No, ive been doing all our uphostery work at my dealership for about 9 years, and i have seen the changes over the last few, and i am 100% sure in saying that only those areas circled above are the real leather parts in the back seat.

 

I dont mean to give GM any props, but just feel the leather seats on thier GMC Yukon, VERY nice.

KIDTRITON, what about the cloth seats, Ive heard they arent even as high quality as before.

 

I can co-sign on that one...when I test drove that 04 XLT SuperCab 4X2 I thought the quality of the cloth looked pretty low...not even as nice as XLT seats of the past.

 

The brochure states that rear 60/40- Supercab and SuperCrew only, color/fabric materials matches front seat ( when leather-trimmed front seat is ordered on SuperCab and or FX4 SuperCrew, rear seat will be premium vinyl)

 

If you can avoid it DONT get factory leather. Aftermarket companies off a much better quality at the same or lower price.
Last year I purchased an Expy and Did not get the $1,300.00 leather option. For $1,100 I had the two capt chairs in front and both rear rows done in two tone with Expedition embrodered in the capt chairs. Plus it included some extra bolstering in the front and second row seats.
They look SOOO much better than the plain old mono-tone factory seats and there is NO vinyl in that ride.
Plus I am not financing the exter $1,300.00
I am taking delivery next week on My 04 F-150 and will be calling the leather shop soon after.
Keep on Truckin

 

Pretty much every supercab model truck (for all truck manufacturers) the back seat is not full leather, but it's actually vinyl. That follows same for the 04' F-150 (no matter if you got the Lariat or the FX4), the back seat in the Supercab is mostly vinyel with just leather inserts.

So don't think that the Lariat (just becuase it's the top of the line model) has all leather, because it doesn't. Why Ford and other truck people do that I dont know...you'd think that at the cost you're paying you'd get all leather, but perhaps it's just another ploy to make people spring for the more costly supercrew

If you know anything about leather and vinyl or are meticulous about the materials used in your seating you'll be able to see, feel (and partially even smell) the difference of the material. But, in case you can't... just watch how the material in the back of your supercab (the vinyl) fades faster, cracks faster/easier and whatnot... you'll notice it then.

I'd prefer to get the Supercrew for better passenger room in the backseat (plus ACTUAL leather and not pleather) but for some reason Ford hasn't learned from the competition that you need to offer a 6.5ft bed with the Supercrew (some people dont want a midget looking truck and actually need a NICE SIZED BED for use)... really annoyed with Ford's lack of options. They want to keep everything uniform...like all their models have to be the exact same length and crap... pretty stupid imo...

but whatever, I'll get the supercab with the cheap backseat and lack of color options...looks like a LOT of aftermarket will be entering this truck...

 

the whole reason i started this thread was to talk about the lack of real leather in the SUPERCREW back seat. The super cab back seat is all vinyl, but the supercrew backseat started out in 01 as real leather, now its just very small patches of it.

 

Just another fine example of Ford trimming content from the new truck in order to increase their profit margin. I wonder what else they cut costs on that we are all going to find out in the near future?

I cant believe that Ford has done some of these things, I for one am not going to spend an extra $1000+ (going by 04xlt's figure for the Expy) for seats that are primarily vinyl.

I was really really looking forward to this truck and hoping to buy one in the near future...now I am not so sure. I'll give it some time I guess.

 

yea i know how you feel!! it's amazing to see and hear all this wonderful talk about the 04' F-150 BEFORE it came out, and the SECOND (literally) it hits the market all the bad parts (and there are quite a lot if you do a search in this forum) and complaints start rolling in...

Ford definitely did get a bit cheap on the 04' and it doesn't have as many options as the competition. Granted, it's an improvement over last year's in terms of styling, but is it just me or do the previous versions seem to have been better built than this new one and offered more?

 

It's not the lack of leather in the back seat that bothers me so much. It's that lack of quality in the front seat leather. My '99 and '01 Lariats have had seats of similar quality, meaning stiff and slippery. My '97 and '94 had cloth, which I was looking forward to getting back to for my '04. Well, It's not gonna happen with this "new" cloth. What is this stuff anyway? I looks like they're hell bent on forcing of us into FX4's and Lariats.

