Secreted in the back-lit wooden dashboard of Volvo’s elegant new ES90 all-electric executive saloon is a concealed message. The letters V-O-L-V-O are spelt out in Morse code in what the car firm’s Swedish bosses call a surprise ‘Easter egg’.
But at five metres long, this road longship from the land of the Vikings is more Norse code than Morse code, once you decipher its secrets.
Boasting the most powerful computer software ever in a Volvo, clever tech ensures super-efficiency, with lots of ‘green’ and recycling credentials, too.
But would you pay up to £90,000 for a Chinese-owned and Chinese-built electric Volvo?
It certainly oozes contemporary charm as you fly along in business-class comfort both as pilot and passenger in its Scandi-style lounge-like interior. A panoramic sunroof lets the light flood in.
There’s plenty of space and legroom for rear passengers to stretch out thanks to its long, flat three-metre wheelbase. There are two ES90 trim levels: Plus and Ultra. Entry-level Plus is priced from £67,560 but is available only as a Single Motor Extended Range rear-wheel drive option, whose 245kW (333hp) electric motor and 92kWh battery propels it from rest to 62mph in 6.6 seconds, with a 411-mile range.
Elegant: Ray with Volvo’s latest ‘business class’ all-electric executive ES90 saloon
Premium Ultra spec comes with three powertrains, starting with the carried-over Single Motor Extended Range rear-wheel drive which I drove, priced from £77,260, though optionals pushed the price as driven up to £79,100.
Next step up, priced from £81,460, is the Twin Motor all-wheel drive, whose two combined 335kW (446hp) electric motors drive the car from 0 to 62mph in just 5.4 seconds, with a range of 426 miles.
Top of the range Twin Motor Performance, with two electric motors developing 700kWh (680hp), sprints from rest to 62mph in just four seconds flat with the same 426-mile range – but comes with a hefty price tag, from £86,060.
It is packed with Volvo safety kit and sensors. But there’s over-reliance for too many basic functions on the central 14.5-inch central digital touch-screen.
As the fastest charging Volvo to date – based around an 800V architecture – it can add up to 186 miles of range in ten minutes at fast-charging DC stations, and a full charge in 22 to 32 minutes.
It’s a sprightly saloon with a coupe-like fastback rear, a handy hatchback-style boot, and a useful front-trunk or ‘frunk’ in which to store charging cables.
The car oozes contemporary charm as you fly along in business-class comfort
It is packed with Volvo safety kit and sensors, but there’s over-reliance for too many basic functions on the central 14.5-inch central digital touch-screen
The Volvo ES90 sports the trademark ‘Thor’s hammer’ headlights with the distinctive LED lighting pattern
There’s plenty of space and legroom for rear passengers to stretch out thanks to its long, flat three-metre wheelbase
It can add up to 186 miles of range in ten minutes at fast-charging DC stations, and a full charge in 22 to 32 minutes
It’s a sprightly saloon with a coupe-like fastback rear, a handy hatchback-style boot, and a useful front-trunk or ‘frunk’
I found it an engagingly swift but smooth operator balancing pace with grace, a very quiet ride, and a variety of drive modes, including ‘one pedal’ driving.
Top speed on all models is restricted to 112mph.
My Single Motor Extended Range rear-wheel drive (RWD) in Ultra spec included optional 22-inch wheels (£995) and a paint supplement (£845) which pushed the final price as driven up from £77,260 to £79,100. Its range of up to 411 miles enough to get from London to Edinburgh.
The roomy rear is compromised by one flaw, however: the long flat floor – courtesy of the skateboard battery layout below – means your legs and knees also sit higher and a recess would help.
The new ES90 certainly oozes Scandinavian charm, although Volvo these days is owned by Chinese car giant Geely and the ES90 itself is built in Chengdu, China.
Based on the same underpinnings as the EX90 SUV, the new ES90 is a bigger car than you think and remarkably nimble given it’s 2.5 tonne weight.
Safety kit includes a door-opening alert to warn exiting occupants of nearby cyclists or pedestrians. The car can even sense if a small child has been left inside as it can measure the tiniest of movements including a baby’s soft-breathing.
There are three levels of hi-fi including the range-topping Bowers & Wilkins system which includes a special Abbey Road mode to replicate the sounds of London’s legendary recording studios in which bands from the Beatles to today created albums.
:: Base level Plus spec includes as standard: 20-inch wheels; a fixed panoramic sunroof; head-up display; sat-nav; heated power door mirrors, ‘one pedal’ driving; front and rear park assist; blind spot warning; a handsfree power-operated tailgate; wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and Google Automotive Services; heated front and rear seats, lumbar support, power adjustable driver and front passenger, lane keeping aid, a road sign information display and run-off road protection.
:: Ultra spec adds 21-inch wheels and a host of additional goodies including: an electro-chromic panoramic roof whose transparency can be adjusted to reduce or increase the level of shade; power release and soft close doors; perforated and ventilated seats; front seat massage and side support; powered rear seat backrest recline and ‘lounge armrest’; and a 1,610W Bowers & Wilkins High Fidelity Audio System with 25 speakers (including front headrest) with advanced Dolby Atmos 3D sound processing; surround sound listening modes; and special Abbey Road Studios tuning including Concert Hall, Individual Stage and Studio.
Larger 22-inch wheels are a £995 option.
As an all-round package with lots of kit for the cash, Volvo’s ES90 makes a decent showing up against strong rivals including the BMW i5, Mercedes-Benz EQE, and Audi A6 E-tron.
Taken in the round, as Swedish code-breakers go, it’s cracking.