Gravity vs. Volvo EX90

[hmp10]

A friend was coming out of his VW ID.4 lease, and we took him today to pick up the somewhat smaller Volvo EX30 EV that is replacing it. A handsome and sprightly little CUV:

While there we got a chance to check out and sit in an EX90 EV SUV which I was thinking might be the only alternative to a Gravity that would appeal to me were something to go toes up with the Gravity. Another very handsome EV for sure, with elegantly simple but high quality interior detailing::

But . . .

I was astonished at how much smaller the interior looked and felt. The front seats were among the most comfortable seats (automotive or otherwise) I have ever encountered. But the front row space, both in width and legroom, felt much more cramped than the Gravity with seats set to equivalent positions. I don't know the specific measurements of either vehicle, but the sense of openness one gets in Gravity was simply not there. When we got back into our Air, my partner immediately commented on how much roomier even it felt.

The second row space felt similarly constricted -- and without the sublime comfort of the front seats themselves.

And the third row? Not even in the ball park of the Gravity. Even with the front seat pulled far forward, second row legroom was a bit tight . . . and the third row remained the domain only of children and perhaps very petite adults for short hauls.

We didn't take the offer for a brief test drive, as I really felt there was no point in delaying lunch.

P.S. The EX30 has an interesting feature. Instead of speakers installed around the interior of the car it has a single sound bar mounted out of sight under the dashboard. It sounded really good.

P.P.S. When dropping off the ID.4 at the VW dealership, we saw our first ID.Buzz in the showroom. Unbelievably cool looking inside and out, with seating room I haven't seen since the days of the Stout Scarab. What a shame it's so sluggish and short of highway range or I could see getting one just for the novelty of such a funky thing. It brought back my old grad school days of tooling around Northern Europe with friends in a ratty old VW minibus. (By some odd confluence every car we looked at today, as well as the one we turned in, was light gray.)

 

[DeaneG]

The EX90 is no Gravity, but does have a few strong pluses that it shares with the Polestar 3: 250kW/600 amp charging on existing v3 superchargers (when the NACS version arrives), native Google nav and voice assistant, Waze, Youtube music and Amazon Music, Youtube video, Pocketcasts etc. A wide and well-established service network. And solidly debugged body hardware and perhaps the best front seats in the business.

 

[msaunders9430]

What did you think of the center touch screen? 14.5"
Is it as big as it looks in pictures and screen behind steering wheel as small as it looks?
In addition to it looking like just another Volvo suv, those screens just don't appeal to me.

The Gravity screens just seems so cool; futuristic.

 

[hmp10]

What did you think of the center touch screen? 14.5"
Is it as big as it looks in pictures and screen behind steering wheel as small as it looks?
In addition to it looking like just another Volvo suv, those screens just don't appeal to me.

The Gravity screens just seems so cool; futuristic.

I'm perhaps an outlier on this in that I sort of like the vertical screens. Maybe it's a holdover from our first Tesla Model S which got me acquainted with controlling car functions through a screen. I thought that screen was much more cleanly integrated into the dashboard design than the landscape screen in the Model S refresh which looks taped clumsily onto the dashboard. (I confess I get a bit of that vibe from the Gravity screen, too, and still like the portrait screen of the Air Pilot Panel better.) The EX90 screen seemed large enough to get the job done while driving without being so large as to be too visually intrusive on the nicely restrained design scheme. It was also very quick to respond and intuitive to use, at least from the playing with it we did while sitting still.

And I liked the round steering wheel. Still a bit apprehensive about that squircle in the Gravity, although @borski has calmed my nerves a bit on that score.

 

[msaunders9430]

I suppose if Gravity didn't exist and the Genesis GV90 was on the horizon, I'd consider it or the Polestar 3 along with an R1S.

I have to admit, I'd pick the Polestar 3 over the Volvo simply based on brand identity.
The Volvo brand still speaks soccer mom station wagon, just from growing up seeing them everywhere. I know ... doesn't make sense.
Even though that EX90 looks nothing like a station wagon. And yet even if it did and I liked it, I'm not sure I could get past my Volvo bias.
Also, I just kinda see Volvo as a step down from Lucid. Lucid being a new brand and Volvo old and my self-professed station wagon brand. I'd feel like I settled.
Doesn't matter. Gravity awaits!

 

[knewman]

As a former Polestar owner, I will say if the Lucid software bugs aggravate you, expect worse from Volvo.

Each software update brought major regressions for me, such as radio resets when the auto headlights turned on.

On top of that the safety features were downright dangerous. I experienced multiple instances where the collision avoidance system would activate for no reason and attempt to send me into oncoming traffic. The kicker is, there is no way to deactivate collision avoidance, or even just the steering part of that system.

 

[msaunders9430]

As a former Polestar owner, I will say if the Lucid software bugs aggravate you, expect worse from Volvo.

Each software update brought major regressions for me, such as radio resets when the auto headlights turned on.

