Volvo Es90 vs Honda City

What's the difference?

More stylish than ever before, as quiet and refined as you'd expect from a luxury car and yet the stand out feature might once again be safety. Despite seemingly every new car being loaded to the gills with safety features, Volvo has managed to demonstrate industry best-practice and leads the way again.

I would encourage engineers from every other car brand to drive the ES90 to learn how to better integrate the modern suite of active safety features like forward collision warning and lane departure warning.

But beyond that, is the ES90 a car worthy of consideration? Well, pretty much everything it does the EX90 does too, so if you prefer an SUV that’s definitely worth consideration. But if you don’t want an SUV, if you prefer a sedan or just love to be different, the ES90 is a very attractive proposition in more ways than one.

Small sedan sales are on the wane, and as a result, the cars that remain in the market often aren’t the best in a brand’s lineup.

This is the case with the Honda City. While it’s got plenty of space for passengers and it’s economical, the performance of the drivetrain in terms of composure leaves a lot to be desired.

The underdone steering, too, makes the car uncomfortable for passengers more often than not, while the buggy, hard-to-use multimedia system is unforgivable in an almost-$22,000 car.

Put it this way… the larger, newer, more refined base model Honda Civic is tantalisingly close in price to the top-spec City, and we know which side of the dealership we’d be walking towards.

Discussing Volvo design will draw different opinions depending on your age. As a millennial, I grew up at a time when Volvos were, to quote a famous movie line from the 1990s, ‘boxy, but good’.

But over the past two decades Volvo has smoothed off those boxy edges and become one of the most style-conscious car companies in the world. It has embraced its now-unique place as a Scandinavian carmaker and uses softer edges and more Nordic design themes (such as light coloured interior woods) to ensure the ES90 is simply a good-looking car.

What it isn’t, at least not technically-speaking, is a sedan. That’s because it has a liftback rear-end design, rather than a traditional ‘three-box’ sedan with a conventional boot. That shouldn’t be a deal-breaker for anyone and it means it’s a far more practical design.

It also sits taller than a conventional ‘sedan’, which is an increasingly common trait for modern European sedans as they try to woo would-be SUV buyers. It’s not a lot, you certainly wouldn’t call it a tall or high-riding car, but it is noticeable.

Ends up as an ‘in-between’ design, neither one thing or the other. The closest thing it reminds me of is the short-lived BMW 5-Series GT, which is damning with faint praise, but it speaks to the challenge of making something that simply isn’t an SUV appealing to the modern SUV-obsessed market.

The very stylish cabin features that previously mentioned light coloured wood (at least in our test car) and that unique Scandinavian look. It’s the closest you’ll get to sitting in a Swedish lounge room on wheels.

The City does a good job of disguising the fact that it’s a micro-sized sedan; at first glance, the revised front bar and grille that’s meant to mimic the one on the new Civic does such a good job that some people will need to look at the bootlid badge to find out it’s not a Civic.

A high waistline and a solid yet stylish sweep over the roof keep the City from looking overly twee, and even though the 16-inch wheels look a bit narrow, the overall impression is one of a larger car.

The interior, too, is spacious and airy, while the controls and steering wheel give the City an upmarket feel. There’s a little too much grey plastic inside, and hard plastics aren’t difficult to spot, but the City presents well, on the whole.

In terms of space the ES90 is very generous, which it should be given it's a five-metre long car. There’s loads of room front and the back so you’ll seat four adults in absolute comfort, and can squeeze in a fifth if needed. Thanks to the relatively flat floor, as well as the panoramic roof that can either be opaque or clear, the cabin feels spacious and bright even in the rear.

As for luggage space, the boot measures 424 litres, and obviously it’s very easy to access via the power liftgate. But it’s still not as big as an SUV. The EX90 offers up 655 litres of space in its five-seat configuration. Which is at least a small part of the explanation why SUVs have become the more popular choice.

But what really stands out in the cabin isn’t the space, it’s the technology. The ES90 Ultra’s multimedia system is centred around a 14.5-inch touchscreen that runs all the car’s key functions; you also get a 9.0-inch driver’s display.

Notably, Volvo has opted to offer Google’s operating systems built-in, which means while you can still run Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, if you have a Google account you can sign-in and have your contacts, address book and other details integrated into the car.

