Volvo Car Malaysia has been teasing this car for a while now (I’m sure you’ve seen the spyshots and the ads for a new Selamat car), but it’s finally here. The Volvo ES90 has been officially launched, the distinctive electric crossover sedan arriving in CKD locally-assembled form from the get-go and thus still tax free.
Available in the same Ultra Single Motor Extended Range variant as in Thailand, the ES90 is priced at RM339,888 on-the-road without insurance. This is significant, as it undercuts the BMW i5 eDrive40 – another CKD electric executive sedan – by nearly RM30,000.
As part of the launch, the first 100 buyers who place a booking until March 31 will receive a 2% rebate (around RM6,800), with corporate buyers getting 8% in fleet assistance. This price is inclusive of a five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty and an eight-year/160,000 km battery warranty, plus five years of digital services (subscription required afterwards). Deliveries will begin in March.
The ES90 designation might suggest that the car is a straightforward electric replacement for the S90, but Volvo posits that it also combines attributes of a fastback and an SUV. To that end, it features a hatchback and a short rear end, as well as a raised ride height of 181 mm in this spec.
The ES90 is built on the same second-generation Scalable Product Architecture (SPA2) as the EX90. Measuring exactly 5,000 mm long and 1,942 mm wide, it’s 60 mm shorter but 42 mm wider than the i5, and thanks to the increased ground clearance, its 1,547 mm height is 32 mm taller. It also has a 107 mm longer wheelbase at 3,102 mm.
As per the i5 eDrive40, power comes from a single rear motor, here producing 333 PS (245 kW) and 480 Nm of torque. So equipped, the ES90 gets from zero 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 edges ahead of the BMW. Thanks to a more energy-dense 92 kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery – versus 83.9 kWh in the i5 – the Volvo is able to travel up to 651 km on the WLTP cycle, which is slightly further than its rival’s 627 km.
You’ll be able to charge much faster too, with the 800-volt electrical architecture – a Volvo first – enabling up to 300 kW of DC fast charging, topping up 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 yawning ten hours.
For a company whose handsome Scandinavian-cool design language is almost universally loved, the ES90’s styling is surprisingly polarising, with the pert rear end seemingly the bone of contention – this writer appears to be the only one in the office to like it. It is at least tightly designed, with sharp lines and taut surfacing making the straight-edged sedan look surprisingly athletic, no doubt helped by the massive 22-inch two-tone alloy wheels (the largest available globally) that fill the sizeable wheel wells.
Volvo’s latest corporate look is clear to see at the front, with a flat, grille-less front end featuring the trademark diagonal chrome strip and Iron Mark, framed by the Thor’s Hammer LED daytime running lights. Unlike on the EX90, these are fixed and do not pop open to reveal the main projectors, which are instead arranged vertically on either side. High-Definition Pixel adaptive headlights come standard.
Along the side, the flush pop-out door handles and Polestar-style shrink-wrapped door mirrors help the ES90 deliver a decent-but-not-extraordinary drag coefficient of 0.25, while the long six-window glasshouse no doubt aids rear-seat roominess. At the rear, you’ll find EX90-style C-shaped taillights that frame the number plate recess, along with distinctive vertical lamps flanking the rear windscreen. Gloss black cladding on the lower half of the body helps reduce visual bulk.
Step inside through the soft-closing doors and you’ll find a minimalist cabin even by usual Volvo standards, with almost every physical switchgear (including dedicated rear window switches) removed. Their space is taken up by a nine-inch instrument display and a 14.5-inch portrait infotainment touchscreen, and there’s also a head-up display fitted. A standard-fit panoramic glass roof helps lighten up the cabin and features an electrochromic frosting function.
The displays run on Volvo’s (not quite latest, given that the EX60 has just been revealed) Android Automotive-based operating system, with the usual Google service built in and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. All this is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Cockpit Platform, with a so-called Superstack tech set under the skin unifying the hardware and software modules and allowing for 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 with the London music studio most associated with The Beatles.
The hands-free powered tailgate opens to reveal a 424 litre boot, which is quite a bit less than the i5’s 490 litres, although the large opening should aid practicality. You can fold down the rear seats to increase luggage space to 733 litres, and there’s also a 22 litre front boot.
Aside from the kit already mentioned, the range-topping Ultra trim brings with it active air suspension, four-zone auto air con, power-adjustable front seats with electric lumbar and side bolster adjustment, memory and ventilation, power-reclining 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 pioneering range of safety features are now powered by dual Nvidia Drive AGX Orin core computers, enabling the latest Pilot Assist Level 2 semi-autonomous driving functionality. This incorporates the functions of adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane centring assist and curve speed assist. Notable here is the lack of a roof-mounted lidar sensor on Malaysian-spec models, leading to a less taxi-like look.
Other functions include autonomous emergency braking with oncoming car detection, evasive steering assist for pedestrians, cyclists and scooters, intersection AEB, run-off road mitigation, blind spot monitoring with collision avoidance, rear collision warning with collision mitigation, rear cross traffic alert with auto brake, a driver attention monitor, a door opening warning, a rear seat reminder and adaptive high beam. Nine airbags – including dual centre airbags – are fitted as standard.
Available colours include Vapour Grey, Crystal White, Denim Blue and Onyx Black. Unlike in Thailand – where the ES90 is imported from China, at least until exports from Malaysia starts – there’s no Aurora Silver hero colour, and you also won’t be able to spec the gorgeous Mulberry Red. All are paired with a Charcoal (read: black) Nordico faux leather upholstery and blonde birch wood trim.
