Alot of it is appearance, round tail pipes on Momentum versus the vaccum cleaner ones on the Inscription etc.. Harmon Kardon is also included on the Inscription, and there are different wheels and more chrome accents. Basically it's up to you what suits your needs, but the Momentum is the base option model, w/ options to add things to it with some more basic aesthetic options.. Your Inscription gets you some more bling, with some features included in the price.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

The Volvo site shows the exact differences. Do also consider R-Design. You get one color you can't select with the other two editions (bursting blue), which allows you to have a more "unique" vehicle. I have a 2019. At the time, red was also exclusive to the R-Design trim.

Sent from my SM-G975U1 using Tapatalk

 

As I recently did this comparison, which for the record the Volvo site is not clear on at all, build the two cars on the Volvo site (US in my case), and at the end of the build click on "standard features". Open them side by side to compare.

This lists all the details that aren't a package add on. There are quite a few differences, but took me a bit to figure out to look there.

Aside from the design elements others have mentioned, Highlights from memory on the Inscription up-charge IMO are:

Premier Package (from Momentum) features are "standard"
Ventilated Seats
Leather Dash
4-Zone Climate, digital rear controls
USB-c rear ports
Power rear headrests
Interior Illumination high level features

Option to add Bowers and Air Suspension if you want those additional items.

 

Thank you for the information. Finding the meaningful trim differences on the Volvo site is a bit cumbersome.
Not sure the add ons justify the Inscription price but over the time of ownership maybe it does.

Rick

 

I think Collins outlined it well... It's a decent chunk of options difference wise... The R-Design also provides some different options as well, as stated above. Good hunitin'!

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

I also was questioning which one to buy at first, but after seeing the leather dash in person it helped to sway me towards the Inscription. I also knew that I wanted many of the items that were standard on the inscription. As far as wheel size goes, myself I didnt want to go above 19 inch wheels. The dealers in my area (Seattle) tend to have mostly 19's on the inscriptions. I drive on dirt roads sometimes to go hiking, and I wanted a higher profile tire. An 18 or 19 inch tire in theory would provide a better ride, especially on poor roads. If you didnt want 20's maybe the dealer will trade wheels to make a sale?

 

I know they changed things for 2021 but for the 2020 model the seats for the Momentum trim were strictly a two way lumbar support, while the Inscription seats were four way (and some other differences). I really wanted the City Weave fabric seats that were only available in the Momentum trim, but my wife found the Inscription seats more comfortable and that was more important. Might be worth checking the seating specs. I sort of wish the 18" wheels were available for it but the 19" ones with the air suspension give a fine ride for us.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

To me inscription seats make a big difference

 

I just purchased a 2021 XC60 T5 Inscription yesterday. The price difference is a lot over the Momentum.
The Inscription looks so much better on exterior. The interior is just awesome! Anyone can find their perfect seating position, you can even adjust side support, plus the cushion extension.
I also got the Climate Pkg, and Advanced Pkg (Which I think is a must have), plus the 20" wheels.
I understand that those wheels may cause a problem for some on certain roads. Heck, I have driven my C70 on mountain roads and fields.
I can go on and on.
My question to you, is how long to plan in keeping it?
If you plan on having for a long time go with the Inscription.
When I buy I usually load up and make sure I get what I want, and keep forever!
'97 Ford F 150 Lariat bought new 250,000+ miles
'13 Volvo C70 28,000 miles
'21 Volvo XC60 Inscription 50 miles

 

If you are not getting the ventilated seats, then Inscription is mostly just appearance difference on exterior and interior decoration, not important to many people.

 

Remember the Momentum is vinyl seating material while the Inscription is leather AND includes the leather dash. Obviously that alone is a pretty big difference, and it is easy to see a good chunk of the price difference goes towards a lot of leather added. Add in the ventilated seats with additional lumbar and the power bolsters and memory for the passenger seat position and really the seating is primarily the biggest difference you will see. Factor in the upgrade wheel size, 4 zone climate control, and the trim changes and $5,000 seems pretty reasonable. Put it this way....name another brand where you could spend $5,000 and get all of the additional features the Inscription offers. You may not see value in having all of those additional features, but the price difference seems very reasonable considering the market value for the upgraded features is brings.

