I don’t normally like big cars. Given a choice, my preference would be a small hatchback that’s easy to drive and have enough peppy energy to deliver some excitement as you scamper around our compact urban confines.
There are exceptions though, and one recent big car that I was thoroughly impressed with was the Volvo ES90. Maybe it’s just a sign of maturity (or simply getting old), but it seems that I’ve now come to appreciate the luxury of comfort.
What is the ES90? Well, it’s basically a large electric Volvo sedan. Although, it’s not quite exactly a ‘sedan’ in the traditional sense. For one, it has a liftback tailgate, which makes it technically a hatchback.
As well, while it doesn’t look like it in pictures, the ES90 is actually fairly tall, at least compared to what you’d expect from a classic sedan body style. It’s no SUV of course, but the raised height does help to give the ES90 a somewhat imposing stance when you see it in the metal.
The car’s clean cut styling and smooth lines do help very much to hide its bulk, because in reality, the ES90 is actually quite a sizeable car. You’ll only notice the car’s hefty 5 metre length when you’re parking the car and the nose juts out of the lot. Thankfully there’s the 360-degree camera to let you know when you’re about to bump the rear into the wall.
Part of the deception could perhaps be down to the car’s proportions, with its short overhangs (especially the rear) and the resulting extra long wheelbase, which is over 3 metres long. The shape is distinctively Volvo and yet somehow a bit different, but as a whole it sorta works and the car does look fairly elegant in its own way.
The interior too is typical Volvo, with the now-familiar portrait orientation large central touchscreen dominating proceedings. It runs on the Google-based Android Automotive operating system, which includes native Google Maps integration among other things. But unlike earlier iterations of the OS, this latest version now includes wireless Apple CarPlay compatibility, which is great news if you’re a steadfast fan of Steve Jobs.
But of course, this being a modern EV, the vast majority of the functions are accessible via touchscreen only. To be fair to Volvo, their interface feels a touch easier to operate than most, but it can still get annoying at times, and a few physical switches wouldn’t go amiss.
Delve a little deeper though, and you’ll find the settings for the ultra high-end 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system, which incorporates something called Abbey Road Studios Mode. Now, I’m no audiophile, but if you are, you will appreciate the excellent sound quality when you bang out your tunes on Spotify on your road trip.
You’ll enjoy that road trip in absolute comfort too, regardless of where you’re seated. Up front, you are surrounded in premium materials like plush leather and birch wood, giving off an soothing upmarket vibe without feeling too over-the-top. Subtle Scandinavian minimalism is the name of the game here.
At the back, the lengthy wheelbase means that there’s plenty of room for even the tallest of NBA players to stretch their legs in comfort. The large electrochromic glass roof adds a bit of ambience to the cabin, and is quite a nice touch, literally.
And there’s just about enough space for your bags too, with the aforementioned liftback tailgate opening up to reveal a decent 426 litres of boot space. If that’s not enough, there’s also a small frunk compartment up front with 27 litres of capacity available.
The only drawback is that the sloping roofline and the shape of the rear windscreen means that rear visibility is extremely limited, especially with the middle seat headrest in place. A digital rear view mirror would go a long way to mitigate things, but in the absence of that, the ES90 would have to function best as a four-seater by folding the middle seat down.
Still, whoever gets to be among the four will be in for a very soothing ride, because that’s where the ES90’s strengths lie. The top-spec Ultra version tested here comes with active air suspension, and it simply makes its presence known by letting the car glide over surfaces with minimal fuss and disturbance.
Being electric means that it does that in absolute silence too, but even when taking that into account, the ES90 is undoubtedly one of the most refined and cosseting cars to drive this side of a Rolls-Royce, and I daresay even bettering many other luxury sedans, perhaps of a German persuasion.
There’s only one powertrain available for the ES90 in Singapore, being a single motor setup that produces 245kW/333bhp and 480Nm of torque. It does not sound like a whole lot, especially when you consider the numerous absurdly-powered electric sedans on the market, but you’ll still be able to go from 0-100km/h in 6.6 seconds, which is quick enough for such a big car. You’ll probably be taking things leisurely most of the time anyway, so the performance matters not a jot.
Power is sent to the rear wheels, which ordinarily would mean an exciting drive. But given the way the ES90 is set up, handling is more competent than exuberant. The car steers with enough stability, but it’s never going to light up your loins. It’s not a car for that kind of driving in any case, and it certainly does not encourage that sort of behaviour.
Instead, the ES90 would probably excel on long journeys, especially given its claimed range of 661km on a full charge. That’s probably a tad optimistic, and in the real world you’ll probably get somewhere in the mid to high 500s, but it’s still pretty impressive nonetheless.
And that just about sums up the ES90 really. It’s an extremely mature car that majors on premium comfort and top-notch refinement, and if those are the qualities that speak to you, then the ES90 makes for an very compelling choice indeed.
