Volvo EX30 Cross Country Gives Electric SUV an Arctic Flavor
2026 Volvo EX30 Cross Country revealed with off-road trim and hardware, promising 422 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque.
A raised ride height, front and rear skid plates, and special wheels headline the list of changes to Volvo's electric hatch.
The dual-motor electric hatch will arrive on sale later this year, joining the standard dual-motor version of the EX30.
Volvo has taken the wraps off the EX30 Cross Country, giving its smallest and most electric hatch the off-road uniform.
The Cross Country flavor features a dual-motor layout good for 422 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque, courtesy of a 64.0-kWh battery.
This powertrain is a carryover from the standard EX30 Twin Motor model so Volvo hasn't tried to make the EV hatch more (or less) rambunctious, already featuring a 0-to-60 mph sprint time of 3.4 seconds.
True to the classic recipe, Volvo has added flared wheel arch extensions and skid plates front and back, while also raising the ride height by 0.7 inches. The CC variants will also wear unique 18-inch wheels, with optional all-terrain tires.
Viewed from the front and back, the EX30 CC will be easy to tell apart from its stock siblings by dark-colored front and rear grey fascia plates. The front fascia, in particular, will feature the relief of Sweden's Kebnekaise mountain range, in a nod to the country's Arctic region.
But for the most part, Volvo has dialed down the distinctive cladding we remember from Cross Country models of the 1990s and 2000s.
Just what the hardware tweaks will do to the EPA range has not been revealed just yet, with official EPA numbers slated to be published closer to the start of sales.
In standard form, the EX30 manages to squeeze 253 miles out of its 64.0-kWh battery.
"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, Volvo Cars' CEO.
"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 Celsius outside."
The EX30 thus becomes the smallest Volvo to ever get the CC treatment, but until just a few years ago buyers in Europe also had the V40 Cross Country five-door hatch on their menus, with Volvo having kept that particular pocket-sized off-road model out of North America.
Prices for the EX30 CC will be announced closer to the start of sales, but we don't expect a major hike from the price of the dual-motor EX30 model, which starts at $46,195.
As such, we expect the EX30 CC to land somewhere around the $50,000 mark, occupying the top spot in the ladder. Volvo has not mentioned a specific timeframe for the start of sales, but we expect it to arrive in dealerships before the next winter rolls around (if available at all in your region).
The single-motor version of the standard EX30, meanwhile, is still scheduled to arrive a little later and should carry a starting price of about $36,000.
Once it arrives stateside, the EX30 Cross Country should not face too many direct competitors, as electric crossovers with off-road trimmings are usually a segment or two larger at the moment.
But the Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT will certainly be one direct challenger.
Will we see much demand for small EV hatches with dual-motor layouts and modest off-road skills this decade, or will this remain a niche category? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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