Okay, I am going Volvo crazy... Almost about to pull the trigger on an 06 V70 and then an 05 S60T caught my eye... The leather looks more like vinyl--that is, the leather in my 850 GLT appears way nicer--it doesn't have that fake looking grain. So: am I looking at pleather or leather on the contact portion of the seats in an S60T?

Thanks! Paul

The fake grain is embosed into the leather. The seats on the S60 are not quite as comfortable as the V70. Then there are those who say the 2003-06 seats aren't that comfortable either and get 2007+
All you can do when looking is sit in the seat as long as you can. Volvo does not make any seats that are vinyl all over, the portion facing your backside is leather unless you find an "R" with Alcantra.

Klaus
--
Common sense trumps a PhD

Real Leather....

I might have the only vinyl seats on an 850. I haven't seen any others -I like 'em. Less to worry about getting in with a wet suit or even waders :)
--
'97 855na, Mobil 1, K&N, various IPD's and eBay's

LHH,

It's easy to find out.

Push on a section of the seat cushion. If you see the surface wrinkle, it's leather. If it forms a uniform depression, it's vinyl.

Volvo leather is actually quite good quality. Most people ruin it by using oil, grease of tallow based products to condition it. This will destroy the pigmented top coat.

Use the Volvo Leather Care kit. It contains a very effective cleaner and protectant. The kit contains the formulas developed by Bridge of Weir, the tannery that provides Volvo leathers.

If you want to soften it, use either BMW Leather Care or Volvo Leather Softener. Neither will damage Volvo leather.

Also, wipe down the seats every couple of weeks with a damp micro-fiber cloth to remove dust and dirt.

Enjoy,
Bryan