Electric only, super clean looking, loving these wheels too. The only thing that seems a bit off is the tail light arrangement. I love the lights up in the glass but the other lamps don’t seem to go with the theme. It is like they couldn’t quite decide between Polestar a taillamp theme and Volvo taillamps.
The way the headlights open is pretty awesome:
The full Doug rundown:
I mostly agree. Volvo has been one of the few major brands whose work I’ve liked over the last few years, and this is no exception. Overall its design is simpler (in a good way), more cohesive, and more sophisticated than the vast majority of mass market cars. I think my only disappointment is seeing the mundane, expected body proportions and stance…also I abhor directional wheels.
Its a bit pedestrian compared with its Polestar 3 sibling (I’m guessing they are sharing the platform).
Side view suggests Subaru SUV + A3 hatchback, but that nets plenty of glass and a reasonable belt line.
The fender creases are like a sketch that didn’t get fully erased. The rear does seem messy wrt vertical lamps, and its missing the wide flanks of earlier Volvo SUVs.
Headlights are indeed awesome.
Inoffensive, would probably sell well vs Model Y’s if priced right.
“What car is that?”
"No idea? merc?
“oh, its a volvo!”
If not for the badger on the front and the volvo tail lights, it could be any car
hmmm, I see most new MB’s as pretty bloopy and round. Even the SUVs unless it is a G Wagon.
I wouldn’t see MB ever doing sculpting through the door section like that. The whole thing seems very simple and architectural, solid in a Volvo way to me.
It’s definitely the most slick, most resolved and most useful full size EV out there. I’m a bit disappointed though as I was hoping for this.
It’s pretty much a XC90 with a face (and tail) lift.
I’ll be keeping the V90R for a while it looks like.
R
Crossing my fingers that the inevitable EV90 does something more interesting, especially in the Cross Country variant.
I wish it was inevitable. Seems to be Volvo (and most brands) are focusing on SUVs like this and ill proportioned tall sedans like the Polestar 2.
I highly doubt we will get a long roof wagon.
One of the reasons I kept the V90 being it was the last year for it (2019) so pretty rare.
Shame really. The big wagon format is just so functional and sexy.
I think MBs design direction is fine - moving from early adopter, ‘look at me I drive an EV’, to ‘I drive a car’ styling. It’s a recognition that EVs are moving mainstream and it is how you get more users to move to EVs.
MB has been moving to ‘creaseless’ styling since the latest A-class… the EQS takes it into orca blubbery, but their form language is pretty cohesive across the portfolio.
Anyhow, back on topic…
I think Volvo played it a bit safe here. They had a great opportunity to bring their innovation and refinement story to the EV market and stand out.
The concept I posted above would have been a nice exploration of some new packaging vs. the facelift they did.
I would have liked to see them push further into Range Rover territory. Brand-wise they are already close, and pretty much the only brand not actively getting more aggressive and ugly. (looking at you, BMW).
Maybe not quite inevitable, but I still think a new electric V-Series is pretty likely. It’s definitely true that every major brand is focusing on SUVs (or whatever frumpy, slightly-larger-than-a-hatchback-but-not-actually-any-more-useful-than-a-hatchback they’re trying to swindle people into thinking are SUVs these days), particularly in the US market, but Volvo has a ton of brand cache in their history of wagons. I would submit that they’re probably only second to Subaru in terms of brands with enough of a positive track record in wagons to continue on with a viable wagon business in the US.
That said the current V-Series was dwarfed in US sales by the XCs, so I do see a world where, like the other European brands, the wagons live on but never make their way stateside…I don’t want to live in that world 
Weak sauce, man.
My buddy’s E63S wagon gets more looks than his Vantage AMR, and sounds better too.
I think the Taycan Cross Turismo looks awesome. These sporty wagons are not especially roomy in the back but I don’t think the owners really care. I’ve been a ‘truck guy’ for 10+ years but would instantly flip to this, if there was a way. A Volvo EV wagon would probably be super sweet too.
These full size Karenmobiles are a menace to north American society. The new EV variants are set to be even more virulent. The very deliberate obesity that is central to this class of vehicle’s design including the Volvo EX90, makes them all the more attractive to the growing market segment that is loud, bossy, chastising and totalitarian. The ergonomics of a 20th century wagon does not serve the needs of this species of road raging and parking lot troll. Hence their rapid extinction schedule by Merc and other brands.
Volvo Design must be doing good work to arouse such impassioned arguments!
Karen drives a minivan.
That is why I’m so interested in Canon. They are cramming 7 people in to the footprint of Prius.
That is a design goal that could actually disrupt the momentum in large 7 passenger vehicles.
I have been waiting for years for a Volvo EV wagon. I’m not sure I would buy one now, where 18 months ago I would have bought one as knee jerk reaction.
