ASK RFD'ers: Do you prefer leather, or cloth interior?

[broc]

I've kinda always assumed I would want leather interior for my next car. Looks nice, is soft, increeases value of car a little bit. But a lot of people I know with leather complain about it.
I've heard the best part is it's easy to keep clean/wipe off. The most common complaint is in extreme weather it's very uncomfortable.... hot hot days when you first get in the car it's burning hot, ice cold days it takes a while to heat up?


Anyway, for the people with experience.. what are the pro's and cons of having cloth vs. leather interior in your car?

[jooksingjai77]

You kinda summed it up right there OP.

My current car came with cloth seats. Great all year around. Not too hot, not too cold and breathable so my back wouldn't sweat so much. The bad thing with cloth is if you're a clean freak, there will be more dust/lint on your dashboard.

When I changed to leather seats in the spring it was great. Comfortable temperatures, looks 100x better and dashboard didn't get as dusty as fast. During the past few months of extreme heat I dread sitting down and constantly try to find shade to park my car.

The only reason I went to leather was because the seats were a different design. Bigger bolsters and hugs you alot better whereas my old cloth seats were just seats.

I've been seriously contemplating trying to find the same sport seats in cloth now.

[ronin1701]

I loved the leather seats in my car, they're comfy and look great, but you're right about the extreme temperatures.

If you get them, seat warmers are essential in the winter!

In the summer they'll cool down quickly enough once you air out the car and have the air con blasting away.

One thing about leather seats - you do have to maintain them, otherwise they tend to stain, dry and crack over time, so you'll want to pick up a bottle of good leather cleaner/restorer

[AudiDude]

Cloth can stain and hold dust. Leather looks better. Maintaining leather is easier than removing sweat, or water stains from cloth. You WILL get water stains on cloth unless you don't drive the car in the wet or snow. I find cloth seats suck in and hold odours more than leather. In the winter most people have a coat that covers their behind, so the only issue with extreme leather temps is in the summer.

I've owned one cloth seated car, two leathers, and currently drive a leatherette until tomorrow. Then back to leather...

[RCGA]

I've only had cloth, never had a problem with it.

I'd rather have leather, though.

[poedua]

Had both.

Cloth makes more sense - i.e summer and winter.

Nonetheless, prefer leather.

[Maymybonneliveforever]

I've had both and prefer leather with heated seats, in the winter I turn on the heated seats before I turn the car off, then the next morning when I remote start the car, the seats are already warm when I get into the car. In the summer I have tinted window and normally park in the garage therefore the seats aren't too hot but yes it's sometimes hotter than it would be if they were cloth, but I can live with that inconvenience.

I did have a car once that had leather with no option for heated seats so I went to the yard and pulled the pads, wires, relays, switches etc. and incorporated into my car under the leather seats and it worked out well.

To be technically correct, some manufactures call it leather but they're more imitation/vinyl leather.

I can list the advantages and dissadvantes to both but above are my thoughts in a nutshell re the temperature concerns.

[yellowmp5]

I have had cheap cloth seats in my Protege5, cloth racing seats, premium cloth seats in MS6, cheap cloth seats in the Honda Fit, now have leather seats in my GC.....

i prefer the premium cloth seats in my MS6. very dense and easy to manage and clean..
leather is too hot for summer, cold for winter when i'm wearin' shorts, and the minor wrinkles on
my current cheapy leather seat really grinds my gear as well....

[joeyjoejoe]

This is why the cooled and heated leather seats was such huge perk in buying my car!

[coriolis]

I have cloth bucket seats in my Mazda3, I find it pretty comfortable, but as mentioned about the dust, it gathers stupidly quick.

The Volt has pleather, and I'd be lying if I said the seats were nice to sit in.


In the future, if I'm going to pay for 'leather', they better be damn good leather and not 'pleather'.

[ji2o0k]

previous posters have summed it up nicely....

Pros of Leather
- looks nice
- doesn't stain or gather dust
- increases value of car
- doesn't trap odours
- easy to clean spills
- some cars may have unique bucket seats only available in leather

Cons of Leather
- hot in summer
- cold in winter (takes time for heated seats to heat)
- requires leather maintenance or will crack/dry out over time
- costs extra

Pros of Cloth
- doesn't cost extra
- isn't hot in summer or cold in winter

Cons of Cloth
- traps odours and dust
- stains easily
- hard to clean spills
- doesn't increase value of car

I have had both and slightly prefer leather.....it does look very nice in the car and is good with spills etc...but the temperature thing in the summer is brutal when you wear shorts..

