Volvo V60 Cross Country and Ford Focus Active battle for top passion wagon award
Two of our favourite estates put to the test to see if it's the Ford or Volvo that wins our heart on the road
KATY PERRY once had sex in a Volvo. Everyone from Essex was conceived in a Ford.
The first statement is 100 per cent true, the second is an educated guess.
But there are more similarities between these two firms than just being Friday night passion wagons. Ford owned Volvo for 11 years up to 2010 and the old V60 was essentially a Mondeo underneath.
Not now, though. Volvo is bankrolled by Chinese firm Geely and their cars turn more heads than Brie Larson holding a tray of beers. But the real reason I’ve paired the V60 Cross Country and Focus Active on these pages is that they’re my two favourite estate cars. Let’s start with the Focus Active, which rides a little higher than a standard Focus and has skid plates, chunkier tyres and blobs of plastic cladding.
Not only is it the pick of the Focus family in my book, it is the best “soft roader” made by Ford. I’ll go further. It’s as good as a Golf Alltrack and Octavia Scout, even though they’re 4WD and will go deeper into the scenery.
The Focus Active is front-wheel drive but has Trail and Slippery modes that cleverly alter throttle response and wheel slip to keep you going in snow and mud. Enough for most, then. Inside, you’ll find hard-wearing seat fabrics and a reversible boot mat, one side hard rubber for wet things for . . . OK, I’ll say it . . . active people.
Everything else is brilliant Focus – 8in floating touchscreen, quickclear windscreen, capless refuelling – and this test car had extra toys including head-up display (£400) and stop/go adaptive cruise control (£500, as part of the driver assistance pack). Tick them both.
The eight-speed auto has flappy paddles (hurrah) and, being a Focus, the handling is typically peachy. Finance from £211 a month. Now for the V60 Cross Country, which is the next size up, £10,000 extra – but also the best estate of any class. Yep, better than the hearse-sized V90. It rides 6cm higher than a normal V60 and comes with four-wheel drive and hiking boots as standard.
Should you ever wander off-grid – like, say, a muddy festival field – select the special Off-Road mode and you’re golden. Just try to hide that smug grin as you exit the gate. Note. It only works under 25mph and includes feet-off-the-pedals Hill Descent Control.
Now regular readers will know my thoughts on modern Volvo interiors. They’re class. Copy and paste from the 90 family downwards. Minimalist Scandi design, safe, super-relaxing, spacious (God, I love alliteration) and crowned by that upended iPad. You’ll arrive at your destination fresher than when you set off.
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Other observations. The 529-litre boot is the biggest in class. Best residual values in class. Pillow-soft suspension. But most importantly, it shows your neighbours life is good.
But I do have a gripe. You can’t have flappy paddles in a Cross Country. They are reserved for the sportier V60 R-Design. Grrr. Finance from £319 a month.
So there you have it. Two estate cars. Both cool yet big enough for a cuddle with Katy Perry.