Volvo V60 Cross Country to go on sale in early 2015

Volvo isn't giving up ground in the all-wheel-drive station wagon market to Subaru, as has just about every other automaker.

The Swedish company will introduce the Volvo V60 Cross Country at the Los Angeles Auto Show in just a few weeks. The V60 Cross Country has been in the works since the debut of the V60 itself.

It will become Volvo's smallest awd model in the U.S.

The V60 Cross Country will make use of Volvo's 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder gas engine, which Volvo says will produce 250 hp (and presumably 266 pounds-feet of torque) in Cross Country tune, coupled with all-wheel drive and an automatic transmission.

The company says the Cross Country's five-cylinder engine should be good for a combined 23 mpg, well below the 29 combined mpg rating of the 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four V60 front-wheel-drive model, though specific EPA figures won't be published until the start of sales.

"With ground clearance increased 65 mm [2.6 inches] compared to the V60, the Cross Country’s sturdy construction offers unparalleled control on and off the beaten track, coupled with an enhanced sporty driving experience thanks to torque vectoring technology and corner traction control," said Lex Kerssemakers, senior vice president for product strategy and vehicle line management at Volvo Cars. "The V60 Cross Country really is a getaway car -- enabling an adventurous lifestyle in pure rugged form."

Along with higher ground clearance, the V60 Cross Country will also feature revised side sills and wheel arch surrounds, as in other Cross Country models.

The V60 Cross Country will be offered with Hill Descent Control as standard, and will be offered with new 18-inch and 19-inch wheel designs specific to this model.

Volvo has not identified other special equipment that will be offered, but the vehicle is expected to be equipped with many of the luxury features carried over from the standard V60 wagons.

Volvo also has not indicated whether the V60 Cross Country will receive an R-Design variant, which is available as a luxury trim level on the current V60 awd model.

North American sales of the V60 will start during the first quarter of 2015, just in time for Volvo to woo buyers in ice-locked states with the wagon's awd prowess.

Pricing for the Cross Country will be announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show or a short time thereafter, though it is expected to be a few thousand dollars higher than the $37,715 starting price of the standard awd five-cylinder V60.