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 first SUV to use Volvo’s Cross Country badge.
Priced at £47,060, the EX30 Cross Country is £2000 more than the Twin Motor Performance Ultra variant of the standard car on which it is based.
Compared to that car, but 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 electric SUV’s five-link rear suspension has also been softened to cope with bumpier, off-road terrain, as well as handle muddy tracks, “ankle-deep” snow and highways, claims Volvo.
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 car, with a blacked-out front grille and bootlid, slightly more sculpted front and rear bumpers and blackened arches.
It can also be optioned with 19in alloys, although these can only be shod with road tyres. Other options include a roof-mounted kayak holder, roof-mounted tent and stowable towbar.
The interior of the EX30 Cross Country is the same as the standard car’s.
It is available only in all-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 4×4 set-up draws power from a 69kWh battery, which feeds two motors for a combined 422bhp and offers 264 miles of range.
Volvo said that the EX30 Cross Country has been created because “we know that more and more people are seeking ways to get closer to nature”.
