what type of upholstery is used along with the leather on the premium package seats?

[sajohnson]

I posted this in an existing thread but didn't get an answer:

* Which surfaces on the seats are leather?

* What is used on the surfaces that are not leather?

* Can you tell if it's *real* (top grain) leather? The reason I ask is that these days everything from furniture to shoes to handbags is often made from "bonded leather" -- or at least parts are. For example, the (expensive) office chair I'm sitting in has leather on most 'seating surfaces' but there are small strips of bonded leather that are cracking and pealing (the real leather portion looks fine).

"Imitation leather" can be pretty good -- better than bonded leather. For example, the "ultra leather" in our small RV has held up well. I wouldn't mind if Ford used a product like that for some pieces, like the seat backs.

I was told that the Area 51 interior is no longer available. My wife and I don't care for the Active Orange. There is not much in the premium package that we're interested in, so I'm reluctant to spend $2,100 just to get a different color interior, but if the seats are really well made we might go that way.

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[Glamdring70]

* Which surfaces on the seats are leather?

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* What is used on the surfaces that are not leather?

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* Can you tell if it's *real* (top grain) leather? The reason I ask is that these days everything from furniture to shoes to handbags is often made from "bonded leather" -- or at least parts are. For example, the (expensive) office chair I'm sitting in has leather on most 'seating surfaces' but there are small strips of bonded leather that are cracking and pealing (the real leather portion looks fine).

It's probably not. I'd think they would call that out if it was. Like you said, other materials can be pretty good, so how could we guess what is leather, what the grade of leather is and what is vinyl or plastic?
For the price point it's at, I think it's totally safe to assume it isn't 100% real leather and likely whatever % is leather, is bonded. A lot of the materials on it are made from recycled stuff and cheaper options. I don't know why they'd use so much plastic and then suddenly put real top grain leather in. Plus everything is moving to a perceived more environmentally positive-vibe-feelings materials so I think leather would run afoul of that on a couple fronts.

If you don't want power or leather then you're probably better off without the $2,000 package, but it does have a lot of nice convenience and comfort features in there.

I was told that the Area 51 interior is no longer available.

Don't know why you were told that. It's right on the build and price for '22 with cloth /not package. The leather A51 from the First Edition is not available because the FE is not available. It was never, ever an option for Badlands. If you get an Outer Banks trim, you can get the Navy (basically A51) interior on those, in "leather".

 

[sajohnson]

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It's probably not. I'd think they would call that out if it was. Like you said, other materials can be pretty good, so how could we guess what is leather, what the grade of leather is and what is vinyl or plastic?
For the price point it's at, I think it's totally safe to assume it isn't 100% real leather and likely whatever % is leather, is bonded. A lot of the materials on it are made from recycled stuff and cheaper options. I don't know why they'd use so much plastic and then suddenly put real top grain leather in. Plus everything is moving to a perceived more environmentally positive-vibe-feelings materials so I think leather would run afoul of that on a couple fronts.

If you don't want power or leather then you're probably better off without the $2,000 package, but it does have a lot of nice convenience and comfort features in there.


Don't know why you were told that. It's right on the build and price for '22 with cloth /not package. The leather A51 from the First Edition is not available because the FE is not available. It was never, ever an option for Badlands. If you get an Outer Banks trim, you can get the Navy (basically A51) interior on those, in "leather".

I'm only familiar with leather; bonded "leather", and Ultra Leather, but the difference between them is usually obvious -- esp if they are side-by-side.

For the sake of everyone with the leather trimmed seats, I hope Ford did not use bonded leather. Just Google "bonded leather complaints" and you'll see what I mean. It's terrible stuff. I really doubt they would use it -- not for any 'seating surfaces' anyway. It can be used on the back of furniture, but the back of a car seat is a lot different from the back of a couch.

