Volvo V60 vs Volkswagen Golf SportWagen

Station wagons are to Volvo what pickup trucks are to Ford or Chevrolet. They’re this automaker’s bread and butter, vehicles that are integral to the Volvo brand and that represent a comfort zone for the Swedish automaker’s designers and engineers.

So while wagons have been declining in popularity for decades, Volvo has stuck with them. The current-generation Volvo V60 was introduced for the 2019 model year as the wagon companion to the Volvo S60 sedan. Its closest competitor is the Audi A4 Allroad, a similarly-sized wagon from another luxury brand. Given the lack of choices, the V60 could also be cross-shopped against the larger Audi A6 Allroad and Mercedes-Benz E-Class, as well the Subaru Outback, which lacks a prestige badge but fills a similar functional niche.

Because the V60 is relatively fresh, it gets no significant changes for the 2021 model year. Volvo offers the standard 2021 V60 in Momentum, Inscription, and R-Design trim levels but also has two spinoff versions of the wagon. The V60 T8 Polestar Engineered sports a plug-in hybrid powertrain, while the Volvo V60 Cross Country gets more SUV-like styling. We tested a Cross Country for this review.

What defines a “Sport Utility Vehicle”? Common knowledge dictates what an SUV is supposed to look like, but SUVs and crossovers don't hold a monopoly on the vehicular attribute of utility. Case in point: the station wagon.

Truthfully, most modern crossovers are just high-riding wagons and hatchbacks. The only real advantages they offer are a higher ride height, higher seating position, and all-wheel drive (and even that isn’t always a given). Cars like the Nissan Kicks and Toyota C-HR are available with only front-wheel-drive, and when compared to a vehicle like the 2019 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen, you have to wonder what added utility those cars really offer.

VW calls the SportWagen the “Sportier Utility Vehicle.” It's hard to argue with that point, and the SportWagen is a serious alternative to your typical crossover—especially if you care about driving dynamics.