Test drive Volvo V90 Cross Country
The new Volvo V90 Cross Country no longer carries the XC off-road index like its predecessor. Now this model already resembles a crossover, and not just a slightly raised station wagon.
The driver of the white "six" noticed the cow at the last moment, although she crossed the road slowly and solemnly. He braked in smoke and twisted the steering wheel with a grinding noise. The car made an arc in front of the long hood of the Volvo V90 Cross Country and found itself in the oncoming lane. The Swedish station wagon immediately noticed a dangerous maneuver, issuing a warning on the tidy.
The iconic XC70 owner wears a Panama hat, a lush gray mustache and a thick plaid shirt, and carries a shaggy dog in the trunk. On weekends, he sits on the bank of the river with a fishing rod and laments that frolicking young people scare him away from fish. The V90 Cross Country is, it seems, also an off-road wagon, but still not an equivalent replacement for the "seventy".
The car became larger, but the increase in wheelbase mainly affected the rear passengers. This and the presence of their own separate climate control on the second row speaks of their changed status. The trunk has grown slightly, up to 560 l (+5 l), the floor has become lower, that's just a pity to let the dog on high-quality and light upholstery.
Volvo tried to get away from the "age" and purely practical image. For a dramatic silhouette, the roof line was made lower and the windows narrower. The bumper is protruded, the hood is lengthened not only for the sake of safety - this underlines premium ambitions. The black body kit is now painted, and if desired, you can make it the same color as the body. The new model resembles a crossover, although it no longer carries the XC off-road index. In Ossetia and Ingushetia, Volvo is a rare guest, but the new model with formidable hammer headlights is looked at with interest and, most importantly, respect.
It's the same in the interior - chrome, bulging stained wood, milled metal speakers and leather with stitching. Only natural materials and practicality remain from the Scandinavian style, there is no boulder on a boulder from its inherent minimalism and laconicism. Soft smooth forms of details, if they evoke associations with northern nature, then this picture will be bright and embellished. At the same time, the atmosphere in the salon is cozy and friendly. The seats, equipped with adjustable lumbar support, lateral support and cushion length, maximally adapt to any driver.
Focusing on German competitors, Volvo does not seek to copy their solutions, but offers its own. For example, there is a child booster built into the back seat. On the one hand, everything is quite familiar here: paddle shifters, fixed positions of the automatic transmission lever. On the other hand, it is not a button that starts the engine, but a turn of a beautiful switch, the modes of movement are changed by a faceted cylinder. If it does require getting used to, it will be short-lived. The vertically elongated touchscreen is unusual only at first glance - a modern person with a smartphone will appreciate this format. In addition, it will simultaneously fit both a map and virtual climate control buttons.
The multimedia system is called complex - Sensus Connectivity. You could just as well have given her the name Grundtal, Whistoft, Skubbara, like some Ikea thing. To understand its functions, you do not need instructions: the logic of the menu is smartphone with application icons and flipping screens. The only physical button is Home, like on a real smartphone. Naturally, the integration with mobile devices is also great: you can not only connect your phone and tablet to the system, but also control the car from it using Volvo On Call. You can find out the temperature in the cabin, the location of the car, unlock the doors and start the engine. All this with a mobile connection.
In the cabin, Bowers & Wilkins acoustics pleasantly bass into all of its 19 speakers, drowning out the few noises that penetrate the cabin. On straight highways with good markings, you can turn on a back massage, put the car into eco-mode and entrust the electronics to control: it not only keeps its distance from the front cars, but also steers in gentle turns.
Confident actions captivate, but do not forget that the "autopilot" sees the edge of the road only if it is marked with a white stripe. On mountain serpentines, tracking the markings is already getting in the way - you want to run into the line with your wheels and go through the turn more gently, but the steering wheel resists. Here it is appropriate to limit the interference of electronics and take control. Dynamic mode sharpens the reaction to the gas pedal, tightens the shock absorbers, but does not overload the sport. A car with a rear air suspension still drives quite smoothly and marks only sharp joints and cracks.
Under the long hood of the V90 Cross Country, only two-liter four-cylinder engines are installed - gasoline and diesel. To increase their efficiency, the Swedish manufacturer goes to various tricks, conjures with supercharging. Moreover, the new station wagon is heavier than the XC70. In the D4 version (190 hp and 400 Nm) it is a quite ordinary diesel SUV with dynamics at the level of "seventy" - 8,8 s to 100 km / h and 210 km / h maximum speed.
