2022 Volvo V60 Cross Country B5 AWD Review

Even in 2022, automotive brands are synonymous with words based on their past reputation. For Toyota, it would be reliable, for Tesla, it would be electric and for Alfa Romeo, it would be passion. But for Swedish brand Volvo? We believe it to be the wagon. Volvo has long produced wagons with the upmost in Swedish practical design and way before wagons were cool, Volvo had several on sale. These days, thanks to SUVs, its wagon offering in Australia has dwindled to just one, so we decided to see what a Volvo wagon is like in 2022. What’s the 2022 Volvo V60 Cross Country B5 AWD like? Let’s find out. 

Only one Volvo wagon for sale? You’ve got to be joking! Unfortunately not – just one Volvo wagon remains on sale in Australia after the non-Cross Country V60’s demise in 2021 and the larger V90 Cross Country’s death locally in 2020. Why so? SUVs, obviously. But while SUVs continue to sell literally by the boat load, we think there are several reasons as to why a wagon should be on your driveway instead of an SUV.

Price & Equipment: 8/10

Priced at $64,990 plus on-road costs (around $72,000 drive away, depending on your location), the 2022 Volvo V60 Cross Country B5 AWD is not cheap, but it is loaded with equipment and for that reason, we think it’s good value for money.

Standard equipment includes 19-inch alloy wheels, all-LED lighting including front and rear daytime running lights, automatic lights and wipers, leather upholstery with heated and 16-way electrically adjustable front seats with memory functionality, four-zone climate control, a 9.0-inch portrait touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation, digital radio, wireless phone charging, a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display, a 10-speaker sound system, driftwood interior trim, heated and auto-folding mirrors, selectable driving modes, aluminium roof rails, keyless entry and start and an electric tailgate with kick-to-open functionality.

Safety kit includes six airbags, auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, rear auto braking, lane departure warning with lane trace assist, front and rear parking sensors with a 360-degree parking camera, a heads-up display, speed sign recognition, driver attention monitoring, an alarm, auto high beam, auto parking, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, tyre pressure monitoring, adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality and a speed limiter. 

A number of colours are available on the V60 Cross Country, and all of them are no-cost options. They include ‘Black Stone’, ‘Onyx Black’, ‘Ice White’, ‘Crystal White’, ‘Thunder Grey’, ‘Pine Grey’, ‘Pebble Grey’ (which is more bronze than grey), ’Birch Light’ (a silvery-gold colour), ‘Fusion Red’, ‘Denim Blue’ and our test car’s ‘Bright Silver’. Interior colour options include either black or beige leather – while you can upgrade to ventilated Nappa leather in the same colours for $2,308. We’d like to see other trim options such as the vegan cloth and tan leather offered locally as well.

Other options include the $2,692 Lifestyle Pack, which includes a 600W 14-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, rear privacy glass and a panoramic glass roof (this pack can also be chosen with an excellent 1,100W 15-speaker Bowers and Wilkins sound system for $4,385). A PM2.5 air filter is $385, massaging front seats are $808 and 20-inch seven-spoke alloy wheels are $2,692, while the items from the Lifestyle Pack are also available separately – but why would you when the asking price is reasonable? 

Rivals to the V60 Cross Country include the Subaru Outback Premium (around $55,000 drive away), Audi A4 Allroad 45 TFSI (around $88,000 drive away – though optioned to the same level as the V60 Cross Country costs around $105,000) and Volkswagen Passat Alltrack 162TSI Premium ($68,000 drive away). The Outback is comfortably the best value car in this segment at a full $16,000 discount compared with the V60, but the V60 is still good value – especially against the expensive A4 Allroad.

Performance & Economy: 8/10

Under the bonnet of the 2022 Volvo V60 Cross Country B5 AWD is a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine mated to a 48V mild hybrid system. It produces 183kW of power and 350Nm of torque, while the mild hybrid system can add another 10kW for bursts of full acceleration. It’s a pretty good drivetrain that is quiet and supple when you want it to be, and louder and full of thrust as well. Volvo claims a 6.4 second 0-100km/h sprint time, which feels accurate and is more than quick enough for a big family wagon. 

The only available transmission on the V60 Cross Country is an eight-speed torque converter automatic, which is made by Aisin in Japan. Aside from some mid-corner stumbles, it was totally fine in our time with it and it’s certainly preferable to the CVT in the Subaru and dual-clutch autos in the A4 Allroad and Passat Alltrack. The dual-tap motion of going from drive to reverse can be annoying as well, but you do get used to it. Volvo claims that the V60 Cross Country uses 7.4L/100km on a combined cycle and we achieved 9.6L/100km, which is a touch on the high side. It uses minimum 95RON premium unleaded and features a 60-litre fuel tank.

