2026 Volvo V90 Cross Country Road Test and Review

2025 Volvo V90 Cross Country ・ Photo by Brady Holt

For decades, Volvo was known for its station wagons. Even as the Swedish luxury brand’s crossover SUVs took over as its volume sellers, it continued to offer high-end vehicles that paired the big cargo hold of an SUV with the low center of gravity of a sports sedan. 

The 2026 Volvo V90 Cross Country is the end of the line. In September 2025, Volvo ended production of its mid-size luxury wagon. 

However, you’re not too late to grab one of the remaining V90s from dealer inventory. You can still get this blend of spaciousness, efficiency, sporty performance, and elegant luxury. As we’ll explain in this review, the V90 Cross Country isn’t without its drawbacks. But if you’re in the market for a roomy luxury vehicle and you care about how it drives, you may not want to miss this intriguing option. 

Every Model Is Top of the Line

One reason folks don’t buy the V90 like they used to is the price. Even the base 2026 V90 Cross Country costs $66,900. 

At least you get a lot for your money. Volvo has discontinued last year’s base $59,800 “Plus” model. All that’s left is the top Ultra. Newly standard V90 features include Nappa leather upholstery, upgraded cabin trim, ventilated front seats, a head-up display, and a 14-speaker Harman Kardon stereo. Every V90 also already came with adaptive cruise control, all-wheel drive, a panoramic moonroof, a surround-view parking camera, and genuine leather.

Even after the V90’s starting price jumped, it still costs less than its two closest rivals. The Audi A6 Allroad starts at $73,100, while the Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain costs $78,300 and up. 

2025 Volvo V90 Cross Country ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Every Model Is a Cross Country

Until 2022, Volvo offered a standard V90 – a simple station wagon version of the S90 sedan. But since then, every V90 is a Cross Country. That’s Volvo-speak for a wagon with higher ground clearance – an SUV-like 8.3 inches in this case – and a touch of off-road-themed trim. (You’ll get the same from Audi and Mercedes.) 

The V90 was last redesigned way back in 2017. That means it’s no longer novel. But it still looks good to us. It wears the brand’s familiar flavor of elegant simplicity, including slim horizontal headlights and LED taillights that go up to the roof alongside the rear windshield. It’s not a completely upright box like an old Volvo wagon, but it’s clearly a long, low vehicle – standing apart from a row of upright SUVs. At 195 inches, it’s the same length as the Volvo XC90 three-row SUV, but the latter is roughly 9 inches taller. 

If we got to choose, we’d give the V90 bigger windows and smaller wheels (our test vehicle wears optional 21-inchers, but 19-inch wheels are standard). But overall, if you like wagons, the quietly classy V90 Cross Country is a nice one. 

2025 Volvo V90 Cross Country ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Gorgeous Dashboard

The V90’s interior design also hasn’t changed in nearly a decade. Fortunately, Volvo did a great job the first time around. It’s warm and welcoming, richly finished without being ostentatious, simple without being austere, and traditional without being old-fashioned. 

The dashboard is structured around a vertical 9-inch infotainment touchscreen and slim vertical vents beside it. This was a good-sized screen in 2017, but it’s practically archaic now. If a modern Audi or Mercedes gives you tech overload, that’s hardly a criticism. 

Volvo uses Google software for its central touchscreen and its 12-inch digital gauge cluster. Among other things, that means you can view Google Maps in both places. Or you can let your smartphone apps take over the touchscreen via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. The V90’s controls could be easier to use; we hate the tiny seat-heater icons tucked into the bottom of the screen. And once you dive into the V90’s menus, the infotainment system looks downright plain. But when you’d rather look at leather and wood than pixels, Volvo has you covered.  

2025 Volvo V90 Cross Country ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Comfortable But Not High Seats

Volvo is famous for its comfortable seats, and the V90 Cross Country keeps that tradition going. Thickly cushioned, highly adjustable, and with plenty of room, this big wagon provides welcoming accommodations for the driver and front passenger. Massaging front seats are also available as an option. 

You just have to like a lower seating position. The Cross Country’s elevated ground clearance elevates your line of sight a bit compared with an S90 sedan. But within the car, you stretch out lower to the floor like in a sports sedan. You’re not sitting up on a chair like in an XC90 SUV. 

