Thoughts on picking the interior color?

[ndberg]

Hi,

We're seriously considering leasing a Leaf very soon; we're down to picking things like colors. We have an aversion to black interiors because they tend to get really hot in the summer months, so we are leaning towards the SV with the light interior. But, we have a 6-year old, so leather is appealing, and the light interior seems really light (and possibly easily stained?). We live in CO, so many weeks in the mid-to-high 90's is typical, but note that the altitude makes the sun more intense than the temps would imply. I tried searching, but couldn't find any comments about hot sun issues but hey, I am a newbie.

Would you shy away from the black interior because of the sun? Is the fabric-black less prone to heating than the leather-black? Would you shy away from the light interior because of stains?

Thanks a bunch!

 

[stjohnh]

We have an S with Black fabric and SV with light interior. Don't know about heating issue of Black fabric vs Black Leather.

I scoured these boards for information on the stain possibilties of the light interior, and it appears that water based stains are easily removed but grease based stains (think pizza, garlic bread) cause serious stain problems. I inspected quite a few 2011 and 2012 Leafs with the light interior and was surprised how clean they looked... especially the fabric coated door handles. Seems like a very poor design to put fabric there, but still most of them look good, even after use. I don't know if the owners just baby their cars or what. Our SV with the light interior still looks great at 7 months, but that is not very old and my wife is very particular not to let people with dirty hands or clothes get into her car....

We live in a very mild climate, so hot seat fabric is not an issue. When I lived in Texas it seemed like the paint color of the car had more to do with very hot interiors than the color of the uphostery. In Texas leather seats were much hotter in summer and colder in winter than fabric.

 

[RonDawg]

The light colored cloth interior used on all 2011/2012 Leafs indeed does get dirty quite easily; I do not know if Nissan has made the 2013 interior more soil-resistant.

Black interiors do get warmer than light colored ones, and black leather can be indeed painful to sit on after the car has been baking in the sun awhile.

If you're worried about the kid messing up the light colored interior, I would suggest a seat cover or just ScotchGuard the crap out of it and resign yourself to cleaning the seats more often.

 

[Stanton]

I would worry more about "kid damage" than the temperature effects of the interior color, especially where you live. I put (Wet Okole) seat covers on my fronts when brand new and glad I did; the only reason I didn't do the backs is because no one ever sits in them (kids are older).

 

[Yogi62]

unless you plan on parking in the sun a lot, I would go with black. I traded in a tan interior 2012 and got a black 2013. Combined with some weather tech floor liners it has stayed looking pretty clean.

One other consideration, where do you live and what color is the dirt near you? Midwest black? Southern red clay? Dessert sand?

 

[Klayfish]

I've got a 9 year old and 6 year old twins. I leased a 2013 SL with black leather. It's not the daily transport for the kids, we have a minivan for that, but it does get used a lot to take the kids to football practice, wrestling, gymnastics, etc... To me, black leather is the only way to go. Doesn't show dirt/stains, leather is easy to clean spills and to vacuum stuff. The other reality is just don't let the kids eat or drink in the car. :lol:

I live in PA, so we get days in the 90s too. I know the CO sun can be hot, I've been in the Denver area several times. But I wouldn't worry much about it. Sure, it'll get somewhat hot, but if you're that worried about it, put towels down on the seats if you know it'll be parked in the sun for a really long time on hot summer days. Also, be sure to use a good leather conditioner periodically, and you'll be fine.

 

[Nubo]

For me it's largely about aesthetics. I hate the "black-hole" effect. Had enough of that in previous vehicles. The interior should be bright airy and cheerful, not a dark dungeon. For the life of me I can't understand why the customer has no option here when paying the premium price!

For heavy-duty protection, wet okole seat covers are the way to go.