2023 Volvo V60 Cross Country: Will It Dog?

The 2023 Volvo V60 Cross Country B5 AWD is so smooth and soft that it doesn’t really feel like a car for people who love driving. But by the time my test was over, I have to admit I really came to appreciate the car’s calming energy. Our dogs were sad to see it go, too. This wagon’s take on a robust-luxury aesthetic is unique and sophisticated. And its capacity to carry animals is excellent.

Welcome to Will It Dog, The Drive's car review series for canine owners. Here we'll look at what a Volvo V60 Cross Country is like to live with if you have dogs and point out any specific aspects that help or hurt its case as a dog taxi. We're going to pretty much gloss over the tech specs and engineering since that info is already all over the internet, and focus on the car's physical attributes when it comes to carrying animals.

Our main test dogs Bramble, Indi, and Silas are littermates; half Golden Retriever (dad) and half Australian Shepherd (mom). Bramble's the smallest at 40-odd pounds while her brothers are about 60 pounds apiece. They're energetic animals but comfortable with car rides, harnesses, and travel.

Volvo V60 B5 AWD Cross Country for Dog Owners

• Base price (as tested): $49,895 ($59,690)

• Seating capacity (people): 5

• Seating capacity (dogs): 6  medium-size breed, if you’re ambitious

• EPA fuel economy: 23 mpg city | 30 highway | 26 combined

• Observed fuel economy: 27.9 mpg over 326.7 miles

• Cargo volume: 22.5 cu. ft. (behind rear seats)

• Dimensions:

• Rear seat to ceiling height: 36 inches

• Front seatback to rear seat: 23 inches

• Door sill to ground height: 19 inches

• Trunk opening to ground height: 28 inches

• Cargo area interior height: 25 inches

• Rear cargo width (main usable area): 41 inches

• Quick take: Clean, comfortable, calm, and highly canine-compatible.

• Will It Dog Score: 9/10

Interior Materials and Layout

Everyone’s seen a station wagon and the concept here is exactly what you think: Like a sedan, but with a long roof. A center console divides the front seats, and the rears can fold down to create cavernous cargo space.

The cockpit feels simultaneously minimalistic and indulgent. This is a look Volvo started leaning into years ago and the Swedish automaker has now pretty much perfected it. It’s as simple as this: A relatively plain design is crafted with spectacularly nice materials and just a few choice accessories that pop like jewelry.

More specifically, the shifter is an illuminated crystal (literal jewelry), and the door handles are gorgeous things that are almost shaped organically, like symmetrical pieces of tree, but chrome. The seat bolsters are shaped a little like cartoon clouds and just the absolute perfect tautness—sliding into them hit me with the joy of cool, freshly-washed bed sheets but they feel so thick you might think they’re knife-proof. They certainly seemed dog-claw proof, though I did run a cover between our animals’ paws and the seats just to be safe.

I also really liked the center console material—it’s different from what you find elsewhere in the car’s cockpit. Talk about robust, that thing feels as tough as a cowboy’s saddle without being coarse. I bet it’d be a very long time before you saw any fatigue from elbows or paws.