I don't have any comments on leather vs. cloth seats because I like them both but I will go on to say that leather steering wheels ARE luxury and are ALWAYS the way to go! Especially compared that awful foam-rubber they're using nowadays in cost-cutter trim levels.
Leather is luxury. Not.
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OVERKILL
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It really depends on the leather.
The leather in my M5 is like 400x better than the leather in our Expedition.
The leather in my M5 is like 400x better than the leather in our Expedition.
Originally Posted By: L_Sludger
I don't have any comments on leather vs. cloth seats because I like them both but I will go on to say that leather steering wheels ARE luxury and are ALWAYS the way to go! Especially compared that awful foam-rubber they're using nowadays in cost-cutter trim levels.
I prefer leather wrapped steering wheels too. They just feel much better than bare plastic. Also, they are less temperature sensitive...the hard plastic steering wheel in my old truck would get blazing hot in the summer. The leather gets hot, but not as hot.
One downside, especially with Ford trucks, is the clearcoat coming off of the leather. Luckily my truck came with a black steering wheel, so it doesn't show as much, but it looks pretty grungy in F-Series trucks with color-keyed steering wheels.
When it comes to seats, I prefer cloth overall. It doesn't get as hot or cold and is pretty durable. I prefer velour, but I can deal with woven cloth. My truck has woven cloth that looks like something from the 1970s, but it has held up well with no rips or tears after 10 years and 123K miles.
I don't have any comments on leather vs. cloth seats because I like them both but I will go on to say that leather steering wheels ARE luxury and are ALWAYS the way to go! Especially compared that awful foam-rubber they're using nowadays in cost-cutter trim levels.
I prefer leather wrapped steering wheels too. They just feel much better than bare plastic. Also, they are less temperature sensitive...the hard plastic steering wheel in my old truck would get blazing hot in the summer. The leather gets hot, but not as hot.
One downside, especially with Ford trucks, is the clearcoat coming off of the leather. Luckily my truck came with a black steering wheel, so it doesn't show as much, but it looks pretty grungy in F-Series trucks with color-keyed steering wheels.
When it comes to seats, I prefer cloth overall. It doesn't get as hot or cold and is pretty durable. I prefer velour, but I can deal with woven cloth. My truck has woven cloth that looks like something from the 1970s, but it has held up well with no rips or tears after 10 years and 123K miles.
JHZR2
Staff member
The oldest vehicle I have with a leather wheel is my 98 chevy truck. My older BMW and MBs all have plastic wheels.
The leather on the chevy looks and feels like new still... but I dont like it. It makes my palms sweat. Ditto for the leather wheels in all but my new BMW.
The MB wheels, which are a larger diameter and a nice soft plastic really are the best to me...
The leather on the chevy looks and feels like new still... but I dont like it. It makes my palms sweat. Ditto for the leather wheels in all but my new BMW.
The MB wheels, which are a larger diameter and a nice soft plastic really are the best to me...
I hate leather or vinyl surfaces. They are more expensive to buy, more difficult to maintain, are colder/hotter than cloth in Summer/Winter.
Also slippery compared to cloth, I have never purchased a car with leather or vinyl seating surfaces and NEVER will.
Also slippery compared to cloth, I have never purchased a car with leather or vinyl seating surfaces and NEVER will.
Originally Posted By: Spazdog
Originally Posted By: mpvue
Originally Posted By: Spazdog
Leather. More proof that one of my brothers in law is insane.
He had to special order his E-350 4Matic with leather and without seat heaters.
Yes, you read that correctly.
MY brother special ordered a '86 Dodge Daytona Turbo Z w/ the Shelby handling kit, T-tops and A/C DELETE! black leather interior was standard IIRC.
fast, harsh driving car, SO unpleasant for passengers w/ the massive turbulence from the open T-top roof, to say nothing of how scorching those seats were from baking in the summer sun!
I had that exact car! So they built at least two of them like that
Black on black leather 1986 Dodge Daytona Turbo Z C/S. T-Tops/ no A/C. It had every option except A/C and automatic. It had the inflation bulb that you could inflate the lumbar support or the side bolsters. It had the top of the line Chrysler stereo with digital display (that appeared to be sourced from Fujitsu Ten) It even had "C/S" embroidered into the headrests. I bought it in February and just assumed it had air conditioning. Never occured to me while I was ogling the underhood area that the compressor was conspicuously absent
Still one of my favorite cars. But terribly hot in summer.
my brother was of the generation that thought A/C robbed too much power, so he figured he would just get the T-tops (how exactly is hot wind blowing on you supposed the same as chilled, dehumidified air?)
