Volvo XC90 vs Maserati Levante
What's the difference?

Volvo XC90

$97,990 - $130,990

2026 price

View pricing & specs

Maserati Levante

—

2021 price

View pricing & specs

Land Rover Discovery Sport

Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Mercedes-Benz E300

Mercedes-Benz E53

Mercedes-Benz EQ-Class

Mercedes-Benz Eqb250

Mercedes-Benz G-Class

Mercedes-Benz G63

Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class

Mercedes-Benz GLA35

Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class

Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class

Mercedes-Benz GLC300

Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class

Mercedes-Benz GLS

Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class

Mini Countryman

Mitsubishi ASX

Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross

Mitsubishi Outlander

Mitsubishi Pajero

Mitsubishi Pajero Sport

Summary

2026 Volvo XC90

2021 Maserati Levante

By Tim Nicholson

By Stephen Corby

Safety Rating

Engine Type

Turbo 4, 2.0L

Twin Turbo V8, 3.8L

Fuel Type

—

Premium Unleaded Petrol

Fuel Efficiency

1.8L/100km (combined)

0.0L/100km (combined)

Seating

Likes

New multimedia system
Interior design and materials
Brisk and engaging performance

That engine
Surprisingly capable on track
Rear-biased AWD

Dislikes

Old school EV driving range
Clunky third row set-up
Unsettled low-speed ride

Not the prettiest Maserati
Seems strange to want to track one
Expensive

2026 Volvo XC90 Summary

The first-generation Volvo XC90 remained on sale for 12 years in Australia before being replaced by the handsome second-gen version that recently clocked up a decade of sales.

There’s a reason for the longevity. People love the Volvo XC90. It is a reliable seven-seat family-friendly SUV with a premium bent. You’ll spot loads of these at fancy private school drop off.

Volvo has extended the life of the second-gen XC90 with a significant late-life update. It adopts some features from its stablemate, the similarly sized and positioned EX90 electric SUV.

It doesn’t get a fully-electric powertrain but you have the choice of a mild-hybrid grade that acts as the range opener and the well-equipped T8 Plug-In Hybrid I’m testing.

Interestingly, a number of this car’s rivals have had their lives extended, too. As many carmakers pour billions into EVs, they’ve taken to delivering major updates to older internal combustion platforms rather than developing all-new underpinnings. The Audi Q7 and BMW X5 are other examples of this.

For the update, Volvo has ushered in a front-end design refresh, a fresh take on the interior, new multimedia and safety tech, a light tweak to suspension and new colours and wheels.

But is this enough to keep premium SUV buyers interested? Let’s find out…

View full pricing & specs

2021 Maserati Levante Summary

Driving a whopping great SUV down the straight on a race track at more than 200km/h sounds like fun, but it actually feels a bit wrong, like entering a baby elephant in a dog show.

These are strange times, of course, and the Maserati Trofeo Levante is a suitably strange vehicle - stylish, classy, expensively appointed family hauler that also has the heart and soul of a race car.

Indeed, while performance SUVs are an increasingly commonplace vehicle, the Levante - which was actually getting along in the tooth as a model before this significant upgrade - has higher performance credibility than most.

That's because it has a big Ferrari V8 driving all four of its wheels and delivering a properly supercar-like 433kW and 730Nm.

It's not what you might call a typical Maserati buyer's car, but then only those who know what the Trofeo badge stands for - shouty insanity, basically - will be interested in this end of town. It is a lot of car, but is it worth the large load of money on the sticker ($330,000)?

View full pricing & specs

Deep dive comparison

2026 Volvo XC90 2021 Maserati Levante

Verdict

It’s a credit to Volvo that the XC90 feels like a new car, even with its older underpinnings. This latest update has successfully addressed areas that needed the most attention, namely the multimedia system, interior and exterior design. The electric driving range now feels somewhat old school compared to the numbers some manufacturers can achieve these days. A lot of PHEVs now exceed 100km EV range and buyers are starting to expect that. And setting up the third row takes way too much effort to want to do it regularly. The new Volvo XC90 is a comfortable, engaging and properly premium family SUV and the updates have only improved what was already a solid offering.

Verdict

Maseratis are built for a fairly specific niche buyer; someone with a lot of money, someone slightly older and certainly someone who likes the finer things in life and appreciates Italian style, quality and heritage.

They are not, typically, the kind of buyers who want to tear around race tracks like fiends in big, shouty SUVs. But apparently there is a niche within the niche of Maserati fans who do, and they are willing to invest big dollars in vehicles wearing the Trofeo badge, like this Levante.

It might seem a slightly strange creation, a track-mad SUV with a screaming Ferrari engine, but surprisingly, it really does work.

Volvo XC90 vs Maserati Levante What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

Volvo XC90 vs Maserati Levante
What's the difference?