Volvo EX90 launched in SA

The Volvo EX90 was introduced at a media event in Cape Town at the end of March. Recharged was in attendance at the event, which was used to “relaunch” the brand. This means the EX90 will be available at dealerships, and not strictly online, like its strategy in the past.

The Volvo EX90 is priced at R2 650 000, serving as its luxury EV offering, with all the bells and whistles included. It will come in a single variant: Twin Performance with the Ultra specification.

Volvo EX90: Safest Volvo Ever Made

The Swedish automaker calls it the “safest Volvo ever made” as it’s the first Volvo to be equipped with LiDAR sensors. The radar, cameras and LiDAR connects to the vehicle’s Nvidia Drive technology and Volvo’s proprietary software to deliver on this claim.

It also has a suite of advanced driver assistance features as standard, such as adaptive cruise control with steering support (Pilot Assist), a head-up display, a 360-degree camera, Lane Keeping Aid, Park Pilot Assist, Run-off Road Mitigation, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with cross-traffic alert, Collision Avoidance and Mitigation, Intersection Autobrake, Road Sign Information, and more.

The EX90 is a seven-seater all-wheel drive powered by dual electric motors with an output of 380kW and 910Nm of torque. It is equipped with a rather large 111kWh battery that promises up to 604km of range (WLTP), and supports a 250kW DC charging speed, though SA’s fastest charger is 200kW. The EX90 will recharge from 10-80% within 30 minutes.

The EX90 can go from 0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds, slightly “slower” than its smaller sibling, the EX30, which happens to be South Africa’s best-selling EV for 2024, built in China, unlike the EX90. Both vehicles feature the next-generation Volvo Car UX, with an infotainment system powered by Google Automotive Services.

While we didn’t have the best interaction with this interface on the EX30, Volvo South Africa says the experience is better on the EX90, though our 15 minutes spent in the vehicle at launch was not sufficient time to tell if previous issues were addressed. However, the car did not beep when we looked away.

The EX90 runs on the Snapdragon Cockpit Platform, and is characterised by a 14.9-inch large tablet touchscreen to access all the vehicles settings. Compared to the EX30, the EX90 now features a much-needed driver 9-inch display behind the steering wheel.

The infotainment system runs on Android with access to Google Maps, Assistant, and the Play Store. It also supports wireless Apple CarPlay. It features a Bowers & Wilkins 25-speaker audio system with Dolby Atmos.

Additional tech features, as standard, include a wireless smartphone charger, Bluetooth and USB ports.

The Volvo EX90 comes in Crystal White, Denim Blue, Mulberry Red, Onyx Black, Platinum Grey, Sand Dune, Silver Dawn and Vapour Grey with everything listed above as standard, for R2 650 000 from April onwards.

It includes a three-year/60 000 km maintenance plan, a five-year/100 000 km warranty, an eight-year battery warranty, and five-year/unlimited mileage roadside assistance.

Volvo says it will provide new EX90 owners with two years of free public charging, a GridCars wallbox with installation, and 10GB of Vodacom data per month for three years.