Volvo has been very successful with its large, safe and utilitarian XC90 SUV. The company did not deviate from its core competency and create something wild for the similar electric-only EX90 SUV. Instead, the electric EX90 is a very competent and comfortable offering – especially for those who will run the vehicle around town shuttling kids around. The luxury of not having to stop at the gas station has become a selling feature in my suburban area.
Moreover, although the vehicle is not inexpensive, the EX90 will save you on fuel costs compared to its large three-row SUV gasoline-powered competitors. Yes, your electric bill will go up, but it will not correspond to the same cost in gas unless you are in a very high-priced electric grid market. Those with solar panels on the roof of their house might be able to fill up the battery packs for little to no cost! But the main selling point of the EX90 is it being a comfortable three-row SUV that happens to be electric.
Design Expression
You will not see traditional headlights on the EX90 until they are turned on. The running lights have a panel that motorizes open that will expose the traditional headlights. Volvo is all about safety and wanted to incorporate LIDAR without an ugly blight on the roof like a robotaxi Waymo Jaguar. T. Jon Mayer, Head Exterior Designer notes “It was a design challenge to integrate lidar in a way that both looks good and is optimal for its safety applications. It’s the car’s eyes, and while you could have them around the grille area – which would be equivalent to having eyes on your knees – it makes much more sense to have them as high as possible on your head so you can see as much as possible. That is why, together with our engineers, we decided to integrate it in the roofline to maximize its effectiveness.”
On the inside, instead of leather Volvo goes with an option called Nordico to be animal-free. It is created from textiles made from recycled material such as PET bottles, as well as bio-attributed material from responsibly-managed forests in Sweden and Finland. There is also a wool-blend option that is very nice. Speaking of options, if you order an EX90 you can personalize your car’s atmosphere and appearance by choosing between seven different “rooms” that match the interior decor and upholstery with the exterior colors. According to Volvo each room provides a different character and offers a distinct ambiance to suit your tastes. Each is inspired by aspects of the Scandinavian lifestyle and its symbiotic relationship with the environment. Accord to Cecilia Stark, Senior Design Manager of Volvo “The interior design and composition of the Volvo EX90 continues decades of iteration and innovation. We see interior composition as a learning process that will continue overtime based on your feedback, in-house innovation and new responsible sourcing opportunities.”
Computer Horsepower
Driving the EX90 you can feel the innovation behind the experience. For example, to turn on the adaptive cruise control, you swipe the shifter into Drive while you are on the highway. There is a logo for it on the shifter. Then extra buttons illuminate on the steering wheel to control the system. This keeps the wheel less confusing driving around town. Moreover, a small monitor in front of you shows the other cars around the EX90 to show the system is actively monitoring the situation. Handling all of this in-car tech is an in-car AI computer built on the NVIDIA Drive platform. This core system, plus a Snapdragon Cockpit Platform from Qualcomm and in-house developed software by Volvo work seamlessly together to run the key functions inside the car, from safety and infotainment to battery management.
Amazing Sound Right from the Abbey Road Studio
So, the EX90 is competent and quiet. It can help you on your commute with intuitive adaptive cruise control. Which makes it the perfect place to enjoy high quality audio. Here the EX90 does not disappoint. Those familiar with the Bowers & Wilkins audio brand know they are a partner to the acoustics of Abbey Road Studios. The loudspeaker company works with the famous recording studio as an audio partner. So why not incorporate the Abbey Road DNA and its famous sonic signature into the EX90? The B&W audio system has a setting that captures the acoustics of different areas of the famous recording studio. The technical teams of both companies measured the acoustics of the studio.
Using the Volvo’s DSP capabilities, the team was able to recreate those same acoustics into the car. Once the Abbey Road rooms were analyzed, this audio upgrade was actually sent as an over-the-air update on EX90s currently on the road! The driver or passenger can select different sound modes. Intimate mode that mimics the famous Abbey Road control room. Open Mode makes the soundstage wide and deep with boundaries that go way past the expanse of the dashboard. The Energize mode gives more punch to the midbass and low end. The Expansive mode feels like a high-end home theater setup with robust surround sound. Finally, the Producer mode lets you tailor the soundstage from wide to narrow, and adjust the tone from a vintage vacuum tube sound to a more modern sound. It is very fun to play with! According to Abbey Road General Manager Jeremy Huffelmann “The Abbey Road Studios Mode brings the unique sound of our spaces and equipment to the Bowers & Wilkins system in the Volvo EX90 for the first time, allowing the driver to shape and personalize the sound in the car for an unparalleled listening experience. We are hugely proud of this collaboration, and excited for Volvo customers to experience this landmark technology.” As a reviewer of many audio systems, the Volvo / B&W / Abbey Road is among the best. Without any processing the system sounds great. Although it might not be for the audiophile purist, you can tweak the system in a fun way without overprocessing the music. Abbey Road wants you to enjoy the music like you are in the studio with the musicians without losing musicality or the intent of the artist.
The EX90 even has a button for the air suspension on the rear of the vehicle to lower it to assist getting in heavy items. It was a pleasure to live with the EX90 for a week. It doesn’t come cheap at an MSRP of $94K, but you get a luxurious and safe three-row SUV with a terrific sound system.