You're right about the premium package -- it does have a lot of nice features. I can see why people order it. In our case we don't have much need for most of what's included. That's just us. Speaking of 'power' -- IIRC the only difference in the seats is that the passenger seat is 6-way power instead of 6-way manual.

On the Area 51 interior, you're absolutely correct -- it is shown on both the 2021 and 2022 'build your own' pages. Yet our salesman said it's no longer available. I confirmed that with a salesman at a dealership in Kansas. He said Ford is restricting options, colors, packages, etc, to speed up production.

I tried to contact Ford but after being put on hold several times (for a total of over an hour) and disconnected twice, I gave up.

 

[steveb]

I posted this in an existing thread but didn't get an answer:

* Which surfaces on the seats are leather?

* What is used on the surfaces that are not leather?

* Can you tell if it's *real* (top grain) leather? The reason I ask is that these days everything from furniture to shoes to handbags is often made from "bonded leather" -- or at least parts are. For example, the (expensive) office chair I'm sitting in has leather on most 'seating surfaces' but there are small strips of bonded leather that are cracking and pealing (the real leather portion looks fine).

"Imitation leather" can be pretty good -- better than bonded leather. For example, the "ultra leather" in our small RV has held up well. I wouldn't mind if Ford used a product like that for some pieces, like the seat backs.

I was told that the Area 51 interior is no longer available. My wife and I don't care for the Active Orange. There is not much in the premium package that we're interested in, so I'm reluctant to spend $2,100 just to get a different color interior, but if the seats are really well made we might go that way.

 

[steveb]

You can get all leather seating in just about any color you want. We had black leather installed in ours.

 

[sajohnson]

You can get all leather seating in just about any color you want. We had black leather installed in ours.

That's the first I've heard of that.

The Ford Bronco Sport Badlands 'build tool' shows just one color of "Leather-Trimmed" seats with the premium package.

Unless you are referring to aftermarket leather upholstery.

Either way, the color is not a concern -- the stock leather trimmed seats and the rest of that interior looks fine. I'm curious about the quality of the stock Ford upholstery. "Leather-Trimmed" begs the question -- how much is not leather? What type of upholstery is used for the sections that are not leather? Is the leather real 'top grain' leather or something else?

The reason I'm asking is that we really prefer the Area 51 interior. I'd consider getting the premium package just to avoid being forced to get the "Active Orange' interior, but only if the upholstery is top quality. $2,100 is a lot of money -- especially when you don't have much use for most of the other features in the premium package.

The seats can be reupholstered but a) we really should not have to do that with a brand new special order vehicle, and b) that would leave the bright orange on the dash and the doors.

Since the BS is only in its second year, it's hard to determine whether the upholstery is durable, but I'm hoping to get some input from forum members who have it.

 

[Jrl]

That's the first I've heard of that.

The Ford Bronco Sport Badlands 'build tool' shows just one color of "Leather-Trimmed" seats with the premium package.

Unless you are referring to aftermarket leather upholstery.

Either way, the color is not a concern -- the stock leather trimmed seats and the rest of that interior looks fine. I'm curious about the quality of the stock Ford upholstery. "Leather-Trimmed" begs the question -- how much is not leather? What type of upholstery is used for the sections that are not leather? Is the leather real 'top grain' leather or something else?

The reason I'm asking is that we really prefer the Area 51 interior. I'd consider getting the premium package just to avoid being forced to get the "Active Orange' interior, but only if the upholstery is top quality. $2,100 is a lot of money -- especially when you don't have much use for most of the other features in the premium package.

The seats can be reupholstered but a) we really should not have to do that with a brand new special order vehicle, and b) that would leave the bright orange on the dash and the doors.

Since the BS is only in its second year, it's hard to determine whether the upholstery is durable, but I'm hoping to get some input from forum members who have it.

The navy pier is a great pick.

 

[sajohnson]

The navy pier is a great pick.

Looks good!

The problem is, we have exactly ONE choice for interior color -- "Active Orange". The only other (standard) color option was Area 51, which we like, but Ford has discontinued it.

