Volvo V60 vs Subaru Outback

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.

The Subaru Outback holds a special place in the hearts of adventurers everywhere. It’s long been regarded by its fans as a genuine mix of decent on-road manners, family-friendly practicality and sound off-road capability. Just right for light-duty off-roading.

Now, Subaru claims, it has made the Outback even better and a new off-road-focussed variant called the all-wheel-drive Wilderness now sits near the top of the line-up.

The Wilderness is equipped with a 2.4-litre turbo-petrol, four-cylinder, horizontally-opposed 'boxer' engine, 240mm of ground clearance, improved approach/departure angles and electronically controlled dampers.

But is this new Outback all it’s cracked up to be? Read on.