To owners with the Gobi interior - apart from making the interior lighter, how do you find this choice stands up regarding day to day use. Does it become grubby too quickly or do you find it good tempered and easy to keep looking good ? Thanks for your opinions.

I have a beige leather interior (including door handles etc...) in the Rangie and it has taken 30,000 miles and two years to get dirty. Two hours with a leather conditioning fluid and it has come up as good as new.

No, it's not Gobi, but it's close.

I have owned 3 cars with light leather (and a pair of cream sofa's ).

IF you live in a suit then they can be kept clean, if however you are one of the 80% of people who either wear jeans or can actually get dirty during the day, be that at work or at the weekends then they are nothing but a PITA to keep clean, every time yo clean them you will also be taking a fine layer of the paint off them, so in the case of our sofa's after 2 years of being lightly cleaned every week they looked very shabby.

I test drove a Superb demonstrator with the cream leather and considering the car had around 7K miles on the clock the seats were rank, even the salesman admitted that they look great when they are new, but are just not practical for most people.

Would I buy light leather again? VVVV

Totally depends if you look after it or not - treat it like crap it will look crap ! Treat it well and look after it, its fine !

Simple as that !

:yes:

I have the Gobi leather and have done about 4K - the seats were treated with the Autoglem products from new. (Autoshine)

The seats show no signs of dirt or marking even the rear seat where our 6 year grandson sits and play - his foot marks just wipe clean.

ernieb

If you abuse leather, as with any covering, it will soon become grubby. Dark covers will not show it as much as light covers but they will all become grubby over time, especially if abused. Strange how it works the opposite way round with exterior paintwork, just ask the owner of a black car !

Leather and denim, be it vehicles or sofa/chairs are not good bedfellows but I think this is more applicable to new and the cheaper grades of denim. With leather interiors it is easy to sponge down with a specific cleaner. Even black leather, as with dark fabric, soon shows up dust, lint etc.

So with reasonable care and pre treatment from new, is the Gobi shade reasonably good tempered - it sounds as though it is ? Do any owners actually regret going the Gobi route wishing instead they had chosen Onyx ?

Do any owners actually regret going the Gobi route wishing instead they had chosen Onyx ?

As people are saying with care the leather can be kept in a good shape. My worry with Gobi - and my reason for not chosing it even though I like it very much - is that the door cards and especially the armrests are also a light cream colour. I think the driver's armrest will look very grubby after a few years.

I had the cream leather in my old L&K Octavia. I cleaned it about 3 times in 2 years of ownership. I mainly wear a suit when driving, but black or blue jeans on my days off. It looked fine after 100,000 miles and 4 1/2 years of use. It is much lighter than Gobi.

I initially was going with black, but decided I wanted the lighter interior as I was used to it, and, to be honest, the biggest problem I had was with the carpets being cream. The Yeti's are black. The other problem area was the threshold which was also cream. The drivers armrest was actually ok. just give it a wipe occasionally with a wet wipe to clean it and it was almost like new.

So basically my problems areas were where I put my feet, not my backside!

The Yeti is balck where I had all my problems.

James has assured me that the autoglym treatment will make sure it looks great and is easy to clean for a long time, so I went for Gobi.

Mike

I bought an ex demo, with Gobi leather (I would not have ordered a car with it). However I do really like the lightness it gives to the interior (the sunroof is great for the too), but yes they have got a little grubby (my car is just coming up to a year old). I have actually just gone out and bought some Autoglym cleaner and treatment and intend to have a go at giving it a propoer clean this weekend, so we'll see how that works.

I bought an ex demo, with Gobi leather (I would not have ordered a car with it). However I do really like the lightness it gives to the interior (the sunroof is great for the too), but yes they have got a little grubby (my car is just coming up to a year old). I have actually just gone out and bought some Autoglym cleaner and treatment and intend to have a go at giving it a propoer clean this weekend, so we'll see how that works.