In the back, two passengers will enjoy comfortable cushions and respectable legroom. However, a center-rear passenger would need to straddle an awkward hump in the floor. Unlike an XC90 or an old Volvo wagon, you can’t get a third-row seat in the 2026 V90. 

2025 Volvo V90 Cross Country ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Long, Low Cargo Hold

A station wagon is built to carry cargo, and the V90 Cross Country delivers. By the numbers, it provides 25.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind its rear seat and 53.9 cubic feet with the rear seat folded down. 

If you’re familiar with cargo specs, you probably don’t find this impressive for such a long vehicle. For context, the XC90 SUV has 42 cubic feet behind its second row and 86 cubic feet behind its front seats. However, the V90 mostly loses space when you stack your cargo to the ceiling. There’s ample space on the floor to spread out your stuff in this long, low cargo hold. Volvo could have made a more upright rear end like the old days, though, which would have let you fit more luggage behind the back seat. 

The V90 can also tow up to 3,500 pounds or carry up to 220 pounds on the roof. And when you put a cargo box or kayak up there, you don’t have to lift as high as you would with an SUV. 

2025 Volvo V90 Cross Country ・ Photo by Brady Holt

More Fun to Drive Than an SUV

Here’s where the V90’s lower body comes in handy. Its 8.3-inch ground clearance means it’s not quite hugging the road, but it has a much lower center of gravity than an SUV. That gives it easy, natural confidence around corners that makes it more fun to drive than an XC90 or most other SUVs. The Volvo’s steering goes numb when you push it around a corner, so driving enthusiasts might prefer another wagon. But compared with a typical SUV, the experience is night and day. 

The Audi and Mercedes wagons also have more power than the V90 Cross Country. They both have six-cylinder engines with well north of 300 horsepower. The V90 has a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with turbocharging, supercharging, and a 13-horsepower hybrid system. Volvo calls this powertrain “B6,” and it’s the only V90 powertrain. Putting it all together, the V90 puts out 295 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. It whirs to 60 mph in a brisk 6.1 seconds, but the competitors have even quicker and richer-sounding acceleration. 

With our test car’s big 21-inch wheels, the V90 Cross Country doesn’t have the cushiest ride of any luxury car. But it’s generally steady and comfortable. And we’re confident that the standard 19-inch wheels would take more of an edge off bumps. 

2025 Volvo V90 Cross Country ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Respectable Mileage

The V90 Cross Country gets an EPA-estimated 22 mpg in the city, 29 mpg on the highway, and 25 mpg combined. That’s 2 mpg better than the XC90 with the same B6 powertrain, and it’s respectable for a roomy and powerful luxury vehicle. 

However, Volvo offers a slightly slower 247-hp XC90 B5 that gets an EPA-estimated 26 mpg. The V90 doesn’t get that option. Nor can you get a V90 plug-in hybrid, which is both quicker and more economical than the B6. That’s a big seller in the XC90 lineup. 

Also, the V90’s competing six-cylinder wagons match its 25 mpg EPA rating. 

2025 Volvo V90 Cross Country ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Surviving Competitors

We’ve talked about the Audi A6 Allroad and Mercedes-Benz E 450 All-Terrain throughout this review. Let’s recap the differences. 

The V90 Cross Country is every bit as spacious and opulent as these rival wagons, while handily undercutting their price tags. And some owners will relish the Volvo’s more traditional tech experience over the Germans’ jumbo screens. But to other tastes, the V90 Cross Country is simply showing its age. It makes less power without an efficiency advantage. And its tech suite doesn’t dazzle like you might expect at these prices.

Another key point: the A6 Allroad and E 450 All-Terrain remain in production. If 80 percent of success is just showing up, they enter the competition with a pretty big head start.  

2024 Mercedes-Benz E 450 All-Terrain ・ Photo by Brady Holt

The Last Chance to Grab an Icon

The era of big Volvo station wagons ended with the rise of the SUV. The 2026 Volvo V90 Cross Country makes it official. 

If you’ll miss this posh yet versatile wagon, you’ll want to grab one of the last ones to roll off the line. Fortunately, if you miss your chance, Audi and Mercedes are also carrying the torch with fine – though expensive – alternatives. 

2025 Volvo V90 Cross Country ・ Photo by Brady Holt