The Volvo EX90
Volvo launched the EX90 in South Africa this week after the success of its baby sibling, the EX30, in 2024.
The brand’s reputation has been built around safety and the EX90 is being called the “safest Volvo ever made”.
Volvo even put together a heartwarming video to launch the car that displayed the intelligence of the vehicle and just how the safety features kick into gear to assist the driver when they might be distracted or face a difficult situation.
This intelligence comes from a notably large sensor placed at the top of the car which is known as the light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor. If you didn’t know any better, you would mistake the LiDAR sensor as a taxi sign, but luckily the brand has told us that it forms images based on light, calculates exactly where those images are and submits it to the vehicle, which can then make an intelligent decision.
LiDAR has been tested to detect small objects up to 150m away and larger objects from 250m away. Volvo estimates that these advanced safety technologies can reduce serious injuries or fatalities by 20%.
LiDAR sounds pretty amazing, and although Volvo has dubbed it the “invisible shield of safety”, trust me, you can spot that sensor from 150m away at least.
It does not stop there. Thanks to its intelligence, Volvo guarantees that with future updates to the software, it will further contribute to autonomous driving.
While the LiDAR sensor is essential to Volvo’s selling point on this vehicle, it does somewhat detract from what is otherwise a very clean-looking car.
Volvo has maintained the simple yet mean look the EX30 comes with and even included the lights that look like Thor’s hammer, taillights that have a three-part design starting with a light bar and curving all the way down on each side to form a horseshoe and frameless mirrors.
All these external features make the car a pleasure to view. The bonus is the vehicle sits on 22-inch alloy wheels that just boost its confidence.
It’s almost like the EX90 screams to its competitors that it’s here to fight, but safely.
When you step inside, you are greeted by a clean dashboard made out of recycled materials — leather or cloth seats, depending on what the customer has chosen — and a 14.5-inch display screen that comes fully equipped with a Google operating system.
Volvo also included a nine-inch screen in front of the driver that acts as a digital cluster. This is a huge improvement from the EX30 which didn’t have anything in front of the driver and that meant the driver had to continuously look at the infotainment screen for any information, which leads to huge distractions while driving.
There is also a panoramic glass roof (with no cover). This is something that looks good when clean, but I learnt the hard way on a previous vehicle that if you park under the wrong tree and birds mess it, that glass roof can become a nauseating site while driving.
The vehicle is also a seven-seater SUV. The second row of seats are comfortable for any adult while the third row is suitable for kids.
One nice feature I enjoyed is that the middle seat in the second row can be turned into a built-in booster seat, which is a valuable addition for parents with young children.
For the short drive we had, this car screamed comfort at the top of its lungs. It didn’t feel heavy or bulky despite weighing more than 2.8 tonnes. It didn’t even feel like a regular seven-seater, but rather it felt like I was driving a smaller, more compact vehicle.
It was also very responsive on the small speeds that the Paarl traffic limited me to, but when I did get a chance to kick down on the throttle, the vehicle pushed me back into my seat in the same fashion the EX30 did last year.
All this speed comes from the dual electric motors that operate on each axle. Volvo claims that it will accelerate from 0-100 km/h in just 4.9 seconds. It also offers 380kW of power and 910 Nm of torque.
All these powerful figures coupled with an all-wheel-drive functionality will ensure that control is also maintained on this large SUV.
But just how much range does this SUV have? Volvo has fitted a 111kW/h battery into the EX90, which has a range of 627km. The EX90 can be charged from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes when using a 250 kW DC fast charger.
Verdict
This vehicle is everything a family needs. It’s fully electric, the range on the battery is incredible, it is comfortable and it feels premium. It also has all the technology to make humans feel extremely safe, especially when transporting your family from place to place.
But Volvo has only brought in the Ultra Twin Motor Performance variant and marked it at R2 650 000. That is far more than expected, especially after the brand released the EX30 from R775 900 in 2024. Granted, the performance model of the EX30 sold for R995 900.
But still, the price tag is heavy for South African pockets.
Having labelled the EX90 a premium SUV, it can only be seen as an attempt by Volvo to throw models in at every segment to joust with its competitors. BMW has priced the XM at R 3 400 000 and Mercedes-Benz has priced the EQS SUV at R 2 646 000.
The EX90 has enough quality to go toe-to-toe with both, so have they brought this vehicle in to hammer home another option in this segment?
