DRIVEN NEW VOLVO RIVAL TO BEW'S i5

REVEALED We get behind the wheel of Volvo's pure-electric replacement for the S90 exec

- Ellis Hyde [e-mail]

THAT'S right, Volvo doesn't just make SUVs and estates! The new Volvo ES90 is strutting into town to take on highly impressive, all-electric executive saloons such as the Audi A6 e-tron and BMW i5, along with the Polestar 4.

However, the ES90 is obviously not a traditional three-box saloon. Volvo says it's been designed to offer the “refined elegance of a sedan, the adaptability of a fastback” (whatever that means) and “the spacious interior and higher ground clearance associated with an SUV”.

It shares a lot with Volvo's sevenseat EX90 SUV, starting with the sleek front end that incorporates the same headlights and pixelated ‘Thor's Hammer’ daytime running lights. That lump on the roof is not a taxi beacon, it’s a LiDAR stack — one of the numerous sensors and cameras dotted around the car that feed the safety and driver-assistance tech.

The cabin is almost identical to the EX90’s as well, inheriting the same slim nine-inch driver's display, head-up display and 14.5-inch portrait touchscreen. The Googlebased infotainment system is responsible for controlling everything on this car, including opening the glovebox, while the only physical control is a scroll wheel for the audio volume sited below the touchscreen.

The dashboard is largely the same too, featuring a combination of real wood and Volvo's sustainable Nordico leather alternative - partly made from pine oil sourced from Swedish and Finnish forests. The main difference is the design of the centre console, which is lower and more open than the EX90's tall centre tunnel.

Our test car featured the light-grey ‘Dawn’ interior colour scheme, with ash wood on the dashboard and a twotone hand-stitched steering wheel. This would be our choice simply because it makes the cabin feel more airy than the black ‘Charcoal’ or beige ‘Cardamom’ designs.