A tyre for all reasons?

In the world of engineering compromise, little comes for free. So the idea of having the best of both worlds – a performance tyre that can handle the ice, snow and freezing temperatures of winter but not turn your steering response to mush in the sweltering peak of summer – should be laughed out of town.

But the Michelin Man isn’t laughing. He’s striding down the high street, rolling the shiny new Cross Climate 3 Sport at any tyre shop he sees. Inspired by such Stay Puft antics, I fitted a set to Volvo’s fastest combustion-engined production car – my 2022 Polestar Engineered V60 – and headed for the Alps.

But before you join me for a romp down the autoroute, a brief recap for those who might have missed my previous essay on the surprisingly complex and peculiarly fascinating world of tyres.