First Drive: Volvo ES90 in South Africa
It’s an all-new, all-electric, luxury sedan from Volvo. It’s the first electric sedan we can buy from Volvo and it’s the next step in the company’s electrification progression. Starting at R1 590 000 this rear-wheel drive electric sedan lives in what has become a niche segment, but from our first drive in KZN a few days ago, it makes a solid argument against that.
So the Volvo sedan is back?
Yes it is. Except this time, it’s fully electric. In case you’re wondering whether there will be a PHEV or ICE version the answer is no. This is Volvo’s current and future play. Electrification, Volvo believes, is inevitable. The world will drive electric cars in the future and so Volvo is simply playing into that despite its apparently slow uptake. Volvo is hedging their bets on what they see as an absolute. The ES90 is the next in that story and it lands in South Africa as an alternative sedan in that luxury segment where 5-Series; E-Class; BYD Seal and Audi A6 play. The BYD is electric so more specifically on the others that would be the i5, the EQE Sedan and in Audi’s case, nothing at the moment but we may see something like this later this year. The ES90 then carries on from a generation of solid and in some cases, legendary cars like the venerable Volvo Amazon (1956); the Volvo 700 Series (1982); the Volvo 850 (1991) and more recently the S60 (2001). That’s a storied lineage.
The ES90 is all electric then – Does that make sense in our market?
The ES90 may well be the first EV with which you can make a case against range anxiety. Volvo claims that the ES90 will do 755km on a full charge. Its 92.4kWh battery is indeed a large component for a car of this nature but achieving 755km may prove difficult. We’re looking at actually putting it to the test in the near future but aside from that, our experience suggests that the car will, at the very least, do 550km relatively comfortably based on our 19kWh/100km consumption during parts of our launch drive. Given that we weren’t optimally driving for best consumption, I’d hazard that 550km or more is certainly doable and within that, the ES90, a large sedan, stands out as a car that could prove fairly ‘normal’ in terms of how it fits into your life.
The ES90 also sits on Volvo/Geely’s SPA2 electric-only vehicle platform. It’s the same platform on which the EX90 and Polestar 3 are built and it’s a platform that has, to date, proved flexible and competent enough to deliver on Volvo’s claims of excellent electric architecture, well integrated software and high end safety systems. The ES90’s 800V electric system means faster charging, with the ES90 able to charge from 10 – 80% in some 25 minutes at a DC charger. That makes the ES90 one of the easiest EV’s to live with considering that charging is one of the first stumbling blocks for EV consideration.
Ok. It looks a bit like a sedan mixed with an EX30 though?
That’s a good observation. Volvo has designed the ES90 to be more practical and spacious than what we’d term a normal sedan in this segment. The design is more fastback than a mix of hatch and sedan but the final result is striking nonetheless. Most onlookers had something to say about the rear with its EX30-esque C-shaped taillights. The whole design is typically modern Volvo minimalist. The rear and side panels are large pressed surfaces that then become rounded at the front to create Volvo’s sleek front grille graced by a slightly modern take on Thor’s Hammer headlights. The LED’s in the form of a horizontal hammer have now been designed to complement the vertical LED’s at the bottom of the grille to show a hammer and nail depiction. Unlock and Lock procedures animate these lights in that form with additional choreography on the rear lights too.
It’s a sleek, fresh design approach and it lends itself to understanding more of what the ES90 has been penned to be – luxurious yet approachable, spacious and offering a sense of calm.
Calmness comes from within though. Is it actually as ‘calming’ as they suggest?
Even moreso. An electric sedan will always have an inherent sense of luxury and refinement simply offered by a lack of engine noise so that’s a good start, but this car takes it up a notch. Volvo’s attention to removing noise from outside and from within must be commended. It’s in the window widths, the sound-absorbing materials, the soft-close doors. There’s a real serenity here. Since we’re speaking about sound, Volvo’s Ultra grade ES90, the flagship, is offered with the stunning 1610W Bowers & Wilkins system with 25 speakers. It offers the Abbey Road preset too, first heard on the EX90, and it’s generally considered to be one of the best audio systems available on any car on the market. It is an optional feature but one I’d suggest you tick.
