When it comes to cars, the clearest dividing line between Chinese and European tastes isn’t the latter’s preference for sporty handling, it’s the former’s preference for giant screens. This is why brands for whom China is a major market, like Mercedes, BMW and Audi, are all fast creating interiors with increasingly tech-dominated layouts. Often to the disapproval of the rest of us - see the PH forums for hours and hours worth of reading evidence.
It’s therefore both interesting and refreshing to see Volvo, a brand owned by Hangzhou-based Geely, produce the least screen-dominated car of one of the screen-iest segments, the electric executive saloon. The handsome ES90 is based on the advanced SPA2 platform that’s also used by the EX90 and Polestar 3, yet its dash has plenty of space for nice materials like Swedish wood and cushioned leather. Yes, there’s still a lot of tech onboard - including an internet-connected, AI-powered ‘brain’ - and there are screens, but they don’t seem to monopolise the ES90’s Scandinavian interior.
The same cannot be said about the Mercedes EQE, which, in top spec, has a dash so dominated by tech that it’s basically one big screen, A-pillar to A-pillar. BMW’s i5 and Audi’s A6 e-tron aren’t far off, each with their own version of a toppled monolith to draw your attention. But Volvo’s approach to screens is part of a wider effort to create a relaxing aura that’s a bit more (grab that pinch of salt) traditional. Probably safer, too. At any rate, it’s a welcome change from the norm.
It doesn’t save you money, though. In fact, the five-metre-long fastback that is the ES90 starts from just short of £70k in entry-level ‘Plus’ Single Motor form, meaning it’s neck and neck with the i5 and EQE, and a little pricier than the A6 e-tron. Although it does come with a substantial 88kWh of usable battery, ranking it well above the i5 and e-tron and close to the Mercedes EQE for kilowatt-hours. Interestingly, the higher up the ladder you go, the more the Volvo seems to offer relative to its rivals. The 680hp-producing Twin Motor Performance, for example, is at £87,960, a full £10k cheaper than the less powerful i5 M60.
The car we’re driving on the car’s launch in Nice isn’t an M60 threat, but it is in top spec Ultra trim, which starts from £79k because it gains air suspension, an electrochromatic pano sunroof, and a 1,610-watt Bowers and Wilkins sound system, to name just a few additions. Only our car sticks with the 88kWh usable (92kWh total) Single Motor Extended Range powertrain, the name of which is confusing as with less capacity than the 102kWh-usable-equipped (106 total) Twin Motor and Performance models, it’s rated to 406 miles WLTP, which is 29 fewer than both of the other variants can manage. With only one motor at the back, we’ve 330hp to their respective 449hp and 680hp outputs. Oh, the shame.
But this isn’t an out-and-out performance car. In the Single Motor derivative, the priority is refinement and comfort, traits familiar from the Polestar 3 that Nic C rated so highly. Power is elastic, not explosive, the ride is compliant, not sporty, and the strong one-pedal mode means braking is optional in town. You can, at lower speeds, drive the ES90 with minimal effort, making use of its light steering, impressive turning circle and visibility that’s helped in no small part by chunky door mirrors and a plethora of camera tech (because the raked rear windscreen offers little in the way of actual rear visibility). Potholes in autumnal Nice are few and far between, but those we did find only caused minor jiggles through the body, something I suspect will be reduced further on cars not wearing our car’s P Zero E-wrapped 22-inch wheels.
Bigger obstacles like speed humps are noticed and processed by the ES90’s ultra-quick ‘brain’, which is powered by NVIDIA artificial intelligence. The car can see forward via facing tech housed in a unit that sprouts out above the windscreen like a Black Cab’s taxi sign. It’s ugly but clearly effective, as the dual-chamber air suspension provides a cushioned effect that’s accentuated by the car’s impressive refinement from road and wind noise. That said, the seat cushioning is a little firmer than I’d have liked (it feels more Polestar than Volvo), but the calm created by the pervading hush means it’s definitely more natural to drive smoothly than aggressively in this rear-drive car.
