If you ask Volvo where they think they are in the car market, they’ll say they’re a luxury brand. A show-stopper on the roads, in the same class as Mercedes or BMW. Whether or not customers agree is another prospect.
Will your neighbours come rushing out, keen to have a poke around in your new Volvo? Ask that you take them around the block for a ride? Perhaps not. But what the Volvo might lack in raw sex appeal, it does make up for in polish.
Or at least that’s the case in the enormous seven seat EX90, tested here in its dual motor performance oriented, range topping Ultra trim. This is an electric vehicle with serious presence on the road.
It’s impolite to talk about weight, I know. But the EX90 is a hefty lad, so it bears mentioning. This car comes in at 2.8-tonnes, which is heavy, even for an electric vehicle. But to Volvo’s credit, the car doesn’t move like someone who has a few kilos to lose.
The EX90’s two motors, in the front and rear, combine for 380kW and 910Nm of torque. The result? A sumo that sprints like Usain Bolt. It effortlessly, smoothly hurls itself down the road from 0 to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds.
A delight to drive at any speed, it’s buttery smooth and responsive. But if you have any aspirations to really flog her on a freeway? Tough. The top speed is responsibly capped at 180km/h.
I suspect this might annoy some people on principle – people want cars not nannies. But this isn’t a vehicle you’d be likely to take to a track day, so really what’s the problem?
While we’re on the subject of being sensible, because this is Volvo, the safety tech in the EX90 reads longer than most people’s monthly grocery list. There are lane keeping aids, pedestrian detection, post-impact braking, blind-spot monitoring — you name it, it’s here.
There’s even a door opening alert, which warns you if you’re about to swing into the path of a cyclist. If you’re a Sydney driver, that might be like attaching a scope to a sniper rifle to help you be more precise.
On receiving this car, the bings and bongs that come with modern safety tech were turned off – and remained off for the loan. This made it all the better to appreciate how quiet the EX90 is on the road. The soundproofing on this car is an achievement.
Its quiet cabin makes a good stage for the truly exceptional speaker system – 25 Bowers & Wilkins speakers with Dolby Atmos. If there is a better audio system in a car, I am yet to experience it.
The clarity and quality of the speaker system is equal, or even exceeds, some professional recording studios I have worked in. The EX90 also comes with a few customisable music profiles, which change the sound to mimic famous recording studios and stages.
A cute gimmick, but something likely to be tinkered with once or twice and then forgotten. As is increasingly common in electric cars, many of the car’s functions are run through the central screen.
Frankly, some of this functionality really should have remained a physical button. Is it really necessary for the glovebox to open via the car’s tablet? Is there a customer in the world who asked for this?
Whose fingers were tired and aching from the exhausting task of pulling that little latch open? I think not. Tablet menus aside, if you have a lot of people or things to move, the storage is well managed in the EX90.
Officially, you get between 324 and 697-litres of boot space, depending on how many of the seven seats you’ve deployed. Flatten the lot, and you’re looking at a cavernous 2,135-litres. Great if you’re someone with frequent big shops, or a flat pack furniture problem.
Instead of an engine bay, the EX90 offers what Volvo calls a “front load compartment”. In less poetic terms that’s what we call a frunk. It’s not huge, but it’s handy for hiding charging cables, washer fluid, or any other odds and ends you don’t want rolling around.
As for charging, Volvo claims you’ll get an impressive 570km on a single charge, thanks to a very large 111kWh battery. At a DC fast charger, a 10 to 80 per cent charge will take around 30 minutes.
There’s no question this is a luxury vehicle, so be prepared for a luxury price. The drive away price for the EX90 Ultra comes in at $150,500. But for that price, you get a big car with lovely tuning and a lot of polish.
You can find out more on the Volvo Cars Australia website, or by talking to your local dealership. To get a low rate finance quote, talk to Australia’s best reviewed car finance broker; Credit One. To see a great range of vehicles for sale, check out OnlyCars.com.au.
Our test vehicle was provided by Volvo Cars Australia for independent review purposes. Exhaust Notes Australia has not been paid to review this vehicle.
