Personnal note: I don't understand the hatred of SUV's .... Even though I am driving a V60 Cross Country.
The wagon that helped start the crossover craze could be the key to ending it.
The Nineties were a wonderful time. Radio airwaves
were filled with grunge and alternative rock. ABC’s TGIF lineup made us laugh
every Friday night. Facebook didn’t exist, which means people got along and
didn’t question whether the news was lying to them. And, best of all, there
were no crossovers on the road.
No, in the 1990s we wanted our music to come from
Seattle, Double Dare on our TV, and our cars to adhere to
established norms of design. A wagon was a wagon, a sedan, a sedan. But there
weren’t cars that tried to be all things to everyone, and instead just ended up
being compromised lumps that brought utility without joy. Not that automakers
didn’t try, AMC tried in the Eighties with the Eagle. Initial success led to
its cancelation just a few years later, and seemingly the end of cars that
tried to be everything to everyone. So-called crossovers.
But in 1994, Subaru released a version of the
Legacy wagon dubbed the Outback. A raised ride height and all-wheel drive aimed
to make a vehicle that was capable in all conditions, even light off-road
situations, without the compromises of a truck. It was a smash hit, and Volvo
followed in 1997 with the V70 XC, also known as the Cross Country. It also took off.
The seed was planted. A slightly higher riding
vehicle with ample luggage space and all-weather credentials became what
everyone wanted. But soon, the raised wagon wasn’t enough. People wanted higher
riding SUV-ish things that rode like cars and could barely go off-road. The
true era of the crossover was born.
But the Volvo wagon refused to die, even as it was
displaced in its own lineup by crossover models. Now, the V60 Cross Country is
a niche vehicle, but it makes a strong case to kill the segment it started.
Volvo is currently building some of the most
beautiful cars in its history, and the V60 is possibly the best looking car of
the lineup. It’s boxy but sleek, the perfect update of the iconic V70 from the
late 1990s. The ride height is still raised, there’s still body cladding, but
it doesn’t feel tacked on or low-rent like it did in the past. The whole thing
works as a package, a more subtle nod to the car that came nearly 25 years ago.
The interior is wonderful, just a lovely place to
be. The infotainment touchscreen is responsive and intuitive, not relying on
any awful touch pads for your inputs. It’s one of the few touchscreens that’s
not distracting. And you have the benefit of space. Wagons are so great for
storage and carrying literally everything in your life, while not being an
ungainly, overwrought, almost-truck.
And, the best part, it drives like a car. The
steering is beyond light and disconnected, but this isn’t a performance car.
It’s a wagon. The 250-hp turbo-four feels plenty quick. It’s not face-meltingly
fast but it does have more power than the original V70R.
It’s not compromised like a crossover because it
isn’t one. Instead, it’s the perfect alternative to the crossovers that are
populating our streets. And perhaps now the V60 CC can do the opposite of what
it did before: be the gateway drug crossover owners need to fully embrace
wagons once again. Wishful thinking, I know.
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