 

Rickcrna: IMO, if you're focused on a smoother ride, I'd suggest smaller wheels with tires that have a larger sidewall. Regarding interior (I own a 2020 V90 Inscription), if you have children and/or pets that you intend to transport, I think you'll find that the non-perforated leather seats in the Momentum may be more durable and easier to maintain than the perforated seats found in the Inscription. IMO, while the perforated leather seats are extremely comfortable, they are a bit delicate (I travel with a pet in the back seat and installed a rear seat cover and a net between the front seats to protect the front seat center armrest).

 

Totally agree about the tires. The XC60 has a super stiff ride and adding 20" tires is like a match to oily rags.

I would not recommend any model of the XC60 if it does not come with the four way lumbar. IMO, it makes a huge difference. That's my body though, YMMV.

 

Volvo tacks the wheels on to just about every order, so unless you go in and change the specs, that's just how they come from the factory. It's about the look. I don't feel a difference in ride, but I know others do.

A T5 XC60 Inscription comes standard with the following (per a window sticker): I put a star in front of inscription exclusives
*Bright Chrome Bars in Front Grille with Chrome Window Trim
*Nappa Leather Upholstery or Tailored Wool Blend Seating
Heated Front Seats
*Vented Front Seats (leather only)
*Dual Integrated Tailpipes
19" Inscription Wheels
*Power Front Seats with Power Lumbar & Front passenger seat memory
*Cushion Extention front seats
*Power Adjustable Side Support Front seats (leather only)
*4 zone climate control
*Interior High Level Illumination
Wood Deco Inlay
*Tailored Leather Dash
Harman Kardon Sound
Sensus Navigation
Homelink Garage Door Transmitter
Power Folding rear Head restraints
Compass in rear view Mirror
Front Park Assist.

To correct another post made here, the Momentum does include real leather as well, it's just not Nappa leather. This has changed over the years for exactly what you get so it can be confusing. I'd have to check, but I think 2018 was the last year they had the fake stuff for standard Momentum (but you could upgrade to leather seats in Momentum).

 

With leather... how many people actually take care of the seats? It's a natural product and requires some care. I sorta imagine most people just use em up without ever putting any sort of conditioner on them, or to take any effort to clean the dirt out of them.

 

With our previous Volvo we cleaned the seat occasionally (my wife says she may have done it once a year but I don't believe it) and never conditioned them - though it's possible that that happened on the rare occasion that we had it detailed. 19 years and they still looked very nice - not new but but very nice. And this was in the blonde leather. No idea if the finish on our current seats (we did not get the Nappa leather) is the same or as durable but we can hope.

Not to say people shouldn't take better care of them.

 

The Inscription also has 4-way power lumbar whereas the Momentum is 2-way power lumbar. I think it really gets down to the seats as you can highly equip a Momentum to get a lot of the goodies.

 

The Inscription seats have four way lumbar and THIGH EXTENSION. Both of these are worth the upgrade.

 

My apologies for posting inaccurate information. I was thinking I was on the S60 forum, and S60 Momentums have vinyl seating. This is a major difference between the S60 and XC60 models.

 

Hello all;

Am new to Volvo and I'm shopping for a 2021 XC60. Have run and printed out several builds comparing the T5 AWD Momentum and Inscription.
I'm selecting both the Premium and Advanced Packages for each build as well as the HK sound upgrade and seeing almost a $5K price difference
between the two trims. What am I getting in the Inscription for 5K that is missing in the Momentum?

Also, my local dealers seem to favor 20" tires on these models which is a $1K add-on. I thought having 18" or 19" tires provided a better ride.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Rick

For me the most important feature were the 18" wheels. - Not possible with the Inscription.
I like the look of the 19" wheels but the ride is too harsh on the broken roads around here. If you read some of the reviews - journalists are complaining of a harsh ride for such a luxury SUV and I think it is because of the bigger wheels.
I know that everybody has a different body and sitting position but after a long test drive back to back I actually preferred the seats on the Momentum. I do not know why but they felt more comfortable to me.

 

For me the most important feature were the 18" wheels. - Not possible with the Inscription.
I like the look of the 19" wheels but the ride is too harsh on the broken roads around here. If you read some of the reviews - journalists are complaining of a harsh ride for such a luxury SUV and I think it is because of the bigger wheels.
I know that everybody has a different body and sitting position but after a long test drive back to back I actually preferred the seats on the Momentum. I do not know why but they felt more comfortable to me.

