Volvo V60 (Z) and V60 Cross Country (Z)

Since 2010, Volvo introduced the first-ever V60, which served as the station wagon equivalent of the Volvo S60, one of the safest Volvos introduced in this decade, and by some odd turn, the station wagon equivalent of the S60 received a full model change, leaving its sedan equivalent what might have been. Anyway, while this is basically a full model change, there's something about the all-new V60 range.

2019 Volvo V60

2019 Volvo V60 Cross Country

One look on the all-new Volvo V60 and you'll know that it has the case of "Honey, I shrunk the V90" because the styling of the new V60 looks very similar to its flagship equivalent, the V90, meaning that the Swedish carmaker went through the Russian doll effect like most luxury cars adorned so when you parked this car next alongside the V90, drivers can get easily confused between the two cars after a quick trip to the grocery store. Confusing looks aside, the Volvo V60 comes with two different versions such as the normal V60 and the tough-looking but not-so-tough Cross Country variant with a slightly raised height similar to what jacked-up versions of everyday cars looked like such as the Subaru Outback for example.

2019 Volvo V60 interior

The new V60 sports a typical Volvo interior that has been on every lineup since the XC90 SUV, meaning that you will still be greeted with the big touchscreen on the dashboard that terrifies speedo boys everywhere, the steering wheel, the knob, the high-tech instrumental panel, and so on. Although nothing special about the driver's side because of the uniform Volvo dashboard, it's surprisingly as comfortable as a family car, which isn't so bad for a five-seater station wagon for a change and the boot space wasn't half bad, meaning that you can store as many as you want unless if you're the sort of person who spends the rest of the week buying stuff from the thrift store or jacking up space with loads of gym equipment for no reason at all.

2019 Volvo V60

2019 Volvo V60 Cross Country

On the normal V60, it's been offered with a choice of T5 or T6 petrol engines, D3 or D4 diesel engines (which doesn't make sense in Europe anymore due to anti-diesel issues), and then this; a T8 Twin Engine which combines a 2.0L turbocharged engine with a plug-in hybrid powertrain and an 8-speed automatic gearbox. It's capable of producing 390PS of total power output and can go from 0-100kph in less than five seconds and it is electronically limited to 250kph. Simple as that.

The V60 Cross Country, meanwhile, is only offered with a 190ps 2.0L D4 diesel engine, so if you're European and if you're in tune with the times, better ignore this until Volvo offered cleaner variants of the V60 Cross Country so better cross that out. It's a shame really because I was going to mention about its increased ground clearance, its specially developed Cross Country chassis and suspension, its standard all-wheel drive and its special Off-Road driving mode but because it's offered in diesel only at launch, no way, Jose.

Anyway, because both models running on the Scalable Product Architecture that has been adorned to today's Volvo models since the XC90, the new V60 range always enjoy its new lease in life with its more rigid body, lighter weight, better dimensions, and safety features such as the City Safety with Autobrake technology and the Pilot Assist system. Coupled that with its clever suspension and chassis setups and the result is a station wagon that feels better to drive than the original, although it can be considered to be OK for most drivers. Nothing more, nothing less. It's just an okay sport wagon that it feels so decent to drive from the comfort of your Camellia Homes to Isdaan when you and your mates are having a bit of a food trip.

The V60 range starts at 317,000 Swedish Krona (around $35,450) which is basically reasonable enough for people to own one or if you have a Care by Volvo subscription, you can drive one right away while letting the monthly fees do the talking. So, while the V60 suffers the Russian doll syndrome, the way it performs wasn't so bad for a station wagon of this size and it's a good wagon full-stop.

Photo: Volvo Cars