UIJEONGBU, Gyeonggi – Picture an elephant doing ballet. That's the closest I can get to describing the EX90, Volvo's most expensive car ever.
It's a study in contradictions. A 2.8-ton behemoth that moves with hushed, silky composure. A car that distills everything Volvo believes about minimalism — and one that tests your patience in equal measure.
The Swedish automaker has finally brought the EX90 to Korea, but about four years after its global debut. Korean Volvo fans have been waiting a long time, so the real question is what's actually improved in those four years. I test drove the electric SUV over roughly 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) from Dongdaemun, central Seoul, to Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi.
People say the EX90 looks like Iron Man. Standing next to it, I finally got the comparison. Volvo's futuristic styling has always appealed to me — someone who believes a car should be beautiful first.
Around back, the taillights stretch down the D pillars to the trunk. That’s a pure Volvo way of thinking about safety. Even with a truck or oversize vehicle looming behind me, I'd trust other drivers to spot this car instantly.
The real shock hits as soon as I start driving. It’s a huge and heavy car, but there's no motor noise. None. In the parking garage, I could hear the tires on the laminated floor, and that tells you just how quiet the cabin actually is.
The rear of the Volvo EX90. The taillights stretch along the D pillars down to the trunk to enhance safety.SARAH CHEA
The Volvo EX90 has a 14.5-inch buttonless central display that makes drivers control almost all features through it, from managing side mirrors to opening the glove box.VOLVO CAR KOREA
The Volvo EX90's electrochromic glass roof runs from the first row clear through to the second.VOLVO CAR KOREA
Despite the silence, it's almost hard to believe a car this sculpted, this substantial, can deliver this much power. The throttle barely needs a touch before it surges forward. With 680 horsepower on tap, you feel every bit of it.
My biggest gripe with the Volvo, personally, is that almost everything, even adjusting the side mirrors, has to go through the 14.5-inch central display. Even opening the glove box means diving into a menu. I get the appeal of unhurried Scandinavian calm, but for anyone living at the pace of modern life in Seoul, it's quite maddening.
Volvo's buttonless philosophy is all about simplicity, about minimalism. It looks sleek and refined — but storage suffers for it. I had two cups in the cupholders and nowhere sensible to stash a pack of candy.
I was amazed by the wide openness due to the electrochromic glass roof that runs from the first row clear through to the second. On a day when road temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), I braced for a hotbox, but the cabin never felt like an oven. Volvo Korea says that when the roof is switched to opaque, it blocks up to 80 percent of solar radiant heat.
Thanks to a high-end Bowers & Wilkins audio system, 25 speakers built into the ceiling and headrests create a genuinely immersive soundstage. As someone who mostly just wants to hear music, I'm not sure I need all of that. But for a family hauler where everyone's watching something different, it feels like a real selling point.
The Volvo EX90 lacks storage space that can't accommodate a box of candy if two cup holders are fullSARAH CHEA
The glove box can only be opened through the central display, no physical latch installed.SARAH CHEA
The Volvo EX90 comes equipped with a Bowers & Wilkins high-end audio system and a total of 25 speakers inside the car.VOLVO CAR KOREA
Volvo is obsessive about its driver-assistance suite. When another car abruptly cut in, the EX90 didn't flinch; it recognized the intrusion and smoothly eased off the speed.
One small annoyance was that when a red light turns green and the car in front moves, the EX90 gives a notice to press the accelerator instead of just rolling forward on its own. A little automatic follow-through would go a long way — and would put it closer to Tesla territory.
The parking assistant system left something to be desired too. In a dim underground garage, it struggled to read the thick parking lines. I circled the same spot for about 5 minutes waiting for it to register — and ultimately gave up on using it altogether.
The trunk capacity opens up to 324 liters (11.4 cubic feet) with the third row folded — plenty for a camping trip or a long weekend away.
The EX90 offers up to 448 kilometers (278 miles) of range on a single charge, enough to make it from Seoul to Busan.
The price is where things get real. In Korea, the EX90 is available in six- or seven-seat configurations starting at 106.2 million won, or about $74,800. Volvo says it’s the cheapest price — about 19 million won cheaper than in the U.S. market, and tens of millions of won below the sticker in Sweden, Germany and Britain. Still, Hyundai's comparable Ioniq 9 starts around 67 million won, which is hard to ignore.
Volvo Korea is targeting 500 units sold this year, with a goal of 2,000 units by next year.
