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I drove a succession of cars with leather over a period of 10 years. They were company cars, so I didn't even get to choose the color. I found them hot in summer and cold in winter, don't miss them.
I won't have black leather. My Saab had it... it got hot like magma.
Since then, only light colored leather. It doesn't get hot and seat heaters take care of cold weather.
The last car I owned with leather seats had a whole lot of other amenities that made it very comfortable and a great vehicle for road trips. The leather requires extra work/care to preserve it and keep it looking good. So, leather seating just isn't a feature I'd look for, but it seems that it's only offered in upscale models that have other desirable features.
Leather is great if you have kids - food and drinks can be wiped off - cloth always gets dirty and is hard to get completely clean - I have had leather in any car I have bought for the last 30 years
I won't have black leather. My Saab had it... it got hot like magma.
Since then, only light colored leather. It doesn't get hot and seat heaters take care of cold weather.
I will ONLY have black leather. I'm usually on the road all day, including eating lunch in the car. I also have pencils & pens rattling around. NOTHING cleans up as easily as black leather. As for being hot, the leather seats on my Lexus LS 460 are air conditioned and cool as can be. I wish I could get air conditioning for my desk chair.
Leather is great if you have kids - food and drinks can be wiped off - cloth always gets dirty and is hard to get completely clean - I have had leather in any car I have bought for the last 30 years
If you spill a drink on a leather seat it will still soak through the stitching into the foam underneath. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there. You can get the same effect by spraying fabric with Scotchgard.
Maybe that's true. I've never had it. Closest is my current car with leatherette/cloth combo. I always primarily wanted it for looks, so "leather" would include "leatherette"; synthetics. I guess I never stopped to consider the performance difference between top quality real leather and its synthetic counterparts. Since I don't see myself getting out of the 22-35k price range for vehicles any time soon, I'm not sure real leather would be an option.
I have driven plenty of cars with nice leather interiors (not my own), and again, I liked them - nothing against it. It's just no longer a goal like it used to be. Maybe because so much of it in my price range is black/dark gray, which to me is "meh." Caramel or "saddle" brown makes me perk up a bit more.
Lexus has a faux leather that's a dark camel color. It's gorgeous. It is supple and feels like leather. There have been advances in faux leather in recent years, as it has become more popular. A lot of people don't buy leather for anything any more (purses, jackets, car upholstery, etc.).
Leather and vinyl are hot, and I live in a hot climate. I don't know about faux leather. Best upholstery I ever had was a very sturdy woven fabric in a Subaru. Not luxury, of course. It was very utilitarian, although nice looking. It still looked almost new 14 years later. It breathed and wasn't hot. Easy to vacuum up dog hair, but I didn't have a dog with short hair, which is the worst.
I saw a Jaguar that was purchased in Saudi Arabia that had cloth seats. In the US they were only available with leather.
You can still purchase many BMW and Mercedes-Benz models in Germany and various other European countries with cloth interiors. All models aren't automatically 'loaded' like the ones sold in the U.S. As recent as 15-20 years ago, you could get a 3-series BMW in Germany with hand-crank windows and plastic wheel covers.
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I don't care about leather anymore
