First Cross Country badged Volvo in nearly a decade is also the first not to have a combustion engine.
How do you make a cool little city-slicker SUV even better? Easy, you add some off-road kit. And doing just this is Volvo Cars South Africa, which has expanded its local product line-up by introducing the EX30 Cross Country.
Rugged EV
What does this mean for you when compared to the standard EX30? The EX30 Cross Country offers a raised ride height, skid plates, wider wheel arch extensions, exclusive 19-inch five-spoke alloy wheels finished in matte Graphite, matte Black aero inserts and standard LED headlights with active high beam.
ALSO READ: Cross Country attired Volvo EX30 aims for EV success off-road
Further design touches include the front shield and boot lid, which are finished in a darker tone, while the front fascia features unique artwork inspired by Sweden’s Kebnekaise mountain range. Why? Don’t ask me. It’s a designer thing.
So, does this mean you can take it seriously off-roading? Not really. But Volvo Cars South Africa did tackle Sani Pass in one to prove that the EX30 Cross Country can go anywhere a typical owner might reasonably want to go.
The shove
Talking of ‘go’, the good news is that this ‘off-roader’ keeps the potent twin performance electric drivetrain setup that is found in the road-going version EX30.
This means you have a 69-kWh battery powering two electric motors — one each at the front and rear axles — for a peak output of 315kW and 543Nm.
Now, I don’t have to tell you that this translates into an EX30 that hauls. The 0-100 km/h tested time at Gerotek of 4.14 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 180km/h, which comes up only 8 seconds later, is fast in anybody’s books. The term ‘giant slayer’ comes to mind.
Now, although this is only one facet of owning the Volvo EX30 Cross Country, it is by far the most fun. The point and squirt nature of the car is addictive.
See a gap, take a gap. Want to get past traffic. Done. In the blink of an eye, you are past everybody. I would own an EX30 Cross Country for this reason alone.
At the plug…
But others would probably want one for the low cost of running it every day. Volvo claims an electricity consumption of 18.7kWh per 100km for the EX30 Cross Country.
My real-world experience came in at 22.9kWh per 100km. And this gave me a range of around 300km before I would need to charge the battery.
Talking of which, I could do this at a public fast charger and waste around one hour of my life each time, or I could simply charge the EX 30 Cross Country at home from my wall box charger while the car is not being used.
Doing things this way meant that charging was a non-issue for me. Just like it would be for every owner who purchases one.
Ups and downs
Was there a downside to my time spent with the Volvo EX30 Cross Country?
Yes, there were a few things that niggled me, and that was I hated that you must access the large 12.3-inch central touchscreen to set or change anything. And by anything, I mean anything. Put the mirror adjustment controls on the door. How hard can it be?
I also didn’t like that there isn’t some kind of instrument cluster in front of the driver, feeding you the basics like speed, etc.
Why must you continually glance over to the central touch screen all the time to see how fast you are going? Other than that, I enjoyed my test drive.
Conclusion
The Volvo EX30 Cross Country outguns the BMW ix1xDrive30 M Sport and Mercedes-Benz EQA 250 AMG Line in terms of power, torque, performance, charging rates, and, most importantly, price, at R1 165 000 compared to R1 245 000 and R1 232 400, respectively.
If you are shopping for a premium, compact EV-powered SUV, the Volvo EX30 Cross Country is hard to ignore.
Road test data
- Model: Volvo EX30 Cross Country Ultra Twin Performance
- Gearbox: Single Speed Transmission
- Engine: Dual Electric Motors
- Power: 315kW
- Torque: 543Nm
- Licensing Mass: 1 910kg
- Power to Weight: 165 kW / Tonne
- Power to Capacity: Not Applicable
- 0-100 km/h: 4.14 Seconds
- 1/4 Mile (402.34 m): 12.53 Seconds @ 178.40km/h
- 1/2 Mile (804.68 m): Not Applicable
- 60-100 km/h: 2.02 Seconds (in Drive Sport)
- 80-120 km/h: 2.56 Seconds (in Drive Sport)
- 60-140 km/h: 5.30 Seconds (in Drive Sport)
- Top Speed: 180 km/h Claimed
- Electric Consumption: 22.9kWh / 100km Claimed (18.7 kWh Test Average)
- Battery Size: 69kWh
- Fuel Range: 369km Claimed (301 km on Test)
- CO2 Emissions: 0 g/km
- Vehicle Odometer: 4 988Km
- Test Temperature: 18 Degrees
- Tyres Size: 235/50 R19
- Tyres Make: Good Year Efficient Grip
- Warranty: 5 Year / 100 000Km
- Maintenance Plan: 5 Year / 100 000Km
- Priced From: R1 165 000
- Test Date: 5 December 2025
NOW READ: Volvo EX30 a ‘Swedish shopping trolley’ ready to outgun supercars
