Was looking to an SE but with the events of the day might now lean towards Elegance. (Muscovado DSG Petrol)

Main reason.......Elegance can be had with electric folding mirrors which I use every time I park. See other post.

EDIT...... Elegance can....OR NOT, as the case may be....Awaiting confirmation.

I appreciate the better headlights, electric seats and lumbar support that it would have with the Elegance + seat/mirror option too.

Need to decide very soon.

Never had leather though. Assumed, rightly or wrongly, the following -

Cold and hard in winter

Hot and sticky in summer

Might damage it with back pocket zips/buttons/ umbrella/ careless passengers

Might crease and look aged...(THE SEATS, NOT ME)

No kids or animals to consider

I say all this without owning leather (unless you count a Rover 2000 in the early 70's)

Am willing to listen and learn

It would be black, I think.......prefer that to beige.

Would value any thoughts as always.

Thanks in advance.

Edited 20 November, 201015 yr by oldstan

Was looking to an SE but with the events of the day might now lean towards Elegance.

Need to decide very soon.

Never had leather though. Assumed, rightly or wrongly, the following -

Cold and hard in winter

Hot and sticky in summer

Might damage it with back pocket zips/buttons/ umbrella/ careless passengers

Might crease and look aged

No kids or animals to consider

I say all this without owning leather (unless you count a Rover 200 in the early 70's)

Am willing to listen and learn

It would be black, I think.......prefer that to beige.

Would value any thoughts as always.

Thanks in advance.

Sorry about blank above - pressed wrong button.

My experience tells me that leather is actually cooler and more comfortable in summer, while in winter you have the advantage of heated seats with the Elegance trim.

Yes, it can 'age', but aged leather looks quite smart! And in fact the leather treatment creams you can get do an excellent job (especially if you can get a free upholstery treatment from your dealer as part of the package!).

I've never found that back pocket buttons or suchlike cause any damage.

Agree that black may be more practical but the Gobi sand is gorgeous when seen in the flesh and since, like you, I've no children or pets to worry about I have gone for that (beautiful combination with Muscavado).

Happy decision-making!

In general: Easier to clean kids throw up, beverage etc, looking nice out of saloon ?

Everything else, You have answered yourself:

Cold and hard in winter

Hot and sticky in summer

Might damage it with back pocket zips/buttons/ umbrella/ careless passengers

Might crease and look aged

Edited 18 November, 201015 yr by lok

If you go for leather do not go for a light colour - you will be for ever cleaning them. I had cream leather seats in the X-Trail for seven years and they did show signs of wear. Yes they are cold in winter until the heater kicks in.

I now have the SE with cloth seats and I am very pleased with them. I also had a sun roof in the XT - not bothered with the Yeti.

Edited 18 November, 201015 yr by Terfyn

Hi oldstan,

also ordered an Elegance and this will my first car with a leather interior; quite looking forward to the change. The interior of the SE is comfortable and hard wearing but as others have pointed out the leather is easier to clean and if looked after should wear well.

Gone for the onyx myself, even though again as others have referanced to the Gobi is very nice and a better shade than most light coloured interiors.

Regards,

TP

I've had two cars with cream leather, and wouldn't recommend it as they discolour with use. Darker colours, however, wear very well, and clean up better than cloth. My L+K has black leather with alcantara centre panels, so they grip well and aren't cold. It does have heated seats though, which is very nice right now! Having said that, I find my interior a bit oppressive, as it's entirely black, apart from the headlining. Is there a middle choice, a sandy colour? Now that would look good.

I've had two cars with cream leather, and wouldn't recommend it as they discolour with use. Darker colours, however, wear very well, and clean up better than cloth. My L+K has black leather with alcantara centre panels, so they grip well and aren't cold. It does have heated seats though, which is very nice right now! Having said that, I find my interior a bit oppressive, as it's entirely black, apart from the headlining. Is there a middle choice, a sandy colour? Now that would look good.

As various people on other threads have pointed out, the Gobi sand leather available on the Yerti is NOT a pale cream or even sand colour but more of a 'putty' shade (although much more attractive than that sounds!). Without the option (currently at least) of a sunroof, the additional lightness/brightness that this trim brings to the interior is very welcome, in my view.

Hi oldstan,

also ordered an Elegance and this will my first car with a leather interior; quite looking forward to the change. The interior of the SE is comfortable and hard wearing but as others have pointed out the leather is easier to clean and if looked after should wear well.

