Was just looking through the old brochures again while I wait for the market to pick up (plus I'm out of the country currently), and I saw that there were two leather tiers. Leather, and premium leather.

Can anyone tell me what the difference is, and how would I be able to tell when looking at a car?

 

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...er-not-246207/

The difference in description may only be a marketing decision.


For the 2017 Premium that I have, it's said that the front sides of seats are partially leather, with the center sections of Alcantara, a synthetic suede fabric, similar to Ultrasuede. The backs are vinyl of some sort. I'm a fabric person and I'm still not fully convinced that the 'leather' sections are truly leather.. not like the upgraded leather seat option.

The 'leather' and 'suedecloth' (Alcantara) are standard for most version of the F type. It appears you can search for any particular year F type and include 'leather seat material' and see what comes up.

Jaguar has historically used leather for the front seat facings, but something else for the sides and back. My 69 E type has Connolly leather fronts, vinyl sides and backs. Earlier versions had something called 'moquette' for the backs.

 

Thank you Valerie - I saw that thread when searching but it didn't seem relevant. On second look... I should have looked harder.

I don't think the distinction matters for me for a purchase (although I am also a cloth person and would prefer the alcantara-type surfaces, though those seem rare in the R), but it would be nice to know out of curiosity. I guess I was asking more like... physically what's different? Is the premium leather softer or does it feel nicer, or... why would someone want it over normal leather?

 

There IS a difference, quite noticeable, between the leather choices. The optional premium leather is glove soft, and smooth as a baby’s behind, with no embossed grain at all. Jaguar originally called this Windsor leather and it was part of the $$$$ full leather package.
My Racing Green 2015 F-Type has the extended Windsor leather trim (colour: Brogue) meaning that almost everything in the car is leather covered, including the headliner. It is simply gorgeous.
In contrast, my son’s early fully optioned 2017 F-Pace (also in Racing Green) also has Brogue leather but not the Windsor type. The leather in this fully-optioned SUV has a very distinct grain and is nowhere near as soft and smooth as the leather in my F-Type. The difference is significant.

Jaguar Racing Green Xirallic (not metallic):



Windsor leather: soft and smooth:

and a poor photo of the Brogue all-leather interior:

 

When I spec'ed my car I've ordered extended leather, with optional suedecloth inserts in the seats. I opted for that thinking that it'd reduce sliding in the seat during cornering. I expect different years had different options, with most cars being spec'ed by the dealership, not by the buyer.

 

It was still called Windsor leather in the later years; my MY19 has "Windsor leather interior pack" option code 017FD. The "Extended leather" pack you have is awesome, particularly in the Brogue! I've seen one car with it in Pimiento red, and that was smashing, too! The transmission tunnel was fully wrapped in it and everything! I wish I had found a car spec'd like that, but alas, there was a BRG one near me with it, but I had a bad experience with a green car in my youth, so I just couldn't do it! Haha! That interior made me want it really badly, though...

 

Our base F probably doesn't have any kind of PREMIUM leather. It is fine for me. I treat it yearly with "Hide Food", along with the steering wheel, and it feels supple.

Another benefit: When the driver's seat side bolster started to look worn, some black shoe polish made the bolster look NEW. (Yes, I made sure that the polish didn't rub off on my pants.)

 

There was a recent thread with a few folks trying to glue back leather that had shrunk or detached on the dash, near the vent. Something to consider.