Leather seats: Heritage Edition VS standard (2 Viewers)

[Artie]

We would like to order a LC but can’t find one within a couple hours of us to see in person and even then it’s just one. As we understand, the leather in the HE is different than the standard model. Can anyone comment on this? Comfort and durability is our main curiosity. We would toss the 3rd row, running boards, chrome and wheels on a standard but the cool box is something we aren’t crazy about. All that sounds like the HE is the obvious choice but we really dislike black interiors. This is why the seats are the deciding factor, we can make the cool box work by adding a storage tray and change everything else but we want to know more about the seats... help!

 

[Raising2hundo]

You sure you don't want a new luxury SUV like a Mercedes-Benz or something? The interior is dated. The seats are comfortable. Very comfortable in my opinion but I don't have a HE and my ride is old but it's the same except newer models have air conditioning seats so black seats don't really matter for heat absorption concerns. Cold air running thru those little holes. And heat too if you need it. In my older model, when I get hot I open the cool box, straddle it. Drive with my left foot and cool down on extended road trips. Works for me! (When the cool box works which is intermittent).

 

[Raising2hundo]

You sure you don't want a new luxury SUV like a Mercedes-Benz or something? The interior is dated. The seats are comfortable. Very comfortable in my opinion but I don't have a HE and my ride is old but it's the same except newer models have air conditioning seats so black seats don't really matter for heat absorption concerns. Cold air running thru those little holes. And heat too if you need it. In my older model, when I get hot I open the cool box, straddle it. Drive with my left foot and cool down on extended road trips. Works for me! (When the cool box works which is intermittent).

You could say I have a heritage edition being an 2008. Lol. I am just kidding above. You will be happy. Order it.

 

[bloc]

Note that the ventilated seats in a 200-series are not cooled, just ventilated.

The HE seats appear to be the same as what was found in pre-2016 cruisers. Maybe try to find one of those to take a look at. Otherwise maybe see if your local club has someone with a 2016+ and the semi-aniline to take a look at. It does seem to be an upgrade in appearance and feel, but there are mixed opinions on whether it is more or less durable. Different people that have owned both pre and post 16 have posted different opinions on which was more durable.. With, as far as I can tell, more people saying the old stuff handled wear better. For whatever reason toyota put the older stuff on the vehicle intended to be “more rugged” (appearing), this could come down to the special stitching.

IMO the heritage vehicles are special. For me the wheels would probably go but I really like the blacked out front end, lack of rub strips, no coolbox, true third row delete without brackets and seat belts left behind, etc. But yeah, limited color choice and only black interior. My 13 is white on black and I love it..

 

[Artie]

You sure you don't want a new luxury SUV like a Mercedes-Benz or something? The interior is dated. The seats are comfortable. Very comfortable in my opinion but I don't have a HE and my ride is old but it's the same except newer models have air conditioning seats so black seats don't really matter for heat absorption concerns. Cold air running thru those little holes. And heat too if you need it. In my older model, when I get hot I open the cool box, straddle it. Drive with my left foot and cool down on extended road trips. Works for me! (When the cool box works which is intermittent).

Our daily driver is a 2018 Navigator and we want the LC to be our dedicated off roader/tow vehicle for our overland trailer. Our dislike for black interior is more for aesthetic reasons than anything else, a dark cabin is just small feeling and we prefer the openness of a lighter color interior.

 

[Artie]

Note that the ventilated seats in a 200-series are not cooled, just ventilated.

The HE seats appear to be the same as what was found in pre-2016 cruisers. Maybe try to find one of those to take a look at. Otherwise maybe see if your local club has someone with a 2016+ and the semi-aniline to take a look at. It does seem to be an upgrade in appearance and feel, but there are mixed opinions on whether it is more or less durable. Different people that have owned both pre and post 16 have posted different opinions on which was more durable.. With, as far as I can tell, more people saying the old stuff handled wear better. For whatever reason toyota put the older stuff on the vehicle intended to be “more rugged” (appearing), this could come down to the special stitching.

