I was building and pricing a 2008 F-250 King Ranch and I noticed that it does not have "Castano" leather like the F-150, it has "Chaparral" leather. Is that imitation leather as part of cost cutting, or is it the real deal?

Thanks

Nevermind... I just found it... sorry.

 

Yes...Presuming you found it correctly, but to explain for any others who might be curious.

"Chaparral" is very similar to Castano with all the same properties but a tad darker and almost a sort of 'richer' look.

It will need looking after in the same way but might be a little easier to deal with, not showing marks or stains quite so badly.
I don't think I have seen anywhere a reason why Ford has gone to the Chaparral but would be intrigued to know the real reason.

 

My epiphany has become reality!

Unfortunately, this very useful source at Ford has since retired and moved on to 'Z-Plan' status. To tip my cards ever so slightly -- this was one of my inside sources that I've relied upon for information since early 2003. He was a WEALTH of information and a master of intrigue. I say that simply because he would always toss out 'tidbits' of information and follow it with "I can say no more". In short, tossing a morsel in the mouth of a hungry fellow. LOL!

You'll be missed R.B.! Enjoy retirement!

--RP--

 

Is the chapparral just for the Super Duties or will it be in the '08 F-150s too?

 

A legitimate question. I don't know the answer; however, I would propose that it'll be F-Series-wide with the Chaparral roll-out.

 

You had one too....I thought it was just me and old age.

 

Sat in an 08 SD King Ranch this past weekend at the car show, both my wife and I were disappointed in just how red the leather appears....much prefer the Castano......

 

It may be old age. Don't give me too much credit, now.

 

I think its way too red. Maybe it will grow on me but I don't like it I do think it will show a lot less wear
it looks and feels like its has a lot more protective finish in the tanning

 

Rant mode on...

I have owned six BMWs, four Audis and several other high-end cars along the way, and I feel the KR Castano leather in my '03 SuperDuty KR 6.0 is probably as good as the best of these. While the nappa leather in our Audi A6 and two S4s were all simply orgasmic in terms of their buttery-soft feel and gorgeous scent, the KR offers its own hard-to-beat set of attributes:

1) The great baseball glove/leather shop scent is a constant reminder of the quality of the leather.

2) The Ford engineers apparently did NOT let the bean counters into the meeting when they chose the leather quality, unlike the crappy glorified pleather used in my 2004 FX4 SCrew (Ford typically uses the absolute WORST quality seat leather, in my experience...it's not what it used to be, that's for sure).

3) In the case of the KR package, the term "leather seats" means EXACTLY what it says...leather everywhere, just like the high-end imports. Fronts, sides and backs. And yes, the back seat is leather too...FULL leather at that. Not like the cheap plastic-covered back seat in my FX4. Why does Ford think that customers who pay for leather seats don't want to share the experience with their back seat guests? Did they think we wouldn't notice? This is one of the dumbest marketing moves Ford makes, IMO. The leatherette in some European cars is better looking, feeling and lasting than some of the leather in Fords, but I digress.

I guess the point of my rant is that I hope the Chapparal leather still has the scent, the richness, the feel and is used in the same quantity as that of the trucks made up to this point. I hope it's better than the Lariat leather, which, IMO, is about the same as the poly-coated FX4 pleather. If the Chapparral leather is anything like that stuff, I'll hang onto my '03 for a while longer. I've not yet had a chance to check out the Chapparral, but here's hoping for just a slightly redder version of the same great Castano leather we all know and love.

Rant mode off.