Name: ES90 with Bowers & Wilkins
Brand: Volvo

Volvo is not only reporting very good sales figures from last year. The balance sheet of the Swedish car brand, part of the Chinese Geely Group, in STEREO GUIDE‘s Car Audio Top List should make domestic competitors even more envious. The top three spots are occupied by the all-electric Volvo EX90, the Polestar 3 built on the same platform, and the PHEV Volvo XC90. And now, the brand-new Volvo ES90 is also entering the business sedan class. All four vehicles share a commonality that is largely responsible for their exceptionally good performance in our tests: they all rely on a high-end car audio sound system from Bowers & Wilkins. However, the four-door Volvo ES90 also features some additional sound-relevant ingredients. This review clarifies whether there is now reason to sound the alarm bells in Stuttgart, Munich, or Ingolstadt.

The design is, as usual, harmonious and understated. It incorporates iconic stylistic features such as the LED headlights named after Thor’s Hammer. Although it is a 5-meter-long luxury sedan, its appearance remains characterized by understatement. The Volvo wears its mink on the inside.

The interior of the Volvo ES90 is consistently designed for tranquility, reduction, and well-being. Laminated composite glass panes and a very rigid body structure significantly reduce noise levels – even at higher speeds, the interior remains remarkably quiet. This impression is supported by a finely tuned four-zone automatic climate control and an air purification system with fine particle filtration, which ensures clean breathing air, especially in urban environments.

Swedish Chic

Volvo ES90 Review with Bowers & Wilkins 3D Sound — Through a milled pattern and lighting elements on the back, the wood panels in the interior display a subtle pattern in low light. (Photos: Stefan Schickedanz)

The Scandinavian-inspired interior relies on sustainable materials such as Nordico, Tailored Wool, and FSC-certified wood veneers. Backlit real wood inlays in the dashboard and doors and adaptive ambient lighting with various light themes create a homely atmosphere that is more reminiscent of a high-end lounge than a classic business sedan. Depending on the equipment line – Core, Plus, or Ultra – the range of comfort features such as massage seats, electric rear adjustment, electrochromatic glass roof, or extended ambient lighting varies. This subtly elegant ambiance forms the ideal basis for sophisticated audio reproduction.

This subtly elegant ambiance creates the foundation for the Bowers & Wilkins sound system. When it comes to sound, Volvo gives customers the choice from solid standard equipment to the audiophile statement from this review. Even the standard High Performance Sound System with ten speakers and 325 watts delivers a clean, balanced basic tuning. In the Plus equipment line, the Premium Sound System from Bose follows with 14 speakers, 17 channels, and 940 watts of power. Bose relies on Perceptual Sound Rendering as well as current Centerpoint and SurroundStage algorithms, which are designed to create an even sound distribution for all seats. Automatic noise compensation dynamically adjusts the spectral distribution of playback to driving and ambient noise.

Bowers & Wilkins with 1,610 Watts On Board

However, the true acoustic calling card of the ES90 is the optional High-Fidelity sound system from Bowers & Wilkins. With 25 speakers, 1,610 watts of power, and full Dolby Atmos integration via suitable streaming service apps downloadable from Google Play, such as Apple Music, Tidal, or Amazon Music, it clearly aims for an immersive 3D listening experience. Characteristic is the Tweeter-on-Top technology on the dashboard, which reduces high-frequency reflections on the windshield through directional radiation and ensures a particularly open, precise imaging in the center channel with its aluminum dome. Continuum mid-range drivers, a generously sized subwoofer, and additional speakers in the headliner create a soundscape that spreads spatially throughout the vehicle while remaining very controlled.

High-quality metal grilles unobtrusively integrate the speakers into the minimalist interior. Thus, the Bowers & Wilkins system becomes not only an acoustic but also a design highlight of the Volvo ES90.

Fortunately, I was able to share the test car for a tour around Munich with Knut Kummer from WALTER Magazin, for which I also write. So I took the opportunity to explore the sound system from the passenger seat. With my iPhone, I first established a wireless CarPlay connection with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Then I could stream from our STEREO GUIDE Qobuz account. However, if you want to use Dolby Atmos, you must install the apps from Amazon Music Unlimited, Apple Music, or Tidal directly via the integrated Google Play Store on the Volvo ES90’s Android system and link them to your account. After all, the object-based multi-channel audio tracks of Dolby Atmos cannot be played via the Bluetooth audio connection of Apple CarPlay.

Sound Customization via Touchscreen

The playback can be adjusted to personal taste via three different listening modes. The range extends from the neutral “Studio” to “Stage” and “Abbey Road”. With Abbey Road, the legendary recording studio that gained worldwide fame through the Beatles and Alan Parsons, Volvo recently added a new sound effect that partner Bowers & Wilkins also proudly highlights. After all, it draws on an important chapter in the British loudspeaker specialist’s company history. Founded in Worthing in 1966 by John Bowers and Roy Wilkins, the brand owes its legendary reputation not least to its famous studio monitors, the B&W 801.

You can also find Abbey Road Studios among the presets in the sound menu. But on Volvo’s typical Android operating system, the app overview on the large portrait-oriented central display also features a lovingly designed Abbey Road app, which allows for even more individual adjustments of the different sound setups (“Familiar”, “Open”, “Energetic”, “Expansive”, and the “Producer Mode”).

