From its humble beginnings on the old Volvo V70 some 20 years ago, the 'Cross Country' tag has ballooned into a sizeable chunk of Volvo's current model line-up. Both the S60 sedan and V60 wagon come in more rugged guises, and the nomenclature of Volvo's SUV range means the 'Cross Country' range technically also extends to the XC60 and XC90. Now, though, Volvo has officially confirmed the V90 Cross Country our spy photographers have snapped previously is just around the corner.

According to Volvo, the V90 Cross Country will be revealed to the world sometime in mid-September - so, expect the green-laning-friendly V90 to be officially showcased sometime next week. Better still, it's now practically a given that we'll see the new Volvo Cross Country model at the upcoming Paris Motor Show, meaning it'll only be another three weeks before we can inspect the vehicle for ourselves. Not that we expect much to drastically change. We're fully aware the Cross Country conversion is far more substantial than just giving a Volvo wheel arch surrounds and more suspension travel, the core car will basically be a V90 that's more capable on the rough stuff. And that's really all we can say on the Volvo V90 Cross Country.

The engine line-up is unknown (it's safe to expect the standard V90's range of four-cylinder units to be carried over), and we have no idea what the range's MSRP will start at. Judging by the prices for the Volvo's 60 and 90 ranges, we predict a starting price just shy of $60,000 will be on the cards for the V90 Cross Country. One thing that is for certain, though, is that it'll look rather cool - and especially so when splattered with mud. As the below images of the V90 Cross County's predecessors, the V70 XC and XC70, handily demonstrate.