Ride & Handling: 9/10

Sitting on the same ‘SPA’ platform as other modern Volvo products like the larger XC90, the 2022 Volvo V60 Cross Country B5 AWD is a wonderfully comfortable, quiet and relaxing mode of transport. The way the V60 rides is excellent, despite not having the air suspension system that’s available on the XC60, nor does it have adaptive dampers. But despite this, the V60 rides very well and that’s due to a slightly softer suspension set up that suits the car well. Thankfully, it’s not too soft like the Outback either – the body control is quite good and it reacts well to direction changes. The Passat is perhaps a touch more dynamic, but that’s besides the point.

It’s obviously no sports car but the all-wheel drive system is excellent – the week we had the car was the wettest week on record in Sydney, and it didn’t break a sweat – in keeping the car heading forwards. The steering isn’t the last word in feel, but it’s well weighted and reasonably quick as well. Road noise levels are impressively low, while all-round visibility is excellent.

Interior & Practicality: 9/10

While it’s not hugely different from other current Volvo cabins, the interior of the 2022 Volvo V60 Cross Country is excellent quality, full of technology and extremely comfortable – if not quite as roomy as you’d expect from a Volvo wagon. But, like the exterior, it’s cool in the traditional svelte Swedish way. Material quality all over the cabin is fantastic – even the carpet in the boot feels great – with soft touch materials everywhere, lovely Nappa leather upholstery, liberal use of chrome and metal trim pieces and a really solid feel throughout.

Centre of the V60’s cabin is a portrait 9.0-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation and digital radio. It uses Volvo’s older ‘Sensus’ system and it’s due to be upgraded to the new Google system later in the year, but it’s still a solid system with a high-res screen, good functionality and general ease of use. A special mention must go to the 1,100W 15-speaker Bowers and Wilkins sound system, which is excellent and a definite must-have option. 

Being a Volvo, the V60’s cabin is practical with several thoughtful touches throughout. These include a large under-armrest storage box with two USB-C ports, generous door pockets with lining so your items don’t rattle, a huge centre cupholder area with a wireless phone charger and a reasonably sized glovebox. 

Space on offer for occupants is reasonable as well, with good leg-, head- and kneeroom for all passengers. The rear seat isn’t as roomy as the Outback but it comfortably shades the A4 Allroad, and it offers map pockets, door pockets, two climate zones and a USB-C charging port – though no window shades, heated seats or Volvo’s famous integrated child cushions feature. 

The boot of the V60 Cross Country measures 529-litres with the rear seats erect and 1,441L with them folded. The boot features lots of hooks, tie down points, side storage, a 12V socket and even a floor-mounted divider that when raised, can hold up shopping bags and fragile items.

Unlike rivals as well, the seats fold completely flat, though we’d like to see buttons in the boot to lower the rear seats. Underneath the boot floor lies a space saver spare wheel. 

Service & Warranty: 8/10

Like other Volvo products in Australia, the V60 Cross Country comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty with five years of roadside assistance and an eight-year warranty on the mild-hybrid system. Five years/75,000km of servicing costs $2,500, which equates to $500 per service, and service intervals are once yearly/every 15,000km. 

Subaru, Audi and Volkswagen also come with five-year/unlimited km warranties. Subaru only includes one year of roadside assistance, Volkswagen includes a single year as well but this can be extended up to five years if serviced at a Volkswagen dealership and Audi includes five years upfront. Both the Audi and Volkswagen share the Volvo’s 15,000km/yearly service intervals and the Subaru knocks 2,500km off that to odd 12,500km intervals. Five years/75,000km of servicing the A4 Allroad costs $2,920, the Passat costs a ludicrous $3,740 (though you can get a pre-paid service pack for $2,400) and the Outback costs $2,450 for five years/62,500km of servicing.

The 2022 Volvo V60 Cross Country B5 AWD DiscoverAuto Rating: 8.4/10 

Put simply, the 2022 Volvo V60 Cross Country B5 AWD is not only an excellent family car, but it’s a fantastic alternative to SUVs – including Volvo’s own highly successful XC60. It’s just such a great all-rounder thanks to its reasonable value for money, good driving dynamics, eager turbo petrol engine and mild-hybrid system, excellent cabin comfort and quality, practicality and overall character. Against lifted rival wagons too, it stands out thanks to its overall abilities.

Of course, it’s not perfect thanks to its somewhat smaller boot than you’d expect and largely one-specification range removing a lot of personalisation (which matters to some buyers) in Australia. But really, those are smaller issues in the overall picture and the V60 Cross Country is definitely one of our favourite cars so far in 2022. If you’re looking at an SUV for a family car, we strongly suggest looking at a V60 Cross Country instead as it’s an excellent product that deserves more sales love in Australia.