So unless Ford makes Area 51 available again, the only other choice is the Premium Package with leather-trimmed seats. It's attractive, but the package costs almost $2,100, and we aren't interested in most of the included features.

 

[MJE]

Looks good!

The problem is, we have exactly ONE choice for interior color -- "Active Orange". The only other (standard) color option was Area 51, which we like, but Ford has discontinued it.

So unless Ford makes Area 51 available again, the only other choice is the Premium Package with leather-trimmed seats. It's attractive, but the package costs almost $2,100, and we aren't interested in most of the included features.

Were you ever able to find out if Area 51 being discontinued is just a temporary thing with current supply shortages? It does show up on build & price of course as you know. It seems to me at least, orange as an interior color could be polarizing. Though the seat fabric parts look to be some shade of brown in a similar vein to the premium interior, those bright orange accents you have to be willing to live with. Whereas the Area 51 interior is still unique, especially compared to black/tan/gray (glad we have or had other choices), it doesn’t stand out quite as much.

 

[sajohnson]

Were you ever able to find out if Area 51 being discontinued is just a temporary thing with current supply shortages? It does show up on build & price of course as you know. It seems to me at least, orange as an interior color could be polarizing. Though the seat fabric parts look to be some shade of brown in a similar vein to the premium interior, those bright orange accents you have to be willing to live with. Whereas the Area 51 interior is still unique, especially compared to black/tan/gray (glad we have or had other choices), it doesn’t stand out quite as much.

No, I have no idea. After my experience trying to get an answer from Ford, I'm reluctant to call them again.

I agree about the Active Orange interior. Needless to say, this is all subjective. Orange is a color that (I'd guess) most people either like or they don't. I showed it to my niece and she likes it. My wife and I just prefer more neutral colors.

As you said, the Area 51 is not exactly "neutral", but it's a lot more mellow. If we were interested in more of the premium package features it would be an easy decision. As it is, we'd be paying $2,100 primarily to get rid of the orange accents.

Our newest car is my 2002 WRX. None of our vehicles have leather; heated seats; power seats -- not to mention a touch screen display; front and rear cameras, lane assist, cross traffic warning, etc, etc. So the base Badlands seems pretty loaded to us. Once again, it's subjective.

 

[MJE]

No, I have no idea. After my experience trying to get an answer from Ford, I'm reluctant to call them again.

I agree about the Active Orange interior. Needless to say, this is all subjective. Orange is a color that (I'd guess) most people either like or they don't. I showed it to my niece and she likes it. My wife and I just prefer more neutral colors.

As you said, the Area 51 is not exactly "neutral", but it's a lot more mellow. If we were interested in more of the premium package features it would be an easy decision. As it is, we'd be paying $2,100 primarily to get rid of the orange accents.

Our newest car is my 2002 WRX. None of our vehicles have leather; heated seats; power seats -- not to mention a touch screen display; front and rear cameras, lane assist, cross traffic warning, etc, etc. So the base Badlands seems pretty loaded to us. Once again, it's subjective.

I’m with you on preferring more neutral colors, even if I’m glad the choices are a lot more interesting than they used to be when they were all black, all gray, or all tan. Myself I wanted everything in the premium pack so it was an easy choice, because I’m also the guy that loves the brown/copper color. But then I might’ve just bought Kodiak brown if it was available in 22. There was at one point a whole thread going on for people who weren’t into the brown. As you say, it’s all subjective.

What I wish they’d do is of course reinstate the Area 51 cloth interior to go with the orange. Then have a blue ‘navy pier’ style premium interior as well so one could have a choice either with or without the premium pack much as in the outer banks. But then I think the premium pack at least, if not every badlands, should come with a lot of the ‘smaller’ features that the outer banks has so it truly sits on top of the range. Many of those features, save the ambient lighting, are actually standard in Canada on the BL which made my purchase choice easier. Either that, or just make the 2.0L optional on the outer banks. Say a BL/FX4/whatever pack on the outer banks. Or I’m just spoiled & want it all! Lol.

