Volvo’s ES90 has one flaw, and it is not the price

A large executive sedan has to do two things. It has to be comfortable, and it has to be comfortable competing for road space with the ubiquitous SUV. At R1.8-million for the ES90 Ultra I drove, the stakes are higher still, because it also has to justify the asking price.

The ES90 is, subjectively, a brilliant car: a driver’s machine, supremely capable, beautifully executed and borderline flawless. There is very little I would change or found to be wanting. Volvo has brought it to this car, and it is a smash hit.

Climb in and the scene around you is one of serenity and calm. The interior is not starkly minimalist, nor is it gaudily festooned with bright colour contrasts and the look of a jet fighter’s cockpit. There is a somewhat blingy silver centre-mounted Bowers & Wilkins tweeter in the middle of the dash that catches the eye – more on that later.

There is a large tablet-style screen in the centre and a small digital driver’s display that is not obscured by the sturdy steering wheel. That is your first clue, subtle as it is, to what lies ahead. Understated but correct is the undercurrent driving everything in this car, with one notable exception.

“Busy” is not a word I would associate with this interior. Elegant, beautiful and functional do not quite convey the deftness the car brings either. The more you look, the more you find, and the more you appreciate the rightness the ES90 brings to the driving experience.

To achieve that look, most controls have shifted to the touchscreen. This has been known to drive me mental with incoherent rage. On occasion, spittle has flown while I have shouted obscenities at some lumpen object of technological backwardness dressed up as a feature. It gets bad. Sometimes people wind down their windows to ask whether I am having a seizure.

Not here. Everything on screen works exactly as it should, and nothing gets in the way of doing what I want to do when I want to do it. I did not use the voice command system, because I never needed it.

Fittings and finishes are world class, even if I am not entirely sure what all of them are. Volvo is heavy into recycling, so I would not be surprised to find its famous recycled denim somewhere in there. Worry not: if it is, it will look and feel as good as everything else.

There is reassuring solidity everywhere. From the heavy doors to every knob and touch point, the ES90 is in the class that defines longevity. You get the sense that if you came back to this car in 20 years’ time you would still find no rattles – and that it would still feel tasteful and luxurious. That is true luxury: durable beauty that works and stands the test of time. Making things this way takes time, effort and energy, and it is never cheap.

Rear passengers almost come off best, with heated and ventilated seats, climate control on both sides and so much room it is borderline ludicrous – words I have used before about some Chinese vehicles that place a premium on rear-seat space. Seating four, or five at a push, the ES90 makes getting out of the back a VIP experience. A chauffeur is not out of the question.

The boot is large.