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The Volvo V70 Cross Country has been beefed up for 2001, given the styling of a hiking boot and the ground clearance of an off-highway truck.

The Cross Country is a great concept, well-executed. Borrowing heavily from Subaru’s Outback formula, the all-wheel-drive Volvo wagon is the ultimate hybrid: a capable road car/station wagon/sport utility vehicle that has everything that a real-world driver may need.

By real world, I’m not including those intrepid off-highway drivers, who pit custom Jeeps against wilderness trails. Hardly anybody takes their expensive sport utility vehicles off the pavement at all, much less ever needs the torque production of a low-range transfer case.

Instead, the Cross Country has an all-wheel-drive system with traction control both front and rear. It has about 8 inches of ground clearance, which is more than some popular SUVs, notably the Ford Explorer.

This Volvo will chug through mud and tackle deep snow drifts, as I discovered with the previous model during a mid-winter trip to the woods near Flagstaff. And it does so without the cumbersome handling or gas guzzling of a truck-based SUV.

Back on dry land, drivers will find that despite being jacked up about 2.5 inches above regular V70s, the Cross Country handles quite well. And those huge Pirelli Scorpion all-season tires on 16-inch alloy wheels grip the road well enough to make you forget the wagon is anything but a well-turned automobile.

Luxurious, well-equipped, fast and maneuverable, the compromises that were made to hybridize this station wagon are barely noticeable.

Under acceleration, the turbocharged five-cylinder engine sounds sweet, almost like a musical chord or an angry swarm of bees. Off-the-line acceleration is leisurely for this heavy car but picks up as engine revs climb.

The five-speed automatic transmission can be shifted manually, but it works so well, I found it best to just leave hands off. I did find the manual shifter handy during a romp near Bumble Bee in the shadow of the Bradshaw Mountains.

On those winding dirt roads, the superb suspension soaked up washboard and rocky stretches with ease. In all conditions, the suspension has a decent level of firmness without being harsh, and the steering is nicely weighted and very responsive.

The interior of the test Volvo was done in heavy, fragrant leather seats and door panels with course stitching like a baseball glove. The head rests, specially designed to absorb rear-end collisions and avoid whiplash, also push your head forward uncomfortably.

The dash, console and other features are attractive, sturdy-looking and practical.

The test car included a Global Positioning System receiver set up on a screen that rises from the dashboard. But it’s hard to see in daylight and difficult to program. And only the driver has a control – mounted on the steering column – even though it would be safer and more convenient for a passenger to manipulate the system.

The navigation system costs a lofty $2,500. Other options on the tester included the leather seats at $1,300; a premium sound system at $1,000; security laminated windows, which discourage smash-and-grab type thefts, for $300; $400 for metallic paint; $450 for a cold-weather package; $1,150 for a third seat in back; and a bunch of other hundred-dollar items that should come standard.

Being a Volvo, safety systems abound, including side air curtains, dual-stage front airbags, and Volvo’s usual integrated, crash-absorbing structure.

Though the Cross Country is fairly expensive, especially loaded up like the test car, it still compares well with the latest generation of luxury SUVs.

Especially as people tone down their expectations for oversized SUVs in favor of something a bit more rational.

Volvo V70 Cross Country

Veh icle type: Seven-passenger, four-door station wagon, all-wheel drive.

Base price: $34,900.

Price as tested: $43,480.

Engine: 2.4-liter turbocharged inline-5, 197 hp at 5,000 rpm, 210 lb-ft. of torque at 2,000 rpm.

Transmission: Five-speed automatic.

Curb weight: 3,699 lbs.

Wheelbase: 108.8 inches.

EPA mileage: 17 city, 22 highway.

Highs:
• Exceptional versatility.
• Performance, handling.
• Accommodating interior.

Lows:
• Awkward radio controls.
• Navigation system challenges.
• Weird head rests.