Volvo ES90 test: The new electric flagship Volvo ES90 from Gothenburg proves that elegance and 670 Nm of torque are not incompatible. The Volvo ES90 is a car that dominates without raising its voice.
There are cars that impress you with their lavish details upon first encounter. And then there are those that win you over with the exact opposite – their shameless calm. New Volvo ES90 falls into the second group. When you walk up to it, you don't feel like you're looking at a five-meter-long piece of luxury. In fact, you feel like you're looking at a car that's slightly smaller than it actually is - which is, paradoxically, the biggest compliment you can pay to modern design. Maybe it's also because when you drive it, it doesn't feel like a huge car. So this time - Volvo ES90 test.
If Jeremy Clarkson ever voluntarily replaced his old Range Rover for something that charges from a socket, it would probably be this car. Why? Because Volvo ES90 It's not trying to be a spaceship from a bad sci-fi movie. It's like that guy at the bar who wears a perfectly tailored gray coat, doesn't say a word, but everyone knows he could beat you at chess and run a marathon at the same time.
Design: tranquility that deceives the eye
The most fascinating thing about the Volvo ES90 is precisely that – its the ability to conceal one's own dimensions. A five-meter-long car that looks like four and a half in profile. Three of the five people I spoke to who were standing next to the car in the parking lot with me were surprised when they heard the exact dimensions. For two, the rear seemed a bit too conservative – especially compared to a sibling Polestar, which is visually more aggressive, more modern, more “now.” The back of the ES90 doesn’t try to be futuristic. It doesn’t try to be bold.
And that's his secret. Because I know - and I'm telling you this as someone who has seen over the years how ambitious designs become a sad caricature after five years - that this "conservatism" is actually timelessness. In ten years, this rear will look the same as it does today. While its competitors with seven layers of LED strips and bizarre geometries will then receive the same look with which we look at the ragged Mercedes CLS from 2012 today. Volvo made a car for people who know how to wait – and who understand that true elegance never follows trends, but survives them.
Thor's Hammer The LED daytime running lights at the front are distinctive enough to let you know what you're looking at. The C-shaped taillights extend into the rear window. The drag coefficient is an incredible 0.25 Cd – the most aerodynamic Volvo ever. In other words: it cuts through the air like a whisper.
Technical heritage: from the S90 to the electric flagship
A little historical context, because without a story we are like Ikea without assembly. Volvo is S90 For decades, the S90 has built a reputation as a noble Scandinavian sedan – a car that promised to get you home, no matter what the road throws at you. An old love of mine, I must admit. Every time I sat in the S90, I felt like the car was slightly underestimating me – like a university professor who knows more than you and doesn’t hide it at all.
The ES90 is its spiritual successor, with one important difference: it is not a classic sedan, but liftback with a slightly raised chassis. Volvo calls it "a sedan with the soul of an SUV"I tell him "a sedan that knows that potholes are reality"And in my opinion, this is the most honest move Volvo has made in recent years.
The car measures exactly 5,000 mm in length, 1,942 mm in width (2,120 mm with mirrors) and 1,546 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,102 mm. This is the territory where the German i5 and the Mercedes EQE roll. It is built on a platform SPA2, which it shares with its sister EX90 and Polestar 3.
Numbers that are not just for decoration – Volvo ES90
I was driving. Twin Engine version – average, but by no means boring. And if anything, my test confirmed that Volvo has finally stopped being modest about performance. Underneath the Scandinavian outfit lies serious technology:
- Power: 335 kW (455 PS / 449 hp)
- Torque: 670 Nm (494 lb-ft)
- Acceleration 0–100 km/h: 5.5 seconds (0–62 mph)
- Top speed: electronically limited to 180 km/h (112 mph)
- Battery: 106 kWh gross / 102 kWh net
- WLTP range: up to 700 km (435 miles)
- Real range (EV Database): about 535 km
- DC charging: to 350 kW (10–80 % in 22 minutes)
- AC charging: 11 kW (3-phase)
- Architecture: 800 V (Volvo first)
- Drive: 4×4 (two PMSM motors)
- Mass: 2,610 kg
The top speed is, as is customary with Volvos due to safety commitments, electronically limited to 180 km/h. At first I was outraged. But after three days behind the wheel I understood – this limitation is not an expression of cowardice, but of maturity. You get there faster than you say »IKEA Billy bookcase", and honestly – where are you in such a hurry?
Charging: enough time for a fika, not a meeting
I was pleasantly surprised here. Volvo is with 800-volt architecture finally joined the "serious" electric vehicle club and I admit I've been waiting for this for a long time. 350 kW fast charging means you can go from 10 to 80 % charges in just over twenty minutes - just right for a true Swede fika a break with a cinnamon roll and coffee.
