I have a copy of the original Jaguar showroom sales brochure for our 2005 S-Type 3.0. Under the category "Interior Trim and Features", it reads: "leather-trimmed interior and leather seating surfaces".

I interpret that to mean the portion of the seats that you actually sit on (the seat bottom) and lean back against (the seat back) are indeed real leather, along with the dash and door panels. The sides and rear of the seats are not real leather, and are probably some type of vinyl or simulated leather. This is typical for most manufacturers these days....

 

Might be different on yours, but my "R" seats (almost positive) are leather on all sides, which I was happily surprised about. I know manufacturers do have some kind of vinyl blend/synthetic on the sides of the seats but the R does not. The steering wheel as well as the center of the steering wheel is all leather, again might be different on a 3.0. As for the door panels, the center of them are leather, but I cant figure out if the armrests are. They are stiched, and do not take well to products such as Armour All, so I use Surf City Garage's Voodoo Leather Rejuvinator on the whole door panel, around the shifter (also leather), around the Nav display and the seats. That product works extremely well. The dash is where I use an Armour All type product, as it is clearly not leather.

This may not help seeing as I have an R, but thats what I have dicovered about my '05 interior. Just figured I'd throw it out there.

 

I have an '05 STR and, after accidentally slicing into the back of the seat, it appears to be vinyl. BTW, since the seats are black, I used black silicone to fill and blend-in the slice. On mine, there's a pretty noticeable difference between the seating surfaces vs. the sides/back of the seats. It was not as noticeable on my '03 Dove Gray Interior STR.

And while I would like to believe the dash and center surround are made of leather, I'm pretty sure it is also synthetic - but a very compelling synthetic.

Best,
Eric

 

I have wanted to try the Surf City product so thanks for the reference there. for your dash, instead of Armorall I highly recommend Poorboy's Natural Look.

 

A trick that I learned from my detail guy, use the edge of your fingernail to push down on the surface to make a impression. On leather, it takes a while to pop back but vinyl is pretty quick.


A have been using the Zymol leather treat and Zymol vinyl treat. Both are made of natural substance so I don't think it makes a big difference if you get it wrong (unlike Silcone on leather). Both have a low factory like sheen to it.

On the other hand, was at the showroom and saw the new XFR, the leather dash is pretty awsome

 

........and the suede roof and pillars are ridiculous.

 

I bought the whole line of Surf City products and honestly, I do not like any of them except the Voodoo Leather rejuvinator. I use this on the leather and synthetic/vinyl blends throughout the car, and it does work fantastic.

I also have yet to find my favorite spray detailer, any ideas? Right now Im using the new Armour All spray detailer, works well, but smudges too much.

 

I think the suede is Alcantra and has been used for years on the roof in Porsches. People acutally pay a premium to get it on the dash, steeringwheels, seats on Ferraris and Porsches. Its getting more popular and seems to be the luxury fabric de jour.

I use the zymol very few months and in between, I use Einszett cockpit premium as a weekly spray detailer that is a mild cleaner for the surface that gets rid of the dust and fingerprints and leaves a nice factory sheen to the surface