Beyond the sound, the cabin is pure Volvo visuals. Sleek. Minimalist. Airy. The large panoramic roof gives light to the spacious cabin. The roof does now offer an electromagnetic feature on the glass that closes out the outside light at the push of a button. It does work, and it’s possibly the result of Volvo listening to customers about some of its other products that don’t have a blind on the large roof. I still would prefer an actual blind but this new feature is better than having nothing at all. Pretty smart too. With the batteries situated under the floor, the ES90 is very spacious within the cabin. Occupants have ample rooms all round especially rear passengers that enjoy, among other things, reclining seats and loads of legroom. What is a slight compromise is that the rear floor seems higher than normal, but because you have so much leg room to stretch out, that makes up for the floor height. Open the boot and 446-litres greets you, with a slight additional under the boot floor where charging cable can be stored as well as a 27-litre compartment under the bonnet.
It all sounds lovely but I assume there’s more to the interior than great sound and space?
This is a Volvo. Core computing is important. There’s a lot going on within that 14.5-inch infotainment portrait display. Everything from the car mirror and steering adjustments to the electric charging modes and ambient lighting setup sits in the system. Like the EX90, and thankfully, there is a driver’s display on this car, something that is obviously different from other new Volvo models like the EX30.
The entire OS is built to be fast, easy to understand yet deeply useful in all of its functions. It’s also constantly monitoring the driver to ensure you’re fully alert and have everything you need. Like a butler or a mom-in-law the ES90 is constantly at your beck and call to assist in anything it can. Voice-activated functions, driving assistance systems and driver alertness monitoring abound, all conducted in a polite Volvo way. Yes all manner of phone connectivity is available and it is a fully digitised experience. The top specification also delivers on full 360-degree camera views and massaging seats.
The ES90 is available in a few choices of interior fabric and colour palettes. From charcoal to cardamom, dark to light, there’s a choice of interior and seat fabrics to suit you. It’s a uniquely crafted cabin, brimming with Swedish thought and taste and it’s really a premium offering.
Does it actually drive well or does it feel like anything else that is electrically powered?
It feels like a Volvo. Supremely comfortable and adequately fast. This is the RWD, single motor offering that happily dishes out 245kW of power and 480Nm. 0 – 100km/h is dealt with in a swift 6.6-seconds and in typical Volvo fashion, top speed is governed to 180km/h.
It is indeed electric in how it delivers its power – beautifully instant and linear yet through clever software engineering, the ES90 never feels on the edge or even close to it. Even under some harder driving through some of KZN’s windy outskirts, the ES90 is ever so smooth in keeping the body in check and forcing stability. You do feel the heft of those batteries when cornering hard but the air-sprung suspension keeps the car poised despite this. I was impressed by the car’s dynamic behaviour for what is quite a large (5m) sedan with a higher than normal ground clearance. The ES90 is able to raise itself to 203mm where there is a need or where the off-road button is pressed. Make no mistake, this is simply an extra layer of peace as far as practical sedan motoring is concerned.
Driving the ES90 hard at times, the electric consumption hiked to 33kWh/100km but for some parts of that we were averaging under 20kWh/100km quite easily especially when in suburban areas where regeneration was most helpful.
Seems like it’s all good then?
For the most part it is. ES90 is a stellar product so far. It is electric. That does have its own ownership worries but Volvo has taken most of the worry and questions out of ownership. The ES90 comes in three grades, but irrespective of which one you take, you will receive the following as standard:
- 2 years of free public charging. This is a big win.
- A GridCars wallbox charger for your home with installation.
- 10 GB of Vodacom data per month for three years so that you car really is connected.
It’s a fantastic bundle within the following prices for the range.
Pricing
The Volvo ES90 Core: R1 590 000
The Volvo ES90 Plus: R1 655 000
The Volvo ES90 Ultra: R1 795 000
The ES90 also comes with Volvo’s 8-year battery warranty that is managed through the‘Battery Passport’, a regulatory application that documents a battery’s origins and lifespan. That includes where all of the battery material was sourced, when and how and even includes health data and health check on the battery.
