RD suede seats vs. Inscription full leather seats

Wayne T5 · May 22, 2018

ChrisB1 said:
Same. I can't understand why Volvo has decided that a "premium" interior upgrade needs faux-suede no matter what they name it.

Probably because Volvo's designers view the R Design as the "sporty" model. Sporty models from other manufacturers (BMW, Audi, Porsche) often have seats with alcantara inserts, which is pretty similar to the nubuck textile that Volvo uses now. Not everybody likes this material - I like it a lot.

The "premium" interior would be the Inscription.

Wayne T5 · May 22, 2018

NowImHookedOnVolvo said:
This thread sure has a lot of testosterone in it. Shall we also debate Yanni or Laurel?

Just trying to resolve misconceptions. As a fan of the brand, it's a little annoying that Volvo's own customer care people are misinformed and that folks have to come on a website to get accurate information.

GreenCaribou · May 22, 2018

SeppTB said:
Personally had I known it was synthetic, that'd be a buying point.

I am really happy about this too. I prefer premium materials that do not contain animal parts.

SeppTB · May 22, 2018

GreenCaribou said:
I am really happy about this too. I prefer premium materials that do not contain animal parts.

Ditto, though my thinking is less for the animal parts and just that I think the synthetic materials hold up better over time

If nothing having leather is a consideration for you, its worth calling out if you weren't already aware, the R-Design seats do still have Nappa leather on the sides. So they wouldn't be totally animal free.

Chapps · May 22, 2018

Wayne T5 said:
Just trying to resolve misconceptions. As a fan of the brand, it's a little annoying that Volvo's own customer care people are misinformed and that folks have to come on a website to get accurate information.

Agreed. Volvo should state *exactly* what's in their cars. If they're calling something 'leather', it had better come from a cow. Having said that, all I care about is how the RD seats feel to me personally. Unfortunately, all of the local dealers have sold their RD demo models, because in each case, they were offered WAY over MSRP by buyers with all-cash (yeah, typical Southern California). So, there's no chance that I'll get a gander at an RD any time soon. I either have to order it on faith, or order the Inscription, knowing exactly how the seats will feel ... but I'd have to be OK with a boring color. Argh!

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Wayne T5 · May 22, 2018

Chapps said:
Agreed. Volvo should state *exactly* what's in their cars. If they're calling something 'leather', it had better come from a cow. Having said that, all I care about is how the RD seats feel to me personally. Unfortunately, all of the local dealers have sold their RD demo models, because in each case, they were offered WAY over MSRP by buyers with all-cash (yeah, typical Southern California). So, there's no chance that I'll get a gander at an RD any time soon. I either have to order it on faith, or order the Inscription, knowing exactly how the seats will feel ... but I'd have to be OK with a boring color. Argh!

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Tough to order a car without sitting in the seats first - that's a pretty important detail. One of the moderators on here (Grecian Volvo) is an area manager (or some other similar role) for Volvo in Southern California. Maybe he can refer you to a store with one you could sit in. You might send him a PM. Good luck.

Chapps · May 24, 2018

Wayne T5 said:
Tough to order a car without sitting in the seats first - that's a pretty important detail. One of the moderators on here (Grecian Volvo) is an area manager (or some other similar role) for Volvo in Southern California. Maybe he can refer you to a store with one you could sit in. You might send him a PM. Good luck.

Thanks, Wayne. I might do that. I'm really starting to lean away from the RD, mainly because I can't see living with suede-like (fake Nubuck) seats. Not because they're bad, but because they may not work with my lifestyle. I work out a *lot* - very active - and the idea of getting into my car at the gym when I'm sweating heavily, literally dripping sweat, and that suede-style seat absorbing said sweat ... yuck. And as any of us with nubuck/suede shoes knows, they can get dirty very quickly and be a devil to keep clean. I can't for the life of me understand why Volvo didn't include polished leather seats as an option for the RD.

As a result, I'm not looking at the Inscription, fully loaded, and maybe even considering OSD (although I have to learn a lot more about that option - luckily, a co-worker did OSD last year and we can pump him for info).

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Chapps · May 24, 2018

Chapps said:
Thanks, Wayne. I might do that. I'm really starting to lean away from the RD, mainly because I can't see living with suede-like (fake Nubuck) seats. Not because they're bad, but because they may not work with my lifestyle. I work out a *lot* - very active - and the idea of getting into my car at the gym when I'm sweating heavily, literally dripping sweat, and that suede-style seat absorbing said sweat ... yuck. And as any of us with nubuck/suede shoes knows, they can get dirty very quickly and be a devil to keep clean. I can't for the life of me understand why Volvo didn't include polished leather seats as an option for the RD.

As a result, I'm not looking at the Inscription, fully loaded, and maybe even considering OSD (although I have to learn a lot more about that option - luckily, a co-worker did OSD last year and we can pump him for info).

