How rare is full leather?

[Brackett]

Don't see it very often. Just wondered how rare it actually is, and how much it was as an option? Obviously you can't spec it as new now (shame), but I assume you could on pre-facelift?

 

[pist0nbr0ke]

It was a £675 extra when I ordered my 2016 estate...

[Brackett]

Thanks. Only ever seen it once. Looks really good. Probably deemed expensive at the time, but if that was offered now I'd spec it on a new car order. 

[Guest]

Can't you still spec it on SE-L? It's a £430 option. My SE-L has full leather but agree, it's quite rare on the Octavia.

Edited 28 March, 2019 by Guest

[Brackett]

ah, I see. I was just looking at the VRS and made the (incorrect) assumption that as it wasn't available on the VRS it wasn't available on the others either. From what I've seen of the pre-facelift VRS leather it looks really nice - much nicer that the current standard VRS (non-leather) seats (and I'm a fan usually of cloth seats - we've got Tartan cloth seats in our Golf GTi). 

[lazygh0st]

Here in Baltics, leather seats as a an option is not available. We get only canvas seats with little bit of alkantara which laughable. Baltics is still third world country for Skoda..

[TMac88]

It was standard on my pre facelift VRS230.

It looks nice, and is easy to keep clean, but it is a bit saggy. 

[SashaGrace]

Mine has full leather, was about £800 from the options list at the time and you got heated seats with it. It’s such an upgrade from the standard vRS seating IMO. I refuse to get a new vRS because of the lack of full leather so I’ve refinanced mine and gone for more mods instead.

[EdinburghSkoda]

Mine is full leather and I love it - was the heated seats that sealed the deal for me.

[Rsrob]

had a 14 plate vRS with full leather was very nice a lot better then the standard seats 

my face lift 230 vRS  has full alcantara and its great i love it 

[Wangarai]

I retrofitted the vRS heated leather seats, the standard cloth/leather vRS seats were ok but had no heating - I have a bad back, heated seats are a god-send!

[CFBScout]

Can’t understand why you can’t spec it now, VRs comes with cloth! Mine has the upgraded heated leather and alcantara and it’s really nice. 

[Papfox]

I think the leather looks nice and is easy to wipe clean. I've also heard people say that, if anyone who uses the car likes to wear shorts or short skirts in the summer that the leather is prone to getting uncomfortably hot in the sun and skin sticking to it on hot summer days. YMMV.

[toni8b]

I think there is a difference between full leather in non vrs (which looks quality) and leather seats you get in vrs which look and feel cheap.

[AllanDJ]

Only ever had one car with good leather seats and that was a Ford Mondeo Ghia X which had superb perforated leather sports style seats and a steering wheel which was part wood. Wasn't that impressed with the leather seats on the Yeti L & K that I had until recently, the seats felt undersized, nice to have proper sized seats again in my new car. Sadly no leather on this Octavia but I did manage to add heated seats to it, which was the most important thing to me comfort wise!

[Loopylil]

My 2013 elegance has heated full leather,looks good,feels good but can get a bit hot in the full sun so i use seat covers for the summer.

[SashaGrace]

12 hours ago, Papfox said:

I think the leather looks nice and is easy to wipe clean. I've also heard people say that, if anyone who uses the car likes to wear shorts or short skirts in the summer that the leather is prone to getting uncomfortably hot in the sun and skin sticking to it on hot summer days. YMMV.

 

3 hours ago, Loopylil said:

My 2013 elegance has heated full leather,looks good,feels good but can get a bit hot in the full sun so i use seat covers for the summer.

Maybe it’s because I’m from the North, but I have never found leather seats uncomfortable in the heat. I honestly don’t mine them, and would never go back after having had leather in the last few cars.

11 hours ago, toni8b said:

I think there is a difference between full leather in non vrs (which looks quality) and leather seats you get in vrs which look and feel cheap.

Not sure I agree, the standard vRS seats are cloth and neoprene (like a wet suit) and pleather all over. That is a worse combination than cloth IMO. The leather/alcantara seats in the SE-L are nice, but nothing beats the full leather and the leather is a huge upgrade for the vRS. The backs are still pleather but the bit you sit on is decent leather. The test is the wear I suppose and my drivers seat with 105k miles is unmarked. It was a bit baggy but 10 mins with a hair dryer and it was back to new again.

[gregoir]

Only had leather once, Hyundai Coupe SIII. Seats felt cold in the winter, needed those heaters and were too hot in the summer to wear shorts. Apart from the looks, give me cloth.

And older readers will remember that awful perforated Ambla upholstery from the 1960s/70s. Oops, it still seems to be used under that brand name, made by Uniroyal. Maybe that is what SashaGrace referred to ?

Ran a Mk 2 Octavia to 90,000 miles and a Passat B5.5 up to 140,000 miles with cloth upholstery. Don't remember visible wear in either.

Edited 29 March, 2019 by gregoir
Ambla error

[Brackett]

3 hours ago, SashaGrace said:

 

Not sure I agree, the standard vRS seats are cloth and neoprene (like a wet suit) and pleather all over. 

 

How do any VRS owners on here find the current standard seats? 

[dunc69]

5 minutes ago, Brackett said:

 

How do any VRS owners on here find the current standard seats? 

Really good. Ordered leather in my Mk2 vRS and really liked it (lasted 88k miles with no discernible wear), but the Mk3 vRS cloth seats are fine, really comfortable and look great with the integrated headrests IMO. Mine have the light grey lines on them rather than the red, which I prefer. 

 

 

Edited 29 March, 2019 by dunc69

[Brackett]

Have you got the pre-facelift (with the lines across the base) or facelift (with the quilted crossed-lines)?

[Guest]

2 hours ago, gregoir said:

And older readers will remember that awful perforated Ambla upholstery from the 1960s/70s. Oops, it still seems to be used under that brand name, made by Uniroyal. Maybe that is what SashaGrace referred to ?

Ran a Mk 2 Octavia to 90,000 miles and a Passat B5.5 up to 140,000 miles with cloth upholstery. Don't remember visible wear in either.

 

The seats in the first Toyotas my father bought (that would be '73 and '75) were vinyl. Now that I do remember my legs sticking too in hot weather !

 

I'm with Sasha here. In very hot temp then yes the leather seat feels burning when wearing my mini-skirt  err I mean shorts,   but thats the initial touch - it lasts for no more than a few seconds.  As for the skin sticking to them? Either there is something wrong with the leather, people's legs or folk are guilty of poetic licence.  Skoda hardly use the softest best quality leather as it's obviously gone thru treatments to make it harder wearing, but it still needs treating. If you don't keep it supple, it'll dry out. Perhaps it's a simple case of those who complain about leather being hot and sticky aren't treating it.   

Edited 29 March, 2019 by Guest