Leather seats - are they desirable?

Hay_man

Never had a car with leather seats or really been in a car with leather seats,

I always thought it was desirable to have leather seats in a car, but from reading some posts on here, they are very warm and 'sweaty' in warm weather and then in winter they will freeze you in the morning.......

So if your current car has leather seats, would your next car have to have leather?

Or is cloth seats the only way to go?

Thanks just looking for some info on them to see if my next car is going to have leather or not

i love my leather seats, i'd never go back

Matt Simis

bluewolf wrote: »

i love my leather seats, i'd never go back

I agree.
There are some naysayers here, but leather would be a must have in any car I buy. Im putting in leather seats in one my BMWs now actually, the cloth wears way worse, doesnt support as well, holds smells (better or worse) and looks cheap.

I would consider Alcantara as an alternative though.


I guess leather is warm in hot weather but I never had a problem in the cold. Many leather seats have heater elements in them anyway.

joolsveer

The only down side with my leather seats is that my two dogs slide around a bit on the back seat.

bazz26

They are desirable to some people and not so desirable or important to others. My current car has them and so did my last car, they are very easy to keep clean and I find them comfortable, just don't sit in them with short pants on a day like yesterday. :eek:

corktina

you cant beat sitting on a slab of dead cow

Had leather seats in my last car but went back to cloth seats now, I find cloth more comfortable.

aujopimur

Hay_man wrote: »

Never had a car with leather seats or really been in a car with leather seats,

I always thought it was desirable to have leather seats in a car, but from reading some posts on here, they are very warm and 'sweaty' in warm weather and then in winter they will freeze you in the morning.......

So if your current car has leather seats, would your next car have to have leather?

Or is cloth seats the only way to go?

Thanks just looking for some info on them to see if my next car is going to have leather or not

Heated seats and aircon solve any problems you might have with leather seats.

ShadowHearth

Leather is a must have on any premium class car.
I can let it slide for performance cars though.

I am a huge whore for leather interiors. When I buy a car I will get the one with leather seats.
It looks nice, smells nice, looks tidy and clean, comfortable.

dar83

Bishop Early Eggplant wrote: »

Had leather seats in my last car but went back to cloth seats now, I find cloth them more comfortable.

You just keep telling yourself that, along with 'tartan is nice... really!'

dgt

I miss my leather momos so much

Voodoomelon

Leather seats say "you've made it". They also say "your testes are sweaty".

wandererz

Depends on the leather interior. I find that cream, tan or even red leather interiors really set a car apart (depending on the car of course).
Black leather interiors normally don't "do" it for me.

I've had leather(ette) in my previous car and leather in my current vehicle and as others have said it's easy enough to keep clean.

Many people don't realise that it does require a bit of care such as applying a bit of leather conditioner every now and again. This doesn't take much effort nor cost much at all.

On used or older vehicles one usually finds some degree of cracking/damage - usually on the drivers seat. This is to be expected, especially if the leather hasn't been cared for.

In hot weather you can switch on the aircon and in cold it's not really a problem that has bothered me although it does very slightly help if one has heated seats.
For those who say 'why would one need aircon in this country', well strangely enough we do have several reasonably warm days in this country. And there's nothing worse than driving to work or to a meeting and roasting in the heat.
(well i'm sure there's worse stuff like being slowly tortured or being caught with someone who isn't your spouse etc. but that's not the point).

Anyway, a car with leather usually has air conditioning as well. They tend to go hand-in-glove.

Regarding comfort, i suppose it depends on the manufacturer. I drive volvo's and their seats are usually regarded as very comfortable, especially on long drives. I personally have not had problems, even driving Dublin-Cork, Dublin-Belfast and Dublin-Galway (and back).

The wife on the other hand just bought a car and didn't seem to mind the cloth seats. Never mind that she had stained it within a few weeks.

Leather:
Pros:
- Easy to keep clean
- Looks good
- Perhaps adds to value of car and resale

Cons:
- Can scratch or damage, especially if you have animals or children
- Can also discolour, usually if light leather and using seat heaters often

vectra

Leather in this car and leather in my next one.
No problem with them.
Only for yesterday.
Jumped back out of the car again.. :eek:

PassMoz

No, leather seats only bring down the value of the car.

They get ruined easier and are not as comfortable. stay away from leather.

TestTransmission

12 year old car, for the most the part the leather has held up well. It's easy to clean and I find it very comfortable.

wandererz

TestTransmission wrote: »

12 year old car, for the most the part the leather has held up well. It's easy to clean and I find it very comfortable.

ahhhh yes, Honda S2000, red leather interior.

Perfect example of setting a car apart.

vectra

PassMoz wrote: »

No, leather seats only bring down the value of the car.

They get ruined easier and are not as comfortable. stay away from leather.

LOL

dar83

dar83 wrote: »

You just keep telling yourself that, along with 'tartan is nice... really!'

The tartan isn't nice its epic !!

Drummerboy08

Depends on the car.

I had leather in the supra and I ended up selling the seats and replacing them with cloth seats.

Every corner I come to I was nearly sitting in the passo seat!

In the likes of a big luxobarge then leather is a must.

Matt Simis

vectra wrote: »

LOL

Yeah he has been trying to troll threads here for the last few days. Not even that good at it.