It’s a really fast system, too, supported by the most powerful software Volvo has ever put inside one of its cars. Having a big tablet-style screen is great and feels very modern, but if it runs slowly, with lag between commands, it’s not as useful. This Volvo system, particularly the transitions between menus and even the voice assistant, reacts with lightning-fast speed.

Then there’s the sound system we mentioned earlier. It’s a 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins set-up with 'Dolby Atmos' and an app called Abbey Road Studios. This app has been produced in conjunction with the iconic recording studio made famous by The Beatles. The speakers and the app were all developed together to provide a superior audio experience.

The speakers themselves are incredibly powerful while staying crystal clear, with the Abbey Road app providing the ability to change the sound between 'Modern' and 'Vintage' settings that make you feel like you’re inside a recording studio.

Put simply, it is as impressive a sound system as I’ve ever experienced in a car.

Up front, the City is a great fit even for taller drivers, and its height-adjustable seat also means that the, err, less vertically inclined pilot can find a comfortable position behind the tilt-and-reach adjustable wheel.

A regular gear shifter and manual handbrake means the two cupholders are squashed under the centre console, but there are bottle holders in all four doors, as well as two more cupholders in the rear centre armrest in the VTi-L.

The VTi-L also gains two extra 12-volt accessory power points in the rear to complement the USB and a third 12V point up front, while the keyless entry system is not something you’d usually find on a car at this price point.

Sadly, the City’s multimedia system lets the side down - big time. Try as we might, we couldn’t connect a phone to our tester, no matter what we did, and it’s just utterly unintuitive to use in most situations.

It’s a bit of a rude shock, actually; most manufacturers have media systems sorted, but there’s simply not a even a half-decent one in any Honda that’s currently on sale. And there's no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, though you can find those mirroring systems in the larger Civic.

Rear seating has adequate headroom – just – for taller teens, and there isn’t a lot of compromise required from front seaters to comfortably accommodate four people. Five? That’s getting crowded, but it can be done.

Two ISOFIX baby seat fixtures are present, along with three top-tether mounts. Boot space measures 536 litres - which is actually 12 litres bigger than that of the new Camry - while both rear seats fold flat(ish) to increase load capacity further.

A good point; the seats can be unlatched via boot-mounted buttons. A bad point; you still have to reach in and push the seats down by hand. A space saver spare nestles under the boot floor, as well.

The top shelf VTi-L is the best of a two-model lineup, and costs $21,590 plus on-road costs. It comes with an 88kW 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and a continuously variable transmission driving the front wheels, as well as LED daytime lamps, a part-leather interior, push-button start and smart key, climate control air conditioning, 16-inch alloys and a 7.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system with sat nav and Bluetooth phone and audio streaming.

It also has a leather-bound steering wheel and gear shifter, and map pockets on both seat backs.

It does miss out on a lot of other stuff, though, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability, automatic lights (remember when a car last beeped at you to turn off the lights? Me neither...) and automatic wipers, and it also misses out on driver aids like auto emergency braking (AEB).

It starts to look a bit dear when you look at similarly priced cars - even from the next size sector up - that do offer inclusions like AEB and automatic headlights, though the small sedan is a bit of a rarity in the Aussie market now.

Its only like-for-like rivals in the space are the Mazda2 sedan and the Hyundai Accent sedan. Other potential competitors like the Ford Fiesta sedan and, more recently, the Toyota Yaris sedan have been deleted from local line-ups after years of declining sales, while the subsequent rise of the compact SUV will continue to have an impact on the so-called 'light car' market.

As the name suggests, the ES90 Single Motor is powered by a single, rear-mounted electric motor that drives the rear wheels via a single-speed transmission. The motor makes a healthy 245kW and 480Nm, so the 0-100km/h sprint time is 6.6 seconds - sprightly for such a big car.

As alluded to earlier, there is a Twin Motor, all-wheel drive ES90 variant available in overseas markets, with 500kW, but Volvo Australia is yet to confirm when, or even if that will arrive here.

The i-VTEC four-cylinder 1.5-litre single cam engine is naturally aspirated, and it makes its 88kW at a high 6600rpm, while its modest 145Nm of torque peaks at 4600rpm.

It means the CVT gearbox needs to work pretty hard to get the best from the engine, which has been superseded by a twin-cam version in other markets.

