Considering Volvo’s rich history of practical, boxy family cars, it’s perhaps surprising that the Swedish manufacturer has never delved into the world of MPVs – well, that’s all changed thanks to the new Volvo EM90.
The EM90 is the third all-electric ‘E’ badged Volvo to come along in the past year, following on from the EX90 and EX30. Although it sits in a new segment for the brand, the EM90 bears the design traits that instantly mark it out as a Volvo. Rather than go for the typical seven-seat people carrier approach of the old Ford S-Max and Volkswagen Sharan, the EM90 is a six-seater, with a pair of airline-style lounge seats in the rear and middle rows. This make it more of a rival to the new Lexus LM, despite that car having an internal-combustion engine. The VW ID. Buzz is an electric alternative.
The EM90 measures 5,206mm long, 2,024mm wide and 1,859mm tall. It has a 3,205mm wheelbase that, for context, means it’s about the same size as a long-wheelbase Range Rover. The EM90 won’t be able to fat-shame any luxury SUVs either, as it weighs 2,763kg with nothing and no-one on-board.
Volvo says the EM90 brings a “new standard of style to the MPV segment” and it certainly takes plenty of influence from the EX90 and EX30 at the front with the new pixelated rendition of Volvo’s “Thor’s Hammer” headlights. The Volvo logo is also lit up at the front to give the vehicle more presence. The A-pillars have been split to help with visibility, and further down the side the EM90 has proper MPV-style sliding doors for easy entry and exit.
Those sliding doors also gets a upswept shark fin window line and to the rear we see an amalgamation of horizontal and vertical light strips beside a ‘Volvo’ script on the bootlid. Volvo will offer the EM90 with 19- or 20-inch wheels, which it says helps further range thanks to aerodynamic optimisation.
Speaking of aerodynamics, Volvo hasn’t said what drag coefficient the EM90 is but we suspect the bluff front end and big body doesn’t do the range any favours. That being said Volvo claims the EM90 will do up to 458 miles on a single charge, although it’s worth noting this is under the Chinese CLTC testing cycle.
The EM90 is fitted with a huge 116kWh battery with a single electric motor on the rear axle putting out 272bhp to enable a 0-62mph sprint time of 8.3 seconds. Like the EX90, the battery comes with bi-directional charging so you’re able to charge appliances and even other electric cars.
The interior also includes plenty of technology and design elements from Volvo’s other models. A massive 15.4-inch touchscreen dominates the dash with the overall minimalist look Volvo is angling towards in its current line up. That screen is actually bested by a 15.6-inch display that is mounted on the roof and folds down for the rear passengers. The screen is compatible with smartphones and “a wide variety of third party apps”.
We don’t know if the EM90 will come to the UK as yet, but if it does we can expect it to be positioned in a similar price bracket to the £89,995 Lexus LM.
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