Volvo has taken the wraps off its latest luxury car, the 2017 Volvo V90 Cross Country, a beefed-up, rugged version of its new V90 wagon. Like the S90 and V90, the new car is a particularly Swedish take on luxury – plenty of leather and open-pore black walnut wood – but, unlike its siblings, the Cross Country specification increases ground clearance by 2.5-inches to 8.3-inches.
It’s an important change, since Volvo drivers aren’t just looking for a car that looks like it can go off-road: A significant proportion actually use it that way. Volvo took the V90 Cross Country to north Sweden for -40 centigrade extremes, to test out the various tweaks and adjustments made along the way.
That includes getting a completely new tire with a softer, more rounded profile. Volvo says that should be more accommodating on difficult road surfaces, but also more comfortable in highway driving. The electronic chassis control has been reprogrammed, and there’s hill descent control as standard.
A double-wishbone front axel and integral link rear axel suspension are paired with rack-assisted, electro-mechanical steering that’s speed-dependent. Five drive modes – Eco, Comfort, Dynamic, Off-Road, and Individual – are borrowed from the XC90. The new model is said to reach us within the new year.
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