The Volvo V60 Cross Country won’t be arriving in Australia this year after all.
First revealed late in 2018 and originally tipped to launch this year, Volvo’s Audi A4 Allroad rival will now arrive early in the second half of 2021.
Pricing and specifications will be confirmed closer to launch.
The V60 Cross Country sits 75mm higher than the regular V60 and includes revised suspension and an off-road drive mode.
In overseas markets, the V60 Cross Country is available as either a B4 diesel or B5 petrol, both of which feature a 48V mild-hybrid system.
The B4 produces 145kW of power and 420Nm of torque from its 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four, while the B5 pumps out 185kW of power and 350Nm of torque from its 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four.
Neither powertrain is available in the Australian-market S60 and V60 which, for 2021, are available only with a single powertrain in two states of tune.
They use a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine producing 187kW of power and 350Nm of torque, upped to 192kW and 400Nm in the T5 R-Design. It’s mated to an eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.
Volvo has been making Cross Country versions of its wagons since the first-generation V70 was launched in 1997.
Currently, it offers only the larger V90 Cross Country in Australia while the V60 is available only in ‘regular’ guise. With the introduction of a more off-road-inspired variant, the V60 will be able to match the Audi A4 which is available as both an Avant and an allroad.
Sales of the V60 and its S60 sedan sibling are pretty evenly split. Year-to-date, the S60 is sitting at 217 sales and the V60 at 209.
Combined, the Volvos are outselling the Jaguar XE, Genesis G70 and Alfa Romeo Giulia and are just a few units off the Lexus IS.
As is common in the luxury car market, however, the Germans are trouncing all of these: Mercedes-Benz has sold 2516 examples of its C-Class sedan and wagon, BMW has sold 2643 of its 3 Series sedan and wagon, while Audi is a ways back at 651 sales year-to-date for its A4.
