Unveiled globally in February 2025, the Volvo EX30 Cross Country was confirmed for entry into our market in October last year. It has taken a year for it to come, and following a couple of spyshot sightings in recent weeks, it’s finally here, with the car making its Malaysian debut last night at a launch event held in Janda Baik, Selangor.
The EX30 Cross Country is essentially a rugged-up version of the EX30, bringing back the classic “Cross Country” name that was first used on the V70 XC in 1997 to Malaysia, in the process being the first electric version to carry the suffix here.
As you’d expect, the exterior gets visual revisions to lend it a look befitting the projected nature of the vehicle. These are made up of blackened-out front and rear sections, complemented with front and rear skid plates, uncoloured wheel arch extensions and mudguards.
Ride height has been raised by 19 mm over the standard EX30, and together with a unique set of 19-inch wheels, help add to the off-road look. There’s even an elaborate, optional roof basket to add more presence to the car, which is packaged here along with the car. Artwork on the front, in the form of topography of the Kebnekaise mountain range in Arctic Sweden, lends a nice, subtle touch to the presentation.
Inside, it’s essentially the same cabin as that seen on the EX30, save a couple of alterations, with the EX30 Cross Country getting additional large storage compartments in the doors, the space gained by the removal of the door speakers, with audio duties shifted to a soundbar located on the dashboard.
Further storage is housed in the central storage tunnel that can slide out to serve as a cupholder, or retracted to offer further storage. A larger storage compartment is located on the floor between the front occupants, while the glove compartment is now located between the centre console for ease of access for both driver and passenger.
Rear seat passengers also get a storage box that slides out from beneath the central tunnel, and this is removable and washable, which Volvo says enables it to do double duty as a waste bin. To make it simpler for owners, the tailgate of the EX30 Cross Country gains a ‘will it fit?’ sticker to indicate how much luggage can be held in the luggage compartment.
There are also fitting rubber overmats, which is great for those wilderness escapades, as you can wash the dirt right off. Strangely, these were not sighted on the launch car last night, so we’ll need to check on whether they are standard fit or optional items. The boot floor has a rubber cover too, perfect for muddy boots or sweat-soaked apparel.
The EX30 Cross Country features the same powertrain as the EX30 Ultra Twin Performance, with the dual-motor set-up offering 428 PS and 434 Nm. The taller suspension and chunkier styling does add some penalty to performance, the first being with range. with up to 427 km (WLTP) of travel on a single charge compared to 450 km on the EX30. The larger tyres also make it a shade slower to 100 km/h, taking 3.7 seconds from standstill on to the same 180 km/h limited top speed.
In terms of charging, the 69 kWh-nett (65 kWh usable) lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery can be juiced up to full via Type 2 AC charging in eight hours at 11 kW, while DC fast charging at 175 kW takes 27 minutes to get the battery from a 10% to 80% state-of-charge.
Three exterior colours are available for the CC, these being Crystal White, Vapour Grey and Cloud Blue, all paired with an Indigo interior with textile/Nordico uphostery and denim-coloured door panels.
Finally, pricing. The locally-assembled Volvo EX30 Cross Country is priced at RM218,888, on-the-road without insurance, making it RM10k less than the EX30 Ultra Twin Performance (RM228,888).
Volvo Car Malaysia is offering the first 100 buyers a launch package worth up to nearly RM21,800, consisting of a RM12,000 cash rebate, a complimentary Volvo Wallbox worth RM3,990, a load carrier worth RM2,098 and the aforementioned roof basket, which is worth RM3,680.
GALLERY: Volvo EX30 Cross Country, Thailand preview
The post Volvo EX30 Cross Country launched in Malaysia – 428 PS/434 Nm AWD EV gets off-road styling, RM218,888 appeared first on Paul Tan’s Automotive News.
