Leather Seats???

rpn453 · May 17, 2004

I'm going to buy a Mazda 3 GT Sport soon. I test drove it today and was very impressed. Nice handling, decent power, and my second favorite shifter of the cars I've driven (next to my ex-girlfriend's Miata).

To get leather and a moonroof costs $1600 cdn and leather can't be had alone. I don't care either way about the moonroof, but the leather looks and feels very nice. I've never owned a car with leather though. I'd like to hear some opinions on leather seats. Should I get them?

SSDude · May 17, 2004

Leather seats are the most comfortable seats that you can get. The only reason for not getting them is if you cannot afford them.

totttalled · May 17, 2004

For me and my kids, leather is easier to clean. Much easier, just wipe off. Cloth is a steam clean job. Leather doesn't soak up stink like cloth does either.

Leather can get dangerously hot in summer, causing my wife to shriek most alarmingly when wearing shorts if she's not careful.

I slide around on leather, kinda uncomfortable in mountain twisties - cloth is grippier for me. Leather increases the value of the car at trade in time,if its in good shape of course - which is easier to do than cloth, I think.

andyfish · May 17, 2004

Leather is nice but in your neck of the woods if there are no seat heaters avoid it at all costs, its very icy unheated.

The_Jeff · May 17, 2004

Leather rocks!! If the bolsters are tight you won't slide out.

The moonroof will add weight... little here, little there, and the car starts to get less sporty.

T-Keith · May 17, 2004

I'm one of the few people(apparently) that don't like leather. It's either too cold or too hot, it's not as soft as good cloth, it's harder to maintain. And if you get a used vehicle there's a 90% chance it wasn't maintained and is dry and cracked.

I'll take cloth any day, but for my choices of vehicles(buick and pontiacs), cloth seats are getting hard to find.

-T

Virtuoso · May 17, 2004

I'm actually partial to a half-cloth half-leather seating. My old SHO had this and it was great. My new one has all leather and I can see me getting a butt burn during the summer, or buttfrost during the winter.

Matt_S · May 17, 2004

You're going to find that people are either hot or cold on this topic. I love my leather seats, my wife hates them. I have to carry a towel in my car for her to sit on. She won't get in the car without it, no matter what the temperature.

Having said that, you really need seat heaters with leather, especially in Canada. It's bad enough here in Michigan. If it has an option for seat coolers (like some luxury cars), that would also be advisable.

If you really like it, though, go for it. They're more durable than cloth, but they're not maintenance free, either. A good leather conditioner will do wonders for keeping the leather pliable and clean for the life of the car. You should also be careful with clothes that bleed, like my dark blue jacket. The leather can leech some of the dye and change color. This isn't a real big issue, but something to be aware of.

mikep · May 18, 2004

I test drove the Mazda3 Sport hatchback with leather and I agree, it is very nice. Almost bought one but decided on the Mazda6 instead (yep, got the leather). I would double check on the leather/moonroof package deal. According to my dealer leather and moonroof do not have to go together but they usually do. If someone is spending the $$ for leather, they usually want a fully loaded car including the moonroof.

FWIW....I agree...I wouldn't want the moonroof either. I've seen too many that either leak or become rattle traps after a few years. I almost ordered a 3s hatch with leather and no moonroof so I know you can get it that way. Finding it like that may be a chore.

Good luck. The 3s is a BLAST to drive..you'll love it!

Durrr · May 18, 2004

I have a dog that loves to ride with me, and she can only ride in my car because the leather (under her special seat cover) is the only thing that can take the toenails. However, be sure to condition the leather every 3-5 months or it will start to dry out and get old.

ALS · May 18, 2004

I have the half cloth half leather seats in mine and I like them. Center is Hounds-tooth and the sides are leather. I like the feel plus no sliding while doing my Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt impressions on exit ramps. The rest of the family all have full leather in their cars. All are nice to ride in and the seats are out standing. Mom, Sis and bro-in-law have a Park Av. Eldorado and Deville all have the leather seats which are far superior to GM's cloth offerings. My brother and Sis-in-law have a Volvo S70 and a new S60 with leather and they are wonderful to drive and ride. But remember these people are OLD they don't drive fast and need the benefits of their butt stuck in the seat during hard cornering. Remember although it is better to have leather over cloth for comfort alone, one little tid-bit leather is outragiously expensive to get fixed or replaced if it gets damaged or cut.

[ May 19, 2004, 11:37 AM: Message edited by: ALS ]

ekpolk · May 19, 2004

Add me to the "pass on leather" side of the question. I've had two leather cars in recent memory, and I found both uncomfortable in the long run. When you sit on the leather (even the perforated leather my Highlander had) for an extended period (over an hour or so), you eventually end up sitting a pool of your own sweat. Yech. BTW, I'm not an out-of-shape big-butt guy. I'm a 43 year old Marine who still gets a 1st Class rating on the USMC Physical Fitness Test.

kansaisubaru · May 21, 2004

Though I am too poor now to afford a leather-upholstery car as a college student, I would now never buy a car with leather. I am a vegetarian/ animal rights advocate now so leather is out of the question. Some car companies offer high quality synthetic leather though. Well, that's my reason against leather. Not what you expected, heh? That's what sending people to a University of California does. Hahaha. If you want to look into this issue or investigate syn leather, check out http://www.peta.org/feat/mercedes/synthetic.asp

rpn453 · May 21, 2004

Thanks for the input. I went with cloth. I just couldn't spend the extra for something I didn't know if I'd like. Made my girlfriend happy in the process - she said she'd pay $1600 to not have leather. I've found the cloth seats to be very comfortable so far.

andyfish · May 24, 2004

quote:

Originally posted by kansaisubaru:
Though I am too poor now to afford a leather-upholstery car as a college student, I would now never buy a car with leather. I am a vegetarian/ animal rights advocate now so leather is out of the question. Some car companies offer high quality synthetic leather though. Well, that's my reason against leather. Not what you expected, heh? That's what sending people to a University of California does. Hahaha. If you want to look into this issue or investigate syn leather, check out http://www.peta.org/feat/mercedes/synthetic.asp

They don't breed and kill cows to actually make leather. Its a by product of meat production and that will never stop in this world.

Matt_S · May 24, 2004

quote:

Originally posted by rpn453:
snip - Made my girlfriend happy in the process

We've just hit on what is truly important.

...besides, if you got seats that she wasn't comfortable in, you'd never hear the end of it.

I also agree with andyfish. Leather is not harming animals any more than meat production. I'd much rather see the hides put to a good use than wasted, as people will always be eating meat (or at least I will).

kansaisubaru · May 24, 2004

I agree, if you eat meat, then use the leather. I don't eat meat. I don't use leather. By the way, the leather is much more valuable than the meat. Of course, the cows are killed primarily for the meat, but leather is a very cash-earning by-product. Some other countries like India kill cows for the leather. (Despite the holiness of the cow in that country) This provides cheap leather in the market.

Leather Seats???

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