Wagon love is a beautiful thing. In a world of crossovers and SUVs and pickups and family sedans, the wagon is a dying breed, but a few small brands are carrying the torch, and providing us few, proud wagon loyalists with our practicality, efficiency and superior dynamics. Wait, why is this wagon so high?

Hmmm, is it a crossover? Well, it’s a Cross Country, and it’s ride height is certainly crossover-y, but there isn’t much in the way of body cladding a la Subaru Outback or even Volvo’s own larger XC70 cross-wagon, just a tad around the wheel wells, and this black and white scheme reminds me more of an Audi ‘Titanium’ treatment than a Volvo crossover. Well, no matter, call it whatever makes you happy and calling it a wagon makes me happy in a landscape of dwindling wagon options.

But that’s alright, because for every manufacturer that drops a wagon, Volvo seems to add a trim to their V60 wagon lineup. The V60 Sportwagon has four basic trims and four engine options and the Cross Country is available in four trims, but with only one drivetrain option for now: the T5 AWD.

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The T5 is a turbocharged inline-five-cylinder making 250 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque, not to be confused with the T5 Drive-E, which is a turbocharged four-cylinder, which should not be confused with the T6 Drive-E which is a turbocharged and supercharged four-cylinder that is more powerful than either of the above, though sadly only available in the XC60 with FWD at the time of writing.

Let’s move on before my brain explodes. The T5 in the Cross Country certainly hits the sweet spot, the full bulk of torque available from 1,800 to 4,200 rpm, dialed into a six-speed automatic and standard AWD. The throttle and the transmission are not calibrated to pin you back in your seat, and the V60 CC is all the better for it. Official fuel consumption ratings are 11.8/8.3/10.2 L/100 km in city/highway/combined, and I saw a reasonable 10.4 L/100 km the week.

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