Category: First Drives

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NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – The following is a list of electric luxury vehicles with third rows you’d actually want to sit in: Rivian R1S … that concludes the list. If you want to throw the Kia EV9 in there on the strength of its abundant features and high-end interior, go for it, but the fact remains that your pickings have been slim. That changes in a big way with the 2025 Volvo EX90, which is effectively the next generation of Volvo’s rightfully popular XC90 three-row crossover. Anyone who has one of those, or even one of its many competitors, should feel right at home in the tasteful, cocoonlike comfort of this impressively luxurious SUV. That it’s all-electric will of course be a turnoff for some (there’s a reason the XC90 will survive), but if those seeking a three-row luxury SUV were ever going to take the EV plunge, the EX90 shouldn’t make them feel like they’re going off the high-dive.

There are two versions available: the Twin Motor and Twin Motor Performance. The former, which we did not get a chance to sample, has 408 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque. That sure seems like an absurdly high amount for a Volvo SUV, even if it’s tasked with lugging around at least 5,687 pounds. The 0-60 time is estimated at 5.7 seconds. Should you attempt one of those brisk launches, both the front and rear axle motors will be engaged, but most of the time, under moderate acceleration, the Twin Motor relies on the front axle that by itself produces 241 horsepower. The rear is good for 160.

The Twin Motor Performance has the same front motor, but the rear is upgraded to a 268-hp unit. Overall output jumps to 517 hp and 671 lb-ft. Power is distributed more equally and more readily about in this version. There’s also a torque-vectoring electronic clutch at the rear axle, which theoretically adjusts power output between the rear wheels to aid handling and poor weather traction. We found it awfully hard to detect, however, in part because the EX90 just isn’t the sort of SUV you’d want to drive with gusto. It doesn’t need to be, but an Acura MDX Type S lets you feel and appreciate its torque-vectoring all-wheel drive system; the EX90 not so much. 

Not surprisingly given its 4.7-second 0-60 time, the Twin Motor Performance will silently flatten you into your seat when charging up a highway on-ramp and make surrounding motorists do double takes after witnessing a beige Volvo SUV suddenly jump to light speed. There are no Star Warsy powertrain noises, which is good because they’re usually dopey, and would spoil what is a shockingly quiet interior. Wind noise is also practically nonexistent. Road noise seemed exceptionally quelled, too, but Orange County seems to repave its roads every few weeks, so it’s hard to determine for sure.

Those roads also made it a bit tough to determine ride quality. The XC90 always struggled to deliver a comfortable ride with big wheels – it felt like the equivalent of swapping the soles of your comfy running shoes with rigid work boot rubber. The EX90 seems to be better in this regard with its optional 22s, but there were a few bumps that felt more Dr. Martens than Hoka One Ones. This, despite our test car equipped with the active air suspension. In short, we’d opt for the smaller 21-inch standard wheels.

There are adjustable drive settings, but they are buried beneath so many touchscreen clicks you wonder why Volvo even bothered. Apparently, they’re buried because Volvo owners haven’t been wont to use them. Not surprising, really. Much like the torque-vectoring diff, increasing suspension firmness doesn’t come close to transforming the controlled and confident EX90 into anything remotely sporty – things just get a bit jigglier. The difference between the two steering settings is minimal too, with “Firm” being nowhere close to what you’d actually consider firm. All told, seems like a waste of effort. Just make it drive like a Volvo and be done with it.

One the other hand, regenerative braking could use an extra setting. The one-pedal drive mode is readily accessed via a docked touchscreen button, but it’s best suited to stop-and-go traffic only. The braking is too strong elsewhere and it was hard to establish enough throttle dexterity to prevent see-sawing our passenger’s head about. A middle-ground setting would be appreciated, much as the EV9 and many others provide, allowing you to enjoy some of the benefits of one-pedal driving without pulling the chute every time you ease off the gas … er, electrons.  

Like most in the segment, the EX90 is offered in six- and seven-passenger versions. The smaller count is the result of second-row captain’s chairs, but families with younger kids shouldn’t check that box so quickly since the standard 40/20/40-split bench is versatile, comfortable and includes a pop-up booster seat in the middle portion. The third row is the same either way, and although headroom is tight for taller folks, everyone should appreciate a seat that’s higher off the floor than the XC90’s — and therefore more comfortable and spacious. The Rivian R1S is still superior in the way back, though.

The front buckets certainly won’t disappoint those expecting Volvo to deliver exceedingly comfy seats. Unfortunately, Volvo has dove head first into the penny-pinching, switchgear-reducing pool and come up with a one-knob-does-all solution for seat adjustment controls that’s a, well, pain in the ass. A little button in the center of the knob cycles between different motions and you must look at the touchscreen to see which of those functions has been selected, before twisting or moving fore/aft the knob to make adjustments. Taking over the screen means it covers whatever you were looking at on that screen. The little selection button also stopped working in one of our test cars, requiring a switch to a different vehicle since we literally couldn’t move the seat to safely drive.