My windows are tinted too and I try to park under shade and indoors as possible but I take the GO train so that isn't possible all the time...the only good thing is I tend to wear slacks during work hours so the scalding leather isn't too much of a problem.

The newest car in our family has cloth seats and it has been great during this summer...no temp issues and very comfortable to sit in.

My only value added to this thread would be it seems like the leather seats are constructed better and hold their shape better?

My car with leather seats is about 10years old and the leather seats feel as solid as they did when I first got them...

I don't know if this is true but my older cars with cloth seats seem very lumpy/saggy....our newest car obviously I don't know yet but seems like they might lose their form slightly as well?

[Rainne]

Leather. Easy to clean. Feels good (smooth). Looks better = imo. Stays new longer too, imo.

Stain on cloth = gg

[boyoflondon]

Leather - only con is that I have black leather at the moment without tint so in summer time it can get hot. Seats are heated, so it is not an issue during winter.

When I previously had cars with cloth seats, biggest thing that bugged me is the amount of dust that would be in there. There were times when I took all the seats out and dusted them, but even that didn't help too much, although it did minimize the amount of dust by a bit.

[djemzine]

I have leather in the cars at home, however they are not black which is an advantage because black usually gets hot during the summer periods. That being said, there are cons to having leather as many have mentioned above, but fortunately I do have leather protection just in case something is spilled or if there is a tear. Can never see myself going back to cloth again. PS, I feel that leatherette is nothing compared to leather. Its always nice to have genuine leather hehe.

[Jon04CTS]

Leather. I hate jumping in a rental car with cloth seats.

Much more effort required to maintain if you want it to last (I condition my seats twice a month and the seats in my '04 V look brand new), but easy to clean. Plus with leather you can get ventilated seats.

[Gotoff]

i personally like black cloth

[forthewinwin]

I like leather because i can wipe it down to clean it, and stuff doesn't seep in as easily.

[JamesA1]

I've had both but I prefer leather. It stays cleaner and smells better.

In summer leather may get hotter in the sun, but it feels cooler if it has been in the shade. In winter the leather transmits the heat from the seat heater faster than cloth.

There may be some differences in opinion here because of the different types of leather used in car seats. My BMW seats have thick, fairly stiff leather. Some other cars have thin, soft leather that you sink into more.

[DJ_Peanuts22]

I've only had cloth seats. They work fine for me.

I might switch over to leather with the next car though.

[jferreir]

I think it really depends on the vehicle in question. I used to drive a few Fords, and their cloth seats were always of poor quality. I now drive a VW and I absolutely love their cloth seats. They're comfortable, supportive, look great, and heat quickly. I find that leather doesn't age particularly well, and it's simply not worth the added expense (which I find considerable). It comes down to priorities and preferences, so there isn't any single correct answer to this question.

[Jimboski]

Leather because It makes the car look much more baller!

[EP32k2]

I have had leatherette, leather and cloth. Given the choice I would take premium cloth over the rest. Leather sucks for hot weather and it wrinkles even if you condition it.

[board123]

I have black cloth seats, so even if they dirty you can't really tell.

I will never buy a car with leather seats. The extreme temperatures in Canada make leather very impractical. This is something I sit on, so I couldn't care less how it looks. Comfort is the only thing that matters.

[BluePhirePB]

I got fabric in my Matrix while The Wife has leather in her Corolla (go figure lol). I like how you can wipe stains off easily with leather but in hot temps, it does burn the ***** . Fabric is softer but it retains stains. I had my Matrix in for body work and the technician left a small oil smudge on the driver seat and door upholstery.

Overall, I say it depends on the car. Regular run of the mill car (eg. Matrix, Focus = fabric). Higher end cars (eg. 3-series, IS, XF), leather.

[EnyCe]

I have black cloth seats, so even if they dirty you can't really tell.

I will never buy a car with leather seats. The extreme temperatures in Canada make leather very impractical. This is something I sit on, so I couldn't care less how it looks. Comfort is the only thing that matters.

