Skip to content
clad me up

Volvo added plenty of charm to the EX30 Cross Country EV

The mods should work as well on potholes as they do on forest roads.

Chad Kirchner – | 70
Volvo EX30 Cross Country – exterior
Volvo's smallest electric vehicle is getting a variant that doesn't fear the end of the blacktop. Credit: Volvo
Volvo's smallest electric vehicle is getting a variant that doesn't fear the end of the blacktop. Credit: Volvo

When Volvo first announced its small, all-electric EX30, I was excited. Regardless of powertrain, a brand-new Volvo starting at approximately $35,000 was a big deal to me. I might have even suggested online that the EX30 was the most important Volvo ever, full stop. There's no reason why this vehicle shouldn't be a global sales success.

Then, former-President Joe Biden gave the Volvo a reason why it wouldn't be a sales success: He attached a 100 percent tariff on all-electric vehicles coming from China. With Volvo's parent Geely manufacturing the EX30 in China, the value proposition quickly vanished. Fortunately for Volvo, there is a production facility in Ghent, Belgium, that can pick up the slack for export to the United States. The plant currently builds the EC40 and XC40 Recharge, so adding another battery-electric vehicle shouldn't take too much time.

Why do I care? Because the EX30 I was the most excited about wasn't the street-focused standard model but the off-the-beaten-path-but-not-really-off-road Cross Country variant.

Volvo EX30 Cross Country – exterior
There's more ground clearance and revised damping. Plus some body cladding.
Volvo
There's more ground clearance and revised damping. Plus some body cladding. Volvo
A Volvo EX30 cross country on a remote road in the arctic circle
The Cross Country additions make as much sense for rush hour in pothole country as they do in remote Sweden.
The Cross Country additions make as much sense for rush hour in pothole country as they do in remote Sweden.

The Volvo EX30 Cross Country is powered by the same 65 kWh usable nickel-cobalt-manganese battery pack as the regular EX30 with all-wheel drive, along with the same electric motors fore and aft producing a combined 428 hp (315 kW) and 400 lb-ft of torque (543 Nm). For the Cross Country variant, Volvo is claiming a 0–62 mph (0–100 km) acceleration time of 3.7 seconds. That's quite rapid in a car this size.

Given the size of the battery pack, the peak DC fast-charging rate is 153 kW, which translates to a 10–80 percent state of charge in 26.5 minutes. Volvo isn't providing EPA range or efficiency numbers yet, but on the generous WLTP cycle, the EX30 Cross Country is rated for 425 kilometers (264 miles) of range. For comparison, the EX30 Twin Performance with the 19-inch wheels is rated for 253 miles on the EPA cycle, and the Cross Country has some additional changes that should reduce range a bit.

Ars Video

 

What makes a Cross Country a Cross Country?

The original was conjured up out of a V70 wagon because the Swedish customers buying Volvos wanted something that would ride nicer on the pockmarked roads littering the landscape. For the new EX30 Cross Country, the directive was similar.

A Volvo V70 cross country and a Volvo EX30 Cross Country
Old meets new. Credit: Volvo

"People expect a Cross Country to ride a certain way," said Engineering Manager John Lundegren, who is responsible for the ride and handling of the EX30 Cross Country. "They want the smoothness over bumpy roads."

A Cross Country isn't a full-blown off-roader, nor does it claim to be. In the electric vehicle space, the directive would be like a Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT or even the Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally. All three vehicles try to provide the same thing: a better ride and handling on broken roads, gravel, and other non-perfect trails, but no jumping sand dunes in Dakar or climbing Hell's Revenge in Moab.

To achieve that goal, Lundegren and team raised the EX30 by 0.75 inches (19 mm), and the crossover features a 5-link rear suspension that Volvo describes as "tuned for a relaxed and comfortable driving experience."

That tuning is unique to the Cross Country, but that's the extent of the technical changes. Visually, there is a new front shield with a topography map engraved in it—the Kebnekaise Mountain range in Arctic Sweden, complete with geographical coordinates.

There are front and rear skid plates combined with wheel arch extensions to round out the look, and "Cross Country" is engraved on the rear diffuser.

Volvo EX30 Cross Country front fascia
The coordinates check out.
Volvo
The coordinates check out. Volvo
Volvo EX30 Cross Country seen from behind with the hatch open and the cargo area full of camping equipment.
The EX30 is the smallest Volvo, which means there isn't a huge amount of room back here if you're also using the back seats.
Volvo
The EX30 is the smallest Volvo, which means there isn't a huge amount of room back here if you're also using the back seats. Volvo

Ultimately, though, specs don't matter if the car doesn't deliver. So does the EX30 Cross Country deliver on the expectations that come with the badge?

Yes, but with a few caveats. Volvo invited me to the Arctic Circle to experience the EX30 Cross Country in a very early pre-production guise. We were limited to driving the car exclusively on the ice track the company set up for us on a frozen lake. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to take the Cross Country on the roads surrounding the lake, even for a short drive.

Ice-capades

Driving on an ice lake is fun, and it was a thrill to attempt some poorly executed Scandinavian flicks in Scandinavia. The EX30 is a reasonably tossable vehicle, with the short wheelbase making it quite prone to sliding despite its Michelin X-Ice studded winter tires.

Compared to the EX90 I was also able to take on the ice, the EX30 is more playful and a bit more of a handful. That's thanks to that wheelbase. But it's easy to get into a rhythm whether you have the stability control fully on or are driving in a reduced—but not completely off—setting.

If you aren't set up properly for a corner, you'll experience a ton of safe understeer while the traction control tries to make sense of what you're doing. With speeds so low, the fear of death is nonexistent, so you can really focus on getting the line right and getting a feel for the car. And I do love this car.

The retuned suspension might help on bumpy roads, but it also helps you understand and feel what the chassis is doing when you're in a slippery situation. Instead of snapping around, the body sits much more progressively as the suspension loads up. It's not trying to keep you flat, so you get more suspension to play with. There isn't more suspension travel than the standard car, but you can feel more of what is going on. That helps build confidence.

Volvo EX30 Cross Country – interior
Volvo uses an interesting mix of materials in the EX30 interior, and many of them are recycled. But the car uses no buttons; it's all controlled by that touchscreen.
Volvo
Volvo uses an interesting mix of materials in the EX30 interior, and many of them are recycled. But the car uses no buttons; it's all controlled by that touchscreen. Volvo
Volvo EX30 Cross Country – interior
There's lots of useful storage inside.
Volvo
There's lots of useful storage inside. Volvo
Volvo EX30 Cross Country rear seats
The rear seats aren't too claustrophobic.
Volvo
The rear seats aren't too claustrophobic. Volvo

The real smarts come in the tuning of the suspension rebound. Not only does it load up predictably, but it also unloads just as predictably. If there are any sudden movements on the ice, it's because you as the driver aren't getting something right. It is, however, extremely rewarding when you do get it right.

Why it matters

In the real world, all of this equates to controllable confidence in an emergency. If you pop over a Swedish hill, spot reindeer sleeping in the middle of the road, and must swerve (this happened to me), the car is less likely to do something scary on the broken tarmac.

These suspension differences should make for a smoother-riding EV anywhere the tarmac freezes and thaws at least once a year. Other plus points are more horsepower than anyone reasonably needs and reasonably quick fast charging. I also like the look with the front shield, skid plates, and wheel arch extensions.

Pricing is unknown at this point, but based on current Twin Motor setups, I wouldn't be surprised if the Cross Country starts somewhere below $50,000. That's getting a bit pricey for something of its size, but there's a lot to like in this package.

70 Comments
Prev story
Next story