HEAD TO HEAD SEVEN-SEAT ELECTRIC SUVS

Fear not, growing families of the world — there are now more electric seven-seaters than you've probably got kids. What's best for everyone on board?

- WORDS TOM FORD

On paper, the Volvo EX90 Twin Motor and Kia EV9 GT seem largely similar: seven seat, pure electric SUVs with practicality qualified by sheer size and motivation more punchy than is strictly necessary.

They list within about three grand of each other, both have dual motors and all-wheel drive, both run 800-volt architectures that see them charge from 10-80 per cent in the low 20 minutes. But this is where it gets complicated, because although these cars are more than capable of meeting the brief, they attack it in wildly different ways. And it’s almost caricature.

We're a mere 10 minutes into the drive when the Volvo pings and flashes up a message: ‘You seem tired, is it time to take a break?’. Unfortunately for me, that’s just my face. It pings again. I glance down at the central portrait touchscreen to see if there are any other messages, and it pings once more and announces ‘Driver distracted; keep eyes on the road’. Sigh. Welcome to the world of Volvo, where helicopter parenting comes in the shape of an overabundance of safety features and an underabundance of buttons.

Your first impression will be one of clean, calm Scandinavian cliché, unvarnished woods and Cardamom leather, good sightlines and crisp finishes. Yes, it’s the size of an HGV but it’s a good looking, subtle lorry, with LED signature lighting all round, unfussy lines and a vague feeling of enforced serenity. But the wholesome stylings of the interior are unburdened by anything to prod but the screen, other than a volume control knob in the centre console. Cue the usual doomscrolling of menus to switch off the twitchy lane keep assist and myopic traffic sign recognition. Adjust the mirrors? Touchscreen. Heated seats or airflow? Everything touchscreen and multiple swipes and presses. Cortisol levels will spike. It’s not a good start.