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The 40/20/40 split rear seat is one of the interior's neat features. The seatback can be split into three sections, instead of the usual two, so the middle section can be folded while the two outer seatbacks stay up. Thus longer items can be carried and two rear seat passengers can still come along. You can option your Cross Country to include luggage holders in the rear, a small cooler between the rear seat passengers, or a steel cargo net if you're hauling some heavier stuff--or slavering wolverines--in the back.
The Cross Country's interior is well-appointed, the leather is nice and the shifter and column stalks have a nice feel.
online auto dealers There are big, well-marked knobs to control things such as air temperature and direction, as well as radio settings. The steering wheel houses cruise control and radio settings, too. There is also a computer that scrolls through instant and average miles per gallon, miles to empty and average speed. The EPA mpg rating is 17 city/22 highway.
Our test car was equipped with a navigation system. The driver activates and controls it by pushing buttons mounted on the back of the steering wheel spoke. When it's activated a small screen pops out of the dash. online auto dealers Getting used to the system's operation takes a while, and until you do, it can be confusing. It's also nearly impossible to see the screen in the bright sunlight, pretty common among these systems.
Does the Cross Country go off-road?
Well, the car's 8.2 inches of ground clearance is more than the Ford Explorer and Chevrolet Blazer and comparable to the Lexus RX 300 and Mercedes-Benz M-Class. Off-road legends--Jeeps, Land Rovers, Land Cruisers, that crowd--have more clearance, and typical station-wagon overhangs front and rear will keep the Cross Country off the Rubicon Trail. online auto dealers Still, the Volvo's ground-clearance figure isn't bad; it was enough to tempt us into a little off-roading.
A couple of instructors from Land Rover's off-road school designed the course we tried, so it wasn't a complete cakewalk.
The trail was a one-to-one-and-a-half-car-width dirt road winding its way up one side of a Vermont mountain and down the other, with a few logs and a little mud thrown in for good measure.
The Volvo handled it all, no problem, without that sickly scraping sound you sometimes hear going over boulders and such.
Statistics show you're not likely to take the car off-road; go ahead and give it a try anyway.
But the Cross Country's point is good traction in all weather conditions, not necessarily off-roadability. online auto dealers The Volvo should be able to handle nearly everything you and the weather can throw at it.
Don't like sport/utility vehicles? This could be your answer.
