Last car to have a velour interior

[pthelazyjourno]

Is still popular in Asia, where velour is seen as a more luxury option than taxi-spec wipe down leather.

Can't recall what year my IS 250 was, 2008, 2009, something like that? Certainly wasn't abandoned in the 90s!



I like it, is comfortable and nicer than leather in hot or cold weather. Not so easy to keep clean.

[993kimbo]

I’ll second the mk4 golf.
Velour is wonderful. My uncle had an old 500 se Merc with blue velour.
Doesn’t get much better comfort-wise.
I think I’ll get my Cayman re finished in velouuuuuueeerrr.

[Wacky Racer]

My dad's SD1 Rover had velour but that was back in 1980, Lovely car.

[G-wiz]

My 2004 Nissan Micra had something similar to velour:

[don logan]

I saw this!

[itcaptainslow]

MitchT said:

sidewinder500 said:

I remember seeing a 5 series (F10) about seven years ago with light brown velour trim and was wondering that you still get a car without leather, faux or real.
Was a low spec one, but still

The F3x BMW 3 and 4 Series were available with a cloth interior, though I believe BMW wanted a larger deposit from people who ordered it as it would be harder to sell if the customer cancelled after the build had passed the point of no return.

Personally I think it looks great. There was a 440i M Sport in the classifieds recently with it.

Lovely - much nicer than the leather option!

[don logan]

More about it after I looked it up

[courty]

Phase 1 Alfa Romeo 156 had velour as standard with MOMO leather as extra option.
Not sure when but the later 156es went to cloth with MOMO leather as option.

This is my mother's 156 from 1999. The velour is very comfortable, warm in winter and cool in summer, it's really nice!

[ChocolateFrog]

That looks spot on.

[Triumph Man]

sidewinder500 said:

I remember seeing a 5 series (F10) about seven years ago with light brown velour trim and was wondering that you still get a car without leather, faux or real.
Was a low spec one, but still

That's rare in itself over here - the UK market F10/F11 all had "leather" as standard.

My 2003 Passat had Velour, as it was the SE. Plastic steering wheel, plastic gearknob, plastic handbrake, but velour seats. mmmm... All the paupers with S spec cars had horrid looking cloth.

[Dapster]

Mercedes used to offer proper soft velours throughout the range up until the late 90s. How good does the back of the S Class look!




Rolls Royce will do you anything if you pay them enough - not sure this is real or a render but is supposedly velour

Edited by Dapster on Thursday 23 March 08:10

[don logan]

Dapster said:

Rolls Royce will do you anything if you pay them enough

Edited by Dapster on Thursday 23 March 08:10

Like this……

[Alex_225]

I can remember all my grandads cars, in the 90s having a velour interior. That was the luxurious comfort option and he didn't like leather interiors. He had a 2002 Honda Accord that had leather but that was probably the default at the time.

Last modern-ish car I've seen recently with a velour interior is a Saab 9-3 with absolute poverty spec where, 'leather' wasn't the default. Looks comfy though.

[motco]

Byker28i said:

I was thinking something 1970's and british, Rover, British Leyland?

My (company owned) 1980 Princess 2200HLS Auto had brown velour seats. The whole car was appropriately turd colour.

[J4CKO]

It was the ninetimes where leather became mainstream and shorthand for "posh", previously it was only properly posh cars that had actual leather, the rest of us got cloth or vinyl, which is the same today but the vinyl is usually masquerading as leather, most cloth seats are scratchy and a bit rubbish, like its punishment almost for not paying more.

Velour needs to come back, leather is like the "premium brands" by and large, its migrated down the range so everyone has it, and mostly it isnt actually very nice, I had a BMW One series with "Dakota" leather, so called as its about as comfy as a WW2 transport plane ? A mate has a six series from the same year and that has actual leather and it is poles apart, its lovely and worth having but would trade the "Pleather" for some velour.

Velour kind of has a seventies image with older folk but hopefully it makes a comeback, done right it doesnt look like your nans couch in 1981, avoid patterns and tassles, dont pick a sort of sludge green and it looks fine.

Leather just isnt premium any more in a lot of cases, budget airlines have leather seats for ease of cleaning, doesnt exactly shout luxury to me sitting on a cow, or an approximation of cow, unless its is a proper high end vehicle, and even then, would take those posh velour options shown above, looks lovely.


Suppose in a lot of cases if you want a higher spec you get leather by default, want sat nav, DAB and the like you end up with leather as thats the only option.

[grudas]

My 03 celsior has an extremely comfy and plush interior.. people say it’s wool and that’s what it was sold as - similar to the century that had grey wool but I’m questioning it.

[RECr]

The brochure for the E36 3 series listed "top quality wool velour" as an option. No idea how much wool was in the mix.

[don logan]

I think the Toyota Century wins the no leather game!

[Puddenchucker]

don logan said:

I think the Toyota Century wins the no leather game!

I think you'll find the Century has a wool fabric interior not velour. (Stands to be corrected)

Edit: Yep, wool: https://mag.toyota.co.uk/what-makes-the-new-toyota...

Edited by Puddenchucker on Thursday 23 March 11:21

[What The Deuces]

Leather is for the proletariat , when carriages/cars were only covered at the rear for passengers the chauffeur's would be leather to resist the inclement weather, whereas the covered opulent rear seats would be velour/cloth for comfort and style.


I fondly remember the deep velour in my dads A-plate Granada Ghia as a child.