Luxury sedans in India are respected for three things, among others—for the comfort they provide, for the opulence that comes in abundance, and for the value that is attached to the brand. But such sedans do have some shortcomings, and one such—low ground clearance—easily gets reflected in Indian driving conditions. More often than not, the underbelly scrapes poorly-designed, tall speed-breakers; also, these cars are tricky to manoeuvre in flooded roads.
Volvo S60 Cross Country, however, tries to ‘stand out’ among the increasingly getting crowded small luxury sedan space—Mercedes-Benz C-Class, BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and now the Jaguar XE.
Masculine design
The honeycomb grille with the Volvo Iron Mark emblazoned gives the car a tough frontal appearance. Active bending headlights are standard—the headlights point to the direction you move the steering wheel. The increased height means the S60 Cross Country enjoys a far more confident stance compared to its sedan version—the S60—and wheel-arch embellishments add to its crossover look. The rear gets dual exhaust tailpipes and inverted L tail-lamps. It’s clearly the most handsome Volvo sedan currently available in India.
Like the SUVs, the S60 Cross Country comes with an all-wheel drive (AWD) mechanism. The car measures 4,638mm in length, 1899mm in width and 1,539mm in height. Its wheelbase is 2,774mm, which results in a decent rear seating space. The chassis has been raised by a good 65mm—on top of the S60 sedan’s—and this leads to an SUV-rivalling ground clearance of 201mm. The car rides on large 18-inch alloy wheels, which further add to its height.
Clutter-free cabin
Inside the cabin, the design is pure Scandinavian—there’s no unnecessary clutter. The attention to detail is impressive and the car gets sport leather seats with contrasting stitching. Interior detailing includes a piano-black deco option, leather gear knobs in the centre stack and a frame-less inner rear-view mirror—the mirror also has an inbuilt compass. However, in terms of opulence, the cabin doesn’t match that of the C-Class or even the 3 Series. It somehow looks dated, very last decade.
While most sedans are five-seater cars, luxury sedans are best used as four-seaters. The reason is that in these sedans—including the S60 Cross Country—there is a protruding central tunnel which takes up rear-seating area’s leg space. Adding a fifth person comes at the expense of comfort. However, for four passengers, both front and rear seats are very supportive.
The cargo capacity is 380 litres, and most of it is usable.
Powerful engine
Under its hood sits a 2.4-litre five-cylinder diesel engine that churns out a maximum power of 190bhp at 4,000rpm, and a torque of 420Nm between 1,500rpm and 3,000rpm. While Volvo India didn’t share with us its fuel-efficiency figure, while driving in and around New Delhi we got an average of 14kpl. The car has a large fuel tank of 67.5 litres, and this means on a full tank the S60 Cross Country will have a range of about 900 km.
Stiff suspension
When a car’s height is raised, along comes a condition called increased body roll—it means that the weight of a car shifts to the outside of the corner as you take a left or a right turn. Now, to minimise body roll, engineers make the suspension stiffer. Although a stiffer suspension ensures better handling, it comes at the expense of ride quality, especially on bad roads. The S60 Cross Country, therefore, drives like a dream on smooth tarmac, but as soon as the car hits a rough patch, the cabin turns noisy and the ride turns rough.
Safety is standard
Because it is a Volvo, safety is standard. The S60 Cross Country gets the unique City Safety feature which has laser-assisted automatic braking.
How does it work?
In case the driver loses attention, falls asleep or is somehow unable to detect an obstruction ahead, City Safety will automatically apply brakes, provided the car is moving at a speed under 50kph.
Then you have technologies such as electronic brakeforce distribution, emergency brake assist, hill descent control, hill start assist, among others.
Volvo India claims that, on the S60 Cross Country, the powertrain comes with the DPF (diesel particulate filter) that traps harmful particles like PM2.5 and PM10—essentially soot—by up to 99% from the exhaust gases, leading to cleaner atmospheric air. However, because the S60 Cross Country’s engine size is over 2000cc, it cannot be sold in Delhi as of now; the Supreme Court had, in December last year, banned the registration of diesel cars and SUVs above 2000cc in the national capital.
Worth buying?
The S60 Cross Country is essentially Swedish luxury with an adventurous spirit. It has an imposing, muscular presence that echoes its capable nature. Its tall stance makes it stand out among its suave competitors. For Rs 38.9 lakh, ex-showroom, Mumbai, its price is also very competitive—there is only one variant though, the Inscription. Yes it has a slightly dated feel to it, but the car drives very well, has a powerful engine, is one of the safest on our roads, and will surely not scrape that tall speed-breaker round the corner.