Built on Volvo’s 800-volt electrical architecture, the first Volvo to feature the technology, the ES90 is powered by a 92kWh battery that provides up to 554km of driving range on a single charge.

Volvo quotes an NEDC energy consumption of 18.5kWh/100km, with 300kW DC charging able to take the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in 22 minutes. A full, empty to 100 per cent charge using a 16A outlet will take 10 hours.

It should be noted that the EX90 SUV will be upgraded to the 800V architecture with the 2026 model year introduction.

The underdone performance does offer a benefit at the petrol pump, with the City returning a claimed 5.9 litres per 100km on the combined fuel economy cycle.

A 320km test loop netted us a dash-indicated figure of 6.3 litres per 100km, which is impressively close.

The 40-litre fuel tank is happy to accept standard unleaded petrol, too.

As you’d expect from a luxury, electric car the ES90 is a quiet and refined vehicle to drive. Being a Volvo, the company has used its experience where it matters, and there is excellent insulation from the outside world. Unlike some EVs that lose the engine and hope that just makes things quieter, the ES90 gives you a genuine feeling of insulation from the exterior hustle and bustle. 

Performance is adequate from the single motor but it’s by no means a sports sedan with only 250kW/480Nm and such a big vehicle. But it has the instant response that is an EV trademark so it has all the performance this type of car and the drivers it will attract would likely need. If buyers start banging on the door for more power, Volvo can oblige, but for now it does the job you expect of a luxury four-door.

While it has the sedan silhouette, the taller body and raised ride height on the air suspension are noticeable. You will find yourself looking up at SUV drivers, but not all of them. It’s roughly the same seat height as you’ll find in a modern small SUV, so a slight elevation rather than a big boost.

The ride is what you expect from this type of car. You can adjust the suspension and steering between ‘soft’ and ‘firm’ settings, but even with the latter selected there is a lot of compliance and the ride remains comfortable.

The steering is fine most of the time, but when you have to do parking maneuvers you certainly notice the ES90's steer-by-wire technology. The steering literally feels like an old computer game steering wheel set-up, with very little resistance as the wheel lightly spins from lock-to-lock. It’s not a bad feeling, but it is a bit odd and takes some getting used to.

The ultimate take-away from the driving experience is just how relaxed it is - quiet and effortless are the two words that probably best sum it up.

Weighing just 1100kg, you’d expect the 1.5-litre powered City to have a bit of get up and go… but unfortunately it’s already gotten up and left by the time you drive off.

The 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine is a carryover unit from the previous generation, and it feels like it, too. It’s also teamed with a CVT gearbox that isn’t a patch on more up-to-date trannies from the likes of Subaru and Toyota.

On any sort of incline, the CVT ups the revs of the engine to a point between bloody annoying and mildly painful, too. The VTi can be ordered with a manual gearbox, which has to be better than the CVT in this example.

The underdamped suspension tune is adequate for light duties around town, but the electric steering feel very odd underhand, especially at the very beginning of a turn.

There’s a big initial motion at the front wheels when you start to turn which then quickly tapers off, meaning that you have to be ultra precise with your steering to prevent the City from lurching into the corner and falling over its soft suspension.

On light throttle, with no hills and few corners, though, the City is just fine…

As mentioned, the City misses out on AEB and other driver aids, but does offer emergency brake assist and emergency flashing brake lights, as well as hill-start assist.

Full-length curtain airbags are offered along with dual front and front side 'bags, and there's a reversing camera. The City holds a maximum five-star ANCAP rating, which it has had since it was tested back in 2014.

The ES90 is covered by Volvo’s five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, which is competitive for the luxury market even if it’s shorter than the cover some mainstream brands offer.

Servicing costs are currently unclear, at the time of publication. Volvo Australia typically offers five-year servicing plans for its models but is yet to finalise the cost for its electric vehicles.

Despite its long history in Australia, Volvo still has a relatively small footprint in this country with only 28 dealers/service centres spread across the country. However, more are planned to expand that coverage in the coming years.

Honda sells the City with a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, while a no-catch seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty is occasionally offered with its cars, along with premium roadside assistance for the life of the longer warranty.

Both warranties are also transferable to the next owner, should you sell your car before the warranty expires.

A fixed-price servicing regime is in place for the City, too, starting at $259 and peaking at $297. But Honda asks for the City to be serviced every six months or 10,000km, which does add to the cost of running the car.