Just back from interviewing North Face ambassador James Pearson in London. The 28-year-old is one of Britain’s best climbers – and it was quite an adventure trekking down a very wet A303 in the V40 to meet at a climbing centre in Stoke Newington.

Pearson is of ‘no fixed abode’ and spends his life roaming around the mountains of Europe with his wife in a camper van. Sounds like fun but I wonder how he would fare in a Volvo?

Well, I’d say it’s very much a small family hatchback and even with the back seats folding down, you would have trouble stretching out for a good night’s sleep, especially as the base of the rear seats don’t fold flat.

It does have  plenty of cubbyholes and spaces up front and the Cross Country looks especially macho if you add a Volvo roof box to the fixed roof bars.

The front seats have three-stage heat – great for an Alpine adventure – but we found it difficult to get the climate control at the right level, how ever much we played with the rather complicated controls. Love the sound system though – especially the thumping bass speaker.