I did want to go here, but....... my buddy just bought an '03 Silverado w/ cloth seats that are quite cushy. I know, I know, the rest of the truck is junk, except for the engine that easily outruns my 5.4! And he only has the 4.8L!! That thing moves. I'm embarrassed to get up next to him at the light, choosing to cowardly drop in behind him instead. Aargh!

Bring back the old cloth!

 

you dont have to be "scared" (so to speak) about giving praise to another truck when they DO IT THE RIGHT WAY. The leather in the GMC/Chevy is also much better quality.

One thing people need to realize that is "price does matter". You WILL NOT get the "best material" or anything if the price is not right. The quality of the leather in the 04' definitely is something to be questioned and as it looks, I'll probably be taking whoever mentioned earlier in this post about getting aftermarket leather.

 

lots of car and truck seats have mixes of both. Its not just to save money for the mftg. Its also done for durability. Unlike your fathers oldmobile, modern vinyls hold up better. Modern polymer chemistry has made vinyl much more tolerant to UV damage. We've had 'burb with leather but the sides and back of every seat are vinyl. Had it for 5 years now and still holding up well. I do baby it with Armour-all and stuff. And live in sun-soaked Texas. In fact I think I prefer some vinyl because the leather can sag over time. Leather is also more susceptable to staining and wear. If the back and sides were leather it would not hold up to our kids and guests as they pull and kick the backs of the seats.

Unless the leather is really high quality - and your not going to find THAT kind of leather in anything unless its a Bentley or Mercedes - its going to not hold up over time. It is bunk that they charge as much as they do when its not 100% leather but from a practical standpoint its not that bad. I've seen aged luxury sedans where the leather disintegrated where a modern vinyl panel would have held up.

I personally would like ALL vinyl if they offered it except for the fact that it gets really hot in the summer. The leather seat panels help offset this.


So to boil it down, complain about misleading marketing but give good ol vinyl its due. Its not a bad thing, Martha.

 

I would love to see the one you rode in. Comparing to my other Nissan minivan, my old 2002 Ranger, and the 2000 F-150, my 2004 cloth seats are great. Tight, thick fabric, yet still soft and looks great...

 

I agree with Ketch's post above. Some vinyl isn't a terrible thing. What do you guys sit on your seats naked? I've never owned a leather interior before so I may not be the best judge, but I didn't know the backseat of the screw I test drove was vinyl until I read it on this forum. Note I found out before I bought the truck, it pays to do your homework....
Speaking of doing your homework, what I didn't know is that you could get a custom leather interior for less money. That may have changed my mind about things. If someday I become uncomfortable with what I have, I'll spend the money to have the seats re-done. I won't be happy about it, but I'm betting that it won't come to that. I have vinyl seats in my Nissan with no scratches, stains or problems. They look brand new.
Anyway, I think if you focus to hard on the stigma of leather vs. vinyl, you're always going to be unhappy. If you just sit in the seat and take it for what it is, you'll be much more confortable (pun intended).
Enjoy your trucks!

 

I posted this on another thread, just wanted to get my opinion in on this one as well. We were talking about people not knowing about the vinyl/leather seating.

You can bet that the auto makers covered them self’s on this one in terms of the law, but if you ask the question to 10 people with leather seats, no matter who the maker is, 9 will think they have full leather. This may be why there is not a big push or loads of law suites. What you don't know can't hurt you right. I think a lot of dealers just go with this kind of thinking. I know you can research it and find out before you buy, but most people are told by their sales people “the truck or car has fine leather sitting”, not that “it has a little leather and the rest is fine vinyl”. I think every one here can agree with that. But in the end, (which I now know is the only thing touching leather, Ha! Ha!) it’s up to us to know what we are buying and very carefully read the window sticker to catch words like “trimmed leather” and don't solely rely on what your told by your sales person. Most probably don't realize this them self’s. May be I’m not as smart as most, but I took “trimmed leather seats” on the window sticker to mean that the seats were entirely trimmed in leather.

And yes I still do love my truck!!!

Just my opinion.