Volvo Car Korea has released the midsize electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) "EX90." It comes in three trims: ▲ Twin Motor Plus (7-seater) ▲ Twin Motor Ultra (6- and 7-seater) ▲ Twin Motor Performance Ultra (6- and 7-seater). Volvo said it plans to leverage the EX90's product appeal and price competitiveness to sell 500 units this year and 2,000 units next year. We recently test-drove the 6-seater Twin Motor Performance Ultra trim around the greater Seoul area.
The EX90's design underscores the strong power characteristic of EVs. First, the EX90 measures 5,040 mm long, 1,965 mm wide and 1,740 mm high, making it lower and wider than Volvo's comparable plug-in hybrid (PHEV), the "XC90 T8 (4,955 mm·1,960 mm·1,770 mm)." Thanks to this body, it achieves a sedan-like drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.29. The front edge of the hood—often called the car's "nose"—is rounded to cut through the air as much as possible.
Volvo is known for headlamps shaped like a sideways hammer. These have been reimagined with a design split into small pixels. The HD pixel headlamps can avoid dazzling road users while shining light on up to five vehicles and three fixed objects. From the side, the roofline stays flat all the way to the tail without tapering, a sign of efforts to maximize interior space. The side mirrors minimize bezels for a clean look.
Opening the driver's door in the first row revealed an overall clean, warm design. Nappa leather seats allow fine adjustments from head to thigh. The top of the dashboard is standard leather, but the trim supporting it below preserves the natural grain of ash wood. At night, LED lighting under this wood decor emits light close to natural daylight to reduce eye strain.
Efforts to eliminate clutter are evident throughout. The air vents are arranged horizontally to align with the dashboard, and only a round dial for music playback and volume sits on the center console as a physical control. Some consumers will appreciate the neatness, but those who prioritize ease of operation may find it inconvenient.
For example, to activate the hazard lights, you must press a touch button on the center display or a physical button by the overhead light. Neither is in an intuitive location. The glove box also opens via a button on the center display. That said, many functions can be controlled by voice. You can say, "Aria, raise the A/C temperature." In many other brands, voice recognition often fails, but the EX90 recognized most commands cleanly.
The center display measures 14.5 inches, 30% larger than the XC90's, and response speed is twice as fast thanks to Nvidia's Drive Orin chipset. However, when an iPhone was connected via Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay sometimes failed to connect, showing instability. A small 9-inch display serves as the instrument cluster, showing minimal information such as speed, map, remaining battery and range, and gear status. It does not display energy efficiency, making it a bit disappointing that you cannot check how efficiently you are currently driving.
The EX90 has no separate engine start/stop button. Power comes on when you set Park with the gear selector to the right of the steering wheel. It also offers one-pedal drive, which allows acceleration and stopping with just the accelerator. Acceleration and deceleration are fairly smooth, but it does not completely eliminate the lurch typical of EVs.
Volvo focused especially on high-speed driving capability. With internal combustion or hybrid cars, you can feel the car pause for breath as it builds speed, but this one reaches the driver's desired speed in one smooth surge without any stumbling.
Maximum output is 680 horsepower (500 kW). Peak torque is 81.1 kg·m, and it takes 4.2 seconds to reach 100 kph from a standstill (zero to 100). That is quicker than the Porsche "Cayenne Electric" (442 horsepower, zero to 100 in 4.8 seconds). Switching to Performance mode enables even more exhilarating driving.
Even so, the ride is sedan-smooth and stable. This appears to be thanks to the dual-chamber air suspension, which is standard from the Ultra trim. As speed rises, the front tends to lift and the rear to squat, but the suspension on all four wheels counters this. It also scans the road 500 times per second, gliding over speed bumps with minimal shake and taking sharp curves well. The suspension and steering sensitivity are both adjustable.
The EX90's energy efficiency is also notable. The Twin Motor Performance Ultra trim we drove delivers 3.8 km per 1 kWh on the combined standard. Comparable figures are in the 4 km per kWh range for the Cayenne Electric and 3.7–4.4 km per kWh for the Polestar 3.
With an 800V battery, it supports up to 350 kW fast charging. Charging from 10% to 80% takes 22 minutes. Maximum range on a full charge is 448 km. On that hot day, with 78% battery remaining, the indicated range was 290 km.
Inside, most of the ceiling is an "electrochromic glass roof," giving a strong sense of openness. A button adjusts the glass transparency, and it can limit light transmission to just 4.8%.
It also features 25 premium Bowers & Wilkins speakers inside. The Mercedes-Benz "EQE 500" and Genesis "GV80" have only 15 and 18, respectively. Trunk capacity is 324 liters, expanding to about 2,100 liters with the third row folded. You can raise or lower the body with a button to make loading easier.
Volvo Car Korea said it secured as much price competitiveness as possible. The mid-level Twin Motor Ultra is actually priced at 116.2 million won (7-seater), 17.32 million won cheaper than in the United States. Other trim prices are ▲ Twin Motor Plus (7-seater) 106.2 million won ▲ Twin Motor Ultra (6-seater) 118.2 million won ▲ Twin Motor Performance Ultra 121.2 million won (7-seater), 123.2 million won (6-seater).