MuppetCheck

I'd go for leather but only if it was proper leather. There's a lot of cars with leather where the closest the seat covering has been to a cow is the steak in its owners belly.

Voodoomelon

TestTransmission wrote: »

12 year old car, for the most the part the leather has held up well. It's easy to clean and I find it very comfortable.

A real in your face red, love it!



There's only one rule, no kids allowed!

PS, here's a non-leather interior of the same car, ugh...

TheBazman

if you have young kids then leather is much better - cleaning sick off cloth seats isnt much fun:)

Leonard Hofstadter

Voodoomelons photos show exactly why leather is so much nicer. Having driven cars both with and without leather, there is no comparison. That, along with a/c are on my wishlist for my next car without a doubt.

Voodoomelon

Ya have to laugh at that post re A/C in that other thread and so many people agreeing its not needed here. The only people who think its pointless are those that don't have it/understand it.

Where To

Cloth driver's seat.

Leatherette for the livestock passengers.

Voodoomelon

Isn't that the way it used to be? The coachmen would have leather outside of the carriage as it was more functional and hard wearing, and the royalty inside the carriage would have the superior cloth.

At some stage this was reversed, with leather becoming the more opulent choice.

VictorRomeo

My current and previous two cars had leather. Would not ever go back to cloth/fabric. But to address the concerns raised by OP... In winter, my seats are heated. In the summer - and on a hot day like today for example - my seats are perforated and have aircon keeping me cool and dry. However, it needs to be really hot to need it as the climate control does a great job of keeping me cool.

goz83

In my last car (318) I had leather, but it's a must in a bmw imo.

In my current car (fto) it came with cloth. I changed it for leatherette and it didn't feel as nice as the cloth, but it looked better. A few weeks later, I had real leather installed and it sure makes a big difference. It feels great, looks great, smells great and IS great. Leather all the way....no more touching cloth for me

cgal093

Had an Alfa Romeo 147 with leather seats a few weeks ago. I thought they looked amazing but they were very uncomfortable. Although these seats look very, very comfortable; http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/vintagecars/3710143

galwaytt

Well I have kids, and have always had leather seats, and I find they are better for kids, don't wear, clean easier/better.....I don't agree that kids are a - with them.

Jimbob 83

Depends on the standard of leather, Alfa Romeo leather seats for example are pure sex.

Happy enough with my Recaros atm though

Cicero

Moooooooooo.


* that is all*

Eoin

When I was hunting for my 5 series a few years ago (and I spent a good while looking), I was adamant that it had to have leather.

But as soon as I sat into one with Alcantara, I was sold. It wore well and was extremely comfortable.



In saying that, my 3 cars since all had leather, but mostly because it was either the most common option or standard. I test drove an Alfa GT with the non-leather seats, and it was still very comfy and looked good. My dad's 156 didn't have leather but a sort of corduroy option; also very nice.

There are loads of naff looking cloth options out there, but some are very nice.

166man

PassMoz wrote: »

No, leather seats only bring down the value of the car.

They get ruined easier and are not as comfortable. stay away from leather.

You could not be more wrong with your post, it's genuinely laughable. On what cars would a leather interior bring down the value?


RE the topic, leather is a must in an Alfa anyway. The cloth seats are very comfortable but don't clean as easy, look worse and generally wear quicker than the real leather ones.

Jimbob 83

Eek a 5 series w/o leather/autobox

(jumps behind couch)

Eoin

Jimbob 83 wrote: »

Eek a 5 series w/o leather/autobox

(jumps behind couch)

I wouldn't want a manual one, but was more than happy with the Alcantara.

Leonard Hofstadter

Jimbob 83 wrote: »

Eek a 5 series w/o leather/autobox

(jumps behind couch)

Nothing wrong with a manual 5 series once it's petrol, but I agree wholeheartedly about the necessity of leather. I simply wouldn't buy a 5 series or indeed any BMW or premium badge car without leather. At least the F10 5 series has leather as standard, even in Ireland.

166man

captainspeed wrote: »

Nothing wrong with a manual 5 series once it's petrol, but I agree wholeheartedly about the necessity of leather. I simply wouldn't buy a 5 series or indeed any BMW or premium badge car without leather. At least the F10 5 series has leather as standard, even in Ireland.

I'd happily buy a 5 with the alcantara interior.

cgal093

166man wrote: »

I'd happily buy a 5 with the alcantara interior.

Did the E60 come with alcantara?

166man

cgal093 wrote: »

Did the E60 come with alcantara?

Not sure, I don't think it did but the earlier M-Sports had a half and half leather and cloth interior which I really liked.

As regards alcantara I was talking about the E39.

baldshin

Speaking about leather, can anyone recommend the cheapest decent DIY method of repairing tears and worn leather seats? My driver seat is starting to look very shabby!

djimi

From my experience of travelling in a car with leather seats on a hot day I found it dreadfully hot and uncomfortable; they are not something I would ever want in my car. They look nice but personally Id prefer to have a seat that is comfortable than one that just looks nice. Each to their own I guess.

vectra

djimi wrote: »

From my experience of travelling in a car with leather seats on a hot day I found it dreadfully hot and uncomfortable; they are not something I would ever want in my car. They look nice but personally Id prefer to have a seat that is comfortable than one that just looks nice. Each to their own I guess.

Aircon/Climate control keeps everything nice and cool on the hot days though.