A LUXURY SUV ISN’T ABOUT TEARING DOWN A racetrack or even conquering the Baja desert as much as it is about the mundane but difficult task of whisking away your occupants in absolute comfort. That’s the thinking behind the Volvo EX90.
In our utmost thirst for speed, we have lost sight of what a luxury car should be. The EX90 isn’t slow—far from it, with a massive 456hp twin motor configuration, which means the car rockets to 100 km/h in just 5.5 seconds. But it’s the way it approaches the concept of speed is what makes it different from others.
Its road manners are calm and the air suspension soaks up all of the potholes without transmitting much to the cabin. An obsession with refinement means you remain largely unperturbed by the chaos outside.
Piloting this five-metre-long leviathan across narrow Rajasthan roads should result in furrowed brows and tense moments, but the EX90 glides through them with barely a murmur, with only its Bowers & Wilkins audio system—with speakers stuffed inside the headrests—breaking the silence.
The steering is light and precise, while a raft of safety systems discreetly work in the background. The car monitors the road around it while also tracking the driver's attention and alertness. The Google Built-in system makes navigation so much easier.
It seems the EX90 deals with the complexities of a modern car in refreshing fashion. Sure, the 14.5-inch centre touchscreen display has swallowed up most of the functions that once called for physical buttons, but navigating it is intuitive and regular tasks are relatively simple to get used to. You will also like the lack of clutter, lighter colours and wood trim that lend it the understated Scandinavian charm you’d expect from a Volvo. On-brand, sustainability is woven in too, with clever use of recycled plastics throughout.
The six-seater configuration with captain seats enables you to stretch out in the second row and the seats are not too soft or firm with the right amount of cushioning while also having a flat floor. The massive boot space will take any amount of luggage and you can practically move your house with the storage space it has on the inside.
A common problem with most EVs is the issue of range anxiety. But in case of the EX90, a claimed range of 724 km (ICAT range) means you can crisscross cities quite easily without charging, thanks to the gigantic 106kwh battery pack.
It seems Volvo has nailed the concept of an electric luxury car but without going overboard in terms of the speed or handling. It has retained the core ethos of the brand but added in effortless waft-ability and peerless technology without bombarding the user.
It also looks just right with a monolithic design language and clean surfacing along with strong character lines but again without doing too much.
In a world where the automobile is a software defined technology showcase, it’s easy to forget what a true luxury car is all about. Fortunately for Volvo, it gets it just right with the EX90.
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