{"id":70908,"date":"2025-07-16T08:35:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T06:35:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/?p=70908"},"modified":"2025-07-16T08:35:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T06:35:21","slug":"volvo-from-road-to-rugged-and-back-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/en\/2025\/07\/volvo-from-road-to-rugged-and-back-again\/","title":{"rendered":"VOLVO: FROM ROAD TO RUGGED, AND BACK AGAIN"},"content":{"rendered":"

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To any careful observer, a curious trend reversal has become apparent in the design of today\u2019s cars: conventional vehicles are striving to look more like SUVs, while SUVs themselves are becoming increasingly car-like. This contrast is impossible to ignore when looking at the latest developments from Volvo: the EX30 Cross Country and the refreshed XC60. The EX30 takes a bold step toward true off-road territory, part of the brand\u2019s DNA since the 1990s, when Volvo introduced the V70 XC (later XC70), the very origin of the cross country movement. A philosophy that eventually shaped nearly all of the brand\u2019s non-SUV models.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Announced alongside the car\u2019s original debut in 2023, the new \u201cXC\u201d variant adds a welcome dose of character: the ride height is raised by 25 mm, the grille and rear panel are finished in black with a topographic map graphic in front, and the wheel arch and rocker trim gain protective, scratch-resistant cladding. Offered exclusively in Awd dual-motor configuration, the EX30 Cross Country rounds out the lineup with Volvo\u2019s first all-electric vehicle designed for true off-road adventures.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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For the XC60\u2014the direct descendant of those early cross country pioneers, and now Volvo\u2019s best-selling model of all time, surpassing even the legendary 240 series\u2014the direction goes the other way. A subtle Model Year 2026 update introduces a new oblique-bar grille that echoes the brand\u2019s classic radiator design and emblem, while all trim levels now lean into elegance and refinement. New body-colored details bring a more curated feel, paired with a broader palette that includes Forest Lake, Aurora Silver, and a new deep Mulberry Red. Inside, upholstery materials have been upgraded with the addition of Quilted Nordico and Navy Herringbone Weave among the available finishes. Most notably, the infotainment system has been overhauled with a new 11.2-inch display and a Qualcomm Snapdragon-based operating system\u2014faster, sharper, and more intuitive than ever.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1138,"featured_media":70901,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[87],"tags":[3074],"class_list":["post-70908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-extra-en","tag-volvo-ex30-cross-country-en"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-04 17:26:33","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1138"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70908"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70908\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70910,"href":"https:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70908\/revisions\/70910"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}