Volvo Car Malaysia has been teasing this car for a while (I’m sure you’ve seen the spy shots and the ads for a new one Cheerful car), but the time has finally come. The Volvo ES90 has been officially launched, the signature electric crossover sedan that arrives in locally assembled CKD form from the start and is therefore still tax-free.
Available in the same Ultra Single Motor Extended Range variant as in Thailand, priced at ES90 RM339,888 on the road without insurance. This is significant as it undercuts the BMW i5 eDrive40 – another electric executive sedan from CKD – by almost RM30,000.
As part of the launch, the first 100 buyers who place a booking until March 31 will receive a 2% discount (approximately RM6,800), while corporate buyers will receive 8% in fleet support. This price includes a five-year unlimited mileage warranty and an eight-year/160,000 km battery warranty, plus five years of digital services (retro subscription required). Deliveries start in March.
The ES90 designation might suggest the car is a simple electric replacement for the S90, but Volvo says it also combines features of a fastback and an SUV. To this end, it features a hatchback and a short rear end, as well as an increased ride height of 181 mm in this version.
The ES90 is built on the same second-generation Scalable Product Architecture (SPA2) as the EX90. At exactly 5,000mm long and 1,942mm wide, it’s 60mm shorter but 42mm wider than the i5, and thanks to increased ground clearance its height of 1,547mm is 32mm greater. It also has a 107mm longer wheelbase of 3,102mm.
As with the i5 eDrive40, power comes from a single motor in the rear, which here produces 333 hp (245 kW) and 480 Nm of torque. With this equipment, the ES90 accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.6 seconds, on its way to an electronically limited top speed of 180 km/h.
Range is where the ES90 is ahead of the BMW. Thanks to a more energy-dense nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery of 92 kWh (compared to 83.9 kWh in the i5), the Volvo can travel up to 651 km on the WLTP cycle, which is slightly further than the 627 km of its competitor.
You can also charge much faster, thanks to the 800-volt electrical architecture – a first for Volvo – which enables up to 300 kW DC fast charging, taking you from 10 to 80% in just 22 minutes. Unfortunately, you only get 11 kW of AC charging support here, so a full charge takes a whopping ten hours.
For a company whose handsome Scandinavian-cool design language is almost universally loved, the ES90’s styling is surprisingly polarizing, with the quirky rear seemingly the point of contention – this writer seems to be the only one in the office who likes it. It’s sleekly designed to say the least, with sharp lines and a clean surface that makes the straight-edged sedan look surprisingly athletic, no doubt helped by the huge 22-inch two-tone alloy wheels (the largest available worldwide) that fill the voluminous wheel arches.
Volvo’s latest corporate look is clearly visible at the front, with a flat, grille-less front end with the signature diagonal chrome strip and Iron Mark, framed by Thor’s Hammer LED daytime running lights. Unlike the EX90, these are fixed and don’t flip open to reveal the main projectors, which are instead arranged vertically on either side. Adaptive High-Definition Pixel headlights are standard.
Along the side, recessed pop-out door handles and shrink-wrapped Polestar-style door mirrors help the ES90 deliver a decent, but not extraordinary, 0.25 drag coefficient, while the long six-window greenhouse undoubtedly adds to rear-seat space. At the rear, you’ll find EX90-style C-shaped taillights that frame the license plate cutout, along with striking vertical lights that flank the rear window. Gloss black cladding on the lower half of the body helps reduce visual bulk.
Stepping inside through the soft-closing doors you’ll find a minimalist interior, even by usual Volvo standards, with almost all physical switchgear (including dedicated switches on the rear window) removed. Their space is taken up by a 9-inch instrument display and a 14.5-inch infotainment touchscreen, and a head-up display is also fitted. A standard panoramic glass roof helps brighten the interior and features an electrochromic frosting function.
The displays run Volvo’s (not quite latest, as the EX60 has just been unveiled) Android Automotive-based operating system, with the usual Google service built-in and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. All this is made possible by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Cockpit Platform, with a so-called Superstack technology set under the skin that unifies the hardware and software modules and enables continuous over-the-air (OTA) updates throughout the life of the car.
Music is piped in through a 25-speaker, 1,610-watt Bowers & Wilkins High Fidelity Audio System, which supports Dolby Atmos surround sound and features an Abbey Road Studios listening mode – a new spatial audio feature developed under license from the London music studio most associated with The Beatles.
The hands-free tailgate opens to reveal a 424-litre boot, which is a lot less than the i5’s 490 litres, although the large opening should aid usability. You can fold the rear seats down to increase the boot space to 733 litres, and there’s also a 22-litre front boot.
Apart from the kit already mentioned, the range-topping Ultra-trim includes active air suspension, four-zone automatic climate control, electrically adjustable front seats with electrically adjustable lumbar support and side bolsters, memory and ventilation, electrically adjustable rear seats with a ‘lounge’ armrest, front and rear massage, acoustic glass side windows, park assist and a 360-degree camera. There’s no conventional key card as such, but you do get a key card and support for smartphone-based Digital Key Plus.
Volvo’s groundbreaking suite of safety features is now powered by dual Nvidia Drive AGX Orin core computers, enabling the latest Pilot Assist Level 2 semi-autonomous driving functionality. This includes the functions of adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, lane centering assistance and cornering speed assistance. Notable here is the lack of a roof-mounted lidar sensor on Malaysian-spec models, leading to a less taxi-like appearance.
Other features include autonomous emergency braking with oncoming car detection, evasive steering assist for pedestrians, cyclists and scooters, AEB at intersections, run-off road mitigation, blind spot monitoring with collision avoidance, rear collision warning with collision mitigation, rear cross traffic alert with automatic braking, a driver attention monitor, a door opening alert, a rear seat reminder and adaptive high beam. Nine airbags – included double central airbags – are fitted as standard.
Available colors include Vapor Grey, Crystal White, Denim Blue and Onyx Black. Unlike in Thailand – where the ES90 is imported from China, at least until exports from Malaysia begin – there is no Aurora Silver hero colour, nor can you specify the beautiful Mulberry Red. They are all combined with a charcoal (read: black) Nordico artificial leather upholstery and blonde birch wood finish.
GALLERY: Volvo ES90 Ultra Single Motor Extended Range in Thailand
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