No matter which mode I chose, it was really hard to decide on one. Somehow, they were all good. After much experimentation, however, I developed a certain preference for the Producer Mode. This also brought back memories of my visits to Abbey Road Studios, where I even once watched or listened to star producer Steve Levine (Culture Club) during mixing.

Goosebumps in Every Seat

Ultimately, these are all just nuances of taste, because the bottom line, regardless of the chosen sound preset, is that Volvo has delivered an absolutely exceptional sound system here. The bar was already set very high by the ES90 and the Polestar 3 among the Swedes. But this time, all expectations were exceeded shortly after the test drive began. With the track “Liberty” by Anette Askvik from our STEREO GUIDE playlist on Qobuz, I got real goosebumps from the saxophone. At the time, I was still sitting in the passenger seat and had the woodwind instrument vividly and with every tiny nuance right in front of me. This was truly better than what you experience with many exorbitantly expensive home Hi-Fi systems, especially since the Bowers & Wilkins sound system also reproduced the timbres perfectly.

With tracks like “Urgent” by Foreigner in the live version, the powerful, tight bass drums were as captivating as the sense of spaciousness. You felt like you were in the middle of the audience. For such recordings, it makes sense to use the Abbey Road app, where you can also individually adjust the degree of envelopment to your taste.

In Studio mode, there is also the familiar Volvo option to optimize the sound focus to the driver’s seat, the front row, or the entire vehicle at the touch of a button. This results in even better imaging than before. It is this blend of outstanding sound quality and practical operation that truly impresses me about Volvo.

Committed to tonal homogeneity

Tonally, there was absolutely nothing to criticize about the tuning of the Bowers & Wilkins High-Fidelity audio system during the test drive. And the enormous dynamic reserves, which enabled the deep and precise bass to deliver an immense punch for factory-ordered audio solutions, are hard to find beyond the top models of Volvo and its sister brand Polestar. The same applies to the finely detailed, yet never harsh, high-frequency reproduction.

While the staging in stereo, with its perfect focus and vivid imaging, was already in a class of its own, the spatial reproduction of Dolby Atmos tracks finally pushed the boundaries of the spacious, yet compared to a concert hall, airy vehicle cabin. Sound events could then be located a good distance laterally outside the 1,942-centimeter-wide interior. Dolby Atmos is, so to speak, the icing on the cake for audiophile entertainment in the Volvo ES90. But the fabulous four-door also offers excellent sound with stereo recordings.

What also had a decidedly positive effect on the sound was the absence of the component that I appreciate least acoustically in a Volvo: the four-cylinder engine, which is quite boomy and supercharged even for luxury-class standards, was replaced in the all-electric Volvo ES90 by an exceptionally quiet electric drive. In this case, it is the 680 hp (500 kW) Twin Motor Performance top version.

The powertrain also contributes to the excellent sound

The quiet powertrain, combined with noise-optimized tires, refined aerodynamics with a low drag coefficient of maximum 0.25, and not least the laminated acoustic glazing, ensures that even with delicate acoustic music, the sound nuances painstakingly achieved by Bowers & Wilkins are not lost in the noise floor. This, of course, contributes to the excellent driving comfort of the all-electric Volvo ES90, in conjunction with the optional air suspension and excellent seats.

When I was behind the wheel myself, I first noticed the smooth steering, knowing full well that many car testers consider heavy steering to be particularly sporty. Volvo takes the exact opposite approach. The ES90’s steering is very direct and light, but at the same time much more precise than some steering systems that simply become heavier in sport mode but are by no means more authentic.

Despite its high output of almost 700 hp, which accelerates the 2,610-kilogram four-door from 0 to 100 km/h in 4 seconds, the Volvo ES90 by no means encourages speeding, but rather a remarkably smooth and relaxed driving style.

Conclusion: Volvo ES90 with Bowers & Wilkins Car Audio System

Well, Volvo achieves the hat-trick. The brand has now comfortably settled into the top group of STEREO GUIDE’s Car Hi-Fi Ranking with three vehicles. The new Volvo ES90 with its optional Bowers & Wilkins High-Fidelity audio system appears to be a complete success. In comparison, with a surcharge of almost 3,500 Euros, it’s almost a bargain. However, not out of local patriotism, but in the interest of balanced reporting, I have already ordered a Porsche Taycan for testing. The Stuttgart-based manufacturer – as I know from previous tests for LowBeats – unquestionably also belongs in the top group with its Burmester 3D sound system, especially since Dolby Atmos is now on board via a PCM update. So, it remains exciting.

Volvo ES90 Price: from 70,490 Euros
B&W Sound System Price: 3,460 Euros
Further information: www.volvocars.com

STEREO GUIDE test verdict

97%

97%

With its Bowers & Wilkins High-Fidelity sound system and Dolby Atmos, the Volvo ES90 drives directly into the top tier of STEREO GUIDE's Car Hi-Fi best list, a segment dominated by Volvo and Polestar at the time of testing. Once again, the Swedish car manufacturers and their British audio development partner have demonstrated great finesse in integrating the sound system.