Leather vs. Leatherette

[Elsewhere]

I still have time to change my Mini Cooper options and I am debating whether I should go ahead and get the leather seats instead of leatherette... I'm just not sure if I'm willing to drop $1300 for the leather.

What are the pro's and con's of leather and leatherette?

What is leatherette made of?

[usna92]

Quote: Originally Posted by Elsewhere

I still have time to change my Mini Cooper options and I am debating whether I should go ahead and get the leather seats instead of leatherette... I'm just not sure if I'm willing to drop $1300 for the leather.

What are the pro's and con's of leather and leatherette?

What is leatherette made of?

Leatherette is vinyl. Granted it's nice vinyl. Are you getting the sports package? That changes the seats somewhat so that may change the responses you get. I was going to get the leatherette, but then my wife sat in the real leather seats with the adjustable lumbar. $1300 later my MINI will be coming with Lapis Blue leather seats.

They are really nice. If you can afford them, they make a nice addition to a great car.

usna92

[stephenjc]

Before i received my MINI I saw this thread asking the same question Leather Vs. Leatherette
In that thread you will see nearly unanimous opinion that leatherette is the way to go. I have the leatherette and I am very happy with both comfort and look.

yes it is vinyl but as you will see in that thread - many people who don't know better think it is leather. It is a very good imitation.

[Tazminia]

Quote: Originally Posted by stephenjc

Before i received my MINI I saw this thread asking the same question Leather Vs. Leatherette
In that thread you will see nearly unanimous opinion that leatherette is the way to go. I have the leatherette and I am very happy with both comfort and look.

yes it is vinyl but as you will see in that thread - many people who don't know better think it is leather. It is a very good imitation.

I concur with stephenjc (hey, long time no hear from!) in that the leatherette is a darned good imitation of leather in its looks and actually beats real leather in wear-and-tear. I say that from a fat-mans point of view because real leather tends to flatten out and wrinkle badly over a short period of time for me. This leatherette shows absolutely zero wear so far and that's amazing. Ok, I also admit I thought I could have put that 1300.00 to better use elsewhere in the car, so if money isn't really a major concern for you maybe real leather is something to consider. Good luck in choosing and know that it will be good no matter what choice you ultimately decide on.
Taz

[Turmoil]

I had to make the same choice. In all my previous cars, I had leather and my complaint with leather is that it shows wear VERY easily and you can see the leather wrinckle and smudge very easily. Not to mention you have to condition and take VERY good care of your leather.

I ended up going with leathette and I am glad i did. Easy to take care of, shows almost no signs of normal wear, and looks just like real leather.

[MrV]

I'll second the opinion towards leatherette, but I have a bit of a different take on things since my father has had the BMW (I am 99% sure that it is the same as the MINI) leatherette in two of his BMW cars and he absolutely loves it. It's definately a long lasting material as he has had both of those cars longer than the MINI has been available.

You can tell the difference if you have them side by side. The leather is softer, and probably breathes better. Plus, the color choices make it look very nice depending on the color of your car.

But, I think that you will REALLY be able to tell the difference in a few years once the leather starts wearing. I think that there are quite a few people out there that are rather dispointed in the poor