More penny-pinching is seen in the removal of rear window switches on the door, the hazard button integrated into the touchscreen, and most annoyingly, mirror and wheel adjustments that rely upon clicking through multiple touchscreen menus and then making adjustments using the steering wheel and instrument panel. Sorry Volvo, but it’s hard to claim safety as a top priority when you make someone take their eyes off the road that much just to tweak their mirror or wheel placement.

Of course, there’s a camera constantly staring at you to make sure you don’t get too lost in the splendors of mirror adjustment — or just nod off. That’s nothing compared to what’s going on up top, though. That conspicuous pod just above the windshield houses the LiDAR sensors that massively increase the EX90’s ability to detect things you could crash into, regardless of conditions. Jacob McKim, a senior software engineer from LiDAR supplier Luminar, said the conspicuous pod is where it is to provide the best-possible forward visibility – putting it in the fascia, for instance, would be like putting your eyes on your knees. He said next-generation sensors could be put behind glass (if an OEM wanted it), but that tech’s not quite there yet. The pod is necessary today.

The data collected from that pod, plus all the other radar and camera sensors, is fed into a Nvidia-supplied computer. We got a chance to hold that computer – it’s roughly the size of an Etch-a-Sketch, while the computer board that powers the infotainment system looks like a greeting card with some wires clamped to it. Wow. Importantly, however, we’re happy to report that all these systems seem to act well, without the sort of hyper-sensitive nannying or jumpy false alarms that make you turn them off and therefore defeat their intended purposes.

Speaking of that infotainment system, it features a 14.5-inch touchscreen with Google built-in, computing power by Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms and graphics visualization by Epic Games’ Unreal Engine. Sounds impressive, but it’ll take a longer test to determine how effective it is day-in and day-out. In terms of functionality, the layout is new to Volvo, and is roughly equivalent to Mercedes’ Zero Layer that prioritizes the navi map with a pair of selectable widgets below (phone and audio, for instance) and permanently docked climate controls below that. It seemed easy enough to figure out.

The $3,200 Bowers & Wilkins sound system in our test vehicle was exceptional, even if you don’t play Dolby Atmos content. Between the EX90’s interior silence and the sound system’s excellence, you’re basically going to be driving a recording studio on wheels. Think that’s hyperbole? Coming soon is an Abbey Road Studios setting for the stereo, developed by Bowers & Wilkins with Abbey Road engineers to recreate the sonic environment of the recording studio made famous by the Beatles. You can apparently set it to make it sound like you’re sitting in the control booth or on Ringo’s lap. Abbey Road head of studio products Mirec Stiles says it was tuned and tested for all genres, and that it’s intended to change the playback environment rather than what’s being played. We didn’t get a chance to sample it in the EX90 as it will arrive as an over-the-air update for Bowers & Wilkins-equipped cars in the second quarter of 2025.

As for the cabin’s design, it is clean and classy, but it’s really hard to make a humongous, vertically oriented screen the center of a distinctive design.. The cabin basically looks like a Tesla with a substantially higher materials and construction budget. Indeed, it is lovely inside. We had a chance to try two versions, neither featuring leather as it’s not available. One featured Nordico, a leather substitute made from pine oil, old wine corks and recycled polymers that sure looks and feels like the real stuff – we bet it will repel blue jean dye and various gunk better than Volvo’s old upgrade leather, too. The other choice is a wool blend fabric, certified by an animal welfare organization to be sheep-friendly, and blended with recycled polymers. It looks and feels sensational, like it should cost more than leather. No, it’s not itchy, but one does wonder how impervious it is to stains.

OK, so it’s a rolling cocoon with ample space, mind-blowing computing power, a killer stereo and way more acceleration than it needs. Swell upholstery, too. But what about the two biggest bugaboos of switching to an electric car? EPA-estimated range for both motor versions is between 300 miles with 20- and 22-inch wheels, and 310 miles with 21-inch wheels. Most versions of the Rivian R1S are better than that, but the Volvo tops the EV9. The Tesla Model X is just a few miles better, too. Ol’ Falcon Wing has the Supercharger network, though, and even though the EX90 can blitz through a recharge at a maximum of 250 kilowatts, its CCS plug means you’ll still be stuck with the Electrify Americas of the world until things start to get better (Volvo had announced it would be eventually be switching to NACS, but that day has not yet arrived). Of course, that’s when leaving the comfort of your greater metropolitan area. Recharge at home, and you’ll be A-OK, perfectly content to never visit a gas station again.

Pricing starts at $81,290 for the Twin Motor EX90 Plus trim level; the Ultra trim level goes up to $85,640. The Twin Motor Performance then adds $5,000 to either, though given the nature of the EX90, it seems hard to justify that. The Twin Motor is almost too powerful as it is. Our loaded test car stickered for $94,640. Eek. At least it looks, feels and drives expensive. Also, you can get the equivalent of a $7,500 discount should you lease the EX90; it’s built in South Carolina, and leasing negates the federal EV tax credits' purchase price and income limitations. Sure seems like that’s the way to go, meaning “is it worth it?” becomes a wee bit more complicated than simply looking at the MSRP.

One thing that’s more certain, though: If you’ve been waiting for an electric family hauler that unquestionably deserves the “luxury” descriptor and can unquestionably actually seat seven, the answer has finally arrived.