Bigger, smoother, with bumps to work out

The Volvo EX90 gives the Swedish brand another all-electric SUV, this time of the bigger variety that can seat up to seven inside. It ultimately replaces the XC90 as the company’s premium luxury SUV, and features a newer chassis and platform design for larger SUVs.

The smaller EX30 that came before it presented the idea that the interior cabin could feel more spacious if Volvo could remove several elements. That’s the approach here as well, albeit with some compromises to accommodate the luxury category it sits in. I got to test drive it in Newport Beach, CA and surrounding areas to see if it really stands up as a memorable ride.

Opening up the space

Having previously tested the EX30 — and seen a pre-production EX90 as well — I knew what to expect, visually speaking. Its design language is very Volvo in this current period, opting for minimalism both inside and out. It’s not especially flashy from the outside but also manages to exude a stylish presence that makes it unique on the road.

I got to test the Ultra trim for both the Vapour Grey and Sand Dune exteriors, each of which also showcased a different interior altogether. With Vapour Grey, it was a wool blend, and with Sand Dune, it was ‘Nordico,’ a mash-up of recycled water bottles, cork and other bio-materials sourced from Sweden and Finland. Nordico looks and feels like leather, though it’s not quite like the real thing. It’s still comfortable, though, as is the wool blend that I felt maintained a cooler temperature inside. Volvo says it uses recycled and sustainably sourced materials for all the interior styling options.

There’s not much else to the cabin. The 14.5-inch infotainment screen is the key conduit, though, unlike the EX30, this SUV has a digital cluster in front of the steering wheel. It’s a small one, but contextual enough to feel more natural for drivers, in my opinion. There’s also a heads-up display (HUD) aimed at the windshield for another way to see speed and other information, like turn-by-turn directions.

You have the option to either get the EX90 to seat six or seven, depending on whether you want the middle seat in the middle row or not. Otherwise, you get two separate seats in the middle, plus the row in the back, which could only possibly seat two because that’s how many seatbelts there are. That back row is a bit tight, though, owing to the elevated gap in the floor that partially sits on top of the rear motor. A ventilation shaft runs across on top of that, making it feel a lot cozier to kids than adults. While the middle seats move forward to make extra room, it also comes at the expense of tighter legroom for whoever sits in the middle.

There are four USB-C ports — two in the front, two in the rear facing the middle row. A Qi (not Qi2) wireless charging pad rests on the centre console, which also brings back the nifty cup holders that protrude out with the press of a button. If you opt for the Ultra trim, you get massaging seats for the driver and front passenger.

Paying top dollar

Any vehicle that starts at $110,000 CAD isn’t in most budgets. And that’s for the Plus trim, which gives you the same Twin Motor powertrain as the Ultra trim, 20-inch wheels, tempered side windows and a 14-speaker Bose sound system. Pay an extra $5,600 for Ultra, and you get 21-inch wheels with better rims, laminated side and rear windows to reduce noise even more, front seat massage, active air suspension and a 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system with Dolby Atmos support. A couple other extras are indoor accent lighting and better floor mats. Heated seats and steering wheel come standard with Plus and Ultra — as they should at these prices.

The EX90 comes in two all-wheel drive Twin Motor powertrain options. The standard Twin Motor Plus trim offers 402hp and 568lb-ft of torque. The Performance option can roar to 510 horsepower and 671lb-ft of torque, allowing it to go from 0-100 km/h in a respectable 4.9 seconds. Both use the same 111kWh capacity battery, 107kW being usable, getting up to 495km of range per charge in ideal conditions. Take it to a DC fast charger with a peak of 250kW, and it should take 30 minutes to go from 10 to 80 percent.

Getting technical

Like the EX30, there’s neither a key nor a fob or on/off switch for the EX90. Instead, you get a business card-sized NFC digital key that you have to place in a specific spot inside, though you can also just use one on your iPhone or Android phone via ultra-wideband (UWB), like how AirTags do. This actually allows you to lend the key to someone else if the need ever comes up. The headlights do a welcome sequence when you approach, unlocking the doors and then the SUV is ready to roll once you step in and buckle up.

The large infotainment display — still Google-powered as before — essentially handles all the vehicle’s features and functions. While you have a play/pause button and volume dial on the centre console, plus some steering wheel controls, you’ll need the screen to do everything else. That includes nuances affecting how the EX90 drives. For instance, while it is an all-wheel drive system, the true “performance” mode requires some manual adjustment under driver settings in the driver dynamics menu. Tap “View more” and you see toggles for “steering feel” and “suspension feel.” Those are set to “soft” by default, but for real sporty performance, they need to go to “firm.” One-pedal driving is the default, where the vehicle applies the brakes as you lift off the accelerator.

There are driver profiles involved here, so if you’re sharing the vehicle, you could have your own setup. I wasn’t able to test this, so I don’t really know how intricate it is. For example, the EX90 will remember whether you chose soft or firm and leave it that way, whereas one-pedal driving generally defaults, no matter what.

The Luminar lidar unit sitting on the front of the roof does nothing for the driver, at least for now. Volvo engineers are taking data from EX90s that will be out in the wild to eventually integrate its ability to see other vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians up to 820 feet away at any time of the day or night. That, along with a few other advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) features, won’t come until a software update in 2025.

