Volvo ES90 blends sedan poise with SUV practicality

Electric sedans have a packaging problem: Batteries need space, passengers want more of it and neither should come at the expense of the low, elegant profile that defines a sedan.

Volvo believes its new ES90 has found a way around that compromise. The electric flagship pairs executive-sedan proportions with SUV-like space and ground clearance — a formula that has already drawn more than 3,500 preorders in South Korea since late June, according to Volvo Car Korea.

The model enters a Korean EV market dominated by SUVs, offering buyers a sedan without some of the format’s traditional limitations.

Its long wheelbase and elevated profile provide generous cabin space, while ground clearance of up to 188 millimeters exceeds that of many midsize SUVs, said Jung Seung-won, product manager at Volvo Car Korea.

To see whether its road manners matched its high-riding stance, The Korea Herald took the ES90 Twin Motor on a 110-kilometer test drive through Seoul and Gyeonggi Province on Tuesday.

The ES90’s standout characteristic is its exceptional noise isolation, effectively shutting out wind and tire noise. Jung said Volvo applied acoustic glass throughout the greenhouse and installed specialized sound-damping materials around the motors, bringing cabin noise down to roughly 55 decibels — comparable to the quiet atmosphere of a living room or office.

On uneven and bumpy roads, the sedan effectively filtered out high-frequency vibrations while keeping body roll under control. To achieve this level of composure, Volvo used cast aluminum at the suspension mounting points and added motor damping, complementing the standard adaptive air suspension and adjustable steering.

Among the vehicle’s four driving modes — range, standard, performance and off-road — standard mode easily handled both city driving and highway cruising. Engaging the performance mode sharpened responsiveness, giving the heavy electric sedan a more agile, lighter feel at higher speeds.

Powering this performance is an 800-volt battery architecture that delivers an official range of 520 kilometers on a single charge. The system supports 350-kilowatt DC fast charging, taking the battery from 10 percent to 80 percent in 22 minutes.

One of the few drawbacks is the brake-pedal tuning. In an apparent effort to eliminate the abrupt deceleration common in heavy EVs — a frequent cause of motion sickness for rear passengers — Volvo appears to have calibrated the brakes for exceptionally smooth operation. During the test drive, however, the setup required longer pedal travel than expected.

Coming to a complete stop took an adjustment period to gauge the stopping distance accurately, and drivers unfamiliar with the calibration may find themselves applying sudden, heavy pressure near the end.

Volvo Car Korea has continued its aggressive pricing strategy with the ES90. The base Single Motor trim starts at 72.94 million won ($52,700), while the Twin Motor Performance Ultra is priced at 95.41 million won. That puts the flagship electric sedan roughly 50 million won below its price in European markets.