For comparison, the BMW i5 charges up to 205 kW, the Mercedes EQE to a modest 170 kW. The Audi A6 e-tron with 270 kW pulls along, but the Volvo overtakes it. And I, who was convinced last year that the Germans ruled unshakably in this segment, must honestly admit – the Swedes have surpassed them this time. Not because of marketing, but because of physics.
Driving: agility that simply blew me away
But here's something I didn't expect. The most fascinating thing about the ES90 isn't its silence, but how it handles in corners. Despite its weight (2,610 kg) and five meters long, the car drives surprisingly agile. I won't say it's a pure sports car - that would be a lie that would be exposed on the first sharp bend - but it's damn close.
Air suspension with dual air chambers (standard on Ultra equipment) is set so precisely that you feel as if the car knows what you're thinking. On the way between Postojna and Ilirska Bistrica – one of my favorite test routes – I found myself smiling. Stability, confidence, silence. You don't get that combination often. The turning circle measures 11.8 m, which is no small feat for a five-meter-long car – maneuvering through city garages is surprisingly bearable.
"It's not just a car, it's a statement of maturity. While others scream 'look at me', the Volvo ES90 simply stands there, waiting for you to notice its superiority."
Interior: rolling Zen studio
The interior is the story that disarmed me the most. The materials used are sustainable, but at the same time prestigious to the touch. Nothing creaks, nothing is superfluous. Each button (the few that were left) has its own weight. In the center of the space reigns 14.5-inch vertical display with the Google Built-in system, and in front of the driver there is an additional 9-inch digital instrument display.
Sound system Bowers & Wilkins with 25 speakers and Dolby Atmos is an option that's practically impossible to pass up - the first time I spun Miles Davis through that soundscape, I momentarily forgot I was sitting in a car. It was like a concert. Personal. Just for me.
Panoramic roof filters 99.9 % UV rays, and optionally features electrochromic glass – it changes from clear to opaque with one touch. Four-zone climate control is standard. The trunk swallows 446 liters (even with the seats folded down) 1,256 liters), and the frunk under the front cover adds 22 liters for charging cables and a bad conscience. And yes – it can pull up to 2,000 kg (braked trailers), which is more the exception than the rule in this segment.
This is a place where your heart rate actually slows down. Unless you step on the gas pedal to the floor – and then Volvo gently reminds you that it has its own temperament too.
Car intelligence: two Nvidia Orin processors and a lidar that watches
The ES90 is the first Volvo, which drives it dual Nvidia DRIVE AGX Orin configuration – according to the manufacturer, the most computing power ever installed in a car. It sits on the roof lidar sensor, which, combined with a bunch of cameras and radars, keeps an eye on you, regardless of whether you're looking at your phone (you shouldn't) or if you're momentarily tired. The system even detects submillimeter movement in the cabin.
I admit, it bothered me a little at first. The feeling of a car watching you is not exactly relaxing. But after a few days, I got used to it – and even started to appreciate it. In an age where half the drivers on the road are on their phones, a little technological guardianship is actually a blessing.
Verdict: a fist of steel in a velvet glove
If you ask me honestly – the Volvo ES90 is one of the few electric cars that I can say has convinced me without hesitation. It is the best proof that The electric future doesn't have to be boringIt is a car for those who value substance over form, but at the same time demand that the form be perfect.
His greatest virtue is timelessness. And here I return to that remark about the conservative rear that bothered some. In ten years, this car will still look like the pinnacle of industrial design, while its competitors with all those LED strips will look like old Christmas trees in the middle of August. Anyone looking for a show should consider Polestar. Anyone looking for character that will survive fashion cycles – welcome to the Volvo ES90 club.
Price? Well, joining the Scandinavian prestige club has never been cheap. In the tested Twin Engine version we are talking about prices around 88,990 EUR, which is actually fair considering what is offered. You get safe shelter, cutting-edge technology and that priceless feeling of being smarter than everyone else on the road. Compared to the BMW i5 M60 or the Mercedes EQE 500, the Volvo is even – brace yourself for this – fairly rational choice.
Would you have one? Without hesitation. Because in a world where everyone is trying to be loud, Volvo speaks the loudest with its silence. And that, my dears, is a true Swedish revolution – not on the barricades, but on the highway, at 120 km/h, with Sibur jazz in the background and a conscience that is once again cleaner than the air inhaled by the cabin filter.
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To be honest, after five hundred kilometers behind the wheel Volvo ES90 I found myself thinking about moving to the country, about cooking with local ingredients, and about whether I should buy that linen sweater after all. That's the impact this car has. It doesn't just change how you drive. It changes who you think you are.