On top of that the safety features were downright dangerous. I experienced multiple instances where the collision avoidance system would activate for no reason and attempt to send me into oncoming traffic. The kicker is, there is no way to deactivate collision avoidance, or even just the steering part of that system.

Well I hope you don't end up on the Rivian forum saying "As a former Polestar and Lucid owner ... ".

 

[DeaneG]

As a former Polestar owner, I will say if the Lucid software bugs aggravate you, expect worse from Volvo.

Each software update brought major regressions for me, such as radio resets when the auto headlights turned on.

On top of that the safety features were downright dangerous. I experienced multiple instances where the collision avoidance system would activate for no reason and attempt to send me into oncoming traffic. The kicker is, there is no way to deactivate collision avoidance, or even just the steering part of that system.

Our Volvo has been great. No issues with collision avoidance. Software quality has been roughly similar to Lucid's. Both have regressions.

Both the EX90 and the Polestar 3 are a step down from Gravity IMO. But for now, they're also at a lower price point. Both are very quiet, comfortable, capable rides.

 

[marsarbu]

I'll stick with my 2017 Shelby 350GT, thank you. No software issues here, just ... ummm ... range issues

 

[momo3605]

I'll stick with my 2017 Shelby 350GT, thank you. No software issues here, just ... ummm ... range issues

View attachment 26545

I had one of these. 2017 MY. Man that was a fuuuun car. Shouldn’t have sold it. Hopefully @xponents will get a chance to enjoy some of life’s beautiful ICEs before everything goes EV

 

[msaunders9430]

I'll stick with my 2017 Shelby 350GT, thank you. No software issues here, just ... ummm ... range issues

View attachment 26545

Looks nice!
But oil changes, tranny fluid, belts, hoses, gas, differential fluid, exhaust pipes, an engine bay that is eventually dirty from fluid residue and exposure to road spray. I'm just ready to be done with all that.

I suppose when you want to "hear" power you drive the Pony and when you want to feel instant power you drive your Air. Two totally different driving experiences I bet.

 

[marsarbu]

Looks nice!
But oil changes, tranny fluid, belts, hoses, gas, differential fluid, exhaust pipes, an engine bay that is eventually dirty from fluid residue and exposure to road spray. I'm just ready to be done with all that.

I suppose when you want to "hear" power you drive the Pony and when you want to feel instant power you drive your Air. Two totally different driving experiences I bet.

I can equally love a great old-skool ICE and a great EV. Unlike most of the world today, I don't feel the need to choose a side, I'm humming happily in the middle

 

[msaunders9430]

I can equally love a great old-skool ICE and a great EV. Unlike most of the world today, I don't feel the need to choose a side, I'm humming happily in the middle

Agreed on choosing sides. No need.
Everyone do what works for you.

Gravity will be my first ev, so I'm excited to have that ownership experience.

 

[Neurio]

We got an EX90 for my wife about 6 weeks ago. I've driven it a fair bit, and it's a great vehicle overall. It's got a smooth, quiet ride. It's very comfortable overall. The massage seats rival those in the Air and the B&W sound system with Atmos sounds awesome as well.

We took it up to Mammoth the other day (still here for a couple days) and charging on the Supercharger network was a breeze. It had plenty of space to bring everything we needed.

It definitely has some software bugaboos that rear their head, but all have resolved with a reset so far (knock on wood). We expected this and I'm used to it from being an early adopter for the Air, so it's nothing earth shattering or overly frustrating. There's an OTA update being released next week that supposedly fixes a number of these issues and adds some missing features.

The range is meh, maybe 250 miles on a full charge driving 70-75 in normal conditions. We had cool drizzle the first half of the drive to Mammoth and gradual elevation climb and dropping temps the 2nd half, so our overall efficiency for the drive was only around 45 kwh/100 mi.

I'm still planning to get the Gravity for myself (in addition to keeping the Air). My wife is happy with the EX90, so no complaints here.

 

[marsarbu]

We got an EX90 for my wife about 6 weeks ago. I've driven it a fair bit, and it's a great vehicle overall. It's got a smooth, quiet ride. It's very comfortable overall. The massage seats rival those in the Air and the B&W sound system with Atmos sounds awesome as well.

We took it up to Mammoth the other day (still here for a couple days) and charging on the Supercharger network was a breeze. It had plenty of space to bring everything we needed.

It definitely has some software bugaboos that rear their head, but all have resolved with a reset so far (knock on wood). We expected this and I'm used to it from being an early adopter for the Air, so it's nothing earth shattering or overly frustrating. There's an OTA update being released next week that supposedly fixes a number of these issues and adds some missing features.

The range is meh, maybe 250 miles on a full charge driving 70-75 in normal conditions. We had cool drizzle the first half of the drive to Mammoth and gradual elevation climb and dropping temps the 2nd half, so our overall efficiency for the drive was only around 45 kwh/100 mi.

I'm still planning to get the Gravity for myself (in addition to keeping the Air). My wife is happy with the EX90, so no complaints here.