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And I should add that I haven't been able to sit on the RD seats yet in person, because all of the local dealers keep selling any RDs that they get in stock - not keeping any as demos (which I think is incredibly short sighted, but dealers really only care about the $$, and some crazy folks are offering all cash, $1k or more above MSRP). Maybe I'll change my mind, if I get to sit in an RD. But I'd like to put my deposit down very soon, so ...

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Orphanscribe · May 24, 2018

Chapps said:
the idea of getting into my car at the gym when I'm sweating heavily, literally dripping sweat, ... yuck.

"Smooth" leather is not pleather. Your Inscription with the smooth leather seats may wind up as hard to resell as Jerry Seinfeld's car, if that's the way you intend to use it.

Chapps · May 24, 2018

Orphanscribe said:
"Smooth" leather is not pleather. Your Inscription with the smooth leather seats may wind up as hard to resell as Jerry Seinfeld's car, if that's the way you intend to use it.

I'm not worried very much about polished leather seats. I've had 'regular' aka all polished leather in my last four cars. Never had suede style seats, though. Given my experience with polished leather vs. suede/Nubuck shoes ... I think I have reason to be a little concerned. Polished leather is usually far easier to keep clean, as it absorbs less than napped leather.

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Orphanscribe · May 24, 2018

Chapps said:
I'm not worried very much about polished leather seats. I've had 'regular' aka all polished leather in my last four cars. Never had suede style seats, though. Given my experience with polished leather vs. suede/Nubuck shoes ... I think I have reason to be a little concerned. Polished leather is usually far easier to keep clean, as it absorbs less than napped leather.

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My wife still insists a dry towel separate sweaty husband, son, grandson from smooth leather.

jen531 · May 24, 2018

I'm considering an XC90 r-design. What are the rear seats like? Are they normal leather or suede? I have 2 kids in car seats and would think that regular leather would be easier to clean up a mess...thoughts?

Chapps · May 24, 2018

Orphanscribe said:
My wife still insists a dry towel separate sweaty husband, son, grandson from smooth leather.

Your wife is a smart woman. Keep her. Or just convince her to keep you.

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Chapps · May 24, 2018

jen531 said:
I'm considering an XC90 r-design. What are the rear seats like? Are they normal leather or suede? I have 2 kids in car seats and would think that regular leather would be easier to clean up a mess...thoughts?

If you go to the Volvo site and build a car, you see Nubuck and Nappa leather for the R-Design seats. Seems to be very similar to the XC40 RD, although the seats themselves are more substantial on the XC90. Not sure why there's this determination to push suede-like Nubuck in RD models. I've had one person explain that it makes you stick to the seat better when zooming around curves. That was a good laugh. [emoji23]

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joebxr · May 24, 2018

Reached out to Volvo on Facebook:

Volvo Car USA
Can I get customer service help?
I would like to understand if the upholstery of the XC40 R-Design is GENUINE NUBUCK "LEATHER", or if it is NUBUCK TEXTILE. Please confirm.
WED 7:44PM

Volvo Car USA
Hello Joe, thank you for your interest in the XC40. The Nubuck leather is very similar to a suede texture, not a smooth leather.
5:22AM
Joe
Thank you, but I'm still not understanding if it is genuine leather or a man-made textile. Please define which it is.
4:38PM

Volvo Car USA
Hello Joe, it is genuine leather.

Jadwin · May 24, 2018

joebxr said:
Reached out to Volvo on Facebook:

As helpful as they can be in some situations, the social media teams for major companies are not the best resources for detailed product information.

Chapps · May 24, 2018

joebxr said:
Reached out to Volvo on Facebook:

Confusing, eh? ? The nose will know! Nobody seems to be able to replicate that new leather smell. Now if only there were an RD somewhere at a nearby dealership ...

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GrecianVolvo · May 24, 2018

joebxr said:
Reached out to Volvo on Facebook:

Nubuck is a synthetic material.

joebxr · May 24, 2018

GrecianVolvo said:
Nubuck is a synthetic material.

Thank you. I stand corrected, and Volvo should be transparent and state the accurate description.

GrecianVolvo · May 24, 2018

joebxr said:
Thank you. I stand corrected, and Volvo should be transparent and state the factual description.

Let me be clear in that when I write "synthetic" I do not mean in the same context as, let's say, vinyl or leatherette. Nubuck does have elements from a real cowhide but it has been processed extensively to give it that look and feel; it is washable whereas suede (which does not undertake as much of a human intervention) is usually susceptible to water damage, stains, etc.

Nubuck is not a fully inorganic material.

RD suede seats vs. Inscription full leather seats

Wayne T5

Wayne T5

GreenCaribou

SeppTB

Chapps

Wayne T5

Chapps

Chapps

Orphanscribe

Chapps

Orphanscribe

jen531

Chapps

Chapps

joebxr

Jadwin

Chapps

GrecianVolvo

joebxr

GrecianVolvo

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