I've only 2300 miles on my 3.6R Touring with Java Brown, but I love it. It was one of the reasons I went with the Touring.

The wilderness green with the brown is a great combo. I agree regarding black leather - just too hot in the summer. I'm not sure about dye transfer or other chemical properties. I had the Subaru Xzilon protection installed, both interior and exterior, a week after buying, as my dealer gave me a sweet deal as part of the buying process. I was already looking at something like it since I have a big dog that sheds, and wish I had it interior protection applied in my previous car. Xzilon might not be the best, but it 1) was inexpensive and 2) has a good warranty. I'll probably keep this car for at least 200K.

Ivory looks nice as well, but I'd be worried about scuffs and scrapes. A lot of my shoes have black soles. If I lived in a warmer-than-average climate, I'd probably go for the Ivory interior though since having that light of a color throughout the interior would make it more bearable after sitting in the sun. Definitely wouldn't need the heated steering wheel, either.

Hope this helps!

 

Love my Java Brown. Big, not only, but big reason I got the Touring.

 

I have had 3 limits with the Ivory and now own 2 Touring's with the Java. Java hands down although the ivory looks very nice it seems to show blue from jeans and always looks dirty on arm rest and seat edges from sliding in and out. I didn't like the extra cleaning it needed although the Java shows pet hair a lot more but so much easier to maintain,

 

OP - Have you considered an exterior color with the gray interior (v. ivory)? I ended up with a Touring because the heated steering was a non-negotiable item for the SO, but, frankly, would have been happier with the color options on the Limited. Didn't want white or black, so that left green (another no-go) and the dark blue, which is almost black. Had I gone with the Limited, would have looked for an exterior color option with the gray leather. The Java Brown in the Touring is fine, but I think it is somewhat of a faddish interior color these days. Have seen some other luxury brands pushing this interior color, and think that's why Subaru went with it.

 

The java brown looked like decent quality leather, the stitching seemed to be well put together but you never really know for sure until you have had a few years of your butt in those seats.

I agree that black/black (paint/interior) is a no-go, that is what I have now and it is roasting hot. I have had the green/ivory color combo on a different and it was not bad; it did take on a scuffed look after 4-5 years.

It really was not that much effort to go over the seats with a wipe on leather cleaner/conditioner once or twice a year but I understand the maintenance-inertia laws (an owner at rest, stays at rest).

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This sounds really weird but I looked it up and it does happen.. I had a child in the car on a long trip and they wet themselves and sat in it for several hours (do you need to go potty? no auntie, I am ok). After cleaning up the mess the leather permanently changed its texture. The corrugated look that many car leathers have disappeared just on that seat and became (baby butt smooth). It was kind of neat and I wish that all of the seats had that texture. I just do not want a car load of pre-schoolers to wet themselves in my car to get smoother feeling leather. Urine was used as a treatment for softening leather.

 

Black leather is the only way to go.

(Every thread needs that one guy.)

 

+1 Black leather with ventilated seats is even more awesome. Locking rear differential. And a factory remote start. Oh wait, that's our Jeep Cherokee.

 

My OB Ltd has the Ivory leather and I am pleased with how well it stands up. I have to say that as someone who has owned cars with leather of all different colors, they need to be cleaned and maintained. As a natural material, leather needs to be cleaned, conditioned regularly or at least twice a year. UV light, food spills and general wear and tear over time make any color leather look bad.


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I have been trying to figure out which segments of the interior are actual leather and which parts are pleather. I am sure the preforated parts are leather. I cannot tell for sure about any other segments.

I don’t care either way because I like all of it. I just need to know for maintenance purposes.

 

As another person suggested, the Gray interior is beautiful , but it only comes with the Twilight Blue and Gray Exteriors. It looks sharp with either of those colors if you like it.
I don't have the Outback yet, but my Forester Touring has the brown interior, and it doesn't show dirt. A friend has the Ivory in their Outback, and it has done well...just don't wear new bluejeans as the dye does tend to rub off on the ivory. It comes off , but more maintaining. The ivory really opens the look of the Outback interior .

