What is it?

The EX90 is Volvo's most expensive and largest car to date and will sit alongside models like the conventionally powered XC90 in the range.

The Swedish firm claims that this new car can do a total distance of 374 miles between charges and comes fitted with a host of new technological innovations as well as seven seats and sustainable materials used throughout.

What’s new?

With its first unveiling over two years ago, it's taken Volvo a while to get the car ready for production.

Highlights include a new 14.5-inch touchscreen that controls a majority of the car’s functions. Even controls for the wing mirrors and steering wheel adjustments are all embedded in the screen making the cabin very minimalist with hardly a button in sight. Initially, it takes some time getting used to as it's not very intuitive and it means you’re taking your eyes off the road a lot – which is concerning coming from a company that has built up a reputation around safety.

Meanwhile, keys are a thing of the past with the EX90 – opening the doors and starting the vehicle is all done via your smartphone or card. And, interestingly Volvo has managed to use 50kg of recycled materials in the car with the seats fashioned from recycled bottles and bio-materials from sustainable Swedish trees.

What’s under the bonnet?

When choosing your EX90, all models come with a 111kWh battery pack and twin-motor setup, but there are two different power guises available. The former offers 402bhp and 770Nm of torque, while the latter in Performance specification comes equipped with a total of 517bhp and 910Nm of torque.

Go for the more powerful model and acceleration improves taking 4.9 seconds to go from 0-60mph and it runs out of puff at 112mph. Charging takes around 15 hours to fully top up the car using an AC device.

What’s it like to drive?

Step behind the wheel and you’ll immediately notice just how refined and quiet it is to travel in. The twin-motor setup provides enough oomph and makes the car feel fairly brisk for its size, while the air suspension does a great job of ironing out the bumps in the road. The only criticism would be that the steering lacks a lot of feedback and feels numb when driving around.

In some areas, the EX90 did feel a little unfinished. For example, on occasions, the on-board software wouldn’t allow the car to retract its rear seats at all. Minor niggles - and ones that Volvo says will be fixed with over-the-air updates - but a shame regardless.

How does it look?

At first glance, you could say the EX90 looks very similar to an XC90, and that’s not terrible because its piston-powered sibling is a great-looking SUV. Dive a bit deeper and you’ll see some classic Volvo styling at the rear, similar to the V90 estate with the wrap-around rear tail lights. Like with a lot of Volvo’s designs, this latest incarnation looks very classy next to its rivals.

What’s it like inside?

You’re in for a treat when you step inside. It really is a lovely place to sit in with space used at its best, plus subtle design features like the Swedish flags in the chrome trim and on the seats.

The infotainment screen itself features Google Assistant which allows voice control for use on many of the vehicle's features. It feels like Volvo has taken a big leap forward in trying to modernise its interiors as much as possible. The seats are finished off in wool or ‘Nordico’ which is a recyclable material to help keep with the eco-friendly credentials. But, the most impressive feature is the sound system. In fact, the EX90 comes with a 25-speaker Bowers and Wilkins set-up – which is standard across the range. It is by far and away one of the best audio systems fitted to any car before with home cinema-like levels of quality.

What’s the spec like?

For an expensive car, you’d expect a host of goodies attached to the price tag and this big EV does deliver in this department. All cars come fitted with that incredible Bowers and Wilkins sound system, soft closing doors, air suspension, panoramic roof, LED headlights and four-zone climate control.

Other features include internal sensors that can spot if you’re not concentrating on the road and if you leave pets and kids in the car, the vehicle will not lock until you’ve removed them thanks to internal sensors that detect their presence.


Verdict

We were impressed by the EX90, however, it’s a shame that in some places it doesn’t feel finished. Though over-the-air updates will resolve these minor glitches, those customers shedding out £100,000 on their next vehicle purchase may feel a little hard done by with a car that isn’t complete.

What’s more, it’s a difficult car to pinpoint the exact target buyer as normal families will struggle to afford a vehicle costing nearly six figures. We even asked Volvo representatives at the launch and they struggled to come up with an answer. Although it's a big stepping stone in the brand, we can’t help but think that British buyers may turn away from coughing up this sort of money for a Volvo – particularly one that still needs to be polished up from its little electrical gremlins before going on sale.