If you think Canada has extreme temperatures then clearly you have never left the country.

[boredstudent3]

in my next car, i will get leather.

here is how i protect my seats from getting stains and keep them clean:

http://i1090.photobucket.com/albums/i361/AttentivToDetailz/1998%20Toyota%20Corolla%20-%20Interior/IMG_1944.jpg

i put a cloth (which is washed bi-weekly) on the bottom, this will also help leather seat owners as it will prevent fading and cracking of the leather. depending on the colour of the cloth, it will prevent the seat from being hot in the summer also.

i put another cloth on the passenger seat, and the rear bench has a larger cloth.

[Jon04CTS]

it wrinkles even if you condition it.

I don't think it wrinkles any more than cloth would if you maintain it. http://www.mustangworld.com/forums/images/smilies/ne_nau.gif

'04 CTS with 145k, conditioned once every 2 months
http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/4136/seat3m.jpg

'04 CTS-V with 80k, conditioned once every 2 weeks.
http://img862.imageshack.us/img862/2829/seat2.jpg

'09 CTS with 32k, conditioned once every 2 weeks
http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/6331/seat1r.jpg

[Jon04CTS]

You have some nice cars there Jon, the CTS is very nice.

Can I ask how you condition it? Is it a wipe on product, then you wipe off, or do you more indepth cleaning to it?

I have a new car with perforated leather seats which are connected to a fan so in the summer it feels cool, but with all the perforations I dont want to mess anything up.

Thanks. I use Zaino products to clean & condition it.

I spray Z9 (http://www.zainostore.ca/zaino-product/z-9-leather-soft-spray-cleaner/) onto the seat and scrub with a gentle brush, then wipe off with a cloth. One section at a time.

Then I apply Z10 (http://www.zainostore.ca/zaino-product/z-10-leather-in-a-bottle/) with a cloth. It's like a lotion. I put it on a cloth, then wipe it on the seat. For the perforated areas, I just use what's left over on the cloth.

[azncapcom]

Leather with cooled seats for summer and heated seats for winter. All problems solved.

[sandikosh]

Cloth for me. I just prefer it.

[DaHonga]

Best of both worlds, leather and cloth!

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6021/5873079870_8dfe328281.jpg

[XtremeModder]

Ever since my 3rd car which I sold had leather that's all I prefer now, so now my current car has leather. Not that bad in terms of heat and in the winter I'll just use the heated seats

[board123]

If you think Canada has extreme temperatures then clearly you have never left the country.
Actually I have left the country, and Canada is indeed quite extreme when it comes to the temperature swing from summer to winter. Over the course of one year, we go from -20 to +35 (in southern Ontario). Not too many other places in the world have this wide a temperature range.

[XtremeModder]

What car do you have now, did you buy the Civic? I didnt know Civics had leather, but I remember you sold the BMW.

Yea sold the BMW and a couple months later about 2 weeks ago I picked up a 2010 civic ex-l for $14,500. Only 30,000km on it

[88marty88]

Definitely leather, its easier to clean and looks better in most cars. It does get really hot in the summer but I just blast the AC, gas is cheap in Edmonton :D

[thrifthunter]

Perforated leather.

[ToniCipriani]

Cloth for closed top, leather for convertibles.

[kingrukus]

Cloth. I owned a string of cars with leather interiors until my most recent ones, and I flat out prefer the way cloth feels. A well bolstered seat with good support especially lateral is the most important to me though, regardless of material. I am going to purchase a pair of Recaros or Corbeaus for my car next year.

[feidailo]

alcantara. so...cloth? my seats are leather with alcantara inserts, kinda like DaHonga's.

[liorsyncro]

Leather seats look sharp but good luck sitting on them after the car's been sitting outside in the sun. Your butt will be French toast!!

I have cloth in my car and it's terrific. Don't forget that today's cloth seats are made of fibers that wisk away moisture and are designed to keep you comfortable and dry - unlike leather where you actually sweat and the moisture stays where it is. Eww!

[fortunekitty500]

Leather esp. with heating for winter and cooling for summer. DON'T get perforated leather or if you do, don't ever have any drinks in your car - liquid goes right thru.

[p1llar]

I have suede/leather recaros, so best of both worlds I guess. Heated too.