THE GARAGE
The 2025 Volvo EX90 Is Whisper Quiet Luxury
by Andrew Maness
September 3, 2024
We Americans spend a lot of time in our vehicles. Roughly 61.3 minutes a day on average(according to a AAA survey conducted in 2021) and 745.8 days(or approximately two years) over the course of a lifetime based on the current life expectancy in the United States of 76.4 years. Keep in mind these are averages and they’re from 2021 no less when vehicle usage was down due to the Covid pandemic. A 2022 study by INRIX found that the average U.S. motorist spent 51 hours in traffic in 2022, a 42% increase from 2021, but still far below the pre-pandemic high of 99 hours jammed up and pissed off in 2019. At least that time spent in traffic is more likely to be on a driver’s way to go shopping or do errands(41.2% of trips) than it is to be on their way to or from work(18.6%). Although one could make the argument that running errands is like doing work you don’t get paid for. My point is that if you’re a driver in America you’d do well to choose a vehicle that you enjoy being in because you’re going to be in it for a considerable amount of time. At the moment there is no vehicle under $100k that I’d rather be stuck in traffic in, run errands in, put my loved ones in or recommend to friends more than Volvo’s first full-size electric SUV, the EX90.
I’ve been waiting on the arrival of the EX90 for awhile now. Not because I need one, my use case for a vehicle is hardly in line with that of a 3 row electric SUV, but because Volvo’s understated approach to moving their vehicles upmarket since the 2nd generation XC90 launched in 2014 has always struck me as tasteful. I like tasteful. The EX90 is the polar opposite of a Cybertruck(or a Model X for that matter) in that they craft quality vehicles that speak for themselves rather than relying on gimmicks or heavy price cuts to move units. One go in a XC90 after being in any Tesla and you’ll understand the night and day difference between a vehicle that had a great deal of thought put into what the human experience will be vs one that feels like it was conceived by robots for robots. Let me be very clear, my distaste for Tesla’s vehicles has nothing to do with Musk either. It’s completely down to the product, which I’ve never been remotely impressed with, and the consumer experience, which I’ve heard nothing but horror stories about from friends and family. I’m specifically calling attention to Tesla because the Model X is somehow still a thing, but there’s also Rivian’s R1S when it comes to direct competition for the EX90. A handful of other “full size”(whatever that means anymore) electric SUVs from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz certainly can cost as much as an EX90, but none of them offer a 3rd row and none of them feel as expensive inside as the EX90 does. Nobody does minimalist design with elements of warmth like the Scandinavians.
At this point it should be pretty clear that I think the EX90 is an utter win for Volvo. They nailed the points that will be deciding factors to someone that’s already in the market for a vehicle in this segment and incorporated enough elements to draw in potential buyers that are either on the fence about going electric or moving up to a 3 row SUV. The big ones are of course range and price. With regard to the former, EPA testing yielded an average of 300 miles on 20” and 22” wheels and 310 miles on 21” wheels. As for the latter, Volvo’s website lists a base MSRP of $79,995, but the Twin Motor Performance EX90 “Ultra” trim (aka. fully loaded) that I drove comes in at approximately $93,345, with final pricing to be announced soon. That’s hardly an amount to sniff at, but unlike so many other BEV’s on the market the EX90 looks and feels like it’s worth whatever the monthly payment is going to be. And let’s be honest, that’s all that really matters these days.
What about all those other elements though? The ones that might just encourage someone like myself(married auto-enthusiast with a dog, no kids…yet) to consider opting not just for a Volvo SUV, but an electric one at that.
Well for starters the EX90 looks fucking solid, literally and metaphorically. It shares some design elements with the greatest ultra-luxury SUV on earth(Rolls-Royce Cullinan) and some with the most-capable luxury SUV(Range Rover) as well. If there’s an exterior design “flaw” that stands out it is the “London-taxi-esque” hump on the front of the roof, but I can forgive the form because of the function. Under the hump is the world’s first LiDAR system to come standard on a production vehicle, although for the time being it’s only active for data point collection and will be turned on via an OTA update in the near future. Once activated the EX90 will be able to lay claim to the best security blanket on the road.
