Volvo V90 Cross Country pictures

The Volvo V90 Cross Country estate offers a real alternative to an SUV

It competes against such cars as the Audi Q5, Mercedes GLC and BMW X3, as well as Volvo's own XC60 and XC90 SUVs

Volvo knows that not everybody needs the bulk of a full size SUV, and being based on an Estate car has distinct advantages

The V90 Cross Country has a choice of two diesel engines, the D4 or the more powerful D5. Both models have four-wheel drive

Although the V90 Cross Country performs very well on snow, it's not intended for off-road expeditions

The intention is that there should be no commonly-faced driving condition that will halt a V90 Cross Country's journey

Though four-wheel drive, most of the time power will be transmitted to just the front wheels, improving fuel economy

Overall economy is very similar to that of the regular front-wheel drive V90, and is impressive for a car with this much power

The V90 Cross country is a handsome looking car, too, with much of the subtle Scandinavian style of the range-topping XC90 SUV

Current Volvo styling is a far cry from the square rigged, bulky Volvos of old

Other estate-based four-wheel drive rivals are the Audi A6 Allroad and the Mercedes E-Class All-Terrain

A big selling point of the V90 Cross Country is its interior, which is among the very best of any car on the market

Material finish is extremely high quality and there are clever design touches everywhere you look.

Equipment levels are extremely high, with a portrait-mounted touchscreen infotainment system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto music connectivity

Passengers front or rear won't find any shortage of space, a family of four can be accommodated even if every member is over six feet tall

Bootspace is generous, too, though not quite as vast as that offered by the Mercedes E-Class All-Terrain

You can fold down one, two or all three of the rear seats to accommodate those long or bulky items without having to kick passengers out

With all three rear seats folded down there's over 1,500 litres of storage space available in total, enough to carry even the bulkiest items

An upgraded sound system is available with speakers from famous British hi-fi company, Bowers and Wilkins

Both D4 and D5 engines come with an automatic gearbox as standard, designed to complement the four-wheel drive system