Does anyone have pics of the GTI leather seats??

[kevvie]

I have been trawling around with no luck, would like to see what they look like before ordering.

I have a 2007 model GTI with APR so don't mind the wait....

[JaneAusten]

Volkswagen Polo GTI Review | Car Advice | Reviews

Scroll down mate. In short, don't mess with the traditional tartan seats, they are a part of the GTI heritage and symbol, plus the pleather seats look horrible and offer next to no functional advantage.

Btw, I have the new Polo GTI with the tartan seats and it's a great test to see how much people know about GTIs base on their comment on the seats.

[Frostee]

Volkswagen Polo GTI Review | Car Advice | Reviews

Scroll down mate. In short, don't mess with the traditional tartan seats, they are a part of the GTI heritage and symbol, plus the pleather seats look horrible and offer next to no functional advantage.

Btw, I have the new Polo GTI with the tartan seats and it's a great test to see how much people know about GTIs base on their comment on the seats.

+1

I took a look at the 'leather" option when ordering my car and one look made my mind up. $1900 for predomiately velour seats that look crappy the moment you sit on them. The only benefit I guess is they're heated, but why would you pay that much for a "nice to have"? Instead I ordered a panoramic sunroof for $1700.

I love the tartan

[GTI JOE]

+2

Stay with the Tartan laddy...hoot man it's bonny..."they can take away our leather, but they will never take away our Taaarrrtttaaannnn!!! . Use the extra shilling for power mods.

[GraveDilute]

My company supplies the same leather as used in these seats.
The cost price is about 10 percent of that

Power mods or a nav perhaps??

[VW Central]

Do the new polo's have heated seats in the tartan?

[Frostee]

No, I am not aware of heated seats being an option with the standard cloth tartan interior.

[Corey_R]

Courtesy of AUSmotive.com


Sorry about the line through that, it's from the PDF brochure.

[GTI JOE]

What more can I say....send them to HELL

[VW Central]

Definitely leather!!

[triode12]

They are part leather, part Alcantara (a synthetic material).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcantara_(material)

Used in high end cars like Lambos to trim everything from dashboards to steering wheels.

[Frostee]

I don't care what they call it I still think they look like crappy old suede. Give me the Jacky Tartan anytime

[Ralfi]

If you want an idea of how crap/worn they look after you've sat in them, go to a sofa place & sit on their suede sofas. You'll be 'combing' the suede to get the 'marks' out in no time...........very cheap looking.

[Corey_R]

But it's not suede.
It's Alcantara which is synthentic and was specifically designed for this purpose.

People like leather, but leather isn't as "grippy" as suede or cloth for sporty driving. But suede wears out and becomes smooth anyway (as you noted from the furniture stores). Alcantara is design to provide properties of suede but be much more durable.

From the wiki link that triode12 provided:

Alcantara is composed of about 68% polyester and 32% polyurethane giving increased durability and stain resistance. The appearance and tactile feel of the material is similar to that of suede, but it may be incorrectly identified as such, or as "Alcantara leather".

So call it "cheap" looking if you want - but keep in mind that when you go and spend that extra $120,000 to get the "special edition" of your already $500,000 Lamborghini - alcantara will be everywhere replacing the leather of the standard model... hehe

[Frostee]

Just goes to show you don't have to have taste to have money.

As I said I don't care what you call it, I sat on the fabric in a Golf R and it looked like crap.

Interesting to note I've read of Lambo owners who have had to pay a premium to get leather? Go figure. At the end of the day Alcntara is a branded name for a micro fibre fabric which i guarantee you they're making a killer margin on