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Questions about blonde nappa leather interior on 2021 XC60 T8

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6.2K views 11 replies 11 participants last post by  Gary-16-Xc90  
#1 ·
Going to look at a 2021 XC60 T8 Recharge Inscription next week that is silver exterior with blonde nappa leather interior.
Should I have any concerns or worries about caring for such a light colored nappa leather? Suggestions for leather
products to use, frequency of care, etc? Would be a new Volvo owner.

Thanks
Rick
 
#2 ·
Going to look at a 2021 XC60 T8 Recharge Inscription next week that is silver exterior with blonde nappa leather interior.
Should I have any concerns or worries about caring for such a light colored nappa leather? Suggestions for leather
products to use, frequency of care, etc? Would be a new Volvo owner.

Thanks
Rick
Nappa leather durability is pretty good. It was terrible for the first year model on the SPA platform (2016 XC90). But you should be fine. Blue jeans and other clothing colors transfer really easily onto the blonde leather. IMO, the best leather care is Volvo's own leather care kits. Between using the kit, wiping off any clothing color transfers is as simple as using a damp microfiber cloth. If black leather is possible, I'd recommend that though. The Blonde is very difficult to keep transfer free.

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#4 ·
I also agree that if you are going to go with blonde leather, you will need to do more cleaning. I have amber leather and I find that Volvos leather care kit works great. There are a ton of leather cleaner and conditioners on the market, and i have tried many of them. Some require wiping down with a wet cloth after using the cleaner, some add a slight shine to the leather. The Volvo kit is super easy to use, and leaves the leather looking new. Remember also that the inscription has leather on the top of the dashboard, and that will at least need to be conditioned at times. One reason that I went with amber instead of blond was, at least in the 2020 models, the steering wheel was blond and black. I couldnt imagine keeping that very clean for very long.
Volvo advises cleaning/conditioning 1-4 times a year. I would imagine with blond leather and jeans, it would be more often.
 
#6 ·
The Volvo kits for leather care a bit expensive, but totally worth it, in my experience.
The blonde and amber leather does show a lot of die transfer - but it cleans up in seconds, with the right products. I would not worry too much.

The 2016 and 2017 Nappa leather on the first SPA cars was softer and the seats had different stitching. There were issues with early degradation (I had seats replaced on a 2017 XC90 T8). But the new Nappa is just a bit thicker. It's noticeable, if you have them side-by-side, but barely. If you are looking at 2020-2021 models, I would not worry.
 
#9 ·
I use the Gyeon Leather Kit Mild. Easy to use and won't ruin the leather. I use it every 3 months, and in between those 3 months just a damp microfiber cloth to wipe the surface. You can also use the cleaner from the kit for cleaning the plastics and leather dash board. It does save me to buy different product to clean the interior in general. The leather coating that comes with the kit leaves a matte finish which I prefer over a shiny finish.
 
#10 ·
I just traded by 2018 XC60 T8 inscription in for 2021 xc60 recharge inscription .. both with blonde leather. after three years the divers seat got a little grey, and was easily cleaned ... looked excellent at time of return ..

dont have kids or dogs, so the rest of the interior was never really used. the steering wheel got dirty the most along with the drivers-side door .. but again cleaned with mild soap and water ..

In California, dark seats and cars get pretty hot in the sun .. so the blonde is really better and i had no hesitation. I have had light leather in my volvos since 1984. (yes, my 1984 240 saved my wifes life, etc ..)

Appreciate the comments above .. will get the Volvo leather care stuff and take better care of the new XC60
 
#11 ·
I have the Nappa blonde leather on my S90. No issues and are perfect after 50k miles. Just use the Volvo leather care kit continuously.

The only strange wear that I have were on the door handle leather. For some reason, the paint is wearing off not and not sure why. The quality of the door handle seems different from the seats paint quality.

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#12 ·
I have the blonde interior in my MY16 XC90. I would buy it again - no doubt. To me, blonde and amber can show dye transfer more whereas charcoal and maple disguise it (but there is still dye transfer even if you cannot see it). Just get what you want and take proactive care of it.