Developed by U.S. based automotive-tech company Luminar, this system builds on Volvo’s longtime commitment to safety(they invented the 3 point seatbelt in 1959 as buckles in the current cars will remind you) by adding the most cutting edge laser based 3D imaging system available to the standard suite of already impressive active safety features. Luminar’s research indicates that adding LiDAR to an already safe car can reduce accidents with severe outcomes by up to 20%, so naturally a partnership with Volvo makes sense. According to a new report from the Governors Highway Safety Administration the number of pedestrian deaths in traffic crashes reached a 40-year high last year(post-pandemic road rage anyone?) and another study by the NHTSA found that over three-quarters (77%) of pedestrian fatalities are at night, which is where LiDAR thrives. Why put it on the roof? Best vantage point, least amount of road debris and dirt. I noticed it the first time I walked up to the EX90 and a few times after that while taking photos, but again, far from a deal breaker. The EX90 comes in a number of great colors and you’d surely spend far more time enjoying the depth of “Mulberry Red”, warmth of “Sand Dune” or crispness of “Denim Blue” than sweating “the hump”.
As enjoyable as I find the exterior of the EX90, the interior is where the design really shines.
For seating surfaces and door trim you have the choice of 3 colors of Nordico, a bio-based leather-free upholstery or the “Midnight-Zinc” tailored-wool blend made from responsibly produced wool and recycled polyester. Both very on-brand for Volvo and both equally attractive options for the cabin’s design. I lean towards the Nordico Charcoal/Cardamom with Birch trim option and would definitely go for the perforated Nordico which allows for seat ventilation. Regardless of whatever color or material is chosen, the interior of the EX90 is a really, really pleasant place to be. Before thoroughly enjoying the 1,610-watt Bowers + Wilkins hi-fi audio system with 25 individual speakers(more on that in the near future) I sat in near silence while cruising along at a very decent clip. I mean it too, near silence…in an electric vehicle…with 22” wheels. As loud and rickety as a Model Y or X is, that’s how serene and solid this vehicle is. The EX90 might have the quietest cabin of any vehicle I’ve been in(electric or ICE) and I’ve been in everything. Looking for wellness on wheels, but without gimmicky programs that play spa music and mess with the ambient lighting? Here you go. You’re welcome, parents hanging on by a thread in the private school drop-off line.
While the EX90 certainly possesses the power to calm, it also has the ability to excite, at least in Twin-Motor Performance spec anyway. It’s not “drain-the-blood-from-your-face” quick, but it scoots from a standstill up to legal highway cruising speed with plenty of purpose and maintains a snappiness beyond that too. It is by no stretch of the imagination a slow vehicle, so anyone looking at the 0-60 time of 4.7 seconds and thinking “that’s not very fast compared to X, Y or Z” electric car, please walk to the ocean and keep going.
Given the very familiar Southern California route chosen for the launch program, I know far more about the EX90’s handling capability than anyone really needs to. I’ll give credit where credit is due and say that for a tall and hefty SUV this thing handles much better than one would think and certainly exceeds the level of what any responsible EX90 owner would need. That’s the beauty of a bargain-basement low center of gravity made possible by a new platform and smart battery module packaging. That and semi-active shock absorbers and a dual-chamber air suspension with front and rear stabilizer bars. It’s a real “nice to know it’s that good” situation.
What’s surely more important to the would-be-EX90-owner though is the fact that the 111 kWh battery can the fast-charged at rates up to 250kW DC and that the battery will be automatically preconditioned for best fast charging performance when the charging station is set in the car's navigation system, which you’ll actually use instead of your phone because it’s GoogleMaps. Provided conditions are optimal(of course) it’s possible to add 111 miles of range in about 10 minutes and go from 10-80% charge in as little as 30 minutes.
As I’ve said time and again when it comes to EVs, if the public infrastructure catches up to the quality and capability of the vehicles, we’ll really be in business. Until then I can only wholeheartedly recommend EVs to those with charging at home or at work. Fortunately for Volvo someone who’s going to drop a minimum of $80k on an EX90 surely meets that criteria. They’re going to move a ton of these things and I look forward to seeing them on the road instead of the wacky flying bars of soap or sliced and diced rectangles that are out there now. Until now luxury EVs have predominantly been the automotive equivalent of gaudy fashion sneakers from brands like Balenciaga or Louis Vuitton, but the EX90 veers towards the whisper quiet luxury of Brunello Cucinelli and Loro Piana. In doing so Volvo has secured the top spot in an increasingly competitive marketplace and all they had to do was be true to themselves and do what they do best. What a novel approach to making vehicles in this day and age.