2017 Volvo V90 Cross Country first drive: Big Swedish wagons are back

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Volvo is finally getting back to its wagon roots after a few years of pretending U.S. buyers are over wagons. The latest addition to the lineup is the V90 Cross Country, which we have just driven not far from where elves crafted previous generations of Volvo wagons from rocks left over by the glaciers' retreat. Over time, Volvo wagons have become less square, so the latest addition to the marque's lineup shares very little with the last Volvo V90 you might remember from the 1990s.  
The all-new V90 Cross Country, which will go on sale during the 20th anniversary year of the first Cross Country model, shares much with the S90 sedan now making its way to the States. Besides the addition of a tailgate and some extra windows, the Cross Country sits 2.3 inches higher off the ground than the standard V90 (which will be on a secret menu) for a total of 8.3 inches of ground clearance, in addition to wearing revised front and rear bumpers and fender flares.
The wagon borrows its 2.0-liter turbo/supercharged four-cylinder T6 powerplant from the rest of the 90 range with 316 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque on tap, with an eight-speed automatic transmission sending those horses to all four wheels. For now, the T6 will be the only drivetrain option available to buyers -- there is arguably little need for the D5 diesel version in the States -- but we wouldn't be surprised to see a T8 hybrid down the road. With four driving modes to choose from -- Eco, Comfort, Dynamic and Off-Road -- the new wagon has no shortage of settings to play with, even though we suspect stateside buyers will rarely use that last one. 

Volvo is finally getting back to its wagon roots after a few years of pretending U.S. buyers are over wagons. The latest addition to the lineup is the V90 Cross Country, which we have just driven not far from where elves crafted previous generations of Volvo wagons from rocks left over by the glaciers' retreat. Over time, Volvo wagons have become less square, so the latest addition to the marque's lineup shares very little with the last Volvo V90 you might remember from the 1990s.  
The all-new V90 Cross Country, which will go on sale during the 20th anniversary year of the first Cross Country model, shares much with the S90 sedan now making its way to the States. Besides the addition of a tailgate and some extra windows, the Cross Country sits 2.3 inches higher off the ground than the standard V90 (which will be on a secret menu) for a total of 8.3 inches of ground clearance, in addition to wearing revised front and rear bumpers and fender flares.
The wagon borrows its 2.0-liter turbo/supercharged four-cylinder T6 powerplant from the rest of the 90 range with 316 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque on tap, with an eight-speed automatic transmission sending those horses to all four wheels. For now, the T6 will be the only drivetrain option available to buyers -- there is arguably little need for the D5 diesel version in the States -- but we wouldn't be surprised to see a T8 hybrid down the road. With four driving modes to choose from -- Eco, Comfort, Dynamic and Off-Road -- the new wagon has no shortage of settings to play with, even though we suspect stateside buyers will rarely use that last one. 
2017 Volvo V90 Cross Country rear