If you were holding your breath for another fully electric SUV to become available locally, you can finally release it. Volvo Car South Africa unveiled its new EX90 flagship SUV at a launch event in Cape Town this week.
Don’t panic if you had your heart set on buying the older plug-in hybrid or internal combustion engine equivalent XC90, that has just received a facelift and is sticking around… for now.
Powered by electrons
The ‘Ultra’ spec EX90, the only one coming to SA initially, is propelled by two electric motors, one over each axle, and a large 111kWh battery pack. Altogether, this powertrain delivers a combined 380kW of power and 910Nm of torque distributed to all four wheels as and when needed. That results in a 0-100kmh sprint time of 4.9 seconds and an estimated WLTP range of 627km. When connected to a 250kW DC fast charger, the EX90 will take only 30 minutes to charge from 10% to 80%.
Suppose the range and charging figures aren’t enough to calm your range anxiety. In that case, Volvo will also throw in a GridCars wall charger and installation thereof to your home, two years of free public charging, and 10GB/m of mobile data from Vodacom for three years.
While range anxiety might be a consideration for some worried EV owners, safety on the road needn’t be. Volvo is proud of its reputation for being one of the safest automotive manufacturers around, and it has stepped things up with the EX90.
Prioritises safety and comfort
“The Volvo EX90 represents the pinnacle of our design, engineering, and safety innovation,” commented Felipe Yagi, Head of Marketing & Communications at Volvo Car South Africa. “It’s more than just the most luxurious car we’ve ever made—it embodies a bold new chapter for Volvo in South Africa.
From all the safety features equipped in the EX90, we’d tend to believe that. As we’re getting the top spec, most of the usual extras are included in the final price (as they should be; it’s a big number). There’s adaptive cruise control with steering support, collision avoidance and mitigation, plenty of airbags in the cabin, and various other supportive systems that will help you keep it on the road and your paint job in pristine condition.
On top of that, you get what Volvo calls its ‘invisible safety shield’, which is comprised of radar, LiDAR, and cameras. This ‘safety shield’ continuously monitors the road and scans for potential hazards “hundreds of metres ahead to improve crash avoidance by 9%, according to Volvo. Volvo reckons its safety tech in the EX90 “can reduce serious injuries or fatalities by 20%.”
You might spend more time in your car
The impressive tech continues inside the cabin. Volvo’s infotainment system is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform, runs on an Android-powered operating system, and features a central 14.5in touch display. Like in the EX30, there aren’t many physical controls save for the playback button and volume knob where you’d expect the gear lever to be. The cherry on top of this tech cake has to be the Dolby Atmos-enabled Bowers & Wilkins audio system.
If this sounds like an appealing automotive package and you’d like to have one in your garage, you won’t have to wait too long. Volvo says the EX90 will be available in dealerships in April for a staggering R2,650,000.
