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So, we may have not have conditioned them as much as we should have, but the "leather" seats in our 2001 Silverado are a shreaded mess. The center secton may be leather, but the sides and arm rest definately are not. Very sad for what that truck cost.
We bought a new 2010 Acadia that has all leather seats. I guess they're leather. They are cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
But being GM (Ford and Chrysler likely the same) I'm sure they used the cheapest crap leather they could get their hands on. Ours are holding up but it also only has 15k miles on it.
And while the Acadia is no where near the same class as your Silverado it still cost $40k which is a damned shame. I'm willing to bet your truck has much higher quality materials.
I prefer cloth, but have eneded up with leather in many of our cars. When I bought my camaro Z28 I had a very difficult time finding one with a manual trans and cloth seats. It was just not a common combination and they had to trade for one from another dealer 150 miles away.
In general leather will last longer than cloth, but it requries more care. Otherwise it gets all crackly. I have some cars where the cloth lasts as long or longer than leather in other cars.
Leather is hot, sticky and cold (but heats up fast). It is slippery compared to cloth. It is not as soft and comfy feeleing.
Leather definietly looks better. It looks classier. It reists staind better and liquid spills do nto soak in. That is a huge plus. When it comes time for replacement, leather is hugely more expensive to replace than cloth upholstry.
Leather wears better if you tend to slide around a lot and wear holes through your upholstry. This does not happen much for most people regardless of cloth/leather.
I dislike the smell of leather and leather conditioner/cleaner. Some cars are worse than others. Some conditions are terrible and get all over your clothing. (Do nto use cheapo leather conditioner).
Leather is better for resale.
Soft leather/suede is more comfortable, but it stains ealiy and does not wear well.
We bought a new 2010 Acadia that has all leather seats. I guess they're leather. They are cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
But being GM (Ford and Chrysler likely the same) I'm sure they used the cheapest crap leather they could get their hands on. Ours are holding up but it also only has 15k miles on it.
And while the Acadia is no where near the same class as your Silverado it still cost $40k which is a damned shame. I'm willing to bet your truck has much higher quality materials.
In my F-150, I think the seats are more leatherette than true leather. I've been in vehicles that have had VERY comfortable, plush leather seats while my truck has leather made for durability. Even in many Mercedes models, you have to pay extra for TRUE leather versus the leatherette they install otherwise.
I always buy cars with over 100K miles on them. I can't remember a single one in which the upholstery was not already seriously compromised, if not disagreeably damaged.
I've owned both and it really depends on the quality of the cloth and how the owner's treat them. Leather will fare much better than cloth against spilled food/drink. On the flip side, I have never seen a leather driver's seat that didn't have significant wear in the side/bottom bolsters by 50k miles. The cloth in my '93 Prelude looked WAY better than my BMW leather seats at 100k miles.
In my F-150, I think the seats are more leatherette than true leather. I've been in vehicles that have had VERY comfortable, plush leather seats while my truck has leather made for durability. Even in many Mercedes models, you have to pay extra for TRUE leather versus the leatherette they install otherwise.
I think the window sticker is still crammed in the glovebox. I'll get it out and see what it says. There's probably some type of description on that sheet somewhere of the seats.
I have leather seats in mine. Not heated or cooled. Here in Kansas we have the worst of both worlds when it comes to hot and cold weather. I think we hit 115F last Summer and -19F last Winter. Yes the seats get hot/cold depending on the weather. But if you have a good heater and A/C system it's not going to be long before you get comfortable. I complain about a hot stearing wheel more than anything. I also have tinted windows and a windshield sunshade. If there isn't any rain forecasted I'll crack the windows a bit. That seems to help it a lot in the summer.
They seem to clean fairly easily. The kids have spilled drinks in the back seats several times and I just get out a wet rag and clean it up. No soaking into the foam like cloth seats. Can't say that about the carpet though...LOL. The vehicle is 10 years old....the seats look great but my carpet looks like it's been through hell.
It's hard to judge durability until you've had it for a while (kind of a catch 22). I've seen leather seats on cars that were 3 years old that were just in horrible condition. And I've seen 20 year old leather seats that looked like they were good for another 20!
If I was buying a brand spanking new car I would probably go with cloth seats simply because the premium for leather in a brand new car is a little steep IMO.
I've owned both and it really depends on the quality of the cloth and how the owner's treat them. Leather will fare much better than cloth against spilled food/drink. On the flip side, I have never seen a leather driver's seat that didn't have significant wear in the side/bottom bolsters by 50k miles. The cloth in my '93 Prelude looked WAY better than my BMW leather seats at 100k miles.
Quote:
Originally Posted by drjones96
It's hard to judge durability until you've had it for a while (kind of a catch 22). I've seen leather seats on cars that were 3 years old that were just in horrible condition. And I've seen 20 year old leather seats that looked like they were good for another 20!
Wear varies based on the leather, seat design, driver's entry, exit style and probably a few more things. Generally I have had good luck here. One 80s BMW lasted about 10 years and 160k+ miles when the car bought the farm in an encounter with a truck. The seats were beautiful when the end came.
Seats in a recent purchase (Subaru) with a 'leather trimmed' interior option are part leather and part leatherette. Nice enough but not the same as all leather. Not apparent to a casual glance or purchaser.
I'm not a fan. Cold in the winter, hot in the summer, makes my back sweat because there's little or no airflow back there.
My Saab has heated AND chilled leather seats. Always comfy
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