Volvo EX90 - Electric motors, performance & drive

There are just two powertrain options for the Volvo EX90 from launch. The 107kWh (useable) battery is either paired with a dual-motor output in the creatively named ‘Twin Motor’ for 402bhp and 770Nm of torque, or you can have the ‘Twin Motor Performance’, which (as you’d guess from the name) increases power to 510bhp and torque to 910Nm. 

The EX90 is lower than the XC90, but it’s also longer and wider than its ICE sibling and with EV power, it’s substantially heavier, too. At 2,818kg the EX90 is just over 500kg heavier than the most portly version of the XC90, the T8 plug-in hybrid. 

While the EX90 might look rather similar to the XC90, Volvo has done more than simply take its big-selling combustion-engined SUV, slap a battery in it and call it a day. The EX90 sits on Volvo’s bespoke SPA2 electric architecture already seen in the new Polestar 3. To counter the EX90’s weight, Volvo has fitted a fancy new torque-vectoring system on the EX90 to distribute power between inside and outside wheels in the corners, adaptive air suspension as standard with self levelling and to make it easy to live with, an automatic one-pedal driving mode based on your driving habits.  

Volvo isn’t one to festoon its cars with a multitude of driving modes, though alongside the one-pedal mode selection, you can also change the steering weight and the suspension from ‘soft’ to ‘firm’. There’s also a setting to de-couple the rear motor power in the standard car for better efficiency and a ‘Performance’ mode in the Performance trim to boost power and allow for a “more active and dynamic driving experience” according to Volvo. 

What is the Volvo EX90 like to drive?

In town

In urban areas you’ll naturally want to set the steering and suspension to the ‘soft’ setting. The steering doesn’t feel overly light, with a suitably reassuring weight to it given the EX90’s mass. Despite it being a big seven-seater, the EX90 is pretty easy to navigate around tight areas thanks to its boxy shape. One odd feature is the shape of the windscreen - the Lidar positioning above means that it curves at the top. This isn’t really an issue for visibility, which is a pretty good, thick A-pillars aside. 

No amount of electronic trickery can completely disguise the 2.7-tonne kerb weight, which is most noticeable at slow speeds on rough roads. The 22-inch wheels are standard on the EX90 and we’re hoping the upcoming single-motor version will be offered with smaller alloys because there’s some fidgeting at times. Big speed bumps and potholes are pretty well damped, although there’s usually an audible thud. 

The pedal feel is a little jerky around town, too. The brakes, while delivering phenomenal performance at speed, can be difficult to modulate carefully - which is why most will stick one-pedal mode on and be done with it. There’s not much travel in the acceleration pedal before the EX90’s reserves of power kick in so you have to treat it with more finesse than expected here. 

The EX90 doesn’t feature rear-wheel steering. With a 1mm longer wheelbase than the XC90 the EV has a turning circle of 12.2 metres - about average for a car of this size but well down on the Mercedes EQS’s (with its rear-wheel steer) 10.9-metre figure.

On A- and B-roads

The driving dynamics of the EX90 are much better than you might imagine and probably more competent than it needs to be if it’s to go after traditional buyers of XC90s. 

The standard-fit air suspension manages to keep the EX90’s weight balanced into corners. It’s only when you’re abrupt with steering inputs that you gain a sense you’re carrying significant heft.

So long as you manage to scrub the speed sufficiently - easily done thanks to those strong brakes - you’ll have no trouble slingshotting out the other side. The base model will do 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds (4.9 seconds for the Twin Performance) and will be plenty quick enough for most, but the Performance does exactly what it says on the tin and feels noticeably quicker in a straight line at any speed - although no different in the corners.

On the motorway

While we’re not bowled over by the EX90’s low-speed ride, things become more refined at speed. The steering settles down so you have to make fewer inputs, the instant torque makes high-speed overtakes a doddle and the EX90’s suspension is compliant with imperfections serenely dealt with without feeling detached from the road.

On the motorway you’ll find the big electric Volvo to be a civilised cruiser and the brand’s claim of ‘the quietest Volvo ever made’ quite believable. Wind noise isn’t an issue in the EX90, although those big tyres make themselves heard. As with the XC90, Volvo’s wonderful seats are the biggest reason why you could easily eat up the car’s range in one sitting. 

0-60 acceleration and top speed

The Twin Motor manages a zero to 60mph sprint in 5.7 seconds, with the Performance reducing that time to 4.7 seconds. That gap is solely down to the Performance’s 510bhp and 910Nm output compared to the regular car’s 402bhp and 770Nm of torque. Volvo recently introduced a limited top speed of 122mph to all of its cars and that’s exactly what both EX90s will do. 

A single-motor version is coming and while we don’t know what power output it’ll have, it’s likely to borrow the set-up from its fellow SPA2-based sibling, the Polestar 3. That would mean a power output of around 295bhp and a 0-60mph time of roughly 7.5 seconds.