It’s the start of a new era for Volvo. With the launch of the EX90, the Swedish carmaker has put forth an all-electric offering in the segment that they are currently the most famous for—the full-sized, lifestyle-oriented, family SUV. With seven seats in its spacious interior, the EX90 aims to combine practicality and ease-of-use, and deliver it in a streamlined, high-tech package made with 21st-century living in mind.
The inside is classic Scandinavian design—simplicity, clean lines, and wood panelling. It blends well with the minimalist approach to technological function—the centre console is practically devoid of physical controls, but is dominated by a 14.5in, vertically oriented centre screen. Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, it uses Google’s built-in operating system, making it a snappy and intuitive infotainment experience. Replacing the traditional, recessed instrument cluster is a smaller secondary screen behind the steering wheel, one that barely interrupts the uncluttered fascia.
But lurking beneath the uncomplicated presentation is an abundance of depth and function. The EX90 is the first model from the brand that has a lidar unit, which uses pulsed lasers to scan the area around the car—and it works even in total darkness. It can detect pedestrians up to 250m away, and Volvo’s research has shown that it can reduce the likelihood of severe accidents by up to 20 per cent, while also improving overall crash avoidance by nine per cent. The lidar feature works in tandem with radar, cameras and ultrasonic sensors, all constantly looking out for the car and its occupants. This makes the EX90 not just the smartest Volvo ever, but also the safest—quite a pronouncement, given the brand’s decades-old reputation.
Future-ready by design, the EX90 is also capable of receiving over-the-air updates that will let Volvo’s engineers continue to improve the onboard systems and to prepare the EX90 for autonomous driving as soon as technology and legislation allows. A new generation of Volvo’s Pilot Assist technology is also include, which features a Lane Change Assist function, where drivers simply turn on the indicators for the car to automatically and safely change lanes when an opening is available.
While we patiently await a self-driving future, everyday journeys are already elevated by features such as adaptive cruise control, automatic braking and steering, and active lane-keeping—all of which are designed to take the stress out of driving and keep safety front and centre.
The cabin, meanwhile, is designed to be a mobile living room, with comfort as a priority. The first row of seats has a massage function, while both first and second-row seats are ventilated. A panoramic sunroof lets in plenty of light, while the 25-speaker sound system is from Bowers & Wilkins. The latter is especially enjoyable, given that the EX90 is also the quietest cabin from Volvo to date, with double-laminated glass, extra sound insulation, and a chassis engineered for vibration absorption. This chassis works together with the air suspension to adjust itself automatically for road conditions, and can lower itself by 20mm for high-speed aerodynamics or increase by 40mm for rougher terrain.
And it packs a bit of a punch, too. The EX90 is available as a single variant: the Ultra Twin (RM442,888), with two electric motors providing all-wheel drive, as well as 517bhp and 910Nm of torque—good enough for it to go from 0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds. It ekes out a rated range of 623km from the 111kWh battery, which is an impressive figure for an SUV. It helps that the EX90 has optimised aerodynamics to achieve a drag coefficient of 0.29—without even sacrificing anything in the way of ride height and road presence.
There is good news, too, for those not quite ready to make the jump to fully electric vehicles. At the recent launch event at The International Gallery at KLGCC Resort, the EX90 was unveiled as a co-flagship next to a familiar presence on Malaysian roads—the XC90. This benchmark-setting SUV helped define Volvo’s modern identity, and is now  updated for the electric era.
Leading the range is the Ultra T8 (RM434,888), a plug-in hybrid featuring a 2.0L engine, an eight-speed transmission, and an electric motor. It delivers 456bhp and 709Nm of torque, with a 0–100km/h sprint in just 5.3 seconds. With 77km of electric-only range and more than 800km combined, it’s built for both city drives and cross-country journeys. Also available is the Ultra B5 (RM418,888), a mid hybrid that offers 263hp and 390Nm of torque—ideal for those seeking a more conventional setup with improved efficiency.
Inside, the experience is very close to the EX90, just a little more traditional and not quite as minimalist—there is a gear lever, for one. The central touchscreen uses the same operating system and is just slightly smaller at 11.2in across; notably, it is a vast improvement from its predecessor. The instrument cluster is its own 12.3in display, and quite a few of the driver assistance features (including adaptive cruise control, and steering and braking intervention) have made it over. One will also find many of the same luxuries, such as air suspension, sound insulation, and panoramic sunroof in the XC90.
With both the EX90 and refreshed XC90 in its line-up, Volvo is seeking to cover all the bases for those seeking a full-sized SUV. They are some of the most feature-rich vehicles available on the market, with a design philosophy that puts practicality first but compromises on very little.