Originally Posted By: mpvue
Originally Posted By: Spazdog
Leather. More proof that one of my brothers in law is insane.
He had to special order his E-350 4Matic with leather and without seat heaters.
Yes, you read that correctly.
MY brother special ordered a '86 Dodge Daytona Turbo Z w/ the Shelby handling kit, T-tops and A/C DELETE! black leather interior was standard IIRC.
fast, harsh driving car, SO unpleasant for passengers w/ the massive turbulence from the open T-top roof, to say nothing of how scorching those seats were from baking in the summer sun!
I had that exact car! So they built at least two of them like that
Black on black leather 1986 Dodge Daytona Turbo Z C/S. T-Tops/ no A/C. It had every option except A/C and automatic. It had the inflation bulb that you could inflate the lumbar support or the side bolsters. It had the top of the line Chrysler stereo with digital display (that appeared to be sourced from Fujitsu Ten) It even had "C/S" embroidered into the headrests. I bought it in February and just assumed it had air conditioning. Never occured to me while I was ogling the underhood area that the compressor was conspicuously absent
Still one of my favorite cars. But terribly hot in summer.
my brother was of the generation that thought A/C robbed too much power, so he figured he would just get the T-tops (how exactly is hot wind blowing on you supposed the same as chilled, dehumidified air?)
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
It really depends on the leather.
The leather in my M5 is like 400x better than the leather in our Expedition.
Agreed. Depends on the leather and the vehicle use. Settle into a natural atacama leather driver's seat . . . that is quite an experience. Color, aroma and feel off the charts. By contrast, cheap coated leather on some domestics is vinyl covered cardboard devoid of life. I don't understand why anyone gets leather in a truck or station wagon. But for a sport or luxury vehicle, it can't be beat.
For kids, dogs, hauling and harder duty, cloth is the ticket. Leather will get destroyed and its aroma can't compete with stinky dogs and half-eaten happy meals. Cloth wears like iron. But spill your coffee, and cloth is not so good.
My first cars were dark unperforated sheet vinyl (1960s). Like sitting on a griddle in the summer. Ouch. Everything today is better than that.
It really depends on the leather.
The leather in my M5 is like 400x better than the leather in our Expedition.
Agreed. Depends on the leather and the vehicle use. Settle into a natural atacama leather driver's seat . . . that is quite an experience. Color, aroma and feel off the charts. By contrast, cheap coated leather on some domestics is vinyl covered cardboard devoid of life. I don't understand why anyone gets leather in a truck or station wagon. But for a sport or luxury vehicle, it can't be beat.
For kids, dogs, hauling and harder duty, cloth is the ticket. Leather will get destroyed and its aroma can't compete with stinky dogs and half-eaten happy meals. Cloth wears like iron. But spill your coffee, and cloth is not so good.
My first cars were dark unperforated sheet vinyl (1960s). Like sitting on a griddle in the summer. Ouch. Everything today is better than that.
I've sat in a volvo with cloth seats and own one with leather. Both are nice even with a billion miles.
CVPI with HD cloth: nice.
Ford escort with cloth: nice off the lot, but cheap foam and cheap springs took a "butt groove" and was never the same.
I'm not impressed by leather. Not impressed by car alarms or remote openers. Not impressed by electric parking brakes or blueteeth or touch screens.
I am impressed that volvo addressed this issue 30 years ago with a snarky ad for cloth seats.
CVPI with HD cloth: nice.
Ford escort with cloth: nice off the lot, but cheap foam and cheap springs took a "butt groove" and was never the same.
I'm not impressed by leather. Not impressed by car alarms or remote openers. Not impressed by electric parking brakes or blueteeth or touch screens.
I am impressed that volvo addressed this issue 30 years ago with a snarky ad for cloth seats.
Originally Posted By: G-MAN
When I was at Princeton Seminary in the 80s there was a female student in her mid 50s who always wore black leather pants.
Did she have a "friend" named Groucho?
When I was at Princeton Seminary in the 80s there was a female student in her mid 50s who always wore black leather pants.
Did she have a "friend" named Groucho?
JHZR2
Staff member
Originally Posted By: Volvohead
Agreed. Depends on the leather and the vehicle use. Settle into a natural atacama leather driver's seat . . . that is quite an experience. Color, aroma and feel off the charts. By contrast, cheap coated leather on some domestics is vinyl covered cardboard devoid of life. I don't understand why anyone gets leather in a truck or station wagon. But for a sport or luxury vehicle, it can't be beat.
For kids, dogs, hauling and harder duty, cloth is the ticket. Leather will get destroyed and its aroma can't compete with stinky dogs and half-eaten happy meals. Cloth wears like iron. But spill your coffee, and cloth is not so good.
