Volvo Cars has whipped the wraps off the EX30 Cross Country, an adventure-focused version of the Swedish firm’s all-electric compact crossover. So, what sets the Cross Country apart from its standard EX30 stablemates?
For starters, the Cross Country derivative sports increased ground clearance (the standard car’s is 177 mm) for traversing rough terrain more easily. In addition to the adventure-focused EX30 sporting larger tyres, customers have the options of specifying 18-inch all-terrain items. The package further includes chunky fore and aft skid plates and extended wheel arches.
“We launched our first Cross Country car over 25 years ago, and this concept of durable and all-weather cars is core to the Volvo brand,” said Jim Rowan, CEO of Volvo Cars.
“In Sweden we face harsh winters, but we also like to make the most of them by getting out and exploring our amazing nature, even when it’s minus 20 degrees Celsius outside. That’s why we want to deliver a fully rounded experience, not simply a car, to our EX30 Cross Country customers.”
As a reminder, the Gothenburg-based brand’s four-strong local EX30 model range is available with the choice of three powertrains. The opening gambit to the line-up, the (rear-wheel-driven) Single Motor EX30 variant produces 200 kW and 343 N.m for a claimed 0-100 km/h sprint time of 5.7 seconds.
The Single Motor Extended Range models produces the same peak power and torque outputs as the latter derivative. However, as the Extended Range variants’ name would suggest, whereas the standard Single Motor model offers a claimed all-electric operating range of 344, the Extended Range Single Motor powertrain offers 476 km, thanks to the fitment of a larger-capacity battery. These models are also four-tenths of a second quicker than the standard Single Motor variant to the 100 km/h marker from a standstill.
Spearheading the EX30 line-up, the Twin Motor Performance derivative on which the Cross Country is based is equipped with a dual electric-motor arrangement that produces a healthy 315 kW and 543 N.m of twisting force. Volvo claims these figures allow the all-wheel-drive battery-electric compact crossover to complete the obligatory 0-100 km/h sprint in 3.6 seconds. The flagship derivative has a claimed all-electric operating range of 450 km.