I really want the gray interior for my new Outback, but the color options with it aren't really what I want, and the touring has the features. Don't understand why they only offer one interior color for the touring.

 

Same debate I went though. I wanted the 3.6R, so in-stock options were very limited. My preference came down to either a red Limited with Ivory interior, or Blue Touring. I found a dealer with a blue 3.6R touring in inventory, and a red/ivory Limited (though a 4-cyl) and had them parked side by side. Knowing that all decision have an intellectual & emotional component:

Intellectually: both cars are practically identical, save cosmetic differences in chrome trim/ roof race & leather color. Slight tip to the touring for (IMHO) a stronger roof rack system. The heated steering wheel is a non-factor as I live in a warm climate.

Emotionally: the Touring won hands-down. Not even close. The Java brown interior is gorgeous. I love the richness of it – it give the car a decidedly upscale feel. Combined with the extra little chrome – this is a car I can feel good about driving.

My wife preferred the Ivory interior – I preferred the Java Brown. If my wife was going to regularly drive this car, I would’ve went with the Ivory. Ivory does show dirt a bit easier (she sits on a towel to prevent ‘jeans transfer’ & it makes the interior of the car feel bigger. But as this was primarily my commuter/ weekend adventure mobile – I went with the Java Brown. No regerts whatsoever. One drawback I wasn’t anticipating: the Touring is almost too good looking to take it off pavement. I would be like hiking in your Sunday best!

 

I haven't had a car with a white interior since my 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass, but never again will I have such a light color. Back then I was far more OCD about keeping my car clean, but it was still a pain to keep up. When I bought my Outback, I wasn't certain about the Java Brown, but I wanted the other parts of the Touring package. Now after 5+ months my wife and I are both pleased with it.

 

Really like the Java Brown interior. One of the reasons I went with the Touring model.

 

I have Ivory Leather in my Outback, and like it just fine. My work vans (Dodge Grand Caravans-one with black cloth, the other with black leather) have convinced me not to have any black interior. Just because the dirt doesn't show, doesn't mean its not there. It gets dirty, and takes just as much time to clean. Because it's black often means that since I can't see the dirt, I don't have to clean it.
Also, the black interior makes the car look 'heavy' and dark.

 

I had the Ivory leather in our 2015 Limited. I had no problems with the leather surfaces staining, but the vinyl portions of the rear seat bottom got stained black from my daughter's booster seat. I tried everything under the sun to remove the stains, but nothing could get them out. The dealer's efforts were similarly futile. That same seat was used in our prior cars with parchment/ivory leather seats without incident.

 

Java ATW

I went with the Touring, in part, for the Java Brown - I really like the color, especially how it looks with my Wilderness Green. I also like the other Touring amenities such as the chorme door inserts and lower trim etc.

My wife has a '15 Legacy with Ivory, and while she likes it, she's going to switch to Gray or Black on the next one as the Ivory shows lots of dirt, and seems to attract the blue from jeans

Good Luck!

 

Bought a 2016 Limited with Ivory leather. Traded it in 16 months later, in large part due to the dye transfer problem with dark jeans. No matter what protection I tried, it only took about 2 weeks for the vinyl side bolsters to go blue again.

Our 2017 Touring with the Java Brown leather is SO MUCH easier to deal with. Yes, there is still some dye transfer, but it is masked by the darker color. Now I only have to clean the seats maybe once every 6 months.

If Subaru ever switches to an ivory interior that repels dye transfer better, we'd consider going back to it.

 

Wow - thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and thoughts. Good stuff and helpful to me in thinking this through!

 

I have Ivory in my Outback, love the looks but hate the constant cleaning. Seriously, every 2-3 weeks I'm cleaning all the surfaces in the driver's area.

My wife's Grand Cherokee has brown leather. I only worry about conditioning it twice a year. Gets the same exposure to dirt, hides it well.

