9 photos
Over pre-dinner champagne at Fäviken Magasinet, a middle-aged journalist from Sweden (who accurately — eerily — resembled a younger Max Von Sydow) explained to me that he doesn’t use metal studded tires, despite proximity to the Arctic Circle. He’s wary of fine metal particles that end up ground into the air by road surfaces, worried about his and his family’s lungs.
Despite winter dragging its claws over these United States, studded tires, while widely permitted, are seldom seen. When you’re driving the new off-road Volvo wagon on frozen Swedish lakes, however, studded tires are a must. When combined with a massively impressive all-wheel-drive wagon, studs make you feel invincible, lungs be damned.
The V90 Cross Country carries on a now two-decade-old series of rugged, all-terrain-focused vehicles from everyone’s favorite Swedish carmaker. Its predecessor, the XC70, was as handsome as wagons came, with its lithe lines, raised suspension and tough wheel-well cladding. And out of all of Volvo’s current and future offerings, I promise you that this is the one you want.
At the present, Volvo is doubling efforts to completely revamp its entire model lineup, and fast. The new, very recently minted XC90, is likely the best-looking SUV on the road, and an all-new version of the XC60, the XC90’s little brother, is debuting at the Geneva Motor Show in a few week’s time. But it’s the brand new S90 sedan that, until now, led the design charge: impossibly sexy, laden with thoroughly modern technology and incredibly safe. The V90 wagon is a stretched version of that car: the Cross Country will land on U.S. soil this spring; the “regular” V90 will follow later in 2017.
2017 Volvo V90 Cross Country
