The first thing I noticed about Volvo’s 2021 S90 Recharge T8 Inscription? Its comfort. With beautifully soft and supple leather seats, ease of access and egress, the S90 is a great car for road trips and just life in general.
Volvo jazzed up the exterior a bit for 2021 and added an optional Bowers & Wilkins audio system along with a wireless charging pad and rear USB ports. A luxury sedan, the S90 comes in three trims: Momentum, R-Design and Inscription. This review will focus on the Inscription trim with the plug-in hybrid engine.
A wood interior trim with power-adjustable side support and perforated and ventilated front seats top the S90 Inscription. Extras which were included on my model are the Advance package with a 360-degree parking camera system, special ambient lighting in the interior and a power trunklid. The Climate package was also on-board adding a heated steering wheel, wiper blades and rear seats. My model also had the upgraded and awesome Bowers & Wilkins sound system and an upgraded adaptive air suspension, plus the Lounge package giving the S90 extra comfort with massage front seats, luxury armrest and ventilated rear seats.
All trims of the S90 come with a 2.0-liter four banger that is both turbocharged and supercharged. The Recharge powertrain adds plug-in electric motors which provide 21 miles of EV power on a full charge. With both the gas and electric powertrain the S90 produces 400 horsepower and 472 lb-ft of torque! An eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive are available on all trims. With electricity and gasoline mileage estimates are 60/combined city/highway MPGe and with gasoline alone 30/combined mpg.
The interior of the S90 is wonderfully roomy with oodles of space for front and back seat passengers alike. As stated above, the front and back seats are soft while still being supportive. They are also available heated and ventilated front AND back! My only criticism really, is with the tech interface, I find it very frustrating. There seems to be so many layers between me and what I want to accomplish. I’m sure there is a learning curve here and given time and patience I could tackle it.
With the gas and plug-in powertrain working in harmony, the S90 Recharge provides a meaningful amount of power. Quick acceleration is at the ready for a lane change or powering up that hill. Speaking of hills, steering is composed enough to enjoy those windy mountain roads.
If comfort is key with a whole lot of other fun stuff, then give the 2021 Volvo S90 Recharge T8 Inscription a test drive.
