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Leather Inrerior... light or dark? Why

3K views 21 replies 17 participants last post by  Giodog2000 
#1 ·
We are thinking of getting a 2015 Outback with leather interior. If you had or have leather what would you get next time Light or Dark and if you would, why that choice. Thanks.
 
#4 ·
If the saddle brown interior, which was offered on the '13 and '14 Special Appearance Package, is available on a '15, that would be my first choice. Beautiful.

But I went with the white, and so far I am happy with it. We have 32,000 miles on ours, and it still looks very nice. My only disappointment is that the leather is getting a little dark on the outer side bolster, adjacent to the black "side airbag" label, which is sewn into the seat. I think the ink from that label is bleeding. Now that I think about it, I'm going to take my Outback in to the dealership and see if they can fix that.

I've never been a fan of all black interiors. To me, they are very boring. So, I'm willing to clean the white interior often, to keep it nice.
 
#9 ·
The bleeding is on the seating area, not on the side. I'm pretty sure it is leather. So far I've only tried a couple different leather cleaners. Neither take it off. I'll let Subaru figure it out. I've read where others have had good success in having Subaru restore their leather interior, when they have had issues while still in warranty.
 
#6 ·
Light.

Leather is easy to clean and the light color stays cooler in the summer.

When my '08 was totaled at near 100k miles they called my ivory leather seats "dealer ready condition" on the appraisal. Only other thing they said that about was the carpet, but that was mint because I had just swapped black carpet into it.
 
#11 ·
Get what you like.

On my B9, Tribeca, and OB, I have had, respectively, dark grey (almost black), light grey, and ivory. The most practical with the kids has been the non-perforated light grey (still much darker than ivory). But the ivory has so far held fine. So, just get whatever you like. I am no fan of the light grey, but we bought that one used so color was not part of the equation.
 
#13 ·


Light -- unless you enjoy the ambience of a dungeon.


 
#15 ·
EdOsmar: From what I have seen on light/beige or white leather (that some of my friends have) is blue spots from jeans; somehow the moisture/sweat from your jeans weeps out and stains the leather. My friends could not clean those spots no matter what they tried...just my 2 cents....it's your money and your choice!
 
#16 ·
I went with dark, but mostly because after years in a Corolla that was 100% beige in and out I could not stand the thought of anything in the tan variety.

I like the dark leather in the 2015, it isn't so black that it becomes a cave and the seats have a classy light stitching. I think the black also goes will with a lot of the blue toned interior accent lighting.

I collect dirt of all colors at work, so a messy car will be a messy car regardless of color.

I also have a light color exterior and plan on getting an after market window tint to help with heat. A visor shield helps protect the dash from UV. Just to note, according to Car Talk the dash shield reflector works much better on the OUTSIDE of the windshield.

I'd say get a look at both and see what you want to live in.
 
#20 ·
Both my current "14 and previous "11 Limiteds have light leather. It cleans easily and gives a larger look to the interior. I feel boxed in in dark interiors. Black shows dust quickly and my experience is that it lightens when some solvents are used to clean spots. A detailer for a large dealer in our area says they use lacquer thinner for everything. That scares me. My van has gray leather and that is really nice....wish Subaru offered it.
 
#21 ·
I prefer dark interiors - I have black leather in my car (well, Subaru calls it "off-black") and it looks great to me (I am pretty anal about keeping the interior clean, though) - only experience I have had with a light interior leather was my wife's previous car which had a dark tan leather that was miserable to keep clean (dye transfer from pants seemed to be the main issue - it cleaned up fine every time, but it took a lot of work)

Looks are really subjective - if you like light interiors, go for it - leather can be cleaned without too much trouble (lots of products out there that will get the job done), if you prefer dark, then get that.
 
#22 ·
I think I mentioned this on another thread :
I prefer black. I'm blue eyed ,so too much light in the car is just hard on my eyes. I find it much more relaxing to be in a darker environment. I would probably still go for black if it wasn't for that cause I really like how cozy it feels.
 
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