My first cars were dark unperforated sheet vinyl (1960s). Like sitting on a griddle in the summer. Ouch. Everything today is better than that.
This is very true. Good stuff can be nice, though to sit on Id still take other options. Honda leather is the worst Ive seen, some of the fancier end euro stuff is super nice, but Id be too worried about it, so what's the point???
Agreed. Depends on the leather and the vehicle use. Settle into a natural atacama leather driver's seat . . . that is quite an experience. Color, aroma and feel off the charts. By contrast, cheap coated leather on some domestics is vinyl covered cardboard devoid of life. I don't understand why anyone gets leather in a truck or station wagon. But for a sport or luxury vehicle, it can't be beat.
For kids, dogs, hauling and harder duty, cloth is the ticket. Leather will get destroyed and its aroma can't compete with stinky dogs and half-eaten happy meals. Cloth wears like iron. But spill your coffee, and cloth is not so good.
My first cars were dark unperforated sheet vinyl (1960s). Like sitting on a griddle in the summer. Ouch. Everything today is better than that.
This is very true. Good stuff can be nice, though to sit on Id still take other options. Honda leather is the worst Ive seen, some of the fancier end euro stuff is super nice, but Id be too worried about it, so what's the point???
JHZR2
Staff member
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
No. And that's why I prefer leather seats. Cloth usually sticks to cloth. I have cloth clothes on and if I sit in a cloth seat, especially a softer cloth like a velour material, the cloth seating surface sticks to your clothes and makes adjusting in the seat an unpleasant experience.
NOW...if I wore leather clothes, then yes, I would demand cloth seats.
I was thinking about this last night. I was riding in a 2011 camry with cloth seats. Very low nap, very smooth and soft. Moving around on them was no issue whatsoever. Yet they gripped better than leather. It really was a nice feeling cloth. No idea about how it wears, but real leather develops lines, wrinkles and even cracks, and plastic leather is plastic... so its all varying levels of lousiness.
But the cloth felt nice.
No. And that's why I prefer leather seats. Cloth usually sticks to cloth. I have cloth clothes on and if I sit in a cloth seat, especially a softer cloth like a velour material, the cloth seating surface sticks to your clothes and makes adjusting in the seat an unpleasant experience.
NOW...if I wore leather clothes, then yes, I would demand cloth seats.
I was thinking about this last night. I was riding in a 2011 camry with cloth seats. Very low nap, very smooth and soft. Moving around on them was no issue whatsoever. Yet they gripped better than leather. It really was a nice feeling cloth. No idea about how it wears, but real leather develops lines, wrinkles and even cracks, and plastic leather is plastic... so its all varying levels of lousiness.
But the cloth felt nice.
Originally Posted By: Volvohead
By contrast, cheap coated leather on some domestics is vinyl covered cardboard devoid of life.
I still think the leather in the Mark Cross edition of the C-bodied Chrysler New Yorker is the only reason anybody bought one of those over a similar priced Buick or Lincoln.
By contrast, cheap coated leather on some domestics is vinyl covered cardboard devoid of life.
I still think the leather in the Mark Cross edition of the C-bodied Chrysler New Yorker is the only reason anybody bought one of those over a similar priced Buick or Lincoln.
I just remembered a story related to leather seats. When I was a kid I bought I think it was an exacto hobby razor knife, for what purpose I have no idea. On the ride home in the back I was slicing something with the knife and slipped and cut a slit into the leather seat on our fairly new (~1 year old) Cadillac. Proof that kids can tear up anything
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I actually like good leather seats (must be supportive, comfy, etc). However, cheap feeling leather, or seats that are made to look nice but don't hold you in well are no good. Cloth is ok, but leather is much easier to clean.
I love the Leather Interior on my BMW and HATE the cloth interior on my Daihatsu. If I spill something on my leather seats I just wipe it off, in cloth however It gets soaked into the seat and begins to smell like [censored]. The downside to leather is that you have to maintain it, but its not that hard, nothing feels better than sitting on some nice supple leather. I'd even prefer Vinyl seats over cloth because that requires even less maintenance.
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Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
It really depends on the leather.
This is the truth. This time of year if I have to get into an Acura or Jeep and see it's got leather seats I immediately turn around and look for a corrugated cardboard box to rip a piece off of. The cardboard might slide around a bit but on the whole it's 100X more comfortable.
It really depends on the leather.
This is the truth. This time of year if I have to get into an Acura or Jeep and see it's got leather seats I immediately turn around and look for a corrugated cardboard box to rip a piece off of. The cardboard might slide around a bit but on the whole it's 100X more comfortable.
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