This post was originally published on Autocar
Cross Country sits 19mm higher than regular EX30 and rides on all-terrain tyres
Rugged variant of Volvo’s smallest car becomes the first SUV or EV to wear its Cross Country badge
The Volvo EX30 has spawned a jacked-up, off-road-focused model that has become the first EV and the first SUV to wear Volvo’s Cross Country badge.
Priced at £47,060, the new EX30 Cross Country is £2000 more than the Twin Motor Performance Ultra variant of the standard EX30 on which it’s based.
Compared with that car, it has been raised by 19mm, is fitted with chunky front and rear skidplates, can be optioned with mudflaps and is shod with 720mm all-terrain tyres.
The EX30’s five-link rear suspension has also been softened to cope with bumpier off-road terrain, muddy tracks, “ankle-deep” snow and highways.
Despite this ‘all-roads’ positioning, the EX30 Cross Country is not a “hardcore” off-roader but is instead aimed at “weekend explorers”, said Volvo.
“Cross Country is about helping you access nature on nature’s terms – not conquering it,” added the Swedish firm.
The EX30 Cross Country sports a more rugged look than the standard EX30, with a black front grille, black wheel arches, a black bootlid and slightly more sculpted front and rear bumpers.
It can also be optioned with 19in alloy wheels, although these can only be shod with road tyres. Other options include a roof-mounted kayak holder, a roof-mounted tent and a stowable towbar.
The interior of the EX30 Cross Country is the same as the standard EX30’s.
It’s available only in four-wheel-drive guise “from launch”, said Volvo, indicating a single-motor variant could adopt the Cross Country tag in the future.
As with the standard EX30, the 4WD set-up draws power from a 69kWh battery, which feeds two motors for a combined 422bhp and offers 264 miles of range.
Volvo said it had created the EX30 Cross Country because “we know that more and more people are seeking ways to get closer to nature”.