Road Tested by Hugh Maguire.
Price: €102,595
Pros:
Supremely Comfortable.
A high quality premium interior.
Excellent levels of standard equipment.
Cons:
Not an involving driving experience.
EV efficiency not as good as some rivals.
The price!
The new ES90 is Volvos’s answer to premium EV’s such as the BMW i5, Audi e-tron, or Mercedes EQE to name bit a few. It as actually a 5-door hatchback but looks more like a saloon.
This is a very tough segment as buyers are pretty brand loyal so getting someone to swop rfrom say BMW or Mercedes to a Volvo is not that easy. Equally those aspiring to a luxury car often see BMW and Mercedes as their first desire. This Volvo then needs to do two things. Win new customers to the brand and win over those who already own a BMW or Mercedes for example. I spent some 600km behind the wheel of the new ES90 to try to find out if they have what it takes to conquer this rather competitive segment?
Volvo certainly seem to have done their homework when it comes to engineering their flagship EV. It boasts an 800 volt system which allows it to charge at up to 350kW on a compatible DC charger (sounds great but there are literally very few of those in Ireland). In everyday Irish driving your charger ports are mainly 50kW and 150kW so charging times will be a lot longer than Volvo quote. Nevertheless that is an issue not related to Volvo but rather our poor charging infrastructure.
There are three powertrains available, a single motor extended range as on test here. A Twin motor version and a twin motor performance. Trim levels are Core, Plus and Ultra . I am road testing the Plus trim level.
So how does it look?
The new ES90 does look well and has a real presence on the road. Overall the styling is good in an imposing sort of way. My test car had the optional 22 inch two-tone alloy wheels which do look massive but suit the car visually. Not everyone will like the LIDAR screen which sits on top of the roof. Some likened it to a London taxi sign. To the front it is immediately identifiable as a Volvo and to the rear there is a distinctive light cluster with lights running up either side of the rear hatch glass. Overall then it looks premium from the outside at least.
What’s it like inside?
The flush fitting electric door handles pop out once you approach the car. However on a few occasions I found the car did not “recognise” my fob and I had blip it a number of times to get the doors to unlock.
Open the big heavy doors and you are greeted by truly luxurious and very spacious cabin.
From space point of view it is really excellent. Up front the electrically adjustable heated seats are supremely comfortable and look fantastic. There is plenty of storage space, multiple USBC ports and wireless phone charging. I particularly like the standard huge tinted glass roof as it makes the cabin feel very bright and airy. Its photo chromatic so you can adjust the amount of light in the cabin from it at a push of the touchscreen button.
The light grey “Nordico” upholstery looks great even though its actually made from recycled plastic and the light Birchwood trim adds a touch of Swedish cool to the cabin. This is one impressive and inviting interior.
My main criticism of the new ES90 is that for some bizarre reason Volvo have chosen to put all functions of this new EV through a huge 14.5 inch portrait screen. Quite literally everything (except two window switches, which double for the rear window switches) go through this screen. That all smacks of cost cutting. For example to adjust the door mirrors its through the screen. To open the glovebox, its two prods of the screen, to adjust your seats or steering wheel, yes its through the screen. Then they added an infra red eye scanner which every time you look at the screen to try to operate some function it barks at you to focus on your driving………and this from a company that used to pride itself on safety. This felt more Tesla philosophy than Volvo and for me that is a huge mistake. I think that while the cabin looks premium the two screens in particular the small simplistic driver display really are not befitting of a luxury car. Volvo need to put more effort into this area. It looks like the dashboard of a BYD frankly!
That said there is of course a host of safety kit including assisted driving with multiple cameras via the LIDAR system which can give the car a 3D view of its surroundings, facilitating things like autonomous braking for example all in an effort to avoid an accident.
Rear seat accommodation is truly vast and there is a decent boot holding up to 424 litres ( smaller than the rivals I mention above) as well as a small oddly shaped trunk of 22 litre capacity.
What about performance?
A huge 106kWh battery battery powers the single electric motor driving the rear wheels. With some 333 bhp on tap its no slouch. It will hit 100km/h in about 7 seconds and tops out at 180km/h. Those numbers are not particularly impressive yet the car feels quicker than that in reality no doubt due to the instant torque from that electric motor.
Volvo claim a WLTP range of up to 650km. It achieved no where near that during my extensive road test. I managed a comfortable 450km leaving me about 30km to get to a charging station. Like all EV’s it does not do the claimed range. Average consumption was 22.8 kW per 100km and if you drove more eagerly that could hit as high as 24 to 25kW per 100km particularly on the motorway. In reality you will achieve then between 450km to 500km real world range. Charging from 20% to 80% will take about 30 mins on the average public charger available in Ireland.
How does it drive?
This car is set up for a comfortable ride rather than a sporting drive and in that it certainly delivers. I enjoyed driving it but it is not as involving a drive as say the BMW i5.
Overall I found the ride and handling to be very good despite its 2.5 tonne mass. The active suspension really soaks up imperfections with ease. This in my opinion is its standout feature. It feels supremely comfortable over all road surfaces. It is also exceptionally quiet and refined too.
Hugh’s Verdict.
My final thoughts on the new Volvo ES90 are in the main favourable. I like the styling, the cabin looks and feels premium and it offers more standard kit than both its German rivals at this price point. Yet I feel that driver display and over reliance on the touchscreen are its weak points. The range kicks off at around €80,000 for the “Core” trim version. If a large luxurious cabin, comfort and a premium feel are your priorities than this new Volvo certainly delivers in all of that.