Inscription has most bells and whistles standard whereas you have to option them in the Momentum. Some Inscription features aren't available at all on Momentum like nappa leather seats.

 

Seats.
No ventilation on Momentum. No extension. Less adjustments.

//my knowledge is based on 2016, so could be outdated

 

Yes, big difference IMO...

perforated Nappa leather vs regular grainy/rough leather (optional solid Nappa with countour seats option on earlier years)

Seats - multi contour perforated (ultra comfortable) vs regular (still pretty comfortable)

option package availability - momentum has no luxury pkg w/massage feature, no air suspension (later years), no b&w sound (later years), and I’m sure there’s a couple other things I’m forgetting.

Currenty have our ‘19 t6 inscription in the shop for some warranty work, and wife is driving a ‘21 t5 awd momentum loaner. We don’t really care for it and can’t wait to get our ‘19 back. I mean...it’s a decent vehicle and the t5 engine isn’t bad at all, but the ‘21 doesn’t have any of the features that make our 2019 feel special.Things I miss most are the air suspension, inscription seats w/cooling, and the soft Nappa leather (especially on armrests...didn’t realize how nice these were until driving the loaner).

 

poor.

not poor.

it's pretty simple.

 

How could this guy not crack you up

 

Some good information from most posters in this thread. Are you looking at buying or leasing a new car? What we did was drive several cars with both trim levels and added features. And read comments online about features.
Here's what we found.
Seats: The Inscription perforated leather is softer and more pliable to the touch that Momentum standard leather. The extension seats were actually less comfortable than the standard still very nice leather seats. Personal experience is that nappa leather tends to wear faster and stretch more than the more durable standard leather.
Wheels: Larger wheels will ride well on smooth roads but will be noticeably harsher on less than smooth roads. Went with 20".
Sound system: Standard, HK and BW is available. HK made a definite improvement over standard. Didn't think BW was worth the substantial premium. An audiophile could see the benefit.
Air suspension: Could be useful for certain driving situations. Concerns had to do with online comments about reliability especially when it gets cold. Passed.
T5 vs T6 engines: The T5 did a good job but the T6 with added power was worth the price. Did not drive the T8 but were concerned about reliability and added value for price.

Spend a few weekends doing test drives of various feature and trim combinations. The T6 Momentum with HK sound and 20" wheels seems to be a very popular and widely found combination. Be sure to ask questions and update with your choice.

 

2017 T6 Momentum Plus owner here.

Doesn't have: perforated leather, air suspension, bowers & Wilkins audio, real wood trim pieces on the doors and dash, heated steering wheel, Rear chrome piece under tailgate, I added it after the fact. Larger wheels above 19". Seat extension for thigh support on front seats.

Does have: pilot assist 2, normal leather without the holes for hair to get pulled into, HUD, active bending and LED headlights, veneer glossy dark wood trim on the dash & doors. Ambient lighting package. Heated front seats.

Basically the momentum plus I bought has everything I wanted from the inscription. The rest I didn't care for or felt it was another potential failure point. You might want more or less, but I couldn't justify spending the extra $10K for the rest of the features from the Inscription with most of the items already on this trim.

 

Speculating: Presence and/or quality & thickness of sound insulation.

While digging for the front passenger fuse box (buried in middle earth - thanks Volvo [emoji12]) I couldn't believe how dense the insulation was as well as the layers of insulation there. From reading posts the Momentum might not have the same amount or quality of insulation as the Inscription (which we have, MY 2019 T8). While under electric drive or even gas drive we can literally whisper our entire conversation.

But this is just speculation since I haven't compared my observations to a same MY Momentum T8. In fact, there may even be T5,T6 differences to a T8, but again this is speculation.

 

So I was never able to test drive an inscription (went to 2 separate dealerships but only managed to test drive T6 Momentum and T8 Inscription Expression, which is basically Momentum).
I really liked the Orrefors crystal shifter and made a factory order for an Inscription in Feb, with just the Advanced package on an Inscription. However, when the car landed here in May, I was getting a much better deal on a fully-loaded Inscription Expression, and since I wasn't going for any Inscription specific packages, I decided to compromise and buy the Inscription Expression.

Cut to today - dropped my car off at the dealership for a tint match and to look at the wireless charger not working. They gave me a fully loaded XC60 T6 Inscription as a loaner (like the whole shebang including B&W and lounge package) and my god - those inscription seats are PURE BLISS! That thigh extender and the soft leather is well worth the $5k extra I would have had to pay for the car I had originally ordered.

So anyone reading this thread, if you can afford it - make sure to test drive an Inscription - purely for the seats. I did not, and I now regret it as I didn't really know what I missed!

 

Good summaries above. Are you looking new or pre owned? Some things have certainly changed over the years. The seats are the biggest functional difference across the span though. Much of the rest is in either more features being standard or aesthetics. The new Inscriptions have leather dash (optional on early Inscriptions) and that really makes a big impact. Obviously not much of a functional one though! Inscriptions do have sun shades for the 2nd row seats too. The aesthetics are nice though. There is no mistaking the difference when you get inside one vs the other, and inside is where you'll be spending most of your time involving the car. I like drinking my whiskey from a Tiffany's crystal (Orrefors is thicker.. I use them for water at work though). It doesn't taste any different but there is a difference in the experience.

 

Great call on the Inscription seats - we did not know this and glad we cross-shopped against an Inscription XC90 before committing to a Momentum one. My wife is fairly short and wasn't able to fit quite as well into the Momentum seats vs. Inscription so definitely worth sitting in both IMO. Having a little one, the sun shades in the 2nd rows were also deal breaker for us, love the convenience of having it built in right into the door.

 

Just returned our ‘21 t5 awd momentum service loaner that we’ve been driving for a week, and picked up our ‘19 t6 inscription with all the goodies (air, BW, luxury pkg, etc) and it really is a night and day difference. One feels like an entry level luxo-SUV with a nicer than average interior. The other feels like I’m driving the living room of a house much nicer than mine.

 

If that's all you've gathered from looking, then details and features don't matter to you and you should just save the money with the Momentum as you most likely won't ever notice.

 

Momentum is a good base model. The Momentum Plus (a/k/a Inscription Expression) is much better IMO in terms of standard options.

The Inscription though offers much more in terms of interior comforts, seats and additional options. A simple comparison in the brochure should provide sufficient insight for an informed decision.

However, actually sitting and riding/driving both trims should seal the deal in terms of what is important. Like others, the Momentum loaner cars are nice but not nearly as nice as my own (Inscription) vehicle. YMMV.