Gone for the onyx myself, even though again as others have referanced to the Gobi is very nice and a better shade than most light coloured interiors.

Regards,

TP

Did you fellas have any of the concerns I refer to? It's not really the cost, more I don't know if it scratches easily.....I'm assured it doesn't but it only takes one unfortunate accident to spoil them (or maybe they're as tough as old boots and I shouldn't worry?)

Are they slippery? If so there's the optional accessory you can buy that clips on the belt to tighten it up I guess....can't remember what it's called - it was mentioned here recently....

TP said - "if they're looked after".....I don't want to saddle myself with an ongoing liability - but would like the folding mirrors.

Edited 18 November, 201015 yr by oldstan

Did you fellas have any of the concerns I refer to? It's not really the cost, more I don't know if it scratches easily.....I'm assured it doesn't but it only takes one unfortunate accident to spoil them (or maybe they're as tough as old boots and I shouldn't worry?)

Are they slippery? If so there's the optional accessory you can buy that clips on the belt to tighten it up I guess....can't remember what it's called - it was mentioned here recently....

TP said - "if they're looked after".....I don't want to saddle myself with an ongoing liability - but would like the folding mirrors.

Referring to cleaning/treating with an auto leather product just now and then as part of the overall car cleaning looking after process.

TP

I would avoid the light colour if at all possible. Looks nice when new but very quickly loses its appearance. I speak from experience of Jaguars, Rovers and Hondas with either Black, Grey or Cream leather interiors.

I've had three Jaguars and two Rovers in creamy shades (chosen as company cars but with limited colour choice) and a couple of Hondas with dark grey leather (I bought those!). The Hondas didnt look quite so good when new - the Jaguars looked stunning. However after a couple of years fairly gentle use, the Hondas still looked like new whereas the cream interiors looked quite tired.

I like the Elegance interior in Onyx and would not consider the Gobi unless of course it was a company car where I had no choice - unlikely, since my present employer is more likely to make me redundant than offer a company car :'(

I found the leather quite cool in summer and by contrast it warms up after a couple of minutes and then is lovely and 'toastie' for as long as I want now the weather is cooler.

The Elegance is not cheap until you price up all of the standard things it has that on other models come as an extra. If you drive for a good chunk of the day and/or you want to enjoy a Yeti to its full, I totally recommend spending the extra cash - and you might get back a reasonable amount of the extra when you eventually sell it on.

Very much appreciate your replies, all.

You have confirmed, for me at least, that it would be the black rather than the Gobi although I accept the dark interior aspect, but that's fine.

Thanks.........and still happy to hear more of your experiences.

Bear in mind that not all the 'leather' is actually leather - mostly synthetic, so whether this ages as normal leather would I'm not sure? Anyway, I've got kids and I'm going for Gobi because I really like the colour, end of. If that requires a wee bit more cleaning, although I'm not convinced it does, then so be it. I'm fed up with being totally practical, and having black leather in my current car with a black dash I find it far too drab. If the sunroof was available to let far more light in then I might think differently.... actually no, just thought about it, I still prefer Gobi (with my poplar wood trim) by a long way.

Each to their own. (But I'm right of course )

You have confirmed, for me at least, that it would be the black rather than the Gobi although I accept the dark interior aspect, but that's fine.

That's easily cured, just specify the panoramic roof

In any case Onyx sounds better than black - it probably is a shade or two lighter, sort of anthracite.

My last car had cream leather and I loved it. After 2 years there were no marks or scratches. After a month or two you stop trying to be careful and just treat it as normal. I cleaned it every couple of months with some leather wipes and that always made a difference. Nothing more than that was needed. I found the seats looked better after 2 years than any cloth seated car I have owned, by a long way.

The seats were lovely and cool in summer, I expected hot and sticky but I think that relates back to plastic, faux leather, seats from the 70's. Honestly they are not like that. The seats are icy in winter but that is resolved with heated seats at which point the seats become heavenly. NEVER get leather seats without them being heated.

I also expect the seats to be slippy but they were not at all.

I found leather seats to be marvellous and I would happily get them again

Sorry about blank above - pressed wrong button.

My experience tells me that leather is actually cooler and more comfortable in summer, while in winter you have the advantage of heated seats with the Elegance trim.

Yes, it can 'age', but aged leather looks quite smart! And in fact the leather treatment creams you can get do an excellent job (especially if you can get a free upholstery treatment from your dealer as part of the package!).

