Former Top Gear and Grand Tour presenter Jeremy Clarkson has named the Volvo ES90 the most foolish car he has ever driven, awarding it three stars out of five in his review for the Times. The 66-year-old, who continues to review cars alongside his other ventures, praised the vehicle's interior, fabric and colour options, and generous rear legroom, but was unimpressed with the infotainment touchscreen.
Touchscreen frustrations
Clarkson took issue with having to navigate the large central touchscreen to adjust the steering wheel. He said: "It meant that if I wanted those up and down buttons to do something else, like adjust the volume of the stereo, I had to go back into the car's vast brain and reprogramme it. And if I tried this, I got a message on the dash 'You seem to be distracted'. Yes, and the reason I'm effing distracted is because you haven't fitted a bloody volume knob."
Key card lockout
He also criticised the ES90 for not having a conventional key, instead offering a credit card-style device. He recounted how after a meeting, the doors refused to open, forcing him to get a lift home while someone else retrieved the vehicle. Even then, he had to swipe the card on the door handle 14 times to gain entry, after which a message said 'No key detected', and he gave up.
Reporter Christopher Sharp, who reviewed the ES90 earlier this year, also found the touchscreen controls irritating, noting that even opening the glovebox required navigating a submenu. He awarded the car 8 out of 10 but said it would benefit from physical controls.
