Volvo S60 Cross Country launch on March 11, 2016

Volvo confirms the launch of the S60 Cross Country in India. The jacked-up sedan will go on sale from March 11, 2016. 

There’s no denying the fact that buying an SUV, crossover, or anything with an elevated ride-height on four-wheels, is one of the latest fads in the country right now. In light of that, Volvo India has decided to launch the S60 Cross Country – which is essentially a sedan on stilts. The high-riding derivative of the S60 goes on sale in our market from March 11, 2016.

The S60 Cross Country made debut at the 2015 Detroit Motor Show. As per Volvo, the company identified a “clear niche” for this type of car – a capable sedan clubbed with rugged aesthetics and benefits of a crossover. In terms of a concept, it’s similar to the likes of the BMW X6 and Mercedes GLE Coupe, although it’s a sedan based-crossover and not a SUV-based coupe like the other two.

Compared to the regular S60, the Cross Country comes with a beefed-up suspension setup, plastic cladding on front and rear bumpers, blacked-out mirror casings, and grey wheel arches that house 18-inch (standard) or 19-inch (optional) alloy wheels. The upshot of that is an increase of 65mm in ride-height.

In European markets, the S60 Cross Country is offered with three powertrain options. At the lower end, there’s a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, diesel powered D4 variant that is rated at 187.4bhp and comes paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission, sending drive to front wheels. Next on offer is an 187.4bhp/420Nm rated 2.4-litre, five-cylinder, D4 diesel that comes with a 6-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The top of the range variant comes powered by a 2.5-litre, five-cylinder, T5 petrol engine developing 250bhp, also paired with a 6-speed auto and AWD. Volvo is expected to bring the front-wheel drive D4 variant in the country, although we may also get either of the AWD variants.

The S60 Cross Country will be the first of seven models by Volvo that will be launched in India in 2016. The Swedish auto-maker is also expected to bring the 2017 V40 hatchback and V40 Cross Country this year.

Also read: 2017 Volvo V40 revealed