The momentum seats are identical to the Inscription seats with the two exceptions of the thigh extender and the four way lumbar. So, of they felt more comfy to you that likely had to do with how the seats were adjusted.

My suggestion to the op: config a momentum the way you want, config an Inscription the way you want, and then look at any difference in incentives. I found that the price was not ask that different and there were actually more aggressive incentives on the Inscription at the time.

I don't know if there is some way to get the Inscription seats in the momentum trim but that would be the biggest issue for me. You may have a body that fits the Momentum lumbar adjustment exactly where it is, but you'll have passengers and one day you may want to sell the vehicle or let a significant other drive it.

Most Inscription are on dealer lots with the 20" tires. Avoid those tires and don't go bigger than 19.

 

For 2021 the Inscription also has ventilated seats standard whereas the Momentum does not.

I have been considering an XC60 Inscription with 19" wheels (which seem to be plentiful around here). I can't imagine going with the 18"s.

 

The leather in both the momentum and Inscription is going to lay the life of the vehicles. I don't have the nappa - but I've driven multiple vehicles that did and there wasn't a huge difference.

 

Imo the nappa leather found in my V90 is more delicate than that found in my Lexus. I am speaking from experience. My understanding is the nappa leather in my V90 is also in the XC60.

 

My dog typically travels with me. I noticed that the perforated nappa leather stretches more easily from my dog's nails in the Volvo than in my Lexus. Upon close inspection, I noticed that the Volvo perforation holes are larger than in my Lexus and the leather in the Volvo is thinner, as well (all causing this leather to be softer but more delicate). My dog's nail stretched the nappa leather slightly, between two perforation holes (thank goodness it did not tear). I installed a backseat cover and a net between the front seats to guard against damage, when she's in the car. IMO, if one doesn't plan to have pets or kids in the car, go with the perforated nappa leather. Otherwise, if more abuse is likely, go with the non-perforated leather.

 

We'll agree to disagree. I wouldn't hesitate to order the nappa and have no fears regarding durability.

 

Was close to pulling trigger on 2021 XC60 Inscription. My Audi Q5 drives wonderfully but the sport/ventilated seats have proven to be very weird and uncomfortable. I drove the XC60 for a good long time and while I am fine with the ride quality (some complain about stiff ride) I gotta say I am not loving the Inscription ventilated seats. They seem very firm and I could not get the seat adjusted to where my lower back was happy. I sat briefly in a Momentum and that seat seemed more forgiving and comfortable. I may go back and take a drive in the Momentum. Anyone else compared the two?

 

I am happy that I am not the only "crazy" one that finds the Momentum leather seats more comfortable. I doubt that the seats are identical with the Inscription seats because there should be a space for the motor and the moving mechanism of the extension part and also the ventilated blowers ( in the Inscription seats) . Of course I may be wrong.

 

Seat comfort is so subjective. I suggest taking extended test drives in vehicles you are most interested in. For me, while I took a number of short test drives (less than 30 minutes), when I got down to the final 2 (2020 V90 T6 Inscription and 2020 Benz E450 Estate Wagon-Luxury model), I insisted on and obtained an overnight/24 hour test drive with each. Driving an identical 125 route, combining highway, country and city driving, along with day and night driving, helped my selection. Both cars were comparably equipped and well optioned. Hands down, for my wife and I, the V90's perforated nappa leather seats were far more comfortable than the E's similar seats. The V's front seats didn't have the massage feature, while the E's did. On the extended test drive, IMO, the E's four seat-deck massage mechanisms could be felt, under the padding, and were uncomfortable. When I checked on the Benz owners forum, many said to get the Benz seats without the massage function since they had the same complaint. As I said, take a l-o-n-g test drive and get what suits you best.

PS: Next to the S-Class nappa leather seats, the V's were the most comfortable for or my wife and I.

 

Four of the five Volvo's I owned since 2013 had Nappa leather. I have no problems at all with wear, apart from some color loss in coupe of small spots (edges) with the Beechwood-colored seats in my 2014 S60. I don't have dogs or small kids, however, and with the exception of that one Beechwood interior, the rest were/are black (or blond/black combo).