I've never found that back pocket buttons or suchlike cause any damage.

Agree that black may be more practical but the Gobi sand is gorgeous when seen in the flesh and since, like you, I've no children or pets to worry about I have gone for that (beautiful combination with Muscavado).

Happy decision-making!

+1 to all that. It has to be Gobi for me though....Too much doom and gloom in winter for all black Interiors. :(

I'm taking note of all you say. Never had heated seats. Obviously I'm wrong but by the time they've heated up hasn't your bum heated them up anyway?....especially by the time they've taken to warm up the leather. With cloth seats I've never had a cold behind so haven't felt the need for amps round the rear but everyone likes them. Do you turn them off after a few minutes?

I'm taking note of all you say. Never had heated seats. Obviously I'm wrong but by the time they've heated up hasn't your bum heated them up anyway?....especially by the time they've taken to warm up the leather. With cloth seats I've never had a cold behind so haven't felt the need for amps round the rear but everyone likes them. Do you turn them off after a few minutes?

They can heat up way beyond bum temperature! (three settings). You can turn them off after a while or leave them on for that 'toastie' feeling. The choice is yours....

I've got the Gobi leather interior.

The last three cars I've owned have all had leather interior. I just like sitting on dead cow. All the colours have been light - beige, grey, grey and now mushroomy/putty colour. Never really liked black leather in cars.

These are the first heated seats I've had, and I must say I love them. I probably wouldn't have paid extra for them - but I might in the future if need be! Within a minute or so the seat base and back gets toasty warm, which is lovely as the temperature drops.

Yes, the lighter colours need a little more work to keep clean. I try and clean and feed the seats every three months or so. My work trousers are black, and tend to leak a bit of colour into the seats, so the drivers seat needs care more often. On the plus side, muddy marks etc from kids just wipe off.

I've never managed to catch or rip any leather seat on anything. So far, the Gobi leather seems to be wearing well and looks like it will have a long life.

I'd buy a leather finished Yeti again!

We've had light-coloured leather in our last 5 cars over a total of 240,000 miles. No problems with damage apart from a slight tear in one of the very deep bolsters on my wife's Beetle - a synthetic part which would have been equally bad with cloth seats. We have carried timber, ladders, trees, gazebos, large packages etc. with no damage.

Care consists of a wipe over with Meguiar's Leather Wipes when the seats are starting to look grubby - even a ball-point pen mark came out OK. It's much easier to keep clean than cloth or the hard plastic trim such as sills. So I would happily have leather again, and I much prefer lighter colours - which are also not as hot if the car has been standing in the sun. No real problems with sliding about either.

However the main reason for me to choose the Elegance spec would be the excellent cornering headlamps, much better than the optional (Czech-made) Xenons on the XF.

Mark

When a woman wears a leather dress, a man's heart beats quicker, his throat gets dry, he gets weak at the knees, and he begins to think irrationally. Ever wonder why ??

It's because she smells like a new car !

Leather seats every time !!!

I also have had light grey colour leather in my previous BMW's and beige in my L&K octavia. Overall I would say that the Octavia seats lasted better than the BMW's ones, In 40,000 miles I cleaned them once. It was 100,000 miles young when I sold it. The BMW seats needed rebuilding at that mileage. The Octavia ones were brilliant. (and they had all the electric motors dipping mirrors etc. -miss it)

I'm going to have my Yeti prepared with Autoglym Lifeshine, which protects the car inside and out and makes it easier to clean. It can be applied to cloth as well as leather.

If slipping around on a leather seat bothers you, and most of the time it isn't a problem, then buy a CG-Lock, which locks the lap part of the seatbelt in the correct position. Has the added benefit of helping those of us with bad backs keep our posture right when seated in the car. I don't like driving without it now. See posts in uncomfortable seats in a yeti.

Mike

Did you fellas have any of the concerns I refer to? It's not really the cost, more I don't know if it scratches easily.....I'm assured it doesn't but it only takes one unfortunate accident to spoil them (or maybe they're as tough as old boots and I shouldn't worry?)

Are they slippery?

TP said - "if they're looked after".....

Hi OldStan

Like quite a few others I have had a variety of leather, both light and dark, and cloth.

Regarding clean-ness. As a farm vet I had a VW ToeRag with leather, and when leaping in and out in brown smocks, often with unseen dollops of doo-dah attached to the coat, the leather was a doddle to keep clean. A quick wipe with a damp cloth was usually enough, unless it was a 3a.m. dirty job when the seats were on their heated maximum - then the dung tended to get baked on, and was a wee bit more tenacious to remove.