It’s a shame then that it doesn’t feature shift paddles to let you adjust the car’s regenerative braking strength on the fly. Like other Volvo and Polestar models, you do have a ‘one-pedal’ touchscreen button that sits bottom right of the main infotainment system, but that’s the strongest setting for urban driving. If you want to raise and lower the strength on faster roads as you go, you have to dive into the menus, which is distracting to say the least. There is an automatic mode that uses location data and your surroundings to constantly alter the regen strength, but for me it opts to be a little too weak all of the time, meaning you still need to exercise the car’s 360mm front discs. The brake pedal is reassuringly firm, but in such an advanced EV, having to use it so much feels a bit old-fashioned.
One area where the tech really is right up there with the best of them is in adaptive cruise control and steer assist. On Nice’s famously winding motorway routes that meander around and through the mountains, the AI-powered ES90 can steer itself and even smoothly modulate speed so corners remain comfortable. In fact, the car is future-proofed in this department, with over-the-air updates set to enable more substantial levels of automated driving, when software or - more likely - regulators allow it. Heck, the SPA2 architecture even gets the same radar occupant monitoring system as the EX90, which is apparently capable of reminding you not to forget your child when you leave the car. No joke.
Despite being so comfort- and tech-focused, the ES90 can hold its own through the bends when you’re doing the driving. During a more brisk stint on Nice’s winding mountain passes, the air suspension is impressively adept at countering body roll. Sure, if you push on hard, the front tyres start to let go first, in a safety-first, mid-‘00s Audi sort of way. But even if you’re inclined to trail a brake or lift off into the bend, the outside rear strut tenses to prevent this 2.3-tonne car from wallowing about. It’s stable, grippy and easily capable of covering ground at pace.
In fact, from the driver’s seat, the only annoyances are the aforementioned lack of regen paddles and the inevitable inclusion of climate control adjustments in the touchscreen. Otherwise, the Google-based infotainment is intuitive and fast, and the letterbox instrument cluster’s ability to show Google Maps means it’s slim but all you need to look at when driving. Plus, you’ve a head-up display to make the middle screen even more surplus to requirements - at least when the temperature’s set and you don’t want to make on-the-fly changes to the regen.
In the back, there’s loads of legroom, even if your toes can’t quite tuck under the seat ahead if it’s set low, due to the raised floor required by the big battery. Certainly there’s more overall space than is on offer in the i5, EQE and e-tron. Although the Volvo is middle of the pack when it comes to boot space, with 424 litres just beating the Mercedes but falling behind the BMW and Audi. At least there’s a front boot (or frunk, if I have to) just about big enough to swallow your charge cables.
Along with the driver assistance tech, charging is where the SPA2 platform’s ‘advanced’ status comes into its own. Using 800-volt architecture, the ES90 in 92kWh form can charge at a 310kw peak, meaning 10-80% rapid charge takes 22 mins. And while the other variants get the 106kWh battery, it charges at a faster 350kW, meaning the same sprint at the plug takes exactly the same amount of time. If you’re wondering, both battery bases are vehicle-to-grid and load capable, meaning you could use an ES90 to save you money on domestic electricity bills. Or power a hairdryer. And yes, a heat pump is standard.
So while it’s definitely not perfect, there’s a lot to like about the ES90. Sure, it doesn’t steer as well as an i5, it won’t go as far as an EQE and (if it’s your preference) the infotainment isn’t quite as slick as the e-tron’s. But the ES90 interior’s less overbearing digital setup, and its overall relaxing Scandi aura, will no doubt make it more appealing to fans of the Volvo way. For that much, it’s a welcome addition to the segment. Even if the real test from a PH point of view will come when we introduce the Performance to the M60. More on that next time.
SPECIFICATION | VOLVO ES90 SINGLE MOTOR EXTENDED RANGE ULTRA
Engine: 800V Lithium-ion battery, 88kWh useable capacity
Transmission: Permanent magnet synchronous electric motor
Power (hp): 333
Torque (lb ft): 354
0-62mph: 6.6 seconds
Top speed: 112mph (limited)
Weight: 2,335kg (DIN)
MPG: 406 miles, efficiency 2.4 miles/kWh (WLTP)
CO2: 0g/km
Price: £79,160
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