Cupra Terramar vs Volvo V90

What's the difference?

There aren’t many cars like the new Cupra Terramar VZe as it’s a mid-size plug-in hybrid flagship that sits firmly at the premium end of the mainstream market. That’s either a huge advantage… or it’s not.

Because when you don’t have a clear set of rivals, you tend to stand out.

There are alternatives, of course. Things like the BYD Sealion 6 Premium, Chery Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid, GWM Haval H6 GT, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Volkswagen Tiguan eHybrid - but they each approach this space a little differently, whether it’s in pricing, positioning or execution.

Which leaves the Terramar VZe carving out a niche for itself. So the question is, does this plug-in hybrid make a compelling case?

Volvo has been riding a massive wave of success in the Australian new car market, recording (at the time of writing) 20 consecutive months of year-on-year sales growth. An even more impressive achievement given the overall market has been heading in the opposite direction.

Any worm dunker worth their salt will tell you to fish where the fish are, and Volvo has embraced the world's SUV fascination, with the XC40, XC60, and XC90 offering charismatic design and intelligent engineering across three SUV size categories.

But, there's something about Volvo and wagons (and Golden Retrievers). For more than 60 years wagons have been part of the Swedish brand's DNA, and the latest expression is the V90 Cross Country.

In other markets the car is sold in 'civilian' V90 guise. That is, a front-wheel drive only version of the full-size S90 sedan (also not sold here). But we cop the V90 Cross Country, a higher riding, all-wheel drive, five-seater.

Could its more car-like drive characteristics tempt you away from the SUV pack?