Power rolls out smoothly and the transmission mildly slips between gears, neither quickly nor roughly, which seems just fine for its mission, and although a Sport mode is available, it seems out of character with this luxury wagon. There is only a muted roar to accompany a spirited application of throttle and the AWD puts power to the ground evenly. Very well judged.

The ride, too, is well calibrated, the raised platform (66 mm higher than the standard V60) offering plenty of suspension travel, but a middle ground in cornering attitude between the lower Sportwagon and XC60 SUV. Go figure. Steering is a bit heavy, and the winter tires compounded its somewhat spongy character, but it responded well enough that these are nitpicks easily dismissed and forgiven in a luxury-oriented wagon – it’s no Polestar, after all. While I loved the V60 Polestar Wagon’s almost incomprehensibly superb handling and livable ride, the Cross Country is likely a far more familiar and desirable experience for Volvo owners, a soft, cushy ride that rolls gently in the corners but never wallows.

It’s a perfect match for these splendid Volvo seats that cushion and support and coddle with the right mix of padding, contour and in our tester trimmed in rich, creamy tan (Beechwood) leather. Now, the seat bottoms and backs are great, but the fixed headrest is little intrusive for me and may not suit all body types. The materials throughout the cabin are of the same calibre as the leather, soft touch plastics or more leather at frequent contact points and switchgear with tight tolerances and firm action.

Facing you is a digital gauge cluster that can be set to three different themes, Elegance, Tech and Sport, the first two with large analogue style speedos and the latter with central tach and digital speed readout in the middle and power gauge to the right where the others feature the tach. On the left is either engine temp or efficiency guide. Along with the classy housing, it’s a modern, elegant and stylish gauge cluster without trying to hard, but one’s speed was easiest to keep track of in the very angry Sport mode.

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