Although Volvo’s floating console has been copied by several competitors and isn’t the novelty it once was, it too is elegant and modern, if less functional than the digital gauges. Our Cross Country’s dash was trimmed in a cool aluminum finish, and despite the closely packed buttons clustered in the middle and four dials with inset buttons, many of the interface’s functions are easily accessible via steering wheel controls. Perhaps over time the main menu shortcuts for audio, phone and nav (which I prefer rather than backing out through several menu layers using the steering wheel controls) would become second nature, but even after back to back weeks in two Volvos, I found the mix of a highly stylized, dense font and icons confusing and counterintuitive. The fan zone guy remains one of the coolest dudes in the car biz.

Back seat visitors will regret the shortage of space compared to competitors like the A4 Allroad or BMW 328i Touring. There is space enough to get a car seat installed and strap in the kiddos, but a rear-facing seat would make the front passenger awfully cramped. What? You think I’m going to put a rear facing seat behind myself?. The added ride height here diminishes the bending required, so again it is a fair compromise between the taller XC60 and Sportwagon versions of the V60.

Moving back to the cargo bay, we find a small but practical square area and quality materials – even here. The thick carpeting wraps all the way to the beltline inside the wide, square trunk and there are a couple of small trays under the floor along with the spare. While a cargo cover and cargo net (to prevent loose objects from flying into the cabin in a collision) are much appreciated they are bulky and heavy on the occasion you might need to remove them. Sadly, no clever bag holder as in the XC60, but the seats do split 40/20/40 and fold flat. Plus, the driver can collapse the rear headrests by a button on the centre console to open up maximum rear visibility. Neat.

The Cross Country starts $44,100, which is a $1,700 premium over the equivalent V60 T5 AWD Sportwagon for a slightly different look and feel, but all of the same interior quality and that extra 66 mm jacked up ride height. Those with rutted tracks to the cottage or that prefer to charge through snow berms left by the plows rather than digging out will appreciate the extra clearance, but other drivers that prefer a more stable cornering attitude and sleeker look will want to stick with the Sportwagon.

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