IMO the heritage vehicles are special. For me the wheels would probably go but I really like the blacked out front end, lack of rub strips, no coolbox, true third row delete without brackets and seat belts left behind, etc. But yeah, limited color choice and only black interior. My 13 is white on black and I love it..

Yeah I really feel like the HE is what’s calling to us and it’s precisely the items you mentioned... plus, I really dig the bronze wheels and we’d go with the white exterior.

 

[Raising2hundo]

Our daily driver is a 2018 Navigator and we want the LC to be our dedicated off roader/tow vehicle for our overland trailer. Our dislike for black interior is more for aesthetic reasons than anything else, a dark cabin is just small feeling and we prefer the openness of a lighter color interior.

I gotcha. To each his own. Once you get inside not sure you would feel that way but it's your perspective.

 

[bloc]

Yeah I really feel like the HE is what’s calling to us and it’s precisely the items you mentioned... plus, I really dig the bronze wheels and we’d go with the white exterior.

I really like how they look too but from a performance perspective there are better options, that’s the only reason I’d remove them personally.

Either one you get you’ll likely end up loving it. Truly amazing vehicles.

 

[JohnPW]

I have a 2016 white with terra leather I bought used 2 years ago. I looked at a lot of pre-2016 LC’s when shopping. The 2016+ leather on standard is noticeably nicer than the earlier years. If HE leather looks like pre-2016 then the difference is noticeable. I don’t know about durability differences but mine looks brand new after 4 years.

I didn’t like the terra leather in pictures, but I loved it when I saw it in person. I much prefer it to black. But if you’re looking for the light tan color, be aware that it will show dirt more than black or terra as it ages; at least that is the case with other older Lexus vehicles I own.

 

[Artie]

I have a 2016 white with terra leather I bought used 2 years ago. I looked at a lot of pre-2016 LC’s when shopping. The 2016+ leather on standard is noticeably nicer than the earlier years. If HE leather looks like pre-2016 then the difference is noticeable. I don’t know about durability differences but mine looks brand new after 4 years.

I didn’t like the terra leather in pictures, but I loved it when I saw it in person. I much prefer it to black. But if you’re looking for the light tan color, be aware that it will show dirt more than black or terra as it ages; at least that is the case with other older Lexus vehicles I own.

This is all good info, thanks. The light color hasn’t been an issue for us in our current daily driver and we have two in car seats. I’m obsessively tidy and don’t mind the extra attention required for the lighter interiors; however, the newer model terra is the darker tan color so it wouldn’t be as much of an issue over time.
Sounds like you prefer the standard over the HE leather. My wife isn’t crazy about the pictures of the terra but I think in person is a much better way to judge.

thanks!

 

[Artie]

I gotcha. To each his own. Once you get inside not sure you would feel that way but it's your perspective.

Very true, the best way to judge is see it with your own eyes.

 

[Artie]

I really like how they look too but from a performance perspective there are better options, that’s the only reason I’d remove them personally.

Either one you get you’ll likely end up loving it. Truly amazing vehicles.

Could you expand on the performance drawbacks, please?

 

[JohnPW]

This is all good info, thanks. The light color hasn’t been an issue for us in our current daily driver and we have two in car seats. I’m obsessively tidy and don’t mind the extra attention required for the lighter interiors; however, the newer model terra is the darker tan color so it wouldn’t be as much of an issue over time.
Sounds like you prefer the standard over the HE leather. My wife isn’t crazy about the pictures of the terra but I think in person is a much better way to judge.

thanks!

If you are considering the terra it is no worse than black to keep clean. Some model years also had a very light tan which is in an older Lexus RX we own, it looks nice but shows dirt. But that’s not the case with terra.

If I were ordering new I would go standard with terra interior. But I also prefer the standard grill and am indifferent to the HE wheels.

The terra doesn’t photograph well; in many pics it looks orange. In person it looks really nice. See it before you decide.

 

[Artie]

The terra doesn’t photograph well; in many pics it looks orange. In person it looks really nice. See it before you decide.

Seriously.... orange.

