BRJACKET

I am going to submit my build soon and was thinking of getting the Alcantara steering wheel. Is it worth it?

DAVfoto

I've been wanting to buy one for my 13 GTS, but it will mat down overtime with your hands. If you do go through with it. Make sure to get a brush and just stimulate the fibers every so often to keep it fresh.

trucker

I added the alcantara to my headliner but decided to go with the carbon fiber steering wheel instead, I heard the oil from the hands will mess up the alcantara fibers if you daily drive it. I would have it on a 911 that wouldn't be driven as much as the Cayenne and probably would use driving gloves, even though I think I would look weird with those.

meyecul

I think having it on the steering wheel is a bit out of place in a Cayenne. Perhaps in a future 3rd gen GTS model with other Alcantara interior elements (seat inserts, door panels etc.), but on its own or just with the headliner...I would pass. Not to mention, they get matted down very quick on a daily driver.

BCA01

I like the look of alcantara but only on non-touch surfaces. Headliner.....good. Seats, steering wheel, shifter, etc....nope. Wears badly no matter what you do.

drcollie

Alcantara is a man made synthetic designed to replicate suede leather. Like all materials of its kind it will pill over time and use. It’s actually cheaper than leather yet companies like Porsche charge a premium for it because they can. It will wear much faster than leather, too. Race car teams use it as a replacement for suede as it’s grippy and less likely to retain moisture. But those race teams really don’t care about longevity as that’s a disposable part.

The steering wheel itself is really nice to drive with, especially in winter. It’s going to wear no matter how careful you are. Leather is going to last much longer as long as you keep it clean and conditioned regularly. Plus it’s not an upgrade cost!

box

Ya either love it or ya hate it--I love it. Feels great, looks great (IMNSHO), has great temp control.

Will it pill and get ratty? Maybe. By then I'll do some upgrades or retrofits.

Porsche did not do this as a stupid move.

BRJACKET

Thanks for all the insight!

JCWLS3

Agree with everybody here. It looks fantastic as a headliner, and will hold up great because it'll never get touched. I've got leather / Alcantara seats on my SS; after 3.5 years, both are holding up well. But I'd have real reservations about putting it on a steering wheel because of the constant touching with bare, oily, sweaty skin. Plus, I too think it looks a little goofy on a Cayenne.

We went leather / carbon on our steering wheel, with standard Alcantara headliner on our Turbo. We think it looks sporty and very classy at the same time; we've gotten a ton of compliments.

PTS

I've had alcantera steering wheels for years on a variety of cars and I've yet to see any pilling or deterioration, as long as you take care of it, which applies to any finish really.

That being said, I wouldn't spec an alcantera steering wheel without other alcantera in the interior to balance it out. If you have the headliner and/or grip handles in alcantera, I think it will flow well.

Unless you are spec'ing your interior in a sporty fashion (ie alcantera and carbon fiber), it does look out of place in an SUV.

My Coupe Turbo will have the alcantera wheel as it will match both the headliner and the grip handles in the car. Should also flow well with carbon fiber trim and the houndstooth seats. I went sporty on the interior spec so I feel it will look at home.

box

Totally agree, well put. I frankly fell in love with the interior of my Targa, which I did not spec. In fact, I don't think I could have spec'd it as well as the PO. Just seems to flow without being garish and the gray tach face right in the center through the wheel is the icing on the cake for me. Good to hear that alcantara holds up--I sort of thought so...it's Porsche.

XLL Alcantara GT sports steering wheel
XLN Alcantara PDK selector lever
XSH Silver gray seat belts
XWP Alcantara seat centers
023 Silver-gray tachometer face

Jarez Mifkin

I got the alcantara steering wheel and love it. It was never hot in the summer which was nice and assume it's going to be nice in the winter also. 7,200 miles on mine and the wheel still looks great.

box

This is my first experience with Alcantara and I thinks it's great. The first steering wheels were polished wood (maybe some metal ones) and that was not good. Then they learned to wrap them with leather and that was great all the way up to plastic wheels and at that point if you wanted leather you paid out the gazoo or you just bought a "wrap" for it.

After a few months with the Alcantara I am sold. It looks great and feels great. The interior of the car is just...just...refined and the Alcantara plays well with the leather.

So, to the naysayer: there are products made specifically for it to clean it! Add to that a slew of YouTube videos to show you how. I plan to use an old brush and my Sonicare on mine when the time comes