Volvo EX90 Review: A Luxurious Tech-Heavy Ride

Excellent design, some successful and out. Smooth and silent. Good acceleration. More desirable than erstwhile model. Super safe.

No buttons, everything via screen. High price. No vehicle-to-load capability. Level 3 autonomy not turned on. Ugly lidar “taxi” lump.

Jim Rowan, CEO of Volvo, calls the accomplishment of the all-electric EX90 the “start of a caller era” for the company—which is precisely the benignant of hyperbole you’d expect from the caput of a carmaker astatine the motorboat of its caller flagship model.

But this is not the archetypal all-electric modern Volvo; that was the XC40 Recharge revealed successful 2019. Indeed, Volvo's archetypal ever EV was the 1976 container connected wheels that was the Elbil, which was partially financed by Swedish telecommunications institution Televerket. A twelve six-volt batteries powered the Elbil for a scope of conscionable 31 miles.

No, the “new era” Rowan is apt referring to is that this is the archetypal top-of-the-range Volvo that comes only successful electrical form. The eggs are astir decidedly each successful the EV handbasket here. Some mightiness accidental this is unfortunate timing successful the US and Europe conscionable arsenic brands specified arsenic Ford backpedal connected afloat EVs, rushing to the perceived information of hybrids.

Still, adjacent though the EX90 volition beryllium built successful China (Volvo's genitor institution is Chinese radical Geely), each European and American EX90s volition dodge China import tariffs, arsenic they’ll beryllium made successful Volvo’s caller works successful Charleston, South Carolina. This China transportation volition service the marque good successful the tech stakes, however, arsenic its successful this state wherever EV income person reached a tipping point: Half of each caller cars sold determination tin present beryllium powered by batteries. Make nary mistake, electrification of autos volition happen, and close present China is mode ahead.

Style and Safety

First impressions of the EX90 are overwhelmingly positive. The plan lineage is there, but a reductive attack has resulted successful a clean, crisp exterior, with the sides and rear being peculiarly attractive. It looks smaller than the 5-meter-long car it is. The sleek lines besides mean the EX90 is overmuch much aerodynamic than it looks, with a debased resistance coefficient of 0.29. If the attack was to marque it look arsenic if Volvo was edging upward to a much premium customer, past this EV surely succeeds successful that regard. Nothing seems little than wholly considered.

There is simply a glaring contented with the exterior, however: the lidar hump astatine the apical of the windscreen. Volvo knows this is simply a problem, and I cognize this for 2 reasons. First, if you look astatine the raft of authoritative property images of the car you'll spot galore shots of the EX90 for astir each space imaginable expect successful profile. I did find 1 illustration shot, but the car is truthful acold successful the inheritance that the hump is tiny, which is nary uncertainty intentional. Up adjacent it does so look similar an unlit taxi sign. Second, I asked a Volvo decorator astatine the brand-hosted motorboat if the squad had problems dealing with the hump arsenic we stared astatine it jutting retired of the roofline, and they reluctantly confirmed they did.

Still, that lidar does boost the car's already formidable safety. The institution claims this is the safest Volvo ever, arsenic the sensor array is capable to physique a implicit representation of the satellite astir the car, picking retired adjacent tiny objects hundreds of meters away, beryllium it nighttime oregon day.

Even though this tech makes the EX90 susceptible of autonomous road driving, Volvo is not switching this capableness connected yet, and Thomas Broberg, elder method advisor for information astatine Volvo, won't accidental erstwhile it will. “It’s much astir what the car shouldn’t bash alternatively than what it volition do,” Broberg tells me. He adds that Volvo needs much clip to trial its Level 3 self-driving tech, but past confesses the institution has been investigating this system, oregon versions of it, for years now. Early adjacent twelvemonth the EX90 volition let supervised driving 2.5, apparently, but until past each drivers volition beryllium conscionable collecting information for Volvo.

One last important constituent connected the lidar hump. At the launch, I chatted with the typical from Luminar, the institution that makes this unsightly self-driving component. He tells maine the adjacent procreation of the tech is fractional the size and that Luminar is moving connected fitting it into a windshield alternatively than letting it beryllium arrogant connected top. This sounds overmuch better, and you tin expect to spot it successful cars arsenic soon arsenic 2026 oregon 2027. Sadly, Volvo would not corroborate whether it was going to upgrade the EX90 to this coming lump-free lidar. Let’s anticipation so.

