2025 Calligraphy Leather Concerns… Normal or Not?

Anyone else concerned about their leather holding up? I’ve never wanted leather because I’m terrified of cracking and it’s already wrinkly, I’ve had since ~November :weary:. To add to that, my 2nd row seat has SERIOUS quality issues, it looks horrible in the upper left hand corner…

I bought side steps to install to help me get in and our since I’m short. And I’m using leather cleaner (meguiar’s) to keep conditioned. But what else can I do?!



You’re not the first to bring up concerns like this. In Canada, the highest hybrid trim uses H-Tex instead of leather, and honestly, it’s pretty great.

Looks like normal leather wear to me. :man_shrugging:

This just looks like the leather breaking in, and honestly, it seems to be breaking in pretty nicely.

Ouch, not a great look. :grimacing:

That’s unfortunate. There’s always a tradeoff between comfort and durability with leather seats. Manufacturers often bond plastic layers to make leather more durable, but the Nappa leather in the Calligraphy trim shouldn’t show wear this early.

What’s strange is that I haven’t noticed issues with mine. Maybe it’s more obvious on black leather?

@Hale
I have the beige interior in my Calligraphy Hybrid, and I wonder the same. Maybe mine has similar wear, but it just doesn’t show as much.

@Hale
Nope, my family has the white leather, and the wear is just as visible. Though to be fair, most of them are on the heavier side, so that might be a factor. :sweat_smile:

I bought mine in August last year, and the leather on the front passenger seat is already breaking down. I’ve only had a passenger in the car four times! I’m not happy about it.

That’s the Nappa leather for you!

It looks like normal wrinkling to me. My beige seats look similar, but it doesn’t seem like a problem—just looks used. The first photo looks fine, but the second and third make it seem like the seats weren’t built very well.

I wouldn’t worry about it. This looks like typical leather wear. I wipe mine down monthly with leather cleaner and conditioner.

After looking closely at the pictures, I think a lot of the issue might be due to the cushioning material underneath the leather.

Try Meguiar’s 3-in-1 leather cleaner and conditioner every few months. This looks like normal wear to me.

Most of the seat isn’t actual leather—only the perforated center section is. The rest is synthetic or vinyl, which wrinkles differently. It all depends on how people get in and out of the car and the weight distribution. If it bothers you, take it to the dealer—you’ve got a long warranty.

It’s a known issue that Korean cars don’t use the best leather. Rips and tears have been a problem for years.

Mine isn’t as bad, but the bottom side bolster on the driver’s seat gets the most wear. I think the design is a bit too aggressive. If they used the same bolstering as the second-row seats, it might last longer.