The D5 variant is boosted to 235 hp. and 480 newton meters. Acceleration time has been shortened by more than a second, and it feels like even more. First of all, thanks to the PowerPulse system - it stores compressed air in a specially designed cylinder and, when starting from a standstill, spins the turbine with it, helping it to get out of the "pit". The pressure with which the car accelerates is impressive. The petrol top version of the T6 is even faster - 6,3 seconds to "hundreds". Thanks to the combination of a mechanical supercharger and a turbocharger, 320 hp were removed from two liters. and 400 Nm of torque.
Of course, the numbers are more impressive than the real dynamics - the character of the engine still retains the inherent intelligence of Volvo. It's still a very quick option, albeit impractical in terms of gasoline costs and vehicle tax. For the thrifty, the younger petrol version of the T5 was derated to 249 hp, and on average such a car consumes half a liter of gasoline less than the T6.
Ingushetia is a country of towers. Here graceful defensive structures have been preserved from the Middle Ages almost in their original form. But the roads to them have practically not changed since then - a field, a dirt road, narrow crumbling serpentines, sharp stones. I even had to overcome the ford, which felt deeper than the permitted 30 cm. Here, the large ground clearance of 210 mm, and all-wheel drive, and the comfortable mode of shock absorbers, in which the car on 19-inch disks smoothly passes bumps, came in handy.
A couple of times the off-road mode also came in handy, dampening the gas pedal, adding traction to the rear wheels and assisting on steep descents. On adventures like this, this station wagon instills too much confidence. The main thing is to take care of the wheels: only the stowaway is hidden under the boot floor.
Prices for the V90 Cross Country start at $ 39 for the T600 version. The diesel version of the D5 costs $ 4, while the D42 will have to pay an additional $ 700. The most expensive T5 variant will cost $ 1. The basic Plus version is already equipped pretty well: multimedia, dual-zone climate control and a whole set of safety electronics. In addition to this, there is a Pro option for $ 700 more.
Competitors in terms of price do not look so attractive. For the Audi A6 allroad quattro with a 3-liter gasoline engine (333 hp) costs $ 49. The Mercedes-Benz E-Class All Terrain with a 700-horsepower diesel engine will cost at least $ 195.
The Swedish off-road wagon has another advantage. Despite the painted body kit, premium claim and high tech, the V90 Cross Country still rolls off the pavement without any problems. Like the builders of the Ingush towers, the Swedish manufacturer feels more confident at the height, while Audi and Mercedes-Benz abandoned high ground clearance in favor of light handling.
| A type | ||||
| Off-road wagon | Off-road wagon | Off-road wagon | ||
| Dimensions: length / width / height, mm | ||||
| 4939/1879/1543 | 4939/1879/1543 | 4939/1879/1543 | ||
| Wheelbase, mm | ||||
| 2941 | 2941 | 2941 | ||
| Ground clearance, mm | ||||
| 210 | 210 | 210 | ||
| Cargo space, l | ||||
| 560-1526 | 560-1526 | 560-1526 | ||
| Curb weight, kg | ||||
| 1920-1966 | 1920-1966 | 1920-1966 | ||
| Gross vehicle weight, kg | ||||
| 2390-2440 | 2390-2440 | 2390-2440 | ||
| engine's type | ||||
| 4-cylinder turbodiesel | 4-cylinder turbodiesel | Petrol 4-cylinder, turbocharged and supercharged | ||
| Working volume, cubic meters cm | ||||
| 1969 | 1969 | 1969 | ||
| Max. power, h.p. (at rpm) | ||||
| 190/4250 | 235/4000 | 320/5700 | ||
| Max. cool. moment, Nm (at rpm) | ||||
| 400/1750-2500 | 480/1750-2250 | 400/2200-5400 | ||
| Drive type, transmission | ||||
| Full, AKP8 | Full, AKP8 | Full, AKP8 | ||
| Max. speed km / h | ||||
| 210 | 230 | 230 | ||
| Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h, s | ||||
| 8,8 | 7,5 | 6,3 | ||
| Fuel consumption, l / 100 km | ||||
| 5,3 | 5,7 | 7,9 | ||
| Price from, USD | ||||
| 42 700 | 44 400 | 47 500 | ||
