Volvo EX90 arrives in Aussie dealerships

VOLVO Car Australia has launched its important new EX90 seven-seat SUV into Australian showrooms this week priced from $124,990 plus on-road costs.

Joining the petrol-powered XC90 in Volvo Cars’ local range, the EX90 gives prestige family buyers a choice in motive power and is offered in ‘Plus’ Twin Motor and ‘Ultra’ Twin Motor Performance guise (from $134,990 +ORC) as a rival to the likes of the Audi Q8 e-tron (from $153,984), BMW iX (from $136,900), and Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV (from $134,900).

Powered by a 111kWh nickel manganese cobalt battery pack, the EX90 features two powertrain options, the Twin Motor delivering 300kW of power and 770Nm of torque, and the Twin Motor Performance 380kW and 910Nm. Zero to 100km/h acceleration times are quoted at 5.9- and 4.9 seconds respectively while top speed is limited to 180km/h.

Each permanent synchronous motor is paired with a single-speed transmission allowing a braked towing capacity of up to 2200kg. Range is listed at 570km for both variants, the EX90’s 800-volt electrical architecture offering 11kW AC and 250kW DC charging, the latter allowing a 10-80 per cent top up in 30 minutes,

Designed to be the “safest Volvo car ever made”, the EX90 features Volvo’s Safe Space technology combining camera, radar, and LiDAR systems to provide the vehicle with a “real-time, 360-degree view of the world”. Volvo Cars says the EX90 can “see” small objects hundreds of metres ahead, creating time to inform, act, and avoid potential collisions.

The sensors also contribute to improve the reliability and overall performance of the EX90’s Pilot Assist semi-autonomous driving aids.

Inside the cabin, the Volvo EX90 features a Scandinavian-inspired décor with Nordico upholstery, a full-width fixed glass panoramic roof, 14.5-inch infotainment screen, 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system, and an array of Google built-in technologies including Google Assistance, Google Maps, and Google Play. The EX90 is also compatible with wireless Apple CarPlay and a suite of smartphone connectivity features, including those capable of locking and unlocking the vehicle, and activating a driver’s personalised profile.

“The Volvo EX90 is the first car we have made as a pure battery electric vehicle from the start,” said Volvo Cars EX90 business program manager Marten Wahlstedt.

“It is also the first Volvo car to feature a new kind of electrical architecture with a core computer that is super powerful and connected to all the nodes of the car to support any node with the computational power that it needs at any given time.

“Coupled to this core computer is software that we control entirely ourselves, meaning this is truly a software defined car that we can really control all its functions through the software.

“Together, we call this the Volvo Superset Tech Stack. These are building components that we can scale in terms of performance, in terms of size, and in terms of cost to become the basis of all future Volvo electric vehicles.”

While providing obvious connectivity and infotainment benefits, that processing power also allows the EX90 to instantaneously process information from LiDAR, radar, camera and various other sensors, contributing to the model’s “safest ever” standing.

“The EX90 is designed to be the safest Volvo ever,” added Mr Wahlstedt.

“In terms of active safety, this car has a very impressive sensor set to support any active safety or ADAS system simultaneously. It has 12 ultrasonic sensors, eight cameras, five radars, and one LiDAR unit.”

Mr Wahlstedt explained that this information is ‘fused’ with other safety features including cameras studying the driver’s fatigue levels and capacitive sensors in the steering wheel and may be ‘evolved’ over time to ensure the vehicle remains at the top of its safety game.

“We have what we call the driver understanding system, which means that the two cameras are looking at you as the driver, and we have capacitive sensing in the steering wheel so we will always know that you are ‘in the loop’ and that you are driving in a safe way; and if that should happen not to be the case, you will receive an alarm,” he continued.

The vehicle also features six internal radar systems to ensure occupants are not forgotten in the vehicle when the driver departs.

Further, Volvo Cars says the EX90 underscores its commitment to sustainability via the use of 15 per cent recycled steel, 25 per cent recycled aluminium, and up to 48kg of recycled plastics and bio-based materials – the highest level in any Volvo car to date.

The list price of the Volvo EX90 includes a five-year/75,000km service plan.

2025 Volvo EX90 pricing*:

*Pricing excludes on-road costs.