2023 Honda HR-V vs 2024 Volvo XC90

Honda’s subcompact SUV gets a makeover inside and out. Previously based on the Fit, the new HR-V shares the global architecture that also underpins the Civic.

Honda continues to narrow trim options: There were once as many as five, but the Touring trim level got the axe after the 2022 model year. The three trims for 2023 are LX, Sport, and EX-L. We drove the top trim, EX-L, through a mountainous test course.

New styling plus the newly standard Honda Sensing suite of safety features put this latest HR-V back at the front of the pack it led when it debuted in 2016.

When the current-generation XC90 went on sale nearly a decade ago, it marked the Swedish automaker’s pivot from its boxy and boring past to a future defined by design, quality, and technology. Volvo used the XC90’s blueprint throughout its lineup of cars, SUVs, and wagons, building a bridge to its electrified future. Has it overstayed its welcome? Perhaps, and it carries over this year without changes. But having spent a week driving the 2024 XC90 Recharge T8 plug-in hybrid, it remains an appealing choice in the luxury SUV segment.

Verdict: Beautifully styled, inside and out, and offering a range of powertrains that includes a plug-in hybrid variant, the 2024 Volvo XC90 stands out in its field. However, it commands a steep price tag, and its safety tech isn’t as innovative as what you’ll find in some rival SUVs.