calling Osmium Gray Metallic. The good news is while your choices are locked in, the level of equipment offered with the 2016 Volvo S60 Cross Country is quite generous. At $43,950 plus $995 for destination, you’ll get features like smart cruise control, lane departure warning, a premium audio system from Harman Kardon, voice activated secondary functions, navigation, rain sensing windshield wipers, keyless entry and ignition, a power actuated moonroof, electronic dual-zone automatic climate control, and leather upholstery.

In other words, the S60 Cross Country comes stocked with pretty much every feature Volvo offers for the S60 model range. That said, there are two option packages. The $925 Blind Spot Information Package fits blind spot monitoring, cross traffic alert, front proximity sensors, and Volvo’s lane change merge aid. The $1,550 Climate Package adds heat for the front and rear seats, windshield, wiper nozzles, and an interior air quality system. Also optional are a set of 19-inch wheels.

Photo by Lyndon Bell

Design

Yeah, we know it looks like a Volvo on pogo sticks, stilts, or whatever other denigrating reference you’d like to apply to the 2016 Volvo S60 Cross Country’s exaggerated ride height. For the record, the model sits some 2.5 inches higher than the standard S60 sedan, and yes this is likely the first aspect of its styling to catch your eye. However, like the other styling aberrations the S60 Cross Country takes from the standard S60 sedan, it serves to protect the car. Other differences include the plastic moldings on the lips of each of the Volvo’s four fenders. These shrug off scratches and any other evidence of contact with the environment the S60 might encounter.

Similarly, the skid plates under the car’s chin and at the rear beneath the bumper are designed to take accept abuse and be easy to replace if the cosmetics start to get a bit too rough for your tastes. Those high profile 18-inch tires cushion the roughness out of the ride, and the diamond cut alloy wheels give the S60 Cross Country a sporty look—while contending with potential damage. Ditto the side skirts running the length of each side of the S60 Cross Country.

Photo by Lyndon Bell

Features & Controls

If you’ve been in a contemporary Volvo sedan, you’ll immediately take comfort in the familiarity of the S60’s environment. On the other hand, if you’ve seen the all-new XC90, this setup might look a tad on the dated side to you. Still, it remains one of the most ergonomically prudent driving environments on the road. The layout is exceptional in its logic and intuitiveness. The center stack is canted slightly toward the driver to permit interaction with every button on it while maintaining the ideal seating position. In other words, everything is within arm’s length, allowing you to remain seated perfectly for controlling the car. Four round dials offer fine control over the systems requiring same, while the top right dial conducts functions for the infotainment monitor just above the central HVAC vent.

The keypad permits the direct entry of frequencies for the radio, and the pictogram directing the incoming air is as obvious as they come. The new instrument panel offers reconfigurable readouts for ancillary information, while the content you need most is focused within the central round section. As driver-focused cockpits go, the 2016 Volvo S60 Cross Country has one of the absolute best you’ll find offered by any contemporary automobile manufacturer.

The remarkable Volvo Sensus features leverage the Internet to do things like provide guidance to parking spaces and let you pay from the car. You can use Sensus to stream music or listen to books. The feature also summons roadside assistance, and delivers door lock status, fuel level, maintenance warnings and other key information about the car. You can also use it to remote start the engine and pre-condition the interior to cool it in summer and warm it in winter—before you get into the car.

Photo by Lyndon Bell

Comfort & Cargo

Much is made of Scandinavian design. While the term may strike some a bit Euro-centric, the fact remains Volvo builds one of the most comfortable cars on the road. During our testing, we did a 200-mile stint; stopping only for food and the call of nature—you know, photos and such. The supple leather seats in the 2016 Volvo S60 Cross Country easily rank among the most supportive we’ve ever experienced. Further, they hold you in place with decided competence. Multiple adjustments afford a perfectly tailored fit.

Designed to arrest fatigue, over the period of our extended drive, we found the seats had the debilitating condition doing life with no possibility of parole. What’s more, the generous side bolsters on both the bottom cushion and seat back work very well at keeping occupants centered in the most comfortable part of the seats. For the driver, they help maintain the ideal position for the most efficient command of the car. However, rear seat legroom is totally dependent upon the generosity of those riding up front—in other words, yeah, it’s a bit tight back there.

Regarding cargo capacity, just as in the S60 sedan, the S60 Cross Country offers some 12 cubic feet. For more capability, the rear seat backs also fold, and there’s a separate ski pass-through.