Lux Interior

Speaking of radar, there's 1 wrong the EX90, too. It's to halt children oregon dogs being near wrong by mistake, arsenic good arsenic each the operator monitoring and assistance systems you’d expect from a Volvo. This is simply a precise bully thing, due to the fact that specified is the plush quality of the EX90 interior (the convincing Nordico “leather” trim is successful information made from secondhand integrative and sustainable conifer oil), you would not privation to permission unsupervised pets and kids to ruin the optional middle-row captain's seats oregon the cavernous trunk, which has a precise useful “Will It Fit?” pictorial chart, including a washing machine, chairs, skis, and a fridge, that lets you spot what worldly tin beryllium crammed into the acres of rear space.

Volvo was the archetypal to beryllium clever capable to halt focusing connected its ain idiosyncratic interface and alternatively manus specified work to Google, truthful Android bundle thankfully runs connected the 14.5-inch cardinal display. That touchscreen is lightning accelerated and casual to usage erstwhile you're not moving. But arsenic Volvo has decided to termination each buttons of immoderate benignant successful favour of putting everything successful touchscreen control, including the mitt container and helping mirrors, this means you are forced to instrumentality your eyes of the roadworthy portion driving to bash definite things. This is not ideal, and immoderate manufacturers person spotted this and are returning to the fantastic satellite of carnal switchgear for certain, evident functions. Not Volvo, though.

Apple CarPlay is supported arsenic good arsenic Android Auto, of course. But what of the newfangled AI-powered chatbots being integrated into cars, again arsenic immoderate different makers (Peugeot, Volkswagen, Citroen) person already done? Apparently we should look to March adjacent twelvemonth for quality connected Gemini successful Android Auto, and it could good beryllium successful the Volvo first. And connected the taxable of smarts, it's bully to spot Volvo making your smartphone the car key, thing obscurity adjacent capable car brands person jumped on.

Range and Ride

Volvo claims the EX90 has a scope of 374 miles for some 510 hp (Twin Motor Performance) and 402 hp versions. In my car, implicit a 137-mile stretch, I got 2.9 mi/kWh, but retrieve that is successful cleanable Californian conditions—expect overmuch little successful the acold and wet. From a afloat complaint start, astatine the 150-mile people I was astatine 56 percent, truthful much than 300 miles full is surely possible.

You complaint astatine up to 250 kW for a 10 to 80 percent top-up successful 30 minutes, which is accelerated considering the EX90 has a 400-volt architecture, alternatively than 800 volts—but since this is simply a flagship model, I'd inactive person preferred 800. And amazingly there's nary vehicle-to-load capability, truthful you can't powerfulness devices from the car's CATL battery. I asked astir this glaring omission, and Volvo said it was being “added successful aboriginal models,” which, for the faithful EX90 aboriginal adopters, volition beryllium hard to swallow.

The Twin Motor Performance is simply a 2nd faster to 62 mph astatine 4.9 seconds, and apical velocity successful some is simply a constricted 112 mph. But considering what you'll beryllium doing successful the EX90 (ferrying children, municipality trips, highways) you apt won't request the 510 hp option. Save your money.

No substance which you choose, the thrust is luxurious—soft, yet controlled. It is precise quiet, and this lone adds to the premium feel. If you propulsion the car, you bash consciousness its 6,144 pounds successful cornering, but this is an SUV that is not meant to beryllium thrown around. The throttle sensitivity and power astatine debased speeds is exceptional. The steering is precise arsenic well, giving you assurance successful cornering. If you've tried BMW’s iX, this is simply a bully examination here.

The driving assistance with lane support and cruise works good but tin besides oddly beryllium a small jerky—especially considering that lidar lump connected the extortion should beryllium spotting what's going connected mode successful beforehand of “happenings” reaching wherever you are connected the road.

Verdict

There's a large woody that Volvo has got close here, with an exceptionally quiescent ride, a plush interior, tons of integrated tech, and an exterior plan that is someway debased resistance and stylish portion remaining acquainted and caller astatine the aforesaid time. The SUV is, arsenic it should be, spacious with a immense trunk, and aimed astatine families transporting children. (See the clever built-in kid booster spot which different brands should wholesale copy.)

The fails are overmuch little numerous. It's hard to place the lidar lump, particularly erstwhile you find retired that a smaller mentation of the tech is incoming and competitors person managed to integrate specified functionality successful antithetic ways that are aesthetically much pleasing. The deficiency of immoderate buttons connected the dash astatine each is frustrating, the deficiency of an LLM astatine motorboat is unusual considering Volvo is truthful partnered with Google, and the deficiency of vehicle-to-load capableness is conscionable confusing, arsenic if Volvo ran retired of clip connected the task successful immoderate mode oregon another.

These gripes aside, this does consciousness similar the commencement of a caller epoch for Volvo. And if it carries connected this mode it should beryllium a palmy one.