[gremal]

I surprised myself at the dealership when I opted against the leather seats. The cloth interior looked and felt better to my tastes. I'm not second-guessing my decision but trying to understand why I didn't like the stock leather more, and in looking around I found the Katzkin leather that is much more to my liking. I've attached photos that show the difference. The Katzkin is the center photo. You can find many more color options at their website.

Basically, it comes down to the first things that stood out to me when I got in the car to test drive: the excessive seams on the headrest and the redundant dual-strips of stitching down the center of the seat looked odd to me, like it was trying too hard to be a racing seat for no reason. I am also not a fan of the stock leather perforation style. I realize this is super picky, but to my tastes the Katzkin leather looks far superior.

I especially like the minimal seams relative to the stock leather, the Katzkin stitching looks more substantial and stronger. The Katzkin perforations look like they provide better breathability. Downsides of course would be the cost and possible warranty voiding. I plan to keep the Insight a long time and if the cloth or stock leather (for those of you who have it) doesn't hold up as well as expected, this looks like a great option with some ability to customize.

 

[mgldan]

I wouldn't mind having the Katzkin in my car either. I like the deeper, more obvious perforations. They're handsome. The seat is simpler, more inviting to look at as a whole.

One thing about the stitching down the middle of the stock seats: up close, your eye has something to track. They draw your attention more, and for me that means they force your eye to wander. I find it a little distracting. I'm starting to wonder whether the look will age well.

My feeling is that the extra seams make the seats appear more premium, insofar as seats from Audi, BMW, and Mercedes will have more seams on them. Here are photos of the A4 and 3 series that I quickly grabbed from their website.

 

[stevec73]

Roadwire (Roadwire | Leather Seats, Aftermarket Car Interior Upgrades and Road Safety) also does custom leather for the Insight. I've seen a friend's Suburban with their product installed and it's beautiful. Related note - I'm thinking about doing leather in my Insight. It has the beige interior, but I think I want brown leather for ease of maintenance. Anyone swapped the padded dash panel for the brown version? Is it part number 77220-TXM-A01ZA? Any pics?

 

[stevec73]

Roadwire vs. Katzkin Pattern

http://roadwire.com/core/media/media.nl?id=3089012&c=801095&h=d64676c06b3b32d350dd&whence=

https://www.katzkinvis.com/interiorselector/uploads/1533569946F1287-100.jpg

Very similar, but I kinda like the subtle stiching down the middle of the inserts. Thoughts?

 

[gremal]

Thanks. I like the Roadwire leather, too.

I wouldn't mind having the Katzkin in my car either. I like the deeper, more obvious perforations. They're handsome. The seat is simpler, more inviting to look at as a whole.

One thing about the stitching down the middle of the stock seats: up close, your eye has something to track. They draw your attention more, and for me that means they force your eye to wander. I find it a little distracting. I'm starting to wonder whether the look will age well.

My feeling is that the extra seams make the seats appear more premium, insofar as seats from Audi, BMW, and Mercedes will have more seams on them. Here are photos of the A4 and 3 series that I quickly grabbed from their website.

Interesting, I can better understand what Honda was going for. When starting the thread I was away from my car on a trip out of town, but now that I'm back I think I have a genuine preference for the black cloth interior look/feel. This parallels my preference in home seating. At one point I had a leather sofa but I really didn't enjoy it. I sold it and got something in faux suede, and now have a Kagan in real suede. But suede is just wrong for a car. Katzkin does offer it, though.