Luleå, Sweden – The mercury is sitting at -17°C and we’re driving by means of the Swedish Lapland within the hometown favorite, the Volvo EX90. Within the land of wagons and lingonberries, our black SUV stands out like a sore thumb but it feels proper at house on these snowy, majestic, however bitterly chilly roads. We’re so near the Arctic Circle but there’s nonetheless an IKEA solely an hour’s drive away. By mid-day, the piercing solar peaks by means of the clouds to present us some heat, and our EX90 troopers on unfazed.
The EX90 is Volvo’s fourth fully-electric car and it’s massive not simply in proportions however for the market on the whole. Three-row, seven-seater, fully-electric SUVs are few and much between. The Tesla Mannequin X, Kia EV9, Rivian R1S, and Mercedes-Benz EQB are established opponents that may swallow seven however consumers are itching for extra selection, particularly from mainstream manufacturers like Volvo.
Our first drive within the EX90 took us to the seashores and sun-baked roads round Los Angeles however this time, we’re in Northern Sweden to see the way it handles harsher winter environments. The primary cease is Harads, a small locality north of Luleå and residential to simply 500 inhabitants. The Volvo awakens from its night slumber with out situation and shudders off its morning frost. We choose Drive and silently glide away with the 2 electrical motors whispering within the background, a stark distinction to the agricultural noises coming from Volvo’s diesel and gasoline engines.
The journey north is a beguiling show of Sweden’s uncooked and unforgiving magnificence. Lopped bushes caked with layers of snow blanket our view out the home windows, and on these roughly-plowed roads, the EX90 affords great tempo once you search it, and luxury and rest once you don’t. With the help of an air suspension, there’s a delightful fluidity to the way it drives and physique roll is well-contained, however dealing with takes a again seat to compliance. We anticipated a slight vibration from the studded Michelin X-Ice North4 SUV tires however the dampers tune it out like a set of noise-cancelling headphones. Much less hej, and extra hejdå.
Trundling previous fellow Volvo wagons and the odd pick-up truck, our EX90 eats up the kilometres with ease, the muted however direct steering providing safety over the morphing and melting roads. We attain Harads by midday and switch into an unmarked however plowed opening, revealing a backdrop that wouldn’t look misplaced on a phase from Nationwide Geographic.
Björnträsk is frozen over this time of 12 months and its 70cm thick layer of ice means it’s sturdy and secure sufficient to drive (and drift) our 2,747 kg electrical sleds over. With a proverbial clean canvas to mould to their needs, the group at Volvo created an ice monitor on this frozen lake only for us to find and exploit the EX90’s true winter capabilities.
It’s a uncommon sunny day so we don’t should squint to see the snow curbs and upcoming corners. The group informed us that it was misty and foggy the day earlier than, making it tough to identify the braking factors in a white blanket of camouflaged snow. However we’ve acquired studded tires, huge lanes, and hopefully sufficient talent and wit to maintain our EX90’s paint scratch-free. We switched to a Sand Dune car this time because it contrasts higher on the video montage, which you’ll watch under:
Out right here on the ice, it’s all about weight administration, countersteering, and stabilizing or destabilizing with the pedals. The EX90 affords a stable-feeling platform underneath braking and has loads of thrust on faucet nevertheless it’s all about getting that torque to the ice, simpler stated than executed once you’re attempting to modulate all of it with a thick pair of snow boots.
With the heavy batteries mounted under the floorboard, the EX90’s low heart of gravity helps us really feel extra related to the ice beneath. Sadly, there is no such thing as a methodology of switching off the soundness or traction management (very on-brand, Volvo). There isn’t a devoted TC button or any immediate throughout the driving settings or menus. We requested all of the workers and engineers however the reply was a dismissive shrug and a wave to hold on, which is a little bit of a disgrace because it means steady drifts that flourish from nook to nook in perpetual movement are off the desk.
There are some settings we will tinker with, although. Deciding on Efficiency All-Wheel Drive splits the torque evenly between the axles for a 50:50 bias however we favor the usual setting and its extra relaxed and free behaviour. The subsequent was one-pedal driving, which ought to have been known as auto-trailbraking. Whereas it appears counter-intuitive, it’s a very useful operate that gives near-instant weight switch to the entrance wheels the second you let off the throttle, curing understeer so the entrance finish can chew, and protecting us from washing huge into the torso-high snowbank. The one draw back is the lack to regulate the regen power.
Across the ice, extreme entry velocity is met with secure understeer however going at a slower 40km/h tempo and simply utilizing the automotive’s momentum to let the rear slip makes for some good enjoyable, as does a cheeky Scandi flick. It took a number of laps to undo my behavior of utilizing the throttle to rotate a car nevertheless it got here collectively ultimately. It did really feel like I used to be preventing the TC system greater than the monitor however lap after lap, grin after grin, it’s occasions like these that I bear in mind why I really like driving, and the problem of fusing driver and machine.
By the early afternoon with a stomach filled with reindeer stew and elk brisket, we enterprise off again into city, graced by a spectacular sundown that lasted for what felt like hours, a standard sight this far up north however unusual within the winter days of January. With the heated and massaging seats on, the Bowers and Wilkins audio system flattering our karaoke session, and a fearsomely succesful and guaranteed winter chariot on the helm, our snow-crusted EX90 rode into the dying mild, nonetheless one way or the other fully unfazed.
Specs:
Mannequin: 2025 Volvo EX90 Extremely
Paint Sort: Onyx Black
Base Value: $115,600
Wheelbase(mm): 2,985
Size/Width/Peak (mm): 5,037 / 1,964 / 1,747
Curb weight (kg): 2,747
Powertrain: 111 kWh lithium-ion battery, two electrical motors
Horsepower: 510 hp
Torque: 671 lb-ft
Drive Configuration: Twin electrical motors, AWD
Claimed Vary: 495 km
Tires: Michelin X-Ice North4 SUV: 265/45R21