Compared with cloth where anything damp tended to infiltrate the fibres and then leave resistant stains behind. The worst was a leaky jar of Tikka Masala from Loyd Grossman that left an indelible mark on the back seat. Looked like someone had had a fright at my driving!!

Again - with damage, the leather was remarkably resilient. And again the ToeRag upholstery suffered pretty extensive abuse from sharp equipment and sharp boxes being thrown onto it in a hurry from one emergency to another. No damage at all, whereas cloth seats tended to snag, in my experience.

Regarding slip-sliding around, I have found the relative ease of moving ON the seat to be an advantage. I am a fidgety driver and hotch about from one cheek to another, and this is facilitated by leather, whereas cloth would also move your clothes into un uncomfy fankle, usually involving a crease somewhere!!

Cold in winter? Marginally, especially at 3 a.m.! Hot in summer? Nope, not really.

After 14000 miles, this 16 stone bottom has resulted in the squab of the seat looking slightly "rippled" as opposed to dead flat. No unsightly wrinkles (only to be found on the driver) or marks at all. I did have a light grey leather finish in a Renault Laguna that was both a bit crummy and a bit wrinkly.

Hope this all helps, my friend, as the Elegance trim does seem to provide real value for money, in my opinion. GOOD LUCK!

Edited 19 November, 201015 yr by Freshacre

I also have had light grey colour leather in my previous BMW's and beige in my L&K octavia. Overall I would say that the Octavia seats lasted better than the BMW's ones, In 40,000 miles I cleaned them once. It was 100,000 miles young when I sold it. The BMW seats needed rebuilding at that mileage. The Octavia ones were brilliant. (and they had all the electric motors dipping mirrors etc. -miss it)

I'm going to have my Yeti prepared with Autoglym Lifeshine, which protects the car inside and out and makes it easier to clean. It can be applied to cloth as well as leather.

If slipping around on a leather seat bothers you, and most of the time it isn't a problem, then buy a CG-Lock, which locks the lap part of the seatbelt in the correct position. Has the added benefit of helping those of us with bad backs keep our posture right when seated in the car. I don't like driving without it now. See posts in uncomfortable seats in a yeti.

Mike

Continuing to take note, thanks all. The Autoglym treatment was worth a mention and the CG Lock references spotted with interest having read the thread you refer to. I believe I referred to these belt locks earlier in this thread but couldn't remember the name - you've reminded me.

Hi OldStan

Like quite a few others I have had a variety of leather, both light and dark, and cloth.

Regarding clean-ness. As a farm vet I had a VW ToeRag with leather, and when leaping in and out in brown smocks, often with unseen dollops of doo-dah attached to the coat, the leather was a doddle to keep clean. A quick wipe with a damp cloth was usually enough, unless it was a 3a.m. dirty job when the seats were on their heated maximum - then the dung tended to get baked on, and was a wee bit more tenacious to remove.

Compared with cloth where anything damp tended to infiltrate the fibres and then leave resistant stains behind. The worst was a leaky jar of Tikka Masala from Loyd Grossman that left an indelible mark on the back seat. Looked like someone had had a fright at my driving!!

Again - with damage, the leather was remarkably resilient. And again the ToeRag upholstery suffered pretty extensive abuse from sharp equipment and sharp boxes being thrown onto it in a hurry from one emergency to another. No damage at all, whereas cloth seats tended to snag, in my experience.

Regarding slip-sliding around, I have found the relative ease of moving ON the seat to be an advantage. I am a fidgety driver and hotch about from one cheek to another, and this is facilitated by leather, whereas cloth would also move your clothes into un uncomfy fankle, usually involving a crease somewhere!!

Cold in winter? Marginally, especially at 3 a.m.! Hot in summer? Nope, not really.

After 14000 miles, this 16 stone bottom has resulted in the squab of the seat looking slightly "rippled" as opposed to dead flat. No unsightly wrinkles (only to be found on the driver) or marks at all. I did have a light grey leather finish in a Renault Laguna that was both a bit crummy and a bit wrinkly.

Hope this all helps, my friend, as the Elegance trim does seem to provide real value for money, in my opinion. GOOD LUCK!

Fascinating, informative and very entertaining post, FA. So many thanks for that - I really mean that! PS. You have a half a stone advantage on me......and your description of in flight bottom fankling is priceless.