Volvo was amongst a choose few electrical car makers to launch an enormous, premium electrical seven-seat SUV final yr when it launched the EX90 to the world.
Not solely did the large crossover carry some severe Scandi styling and class to the electrified people-moving market, it additionally promised the following technology of Volvo’s security techniques – all powered by myriad sensors, cameras and a hulking nice Lidar perched atop the windscreen.
Unfortunately, stated Lidar wasn’t lively in time for launch, solely there to reap information in an effort to practice Volvo’s software program. This was all the way down to the truth that the Swedish firm merely didn’t have the compute energy to comprehend its dream. The car was additionally plagued with quite a few software program bugs and points, which we received’t get into proper now.
As a outcome, Volvo’s financials didn’t look nice final yr, with the corporate posting a $1 billion working loss within the second quarter of 2025.
Safety smarts
It feels a bit awkward kicking a primary drive off with a chat about computing energy and security techniques, but it surely feels vital right here, not least as a result of the marque’s ‘Superset’ stack principally defines this EV.
Underneath the pores and skin sits the beforehand talked about Nvidia chips, which ship a staggering 500 trillion operations per second – virtually twice that of the EX90.
This permits the aesthetically intrusive lidar unit (which stays a bone of competition with any automobile designer) the a number of cameras and sensors to continually accumulate and analyze information from the complicated work across the car.
As promised however not fairly delivered with the EX90, this implies the limousine-like ES90 can provide a complicated lively security suite that does not essentially intervene on the each day drive. In reality, in the event you’re in management, not fatigued and paying consideration, you in all probability received’t discover them in any respect.
“It’s probably something that’s quite difficult to test on real roads,” explains Volvo’s senior advisor for security, Thomas Broberg. “Because these new safety systems only really activate when they need to. So basically, if you are driving badly,” he says.
An amazing instance of that is the lane-keep help operate that, in some automobiles, kicks in as quickly as you get even remotely near the street marking or street furnishings.
In the ES90, this technique usually provides loads of leeway and solely kicks up a fuss while you begin straying dangerously shut. However, if the tech detects that the motive force is getting somewhat drained or distracted, it begins to just about ‘slim’ these street markings so the techniques gently intervene earlier.
The similar goes for pace alerts and different notifications, as these stay comparatively subdued till you begin blasting by means of 30mph zones or usually ignoring street indicators. The extra you do that, the extra the automobile steps in to type issues out.
It’s precisely how lively security must be, it’s only a disgrace it takes unfathomable quantities of compute energy and years of software program improvement to get to a stage the place each journey isn’t accompanied by a cacophony of bleeps, bongs and ghost interventions.
Silence is golden
Okay, so let’s get again to extra conventional take a look at drive far, such because the styling, efficiency and vary.
As you’ll be able to in all probability inform, the ES90 takes the type of a saloon or fastback (uncommon lately), just one that Volvo says has the “higher ground clearance associated with an SUV”.
This is extra possible all the way down to the truth that the all-wheel-drive, twin-motor variants come sporting completely gargantuan 106kWh battery packs, which can naturally elevate the trip peak considerably, seeing as they’re stashed beneath the ground in Volvo’s SPA2 structure.
The ensuing design is elegant, if somewhat unconventional, and really roomy inside, with copious quantities of house for each entrance passengers and people lounging within the rear. There’s loads of digital adjustability within the luxurious fake leather-based seats and people within the again can stretch out their legs with ease.
Cynics will level out that that is very a lot a automobile for the Chinese market, seeing because it’s manufactured in Chengdu, however Magdalena Molin, enterprise program supervisor for ES90, says {that a} shocking quantity of Chinese prospects wish to drive themselves or their households, so this isn’t merely a limousine for ferrying rich enterprise people round.
No matter if it does, as a result of it rides superbly, virtually gliding over the street floor and the inside is totally sealed from the surface world. It is past peaceable within the cabin, however occupants may get pleasure from an outstanding 25-speaker sound system from Bowers & Wilkins that comes full with a brand new Abbey Road Studios Mode.
When activated, occupants can utterly change the sonic attributes of the observe they’re listening to, making even the poppiest tracks sound like they’ve been recorded in London’s famously analogue recording studios.
Fast charger
Unlike the bigger EX90, Volvo’s newest mannequin boasts an 800V electrical structure, which implies it may well cost at speeds of as much as 350kW, drastically decreasing the period of time required to plug in.
That stated, each the 443bhp ES90 Twin Motor and the 671bhp Twin Motor Performance variants characteristic the beforehand talked about 102kWh battery packs that provide round 435 miles of vary on a single cost, however will naturally take longer to brim, given the scale.
The mannequin I examined – a rear-drive, 329bhp Plus Single Motor Extended Range variant – delivers a claimed 401 miles and lots sufficient energy to get the automobile as much as motorway speeds with ease. In reality, the 680hp twin motor choice simply appears a bit daft.
This isn’t a ‘dynamic’ automobile by any stretch of the creativeness, because the gargantuan 5m lengthy saloon doesn’t characteristic rear-wheel steering and felt notably giant when threading it by means of a few of the slim streets of our French Riviera take a look at route.
Sure, the extra horsepower of the twin motor choice assists with some straight-line overtaking, but it surely’s not important to having fun with this relaxed and comfy cruiser.
The inside feels completely premium and Volvo’s prime spec Android Automotive-based infotainment system sits satisfaction of place within the centre of the sprint. It’s down to private style, however I feel at this premium stage it may do with higher integration with the remainder of the dashboard, because it feels somewhat bolted on.
And, fairly predictably, I’m going to bemoan the truth that virtually every part is dedicated to touchscreen, together with adjusting the wing mirrors – one thing you’ll want to do when reversing this imposing machine and its very simply scuffed 22-inch alloy wheels.
Visibility out of the skinny sliver of rear glass can also be notably poor, which means the motive force has to rely closely on reversing cameras and sensors when parking, so it’s a very good job these work notably effectively.
A troublesome promote
While this type of car historically sells effectively in China, it struggles in most different markets and Volvo has already gone on document to say that the ES90 received’t go on sale in North America any time quickly, as a result of unstable nature of tariffs and incentives.
In the UK, costs begin at £69,760 (round $93,300 / AU$144,00) for the ‘entry-level’ Single Motor Extended Range mannequin, rising to £79,160 (round $106,000 / AU$163,500) for the Ultra trim stage that provides issues like entrance therapeutic massage seats, the aforementioned Bowers & Wilkins sound system and plush air suspension.
Prices then rise all the best way to £87,960 (round $118,000 / AU$181,500) for the range-topping Ultra Twin Motor Performance fashions, which places it in the identical territory as issues just like the Porsche Taycan, which isn’t as lounge-like inside however is definitely the significantly better EV to drive.
Then there are issues like the superb BMW i5 and Audi A6 e-tron, in addition to the rangey Lucid Air in case you are primarily based in North America.
What’s extra, Volvo’s sibling model Polestar additionally gives the Polestar 4 for lots much less and an upcoming Polestar 5, which relies on precisely the identical platform and is arguably a greater trying machine – albeit with much less house within the rear.
As sensible, refined and comfy because the Volvo ES90 is, it doesn’t really feel prefer it’s going to set any gross sales charts on hearth.
It’s simply too costly, an excessive amount of of a distinct segment product and, when the USP is a really intelligent however intangible security system, it is too tough to clarify the advantages of the spectacular compute energy that underpins it.
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