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 Volvo XC60 has long been an understated achiever of the premium mid-size SUV crowd.
It doesn’t shout for attention like some of its rivals, but it’s built a reputation for quiet confidence and family-friendly practicality. For 2026, the XC60 Ultra B5 Dark keeps the same engine but has received a facelift in other areas. Is it enough to keep family buyers who want a mix of practicality and luxury happy?
The Volvo V60 Cross Country’s split-personality delivers urban civility and all-wheel-drive capability. Our city-slicker week with it confirmed the latter doesn’t compromise the former. It’s sleek and refined, well equipped for the money and safety is top-shelf.
If you have multiple kids creeping up through their teens, you might need something a bit bigger, and ownership costs like fuel economy and servicing, while not tragic, could be better.
Overall though, a thoughtfully engineered, premium mid-size wagon that expertly balances form and function.
The facelifted Volvo XC60 Ultra B5 Dark is the car at school pick-up that doesn’t need to brag. It just gets on with things and it looks good doing it. It offers a strong mix of family-focused features, comfortable and composed road manners and thoughtful practicality throughout the cabin.
The updated media system is crisp and responsive, though it could use a few tweaks to be truly intuitive. Overall, the XC60 mild-hybrid remains a solid choice for families who value understated luxury, comfort and safety over flash. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does what it does well.