First, you Sir, are a hero for venturing to Mammoth with an EV. I would never do that, except, maybe, if I would have strapped a 2nd battery onto the roof.
Second, is it quieter / more comfortable than Air?

 

[Neurio]

First, you Sir, are a hero for venturing to Mammoth with an EV. I would never do that, except, maybe, if I would have strapped a 2nd battery onto the roof.
Second, is it quieter / more comfortable than Air?

The only reason we were willing to take it was the Supercharger network. There's only a couple EA's, so I'd never take a CCS only vehicle that far. We had no issues with range anxiety and turned each stop into a little break on our 400 mile trip, with each station having at most 3 other vehicles charging amount 12-24 stations. There's also a SC station in town that we can use, but it has been painfully slow both times we've stopped for a brief charge, which is probably due to a combination of the cold weather and a cold battery.

It's definitely quieter than the Air - acoustic glass all around on the Ultra trim we got, so almost no exterior noise. No motor whine either (which I do like in the Air).

In terms of comfort, it's about equal I'd say. The air suspension in the EX90 is great, but that also goes to show how well Lucid did with the coil suspension in the Air. Both seats are well adjustable and have good massages functions. Makes me hope Gravity is as great as everyone who's sat in/driven one has said.

 

[DeaneG]

First, you Sir, are a hero for venturing to Mammoth with an EV. I would never do that, except, maybe, if I would have strapped a 2nd battery onto the roof.

We had no problem taking the Air from the SF bay area to Mammoth. But it would've been difficult without J1772 destination charging at our hotel.

 

[borski]

The EX90 is no Gravity, but does have a few strong pluses that it shares with the Polestar 3: 250kW/600 amp charging on existing v3 superchargers (when the NACS version arrives), native Google nav and voice assistant, Waze, Youtube music and Amazon Music, Youtube video, Pocketcasts etc. A wide and well-established service network. And solidly debugged body hardware and perhaps the best front seats in the business.

Gravity pulls sustained 225kW charging on the v3 superchargers, which is the same as the Polestar and EX90. A bunch of articles keep saying 250kW for all three, but my understanding is those articles are wrong.

I could be wrong, so please correct me if I am. Either way, it’s close enough, but I do believe this aspect is equivalent.

 

[DeaneG]

Gravity pulls sustained 225kW charging on the v3 superchargers, which is the same as the Polestar and EX90. A bunch of articles keep saying 250kW for all three, but my understanding is those articles are wrong.

I could be wrong, so please correct me if I am. Either way, it’s close enough, but I do believe this aspect is equivalent.

I wondered about that too.

Volvo's own website says: "Typical time to charge from 10 to 80% with 250kW DC fast charging (CCS2)."
Polestar 3: "Charging time, from 10 to 80%* 30 min, Figure based on 250 kW DC fast charging."

Some v3 superchargers have recently been uncorked to allow 600 amp draw, compared to 500 amps before. The vast majority of existing CCS stations are limited to 500A. The EX90 and PS3 are capable of pulling 600 amps. This could account for the difference.

Or it could be that Volvo and Polestar are saying that the stated charging times require a minimum 250kW DCFC. They should be saying a minimum 600A DCFC. Given the way it was stated on Volvo/Polestar's websites, could be that the 250 kW was misinterpreted by news media as a maximum charging rate rather than a minimum spec for the DCFC.

Or it could be that the 225kW observed was on 500A-limited superchargers/other DCFC.

 

[Steveinarizona]

I'm perhaps an outlier on this in that I sort of like the vertical screens. Maybe it's a holdover from our first Tesla Model S which got me acquainted with controlling car functions through a screen. I thought that screen was much more cleanly integrated into the dashboard design than the landscape screen in the Model S refresh which looks taped clumsily onto the dashboard. (I confess I get a bit of that vibe from the Gravity screen, too, and still like the portrait screen of the Air Pilot Panel better.) The EX90 screen seemed large enough to get the job done while driving without being so large as to be too visually intrusive on the nicely restrained design scheme. It was also very quick to respond and intuitive to use, at least from the playing with it we did while sitting still.

And I liked the round steering wheel. Still a bit apprehensive about that squircle in the Gravity, although @borski has calmed my nerves a bit on that score.

As a consumer/user I absolutely deplore the trend toward putting every control on the info screen. Sure its much less expensive to do it (okay, I will stop talking in their language, it is much cheaper to produce). But it is hideous. I walk by the Polestar store in the mall many times and thought the 3 on display looked very nice. Finally, I went in and opened the door and saw the same thing as your picture. I almost vomited.

No vehicle claiming to be a luxury vehicle should do this. yes, it is cheaper to put everything on the info screen, so I can tolerate it in an econobox but no luxury vehicle should do this. There should be buttons and switches for those features that one might one to execute while driving.

But, to each his own. That is why it is great that there are so many choices now. This is the first time, I believe, that I have disagreed with @hmp10.