Wheels of the Week: Volvo EX30 – small, electric, fast

The Volvo EX30 Cross Country is a small SUV with a slightly confused identity.

It looks as though it would quite happily spend Saturday morning climbing over rocks, splashing through mud and generally behaving like an off-road adventurer. Then I got inside and discovered a minimalist electric cabin full of technology.

And then I put foot on the power. That is when things got really fast. Because underneath all that rugged Cross Country styling is 315kW and 543N.m.

Yes, in this little Volvo.

I drove the EX30 Cross Country and it has a lottttt of power. In fact, it has so much power that the first few enthusiastic applications of the accelerator had me wondering whether Volvo had accidentally left on the performance settings from something much larger.

The 0-100 km/h sprint takes just 3.7 seconds. That is properly quick for anything, never mind a compact SUV that looks as though it should be carrying mountain bikes and hiking boots.

The Cross Country name has been part of Volvo’s vocabulary for years, usually attached to vehicles designed to cope with more than the average trip to the supermarket. The EX30 Cross Country continues that tradition, although in a much smaller and more electrified package.

It is based on the same SEA2 (Sustainable Experience Architecture 2) platform as the standard EX30, but Volvo has given it a little more ground clearance, some extra visual muscle and all-wheel drive. Ground clearance is now 190 mm, which is 13 mm more than the standard EX30.

That does not make it a 4X4, but it does mean that a badly graded gravel road is less likely to have me approach every bump with the concentration of a bomb disposal expert.

The styling certainly suggests that the Cross Country is up for some adventure. The Volvo EX30 Cross Country has 19-inch five-spoke Matte Graphite alloy wheels, Matte Black aero inserts, wider wheel arch extensions and pronounced skid plates. The front shield and boot lid have darker finishes, while the front fascia features artwork inspired by Sweden’s Kebnekaise mountain range.

It looks considerably more serious than the standard EX30. Almost as if the regular EX30 went away for a weekend, bought hiking boots and came back with a new attitude.

315kW in something this small? This makes the EX30 Cross Country more entertaining.

The Twin Motor Performance drivetrain uses one electric motor at the front and another at the rear. Together they produce 315kW and 543N.m, with power delivered through a single-speed transmission and all-wheel drive. The top speed is limited to 180 km/h, in keeping with Volvo’s current range.

Charging from 10% to 80% takes as little as 26 minutes using a compatible fast charger, according to Volvo. For longer journeys, that makes a significant difference.

Inside, the EX30 Cross Country is much more restrained. The minimalist cabin has a 12.3-inch central touchscreen that handles most of the vehicle’s functions. Android Auto is supported (a huge plus), while Google Maps, Google Assistant and Google Play are built into the vehicle. I found the approach interesting because Volvo has resisted filling the dashboard with buttons simply because there are places available to put buttons.

The Ultra specification also includes a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, two-zone climate control, power-adjustable front seats and a fixed panoramic sunroof. Which can cause a glare on very bright days.

Cargo space starts with 400 litres behind the second row. The rear seats split 60:40 when needing to carry something considerably more awkward than a week’s groceries. That could include bicycles, camping equipment or whatever else seemed like a good idea when leaving home.

The interior follows Volvo’s approach to using recycled and renewable materials. The Pine interior, for example, uses a wool-blend textile made from 30% responsibly sourced wool and 70% recycled polyester. The cushions and piping use 100% recycled polyester. It is a nice reminder that an electric vehicle does not have to look like a spaceship designed by somebody who has never seen a sofa. The EX30’s cabin is simple, modern and relatively easy to understand.

Then we get to the long list of safety technology, which is where Volvo starts sounding very much like Volvo again. The EX30 Cross Country comes with adaptive cruise control, Pilot Assist with steering support, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assistance and BLIS blind-spot information.

It includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, rear cross-traffic alert with autobrake, front cross-traffic alert and intersection autobrake, as well as Oncoming Mitigation by Braking and Oncoming Lane Mitigation. Parking assistance includes Park Pilot Assist, front and rear Park Assist and a 360-degree camera.

Hill Start Assist and Hill Descent Control are particularly useful touches for a vehicle that is supposed to be happier away from perfect tarmac. Road Sign Information, Traffic Jam Assist and Intelligent Speed Assist complete a fairly substantial electronic safety package.

At this point, the EX30 Cross Country has so many systems watching what is happening around it that I started wondering whether it needed me at all. Fortunately, it does.

The Cross Country has personality And it is fast.

Very fast.

*Pricing for the Volvo EX30 Cross Country starts at R1,165,000.

* Sheryl Goldstuck is general manager of World Wide Worx and editor of GadgetWheels. Follow her on Bluesky on @crazycatbuzz.bsky.social.