If I can find one to see in person I look. I’m about ready to start flagging down owners I see on the road to take a look lol

 

[Madtiger]

Remember, Terra gives you black headliner.

if you do get HE, then I can gladly take your HE rims off your hands!

 

[bloc]

OP might not want black headliner if the goal is to feel more spacious..

I agree with the others though. Terra looks amazing in person.

As for wheel performance, 17s give you more tire construction and size options, bigger sidewalls which are better off road, and in Rock Warrior flavor a slightly better offset. IMO the bronze wheels by themselves look epic but are just a little too inset into the fender well, and personally I am opposed to running spacers. The “problem” is the 17” Rock Warrior that checks all the boxes (including fitting over your brakes) isn’t the best looking and are getting harder to find. But this is a place I tend to look for performance over appearance.

 

[Artie]

Remember, Terra gives you black headliner.

if you do get HE, then I can gladly take your HE rims off your hands!

I love the HE rims, it’s the black seats I’m waffling on. It’s literally down to the seats as we’d do a chrome delete, toss the 3rd row and running boards, and I think we’d prefer the larger center console over the cool box, my wife said the cool box would be a handy stand in for keeping day hike sandwiches cool enough until we got to the trail head and save room over carrying a cooler...

So if terra seats gets black headliner what’s the black seats get, a lighter headliner? If so that may help with the claustrophobic feeling of the all dark colored interior.

 

[Artie]

OP might not want black headliner if the goal is to feel more spacious..

I agree with the others though. Terra looks amazing in person.

As for wheel performance, 17s give you more tire construction and size options, bigger sidewalls which are better off road, and in Rock Warrior flavor a slightly better offset. IMO the bronze wheels by themselves look epic but are just a little too inset into the fender well, and personally I am opposed to running spacers. The “problem” is the 17” Rock Warrior that checks all the boxes (including fitting over your brakes) isn’t the best looking and are getting harder to find. But this is a place I tend to look for performance over appearance.

Thanks for the rundown on the wheels, I’ll find some pictures and take a look at them. The vehicle itself is going to be a purpose use vehicle so when it comes to things like wheels I’m with you, function over fashion on items like that. The ordering new and then tossing things like the wheels and 3rd row seats is a hurdle that keeps tripping me up but to get the perfect setup for us that’s just going to be what happens.

 

[bloc]

Thanks for the rundown on the wheels, I’ll find some pictures and take a look at them. The vehicle itself is going to be a purpose use vehicle so when it comes to things like wheels I’m with you, function over fashion on items like that. The ordering new and then tossing things like the wheels and 3rd row seats is a hurdle that keeps tripping me up but to get the perfect setup for us that’s just going to be what happens.

Keep in mind I might be making a much bigger deal about the performance drawbacks of the 18s than is necessary. Many people run them hard and they do great. I’m just a big fan of 17s and the availability of tall p-metric tires in that rim size.
But yeah, a few pictures of rock warriors vs bronze BBS might make this decision for you.

 

[LBridges]

We traded in a perfectly fine 2017 base model (30K miles - Brandywine Mica exterior, black interior) for a 2020 HE (Blizzard Pearl exterior, black interior - no choice). We have no regrets.

Concerning terra interiors: I was indifferent, but the wife vetoed terra. She simply didn't like the way Toyota employed black parts (seat backs, some door panel parts) with the Terra. I wonder if her opinion was formed by our older LX that had a light interior but seat backs matched in color, etc.

The HE wheels are BBS forged and lighter than the base model wheels (in the same ballpark as the Rock Warriors). I am no longer a serious off-road type so the advantage of 17" Rock Warriors over 18" HE wheels is lost on me. Your use might sway you differently. The cleaner rear interior (if the base model seats are removed) and the lack of the cool box were both attractions to us. The HE has a cargo curtain that we never use that's not available on the base model (mall crawler - hide the packages thing?). The cool box was something we only used maybe twice. Anytime we were carrying anything we wanted to keep cool, we ended up with a small cooler anyway (drinks before and after trail, sandwiches, etc.) Maybe ours wasn't insulated correctly, but the base model cool box we had would not keep things cold long enough to have cool drinks or food there after a couple hour hike.