Volvo V60 vs Skoda Octavia

What's the difference?

There’s something about a Volvo wagon. Especially one with Cross Country in its name. City sophistication mixed with the potential for adventurous outdoor pursuits. 

Leaning into its all-wheel-drive capability for a cheeky ski weekend with the family. Hooking up the boat and heading to the lake for a spot of fishing. Or seeking out that off-the-beaten-track camping spot you’ve had your eye on.

The V60 Cross Country is made for that family-focused role. Okay, so the Clearys didn’t do much skiing, fishing or camping during a week with this premium mid-sizer. None, actually.

But we did assess its comfort, flexibility, practicality and everything else required to help grease the wheels of day-to-day household life. Stay tuned to see what we discovered.

Once a solid mainstay on our roads, wagons have fallen out of favour somewhat as a result of the ever-growing popularity of SUVs and utes.

But is a wagon actually a better and more family-friendly daily driver than a bigger, taller SUV or ute? Perhaps.

And throw a mild-hybrid system into the mix and it could be an even more appealing purchase.

Skoda’s Octavia has built a strong following in Australia and now comes its new mild hybrid grade, available as a wagon or liftback.

So, what’s the Skoda Octavia Select mHEV wagon like as a daily driver for families?

Read on.