Minimalism. It’s the first word that comes to mind when thinking of the latest Volvos and their design philosophy. Volvo designs are both familiar and clean on the outside, and the same goes for their interiors. You won’t find a ton of flash or tacky “du jour” elements in their design, for the most part.
Serenity is the second word that comes to mind. The cleanliness of a Volvo interior, generally warm colour palettes, and wood accents lend itself to a peaceful abode. With a myriad of hybrid and EV options across the range coupled with well-built interiors means the serene experience is uninterrupted while on the move. This 2025 Volvo EX90 Ultimate is perhaps the “ultimate” embodiment of everything Volvo represents.
Unmistakably Volvo
The EX90 is all-new, built upon a brand new EV architecture yet looking wholly familiar to anyone that knows Volvo. The signature “Thor’s Hammer” headlight design is unmistakably Volvo, although these have some clever motorized lens elements that move around as you approach the EX90. Being an EV, there’s no semblance of a grille to speak of; here, the Volvo logo sits on the sheetmetal where the grille would normally be. The rest of the EX90 is clean, which is to say a tad generic but timeless — after all, the current-generation XC90 has been around for a decade, and it still looks sharp. I even like our tester’s optional 22-inch diamond cut wheels, which is mighty praise for a wheel designed with EV efficiency in mind.
The rear end might be my favourite part of the EX90’s overall design. It looks both fresh and entirely familiar at the same time, with a new take on Volvo’s curvaceous tail lights, this time separated top to bottom. The upper LEDs themselves have a hashmark-style motif versus looking like one giant light bar, which is a fine touch and helps to make the EX90 look modern.
Like a modern condo, but a good one
The interior is everything you’d expect in a modern Volvo (or Polestar). There’s a two-tone steering wheel front and centre, with a small digital gauge cluster behind it and flanked by a vertically oriented, Google-powered infotainment screen. Everything is essentially done through the touchscreen outside of a rotary volume dial on the floating centre console and physical window switches on the doors. Even the frameless side mirrors are adjusted via the steering wheel buttons. I’d normally hate this, but Volvo designed it cleverly enough that it doesn’t become a nuisance, and it certainly does help keep the cabin looking neat and clean. There’s genuine ash wood in the door panels and dash, cleverly hiding a tasteful diamond-like ambient light pattern at night.
The seats are comfortable across the first and second rows — six- and seven-passenger configurations are available — but the third row is cramped and best used in emergency people-hauling situations, or for your least favourite kids. With the third row folded, you have a respectable 1,000 litres of cargo space. Even the EX90’s 384 litres with the third row upright is pretty good. The single-piece glass roof provides an airy and open feel to the cabin, as does our tester’s light Nordico Stone-coloured interior. Just the right amount of chrome adds a premium touch, and details like the Swedish flag tag on the seats and embossed in the dash trim are clever.
Music to my ears
The interior jewellery comes in the form of the optional $4,450 Bowers & WIlkins sound system. This 1,610-watt, 25-speaker audio system is about as sonically perfect as you’re going to get in any car at any price. It also looks beautiful with metal speaker grilles in the doors, Bowers & Wilkins branding in the headrest speakers, and the iconic B&W tweeter dead-centre on the dash points at you like you’re sitting in the first row at a concert hall. It’s a spectacle for the eyes just as much as it is for the years; I truly think nothing comes close in terms of acoustic clarity, save for maybe the AKG sound system in the Cadillac Escalade.
Luxury in the absence of flashy
Volvo doesn’t do flashy. It’s obvious Volvo still believes that luxury is minimalist; that luxury is doing away with the unnecessary and enhancing the core functionalities of a vehicle. As such the EX90 is whisper-quiet in its operation. Yes, EVs are inherently quiet, but not like the EX90. There are no creaks, no rattles, no weird noises to speak of. There’s also virtually no road noise, even on the upsized wheels. The EX90 feels so quiet that I almost knocked it for having too much wind noise, until I realized there’s nothing interrupting the small amount of wind noise present, making it almost a placebo effect.
The EX90 is also buttery smooth when calling upon. In its default drive mode, the throttle pedal is calibrated perfectly so that you or your passengers don’t feel any sense of jerkiness. Based on my unscientific testing, it appears as though Volvo purposely builds power smoothly and linearly instead of throwing it at you all at once, like so many other EVs. If you fancy impressing your passengers with speed and power, there’s a performance mode that does just that, but why would you disturb the sanctuary that is the EX90?
Steering is predictable and weighting feels appropriately light without coming off as disconnected. The air suspension does a wonderful job of soaking up bumps small and large, with even the biggest bumps feeling subdued and secondary motions kept well-in-check. All of this comes together to mask the 6,000lb+ weight of the EX90, with surprising athletic ability that belies its size and weight, although a true athlete it is not.
Stated range for the EX90 is 483 kilometres with the 22-inch wheel option, with charging capabilities up to 250 kW on a DC fast charger. It’s not the fastest-charging vehicle out there, especially with the large 111 kWh battery, but it should be plenty quick for most users.
Technology might be the one Achilles heel
Let it be known that I’m stretching here. Safety tech is top notch, as is par for the course for Volvo. It all starts with the little rectangle that sits atop the windshield, featuring advanced LIDAR sensors with a clear view of the road ahead. This enables Volvo’s latest-and-greatest Pilot Assist adaptive cruise control to function, which can now change lanes automatically. There are also a slew of sensors in the interior that monitor driver alertness more accurately than almost any other system I’ve experienced, and even systems like the rear-seat reminder go as far as preventing you from locking the car and walking away if it still detects a child or a pet inside.
It’s the infotainment system that still isn’t perfect. Maybe it’s an Android-specific thing, but the same issue I had with other Volvos reared its ugly head when it came to music playback: randomly becoming unresponsive or immediately pausing itself as soon as I would hit play. I was able to circumvent this with a workaround, but a little disappointing that the issue still exists in the most modern Volvo.
One last nitpick are the window switches. Like the EX30, they’re condensed into two single switches, with a separate button to choose between the front or rear windows. A simplification in theory, an over-complication in practice when it needs an extra tap or two to actually toggle between the fronts or rears.
Yeah, it really is that good
That’s the only real complaints I have, and they only exist because I’m a grump who wants to spend all my time inside listening to the Bowers & Wilkins audio. I mean, the EX90 is also the most expensive Volvo by some margin, coming in at $123,150 as-tested, but it’s close Cadillac Vistiq which is slightly more spacious, and the Lincoln Navigator which is a storied nameplate albeit still gas-only. Still, the 2025 Volvo EX90 stands as a unique option among a sea of overpacked and overdone luxury vehicles. If its clean minimalism tickles your fancy, I can’t imagine other competitors will come very close.