Big screen, mixed customization

Since the 14.5-inch main infotainment screen does so much, it’s worth noting that Volvo didn’t change much from the EX30. It’s Google-powered, so basically melds together Android Automotive with a custom skin and layout that puts certain features or functions front and centre. Climate is a good example, and it’s one of the few vehicle controls you can manage by voice through Google Assistant. Saying, “make it warmer” or setting a specific temperature for the driver, passenger, or rear passengers is easy to do. What you can’t do is tell the assistant to do all those things at once. I had to set the same temperature for all of them for the voice control to work.

Without a doubt, you have to treat this interface and its settings like you would set up a new phone or tablet. The parallels are obvious. Since there’s little to nothing that’s mechanical, driver settings, passenger settings and vehicle diagnostics all rest in that display. The good news is the interface is clean and Volvo doesn’t shun Android Auto or CarPlay — though neither of them were operational during the test drive. Those will also come with a software update, apparently. So, with the built-in system, apps are tied to the Google account you sign in with. Log into your other relevant accounts (Spotify, Waze, etc.) and everything resides in the system rather than projecting from your phone, a la Android Auto.

What’s odd is Volvo doesn’t offer a Wi-Fi hotspot. There’s no way to set one up because it’s simply not available, which seems strange given data costs are going down and the EX90 has a much stronger antenna than a phone does. Volvo reps told me they are thinking about what to do about that but have nothing to confirm at this time.

Another thing that stood out was the inability to set up presets in the car stereo EQ. The Bowers & Wilkins system includes a 9-band equalizer that you can adjust as you please. The problem is if you have a great mix, you can’t save it. Anybody messes with it, or you tinker with it yourself, you’ll have to recreate that auditory magic all over again. It’s just weird, considering other Bowers & Wilkins products offer that kind of flexibility. Also a shame given how amazing it sounds, too. The 3D soundstage is excellent, as is the concert hall effect you can play with.

Driving the EX90

The EX90 may be bigger and heavier for Volvo’s EV standards, but it is a smooth ride all the way, and there are a few reasons for that. One is the fact the cabin itself is so quiet, adding to the serenity of just cruising down a highway. Then there’s the suspension system made up of four units with two air chambers in each one. When you drive in the “soft” suspension, both chambers use air volume sealed off with a valve, but in “firm,” only one chamber activates. This, in effect, gives the SUV a quasi-lower centre of gravity and sturdier suspension. I never drove in conditions that really challenged the setup, but it’s certainly more sporty in how it feels.

The same is true of the firmer steering, which is obvious from the start. Then there’s Pilot Assist, Volvo’s (sort of) semi-autonomous mode. Capacitive sensors in the steering wheel force you to hold it at all times, though it also proves finicky in how it interprets handling. When I cruised on the I-15 in California, I just held the wheel with two fingers and it eventually alerted me to grab hold of the wheel. It needs a fuller grip to ward off that warning.

Pilot Assist is basically a carryover from the EX30 and other Volvo models. It will use onboard cameras and radar to stay in the lane, though reps also hinted that there’s some GPS and mapping involved. Lidar is supposed to be the missing piece to make this happen far more effectively. As is, the EX90 kind of knows when there’s a tighter bend coming up but it’s not like Cadillac’s Super Cruise in how it knows well in advance where the curves and bends are to slow down its adaptive cruising speed. You just pull down on the gear shift stalk, a green light pops up on the screen and you’re in Pilot Assist. Use the buttons on the steering wheel to set the top speed, and use the lane change assistance as well.

What you can’t do is preset a distance between the EX90 and vehicles up ahead. I wasn’t really in a stop-and-go situation, so I asked Volvo reps whether the SUV was “smart enough” to do stop-and-go with little input from the driver. One of the problems is Pilot Assist disengages if the vehicle is idle for five seconds. So, if you inch forward and are then stuck there for over five seconds, you have to engage it again because the vehicle can’t accelerate on its own from a dead stop.

The same infrared camera above the steering wheel from the EX30 returns here, always looking at the driver to ensure eyes are on the road. After about 10 seconds of not looking or holding the steering wheel, haptics in the wheel and seat will warn you to stay alert and keep at least one hand on the wheel.

If there is a silver lining on the missing pieces here, it’s that Nvidia and Qualcomm are the silicon providers, so there is room for improvement and refinement if Volvo follows through on subsequent updates. Because I didn’t get to see the Volvo app in action, I can’t tell you what that experience would be like, either.

In any case, this is a great cruising and road trip SUV that shouldn’t be hard to relax in. I’m just not convinced passengers relegated to the third row in the back will enjoy being there, given the cramped conditions. Kids may not care, but adults will have a tough time if they’re sharing it with someone.

Deliveries pending, ready to buy now

You can reserve and order the 2025 Volvo EX90 right now, including choosing the different packages you want from it. Pricing starts at $110,000 CAD for the Plus package, going up to $119,039 for the Ultra package with a few extras. That’s a lot by Volvo standards, and it puts this all-electric SUV into richer waters against luxury competitors who can offer even more.

Either trim easily qualifies for the federal government’s iZEV rebate program as a means to take some of the sting off the sticker price.