 

I went to buy a Limited with the Ivory leather and once I saw and sat in the Touring with the Java Brown ... I ended up getting the Touring. The Java Brown was a contributing factor, but the fact that the Touring included all the features that were going to be add-ons to the Limited ... it was enough to push me over the edge.

No regrets.

 

I ended up with a Touring in part for the interior color - not so much the seats, but more so for the various plastic parts - the center console sides (I think gray blends in better with the carpeting) and the many finger-contact areas (glove compartment, rear seat vent controls, seat adjustment controls, door pulls, and seat belts) that are gray in the Touring and white in the Limited.

 

Thanks again for all your opinions and thoughts. I’ve made two more trips to dealerships to have another look at both interior options, and also scoped out a neighbor’s ’15 Limited with Ivory. Something PogieMon (post 11) said seems to be as much an influence on my choice as my concerns with maintenance of a sharp ivory interior by a lackadaisical owner with regards to interior maintenance (me!):

Knowing that all decision have an intellectual & emotional component:
Intellectually: both cars are practically identical, save cosmetic differences [. . .]
Emotionally: [. . .] The Java brown interior is gorgeous. I love the richness of it [. . .]

I have a very similar reaction.

To those who suggested alternatives – appreciate your views and that you shared them with me, but I’m just not going to do black leather again. I looked at the gray interior as well, but it didn’t quite grab me as much as the ivory (and its maintenance concerns for me) and doesn’t come with exterior colors I’m thrilled with.

** Now the harder part – getting a solid deal from local dealers on the few and far in-between Wilderness Green 2.5i Touring with Pop Package 3. Dark Blue is my fall back if it proves too tough to source or a real step-up in cost, but I’d really rather a Wilderness Green even if it means waiting a bit for in-transit or a factory order and no price difference (it’s hard to tell if there’s a local market preference for Green vs Blue that would affect offers, but there are quite a bit more Blues available at area dealers than Greens, and suspect I’d get more competitive offers on Blue). I’ll post in the MSRP thread for the benefit of others when / if I close a deal.

 

I think the Wilderness Green with the Java Brown is a great combo. Do any of you who have the Java Brown find it to be hot? Maybe you have not gone through a summer yet? The Java Brown is much darker. My Outback is my daily driver, and if it's at work, it is parked in an open lot. I have the Ivory interior and use a sunshade. We are in the Carolinas so it is HOT.

To the PP who had white in his Cutlass: I had a 76 Cutlass with white vinyl, and my Mustang has white leather.

 

I live in the Sacramento area, where summer regularly has days of 110 degrees. Where I am, it has already gotten up to 95. I use a sunshade. When I enter the car, the temperature of the BLACK leather does not even cross my mind because it is simply not that bad. Even if I did not use a sunshade, I doubt the seat temperature would be unbearable. I will report back in a couple months when summer is in full stride.

Exterior paint color, window tint, and sunshades are bigger factors for internal temperature and seat temperature. (This would make a good science experiment for grade school kids.)

I believe the concept of dark leather being really hot is a throwback to the old days when grandpa had slick dark vinyl seats in his Oldsmobile. Materials are different now.

 

I have previously owned an all-black outback. Even in Minnesota, the black leather became quite hot in the summer. Not comfortable at all.

I bought a green '17 outback with ivory interior and it makes a HUGE difference in terms of temps in the summer. I cant imagine going back to any kind of dark color after my experience with the ivory interior.

 

I have a 15 with Ivory Leather and Love it.... Also have an 18 Touring and love it but I wouldnt pass up the Touring model to get Ivory interior

 

I've noticed the Touring leather seems to breathe quite well. The lack of ventilated seats was a major con for me but after driving it some this summer, it was quite tolerable. The leather is soft and looks/feels like a higher quality leather than you typically see on a non-luxury brand.

 

I had a 2013 OB Limited with the Special Appearance Package (SAP). The SAP included a brown leather upholstery. I loved the brown color when I first purchased the car. But after a couple of years I became very tired of looking at the brown. I have ivory in my 2017 and am still happy with it after 19 months of ownership.