Photo by Lyndon Bell

Safety & Crash Ratings

While the 2016 Volvo S60 Cross Country has yet to be reported upon by the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety, the 2015 Volvo S60 is ranked by the organization as one of its Top Safety Picks +. The model scored the IIHS’s top ranking of “Good” in small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, and side crashworthiness. Further, the Volvo pulled the top ranking in roof strength, as well as for the efficacy of its head restraints and seats at preventing injuries in crashes. Earning the Volvo S60 the “+” designation is the available front crash prevention technologies offered with the model. These include forward collision warning and forward collision mitigation.

By now, it’s almost become cliché to even mention safety in conjunction with a Volvo, as the brand has been a leader in the area from the very beginning of its existence. The 2016 Volvo S60 Cross Country’s standard safety feature set includes antilock disc brakes, stability and traction control, front-seat side airbags, side curtain airbags and whiplash-reducing front head restraints. Also standard are low-speed frontal collision warning and collision mitigation with automatic braking systems. Volvo's standard On Call system includes emergency assistance, automatic crash notification, and stolen vehicle assistance.

Photo by Lyndon Bell

Engines & Fuel Economy

While a variety of engines and front-wheel drive are offered for the 2016 Volvo S60 Cross Country in other markets; here in the United States, we’ll get all-wheel drive with hill descent control as a standard feature. A six-speed automatic transmission ties the 250-horsepower 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine to the rest of the powertrain. The T5 AWD system enjoys 266 ft-lbs of torque. Fuel economy is estimated at 20 miles per gallon in the city, 28 MPG on the highway, and 23 combined. The front mounted engine uses an intercooler for the turbocharger to produce a denser intake charge for optimal power output.

The 20-valve engine also features direct fuel injection and variable valve timing. Happily, it is perfectly capable of producing its maximum output on regular unleaded fuel. The transmission incorporates Geartronic manual shifting, permitting the driver to select gears as required. This, in conjunction with the S60’s limited slip differential and hill descent control add a significant measure of confidence to the Volvo S60 Cross Country’s swagger in offroad situations—as well as when negotiating wet surfaces and snowy environments.

Photo by Lyndon Bell

Driving Impressions

One look at the 2016 Volvo S60 Cross Country’s 7.9-inches of ground clearance will probably lead you to think the Volvo sport utilty sedan wallows like it's a house-bound dog in feshly mown grass when you drive on a winding road. This is patently false. In fact, the Volvo rides smoothly, absorbs road imperfections like a boss, and acquits itself admirably on winding mountain roads. As part of the Volvo-sponsored drive event we attended to get the background for this 2016 Volvo S60 Cross Country Road Test & Review, the company chose one of the most fantastic sports car roads in the country. California State Highway 1 north of San Francisco is an amalgamation of every type of curve you can think of.

On camber, off camber, hairpins, S-curves, increasing radius, decreasing radius, they’re all there. Uphill corners, downhill corners, corners with cresting apexes; this is one very challenging road. Through them all, the S60 Cross Country maintained a very brisk pace, tracked beautifully, and body roll was all but non-existent. Yes, if you overcook a corner the Volvo pushes, but keep the Cross Country in its sweet spot and it maintains a very respectable average speed. While the word Volvo is derived from a Latin word meaning ”I roll”; in this case, the rolling pertains only to the car’s tires.

Photo by Lyndon Bell

Final Thoughts

We firmly believe true beauty lies in functionality and, for this reason, we’re willing to give the wonkiness of the 2016 Volvo S60 Cross Country’s look a pass. Yeah, it’s goofy looking as all get out, but it’s goofy looking with a purpose, and for us this is what truly counts. As part of our testing we did an impromptu run up and down a few steep unpaved grades, as you’ve seen in the accompanying photography. The S60 Cross Country, if driven with care, demonstrated it’s quite capable of dealing with any reasonable soft road situation you’ll come up against. The traction provided by the all-wheel drive system with its limited-slip differential, hill descent control, and manual transmission mode can only serve to make the 2016 S60 Cross Country exceptionally competent in such circumstances.

Several years ago, we had occasion to take the Cross Country wagon on a tour of pavement-free Baja California. Traversing the spine of the peninsula, we crawled over rocks, forded streams, and surfed sandy crevasses. Through it all, the wagon came through like a champ. We have every reason to believe the sedan similarly capable. Yeah, the wagon is mote utilitarian and has the same capabilities, but if the wagon is more than you really need, it’s nice to know there’s an alternative.

Photo by Lyndon Bell

Pros & Cons

: Distinctive look, comprehensively equipped, exceptional comfort, outstanding ergonomics, reasonably good fuel economy, strong build quality, decided reliability.

: Limited cargo capacity, sparse rear-seat legroom, fairly expensive, limited availability, questionable look, questionable concept (for some), offered in only one color, with one level of equipment.

Photo by Lyndon Bell