Volvo Flagship EX90 SUV Joins Lux-BEV Fray

NEWPORT BEACH, CA – The Volvo EX90 – the brand’s top-of-the-line, luxury 3-row battery-electric SUV – is a solid competitor in a comparatively small segment: vehicles such as the Rivian R1S and the Mercedes EQS-Class.

It has Scandinavian minimalist design and an in-house-developed zonal electrical architecture. And while Volvo limits the top speed to 112 mph (180 km/h), the EX90 has the kind of performance that its ICE predecessors lack when depressing the accelerator: there’s a claimed 0-60 mph (97 km/h) time of 4.7 seconds.

The powertrain setup for the EX90 includes two permanent-magnet synchronous motors, one on each axle. For the base model (called “Twin Motor”), the rear motor provides 160 hp and the front 241 hp for a total system output of 402 hp. The “Twin Motor Performance” version ups the rear axle output to 268 hp while maintaining 241 hp in the front for a total 510 hp.

When the EX90 is on 21-in. wheels, its range is 310 miles (499 km). When the SUV is on 20-ins. or 22-ins. it is 300 miles (483 km).

Driving the EX90 Twin Motor Performance reveals smooth and linear acceleration; purposeful, not surprising, and likely affected by its the mass of up to 5,966 lbs. (2,706 kg).

Volvo provides an option to switch the steering and suspension feel to a performance option. This is performed – like many functions (want to adjust the mirrors?) – through the 14.5-in. (37-cm) center screen. These changes are noticeable if not notable.

Still, the EX90 is fundamentally a vehicle engineered for handling people and stuff, not something you want to take to the limits – although the 111-kWh lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (LMC) battery sits low in the chassis, providing a low center of gravity, so curves at speed can be performed with confidence.

EX90's 9-in. driver display provides a clean, easy-to-read interface.

For being such a sizable vehicle, it has a remarkably quiet interior, which shows off the Bowers & Wilkins audio system’s 25 speakers playing Dolby Atmos-processed sound.

Should you want to relax a bit while driving the EX90, there’s Volvo’s partial automation system, Pilot Assist, which controls steering and speed on designated roadways. It offers lane-change capability, but it also requires one’s hands on the steering wheel. The EX90 also makes sure you’re paying attention to the road: Look at the screen for what it considers to be too long, and it will notify you to pay attention.

But for now, there’s comparatively less assistance compared with systems such as General Motors’ Super Cruise and Ford BlueCruise.

An in-house software engineering team developed an electrical architecture for the EX90 that deploys the NVIDIA DRIVE AI platform. It’s capable of handling and processing inputs from five radars, eight cameras, 16 ultrasonic sensors and a roof-mounted Luminar lidar system. Pilot Assist is only the first step.

The EX90 has a familiar understated interior execution , with an emphasis on recycled or carbon-reduced materials. “Nordico” for seating surfaces feels like leather but is made of Swedish pine oil and recycled polymer or wool that’s sourced from farms that meet animal welfare standards.

Depending on the seating configuration, the EX90 handles either six or seven passengers. If you’re a third-row passenger you’d better be flexible. To get there the second row flips up and over and indexes forward, leaving a small gap to squeeze through.

There is an abundance of legroom for those in the front row – 40.9 ins. (104 cm) – and an exceedingly comfortable amount for those in row two – 36.5 ins. (93 cm) – but by the time you get to the back row you discover there is only 31.9 ins. (81 cm). Quite a difference from rows one to three.

As for cargo, it has a maximum capacity of 67.6 cu.-ft. (1,914 L) with the seat folded (and they fold nearly flat). And as it is an electric vehicle, there is a 1.6-cu.-ft. (45 L) frunk.

The EX90 is built in Charleston, SC, in a factory Volvo opened in 2018.

While certainly the tax credits offered through the Inflation Reduction Act play a role in the location, it shouldn’t be overlooked that Volvo’s flagship BEV is being launched in the U.S. with other markets to follow, which underscores the importance of the U.S. market to the brand. Production of the EX90 will follow at a plant in Daqing, China.

EX90 underpinned by SPA2 architecture. Seventeen modules contain the LMC batteries and motors fore and aft.