Was it not treated before you used it ?? Usually with leather prevention is better than cure.

Was it not treated before you used it ?? Usually with leather prevention is better than cure.

I honestly don't know. Thinking about it, it probably was, as it really isn't bad at a year old, but I just want to get back to 'as new' and keep it that way.

You need to look after leather to keep the suppleness and moisture in it to prevent it drying and cracking over time, but its usually easy to clean again after it has been treated and should last a fair time otherwise why do the luxury manufacturers use it as their chosen coverings ?

Even my missus new ford fiesta has got leather seats now !!

You need to look after leather to keep the suppleness and moisture in it to prevent it drying and cracking over time, but its usually easy to clean again after it has been treated and should last a fair time otherwise why do the luxury manufacturers use it as their chosen coverings ?

Even my missus new ford fiesta has got leather seats now !!

There are many different grades/qualities of leather used by the automotive industry. Is all the 'leather' in the mainstream cars (such as the Yeti and Fiesta you mention) actually even real leather or a synthetic material that looks like leather?

There are many different grades/qualities of leather used by the automotive industry. Is all the 'leather' in the mainstream cars (such as the Yeti and Fiesta you mention) actually even real leather or a synthetic material that looks like leather?

All the leather is real, albeit at different grades and price points. But even on a BMW and a Mercedes the sides are fake leather. Most all companies apart from say Bentley and Rolls Royce only apply real leather to the top surfaces. Same on our Yetis. It is part leather.

All the leather is real, albeit at different grades and price points. But even on a BMW and a Mercedes the sides are fake leather. Most all companies apart from say Bentley and Rolls Royce only apply real leather to the top surfaces. Same on our Yetis. It is part leather.

That's a bit of a contradiction don't you think? :think:

Everything you sit on and touch is real leather whereas the sides and rear of the seats (and probably the headrests?) plus the gear stick gaiter are not real.

That's a bit of a contradiction don't you think? :think:

Everything you sit on and touch is real leather whereas the sides and rear of the seats (and probably the headrests?) plus the gear stick gaiter are not real.

Thats exactly my reckoning also.

All companies do it. It is standard practice. And in fact I think I even once saw the word (part) after the leather option in an online specification section of the Yeti. Just Google this topic and you'll find lots of other forums asking this very question and then being "shocked" to hear they were duped!

That's the beauty of bespoke leather. Not only can you choose the colour and quality, nappa being the best, it is also applied 100% to all of the seats, head restraints & door cards. Many on this forum, including myself, have used Seat Surgeons for this.

I'd bet that many would like to have gone for the light leather, Gobi in the case of Yeti buyers but chickened out taking the 'safe' Onyx route instead.

Must say the lighter interiors in my opinion, look more appealing.

Many on this forum, including myself, have used Seat Surgeons for this.

Yes I looked at them before after someone mentioned them on here - it is the only way one can perhaps one day have alcantara centres on an Elegence spec Yeti. I love the bit showing all the various stitching types.

It was a huge question when my missus ordered her new fiesta last week cos it had leather seats and with her being a veggie she wasnt too keen on the idea of dead cow in her car, so after I reminded her she didnt have to eat the seats she got stroppy about it even more and it took some convincing that it wouldnt be real leather but on investigating it further it actually is lol.

Now I darent say anything or I will be living in the shed, so as far as she is concerned her car is imitation leather

Big smacky botty time if she ever finds out tho yikes !!

I hope everyone who is getting leather has also ordered heated seats. Leather in winter is freezing but a quick burst of a heated seat is marvellous. If you don't have that option then be prepared to sit on a towel all winter because you certainly wont want to be sitting on bare leather.

My bum will be toasty but even if I didnt have manually heated seats, my bottom has its own built in heating mechanism

Incontinence??

I'll get my coat.

Incontinence??

I'll get my coat.

Not solid or liquid fuel nope....just natural gas

Usually means yet another stint in the shed tho !