Test drive Volvo V90 Cross Country
Test Drive

Test drive Volvo V90 Cross Country

The Volvo V90 Cross Country station wagon, with obvious advantages, is still a piece goods in Russia. Disassembled in 8 cards, which is still worth paying attention to in this car

The most popular Volvo models in Russia are still crossovers from the XC line. And this despite the fact that the Swedes have two sedans and two station wagons. But the demand for the latter is catastrophically low - usually no more than 100 of these cars are sold per month. We took the V90 Cross Country to the test to find out why the balance of power in the segment is exactly like that. It turned out 8 cards.

Test drive Volvo V90 Cross Country

The body shape of station wagons is such that it attracts only its small audience. But the Swedes managed to make a car that can swing at something more. The Volvo V90 Cross Country is somewhat reminiscent of a Tesla with its sharp edges and an imperturbably calm profile. At the same time, unlike Tesla, the Swedish station wagon has nothing superfluous like lurid optics. In the case of the V90 CC form factor, there is only one problem: in the parking lot you will have to look for a more authentic place and actively turn the steering wheel - here, after all, it is five meters long.

Test drive Volvo V90 Cross Country

The interior of the Swedish station wagon is trimmed with real wood and soft quality leather. There is a lot of light, space, a minimum of details and light shades of soft colors - eco-friendly design in the style of Volvo has long been a feature of the Swedes. Small chrome details do not stand out from the general concept, because they can be counted on the fingers of one hand. However, comfort and good soft skin of crème brulee color in the car interior in 2020 is no longer enough. Here you can spy on the Germans, who have long understood that more feedback and interactivity is needed from the interior.

Test drive Volvo V90 Cross Country

All four passengers of the station wagon, and in my case two of them are children, always gladly sat in a chair with a profile, soft leather and appreciated the legroom. But the landing turned out to be greatly underestimated, the door goes into the window exactly at shoulder level. Therefore, it was convenient to admire the long trip only through the windshield and only for the front passengers. But it's impossible to find fault with the trunk: it is huge both in appearance and in the passport - it contains 656 honest liters. In the class of such cars in Russia, the V90 has no competitors, the only rival is the Mercedes E-Class All-Terrain, which has 16 liters less in the trunk. With the second row folded, the Volvo trunk volume grows to 1526 liters, just under the Ikeevsky chest of drawers or a family set of ammunition for alpine skis.

Test drive Volvo V90 Cross Country

In the central part of the dashboard there is a vertical nine-inch screen with a single round button in the middle. Almost all the usual functionality is hidden in this tablet. Therefore, it took time to search, for example, to start the camera or turn off the start-stop system. The screen flips through the menu pages with swipes, the sensors are very sensitive, so something wrong happened by accident. For example, an instruction for a car crawled out, which boots very slowly and fills the screen with small print.

But it is convenient to control security systems through Volvo multimedia: together with cameras, they are collected on a separate page and open with the first swipe to the right.

Test drive Volvo V90 Cross Country

There is absolutely no extraneous noise in this car, and the rattling of a powerful diesel engine is not audible, even at high speed. Numerous security systems are responsible for the peace of mind of passengers. For example, Pilot Assist will not allow the driver to cross the lane markings without a turn signal; any attempts are instantly stopped by the car using a gentle vibration and taxiing back. Like many other cars, the Volvo V90 CC is able to independently move in the stream when the cruise is on, slow down and pick up speed, adjusting to the car in front. But unlike its competitors, Volvo's system works smoothly, slows down exactly half a second before the driver brings his foot to the pedal, and we appreciated this on the track. But emergency braking is configured with a strong margin, and this should be taken into account. When the V90 system is triggered, the CC brakes sharply and with a loud safety signal presses the passengers with belts to the seats.

Test drive Volvo V90 Cross Country

Volvo V90 Cross Country can be bought with one of three engines to choose from (all of them, by the way, are two-liter). There are two diesels (190 and 235 hp) and one gasoline engine with a capacity of 249 hp. It is optimal to choose a diesel engine for such a large and heavy car: fuel consumption in this case will not exceed 8 liters per 100 km in the city, and in a country trip it will generally be only 6 liters. These are the numbers that the on-board computer managed to show during the test. The combination of an older diesel engine and an Aisin automatic transmission with eight steps proved to be excellent, the slight nervousness of the “automatic” is felt only in traffic jams.

Test drive Volvo V90 Cross Country

Of course, active driving with fast steering is not the most comfortable environment for the Volvo V90. This car likes a stable ride on good asphalt, preferably with cruise control. Actually, that is why the car was called expeditionary, it is comfortable and safe to overcome long distances between cities in it. But active city driving, especially during rush hours, overwhelms the Swedish station wagon's full potential.

Test drive Volvo V90 Cross Country

Today the price tag for the Volvo V90 Cross Country with a gasoline engine, all-wheel drive and all safety systems starts at 47,2 thousand. dollars. Having paid another 2,5 thousand, you can order a car with a 190-horsepower diesel engine. The more powerful version we had is offered in a single Pro trim for $ 57. And here is just a dilemma. Whether you are traveling or sporting family outings, the Volvo V000 CC is the perfect choice. But for daily use in the city, the Swedish station wagon, alas, does not look the best option anymore. But if you want some kind of uniqueness and there is no constraint in the budget, then the V90 is the very piece goods.

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