The great and dangerous in regards to the 2025 Volvo EX90, the corporate’s new electrical SUV

An early convert to the thought of an all-electrified lineup, Volvo has taken a barely completely different tack to most different automakers because it electrifies its product vary. The place most would begin off with a giant and costly electrical car first, it did the other, beginning out with small and reasonably priced. Which means it is now time for a flagship EV, an all-new three-row SUV referred to as the EX90, which we have pushed forward of US deliveries towards the tip of this yr.

That is later than Volvo deliberate, and as you may see, some EX90 options have fallen even additional behind and can must be enabled through software program replace sooner or later. As a result of whereas the EX90 is an efficient demonstration of a brand new, tech-forward strategy to automotive design, it is also the newest instance of automakers adopting the “minimal viable product” strategy from the tech sector.

Volvo has developed an all-new platform for bigger EVs, which the EX90 will share with different manufacturers throughout the Geely group, notably the Polestar 3 we drove a couple of weeks in the past. The Volvo is slightly longer than the Polestar, and in contrast to the SUV from the upstart startup, the EX90 is a three-row, with seats for both six or seven relying on whether or not you go for a bench or a pair of captain’s chairs for the center row.

The great

The SUV has a good-looking, well-proportioned form with some subtly creased angles, notably across the rear wheels, though the roof-mounted lidar unit has led to comparisons with a London taxicab, and a few of the take a look at automobiles blended slightly too successfully with the dry Southern Californian panorama courtesy of their beige paint. As we now have come to anticipate from Volvo, there are a plethora of fascinating design particulars in and out, with loads of storage nooks, grocery bag hooks, cup holders, and USB-C ports.

There are two powertrain choices on supply with the EX90 for now, a $79,995 Twin Motor model with a mixed 402 hp (300 kW) and 568 lb-ft (770 Nm) or the $84,995 Twin Motor Efficiency, which raises the facility output to 509 hp (380 kW) and 671 lb-ft (910 Nm). In each instances, the rear electrical motor is extra highly effective, with clutch-based torque vectoring that additionally permits the rear drive unit to utterly disconnect the rear wheels for higher coasting.

Each variants use the identical 111 kWh capability (gross, 107 kW useable) battery pack, enough for 310 miles (499 km) of vary in accordance with the EPA take a look at cycle. Recharging the pack takes as little as half-hour to go from 10 to 80 % state of cost with a DC quick charger (peaking at 250 kW), or 15 hours to cost from 0 to one hundred pc SoC with a 32 A stage 2 charger.

Volvo introduced solely the EX90 Twin Motor Efficiency to Newport Coast for us to drive, and the automobiles had been optioned with the $4,350 Extremely pack, which provides energetic air suspension and massaging seats, in addition to wi-fi telephone charging. The usual Plus pack is already very well-equipped, however we’ll must drive a couple of miles in a single to see what impact customary coil springs and hydraulic dampers have on its journey.

The adaptive air springs did so much to cover this SUV’s appreciable 5,688-lb (2,580 kg) curb weight. And the journey high quality was notably good, notably at freeway speeds. The flip facet was not-so-great physique management over low-speed obstacles like potholes, highway building plates, and so forth; side-to-side motions might be higher managed to cease the seat bolsters from performing percussive upkeep in your kidneys. You may as well really feel the torque vectoring at work, notably in sluggish corners, including slightly additional agility to this large SUV.