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It is funny how few people seem to realize this. Even a "leather" interior has only a few strips of actual leather here and there. It is a vinyl interior, not leather. Only very expensive cars have all leather. Leather actually does not wear well, especially cheap leather. Expensive leather holds up better, but not as well as cloth or vinyl and needs constant maintenance. So, what we are really discussing here is not cloth vs leather but cloth vs vinyl that is named leather.
That is unless everyone on CD drives $120,000 cars.
One thing about the cloth seats in my old camaro is the back seats could be removed easily if needed (like if your 4 year old twin daughters throw up all over the back seats after eating chocolate cake at church and then go for a drive in the mountains in Daddy's cool new car), you can pull them out and wash them in the bath tub.
You can get real leather for far less than $120k. Mercedes and BMW offer either vinyl or leather in their entry level cars.
Most automotive leather is coated in plastic to keep the maintenance down and wear resistance however. Real uncoated leather would soak up spilled coffee like a sponge.
I prefer cloth 90% of the time. Leather can be too hot in the summer and too cold during the winter. Cloth also grips you in your seat better so I feel more engaged. 10% of the time for my preference for leather is when I'm wearing a suit and want slide in and out of my seat.
Leather, by a long shot. At a minimum, heated, of course. Looks great, feels great, cleans easily and they get better with age - perfectly forms to the user like a well broken in baseball mitt.
I prefer cloth 90% of the time. Leather can be too hot in the summer and too cold during the winter. Cloth also grips you in your seat better so I feel more engaged. 10% of the time for my preference for leather is when I'm wearing a suit and want slide in and out of my seat.
You’re doing it all wrong then. When you get leather, you opt for the heated/vented seat option. Problem fixed.
You’re doing it all wrong then. When you get leather, you opt for the heated/vented seat option. Problem fixed.
Still doesn't address the grip issue. I love lateral acceleration so much that I've invested in sport tires, an adjustable rear sway bar, coilovers, and a Torsen differential. I'll keep the cloth seats in that car. Our other two cars have leather/leatherette with heated seats...don't have the ventilated option but wish we did.
I bought a Hyundai Sonata with cloth seats (my previous vehicle had leather), and I absolutely hate them. They stain easily, and they are a pain in the tail to get clean. Leather also lasts a lot longer if well cared for. My next vehicle will have a leather interior.
Still doesn't address the grip issue. I love lateral acceleration so much that I've invested in sport tires, an adjustable rear sway bar, coilovers, and a Torsen differential. I'll keep the cloth seats in that car. Our other two cars have leather/leatherette with heated seats...don't have the ventilated option but wish we did.
Sport leather seats solve that problem, presuming you properly fit in them rather than sitting on the bolsters. That's only really an issue on flat leather seats, especially after being freshly conditioned...like the poor rear seat passengers in my GTI that got flung around.
You can get real leather for far less than $120k. Mercedes and BMW offer either vinyl or leather in their entry level cars.
Most automotive leather is coated in plastic to keep the maintenance down and wear resistance however. Real uncoated leather would soak up spilled coffee like a sponge.
Even "Real leather" is typically just a few strips here and there and the rest is vinyl.
Frankly 100% real leather is kind of stupid. Why do you need the seat backs and skirts to be leather? Why make the bolsters of leather when it will not hold up? However the price they charge for a few pieces of low grade cowhide is insane.
Tot he best of my knowledge you have to get into the $120,000 range to get 100% real leather interior made of quality leather. In part because that is where they start just doing wasteful things to make the car more expensive because the buyers want a car no one else can afford.
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