It's a far cry from the boxy, indestructible Volvos of yore. You probably won't be driving this one around Africa with a million kilometres on the clock.

And it's no performance icon like the 850 T-5R wagon or S60 Polestar.

But Volvo's latest electric sedan has another trick up its sleeve. Easily the most banging sound system I've ever experienced in a car.

The sort of thing that makes you want to sign on the dotted line immediately, committing to live with the new ES90 until death do you part.

But after a week with it, I discovered there's another, much more logical reason to buy one.

It might just be the best-value electric luxury sedan in its class.

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At a glance?

What we liked
- Extraordinary Bowers & Wilkins sound system
- Beautiful interior and limousine-like rear space
- Competitive price and impressively accurate range

What we didn't
- Heavy, with fairly leisurely performance
- Almost useless rear visibility
- Too many basic functions buried in the touchscreen

Check out the legroom.

?What is it??

The ES90 is the spiritual successor to the S90. And emphasis on the spiritual bit, because there's virtually nothing in common underneath, on account of the ES90 being fully electric.

There's a single electric motor over the rear axle producing 245 kW and 480 Nm. Volvo quotes a driving range of 554km, which isn't quite as headline-grabbing as the 800-plus kilometres promised for its forthcoming EX60 SUV.

My test car also never showed more than about 480km of range, but unlike almost every other EV I've driven, that estimate turned out to be remarkably honest - even when sitting on 110km/h on the highway, when most EVs shed predicted range almost as quickly as used value.

But this is all very uninteresting. Because of the ES90's pièce de résistance - a 25-speaker, 1610-watt Bowers & Wilkins sound system, complete with a special listening mode developed with London's Abbey Road Studios. Yes, the place where The Beatles recorded.

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What's it like to live with?

There are two ES90 models, and this is only available on the top $107,990 Ultra one - the $88,880 Plus makes do with a 14-speaker Bose system, unless you tick the B&W option box.

But I've previously experienced the larger, microwave-power-rivalling system in the new EX90 (yep, the electric version of the seven-seater XC90). And the crispness to the high notes, the door-rumbling bass, and the sheer oomph everywhere between made every song sound like new again.

I actually found myself looking forward to running low on charge, because it gave me an excuse to sit at a public charging station for an hour playing with the sound settings. I'd even put podcasts into the Gothenburg Concert Hall setting, just so the host sounded like they were speaking to me from the other end of an auditorium.

The ES90 is exactly the same. I'm not sure what more I can say, except that everyone should go to a Volvo dealership armed with their favourite song and ask to try it. Then leave with the terrible realisation that music anywhere else will never sound quite the same again.

But the rest of the ES90 is rather lovely too.

With only one motor, 245kW and a substantial 2420kg to move around, it's not especially quick. Volvo claims 0–100km/h in 6.6 seconds. It prefers to stroll places.

But you're not really in the mood to rush anyway. You're too busy admiring the beautiful wood trim that comes alive with light patterns at night, the crystal volume dial and the double-crossed stitching in the seats.

So polite.

With Audi apparently thinking a great slab of glossy black plastic is an acceptable dashboard treatment, and BMW increasingly bedazzled by funky graphics and mood settings, the Volvo feels like a whiff of particularly expensive cologne. Everything looks and feels considered.

The fact that it's huge on the outside translates inside too, where - thanks to a 3.1-metre wheelbase - rear legroom is limousine-like.

However, to also leave room for your head, Volvo had to move the end of the roofline halfway down the rear window, to the point visibility out of the back is nearly useless. It does mean you're unperturbed by tailgaters though, purely because you can't see them.

Everything being on the portrait 14.5-inch touchscreen could be annoying, but Volvo has done what every car manufacturer should do and go to someone who knows what they're doing. In this case, Google.

Some of the virtual buttons do move around on you too, but intuitively. For instance, when driving, you'll have easy access to the regenerative braking settings and drive modes, but engage adaptive cruise control, and it will swap them out for your distance control. Park the car, and the sound settings reappear. Annoying when you want to fiddle with them on the move, perhaps, but probably a wise decision.

Still, some things really ought to remain physical. Having to open the glovebox through the touchscreen, only to reach across the cabin and close it yourself, is utterly pointless.

This, or a BMW i5?

Should you buy one?

It's tempting to say yes purely because of those beautiful speakers. But there is an equally compelling case.

If you're wanting an equivalent EV from the usual German options, you're paying tens of thousands of dollars more. A BMW i5 starts from $155,000, a Mercedes EQE from $130,000, and we needn't say anything about the Audi A6 e-tron because it was such a flop it's no longer sold here.

And having spent time in its German rivals, I'd argue the Volvo's interior feels more expensive than either of them.

No, it's not as athletic as a BMW. Nor is it particularly subtle on the outside, with its enormous proportions and rather unusual rear end. And yes, owning a Volvo has traditionally suggested a certain fondness for stamp collecting and thick woolly socks under Birkenstocks. Accordingly, the ES90 remains a slightly intellectual choice.

But perhaps that's its greatest trick. It gets your attention by making you discover music all over again. And then hits you over the head with sensible things, like space, comfort, range, and price.

How very Volvo.