 

[rdc17]

The leather in my BL+BL certainly seems like it's a high quality real leather.

I've had 4 cars. First one was a 2002 with real leather. Then a 2015 and a 2019 Lexus with their NuLuxe which is synthetic leather. The BS leather feels more like my actual leather couch than it does the synthetic Lexus leather.

 

[Jrl]

The leather in my BL+BL certainly seems like it's a high quality real leather.

I've had 4 cars. First one was a 2002 with real leather. Then a 2015 and a 2019 Lexus with their NuLuxe which is synthetic leather. The BS leather feels more like my actual leather couch than it does the synthetic Lexus leather.

Same here on my first edition navy pier blue , looks like good quality, my Lincoln leather seemed about equal .

 

[Caliope]

I have had 3 Ford vehicles with leather seats - 2010 & 2015 Escapes and 2019 Ranger (still own). I haven't had any trouble with the leather in them. I don't have kids, so I can't say how well they hold up under that kind of use. I can say that the leather in the '10 Escape felt more like real leather than the other 2. The newer leather seems to feel more "plasticy" than it did.

 

[sajohnson]

I’m with you on preferring more neutral colors, even if I’m glad the choices are a lot more interesting than they used to be when they were all black, all gray, or all tan. Myself I wanted everything in the premium pack so it was an easy choice, because I’m also the guy that loves the brown/copper color. But then I might’ve just bought Kodiak brown if it was available in 22. There was at one point a whole thread going on for people who weren’t into the brown. As you say, it’s all subjective.

What I wish they’d do is of course reinstate the Area 51 cloth interior to go with the orange. Then have a blue ‘navy pier’ style premium interior as well so one could have a choice either with or without the premium pack much as in the outer banks. But then I think the premium pack at least, if not every badlands, should come with a lot of the ‘smaller’ features that the outer banks has so it truly sits on top of the range. Many of those features, save the ambient lighting, are actually standard in Canada on the BL which made my purchase choice easier. Either that, or just make the 2.0L optional on the outer banks. Say a BL/FX4/whatever pack on the outer banks. Or I’m just spoiled & want it all! Lol.

Absolutely, the more choices the better!

It's surprising that there are only 2 interior color choices to begin with (and only one with the premium package). Then -- YOINK! -- Ford eliminated the 'Area 51' and buyers are now left with Active Orange or nothing. It's pretty bad when buyers have to wait 6+ months for delivery and do not have a choice of interior color.

I also like the Ebony/Brown interior with the premium package. My wife and I were going to get the premium package -- not so much for the interior color or the seats (the cloth "Area 51" is fine) -- but because we initially planned to get the moonroof. Then we decided we didn't need the moonroof and began looking closer at what is included in the premium package.

Our situation is somewhat unusual:

* We have a stupidly ginormous garage (30' x 40' ) with 3 doors, but I never installed garage door openers. It's faster to open the doors manually, and they are not used much because the garage is built into a hill, and it will stay cool in summer and above freezing in winter if we do not open the doors much. So no garage door opener remote needed -- even though for most people it's a nice feature.

* I was into stereo gear for decades. A few years ago I would have considered the B&O system a must-have, but now -- not so much.

* Another factor is being retired and not spending 1-1/2 to 2 hours in a car 5 days/week.

The rest of the stuff we have no use for, or don't care that much about -- but I completely understand why plenty of people go for the premium package.

I wish we were more into the features, because then we'd be in your position -- it would be an easy choice.

The more I think about it, the closer I am to canceling the order. My wife and I keep our vehicles a long time. I think I mentioned that the Badlands will be a replacement for her 25 y.o. RAV4. 20-25+ years is a long time to put up with an interior you don't like -- yet $2,100 is a lot to pay to change it.

Maybe it would be best to wait until things "normalize" and customers can actually order what they want.

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