OK I am ready to order a 2007 F-150. I have narrowed it down to a King Ranch or a Lariat. Not much difference in price. I am just concerned about the King Ranch interior. I have three boys involved in football and baseball who are usually covered in mud and dirt after games and practices, as they should be, as well as two dogs that will be getting in and out of the truck. If I go the King Ranch route am I going to be spending all my free time cleaning and conditioning the interior? Please let me know your thoughts and experiences. Thanks.

 

Probably, but you will also need to do that with the Lariat interior.

The leather in the Lariat does have a coating on it. But I believe that the Castano leather in the King Ranch is a better grade of leather, maybe even thicker. Anyway, it is pretty tough stuff.

Any leather is going to need to be cleaned and conditioned regularly if you want to keep it looking good. Also remember that the King Ranch seats are completely covered with Castano leather, the Lariat seats are covered in leather and vinyl.

If the vehicle prices are abut the same, I would always choose the King Ranch over the Lariat.

 

Hi Mark -- Welcome to f150online.com

In my opinion, it sounds as though you are obviously serious about this purchase and realize that the KR leather is a completely different beast versus that of a standard Lariat.

As Mark mentioned above, Lariat leather is 'coated' with a material that will definitely minimize repetitive maintenance whereas the KR leather is analine and has no coating. This coating is designed to help keep the leather in good shape and also make it more durable. It'll sheen off moisture whereas the KR leather will suck it up (moisture as in rain or a coca-cola).

Most everyone here will agree that the KR leather is a bit of work to keep it up and in great shape but, I think they'd be quick to follow with their thoughts stating that it's totally worth it.

Kids & dogs & repetitive motion may proove to be a very difficult combination with KR leather in that it is pretty unforgiving. If you're somewhat obcessive compulsive like many of us with our trucks, I think you're going to be working a lot on your leather with the muddy kid and dog claws on the seats paradigm. There's always the option to just let it go to heck though -- For example:



This is a 2002 that is on ebay right now. Honestly, the leather is in decent condition (not good) and I can safely say that this owner didn't really care for the leather very well. I've seen CONSIDERABLY worse. One thing I'd like to point out is the steering wheel.

In my honest opinion after owning a 2001 and now a 2005 King Ranch Edition, you may be better suited for a Lariat. They're both super nice trucks... pick what is going to suit you best!

 

Thanks for the info. I am new to the forum and saw all the threads about the KR leather issues and people dyeing the seats and I started to get a little nervous. I'm not concerned about a little regular maintenance just don't want to end up spending an hour in the driveway cleaning the seats after every practice. I don't want the truck to end up looking like the pictues that you posted either. There in lies the dilemma.

 

I guess I'm in the minority here. My leather looks great to me. I specifically wanted this leather so that it WOULD show wear and develop a patina. Yes, my leather is not the same even color everywhere. It tells a story about who sat where and who spilled what just like a good saddle will do. In a world of conformity I've found comfort in a company that still offers a product that's unapologetic of it's unique attributes.

I liken this leather to a good pair of jeans or boots, they're just not quite right till their broken in.

Further, the KR leather is(again, my opinion) MUCH more comfortable than the leather in the Lariat. I've had both over the years and I won't go back to a Lariat.

 

I bought my 2006 KR because of the leather and the colors of the dash/interior doors. I think the KR package really enhances the look of the truck and everyone who see the interior makes a positive comment. (One guy asked how many cows they had to kill to make my truck... I just laughed and said they were going to kill them anyway for food!!!) This was not the case with my previous Lariat trucks, in fact most folks had no comment because they were just "normal" leather seats.

I have treated my seats twice in two months with the KR conditioner, but that is just because I like to start off on the right foot with a new truck. I am sure I will do it less and less as the truck gets older. So far, my sons have spilled a few things on the back seats and we all got in one night in a pouring rain with dirt and mud everywhere. When I got home, I wiped the seats down with a dry towel and the still look perfect. (I would have wiped the seats of a Lariat down, as well, since it was really raining hard that night and I do not like to leave water in my vehicles over night in Texas...)

I say go for the KR and if worse comes to worse, have the seats dyed for about $200 just before you try to sell it.

KR-Texas

PS. I am considering a rawhide colored steering wheel cover because I understand it is difficult to dye the wheel.

 

I love my king ranch, but if I ever have children I will move on to a harley davidson F-Series for ease of leather care.

 

We have both KR leather and your more typical protected leather in our family. My wife does most of the kid hauling (no dogs). I think she would be miserable w/ an unprotected analine leather such as the KR Castano.

So I think it really comes down to personality. Are you the type to want your interior to look good as new five years down the line or are you OK with the "lived in" look? Are you the type to stress over a permanent stain or scratch in your leather? If so, I'd vote Lariat. Otherwise, you can't beat that KR with stick (or much of anything else, for that matter).

I suppose there's also a question of resale. If you plan to trade in a few years, I would think that roughed up KR leather would actually depress your value vs. a Lariat interior in reasonably good condition, but I'm not in the car business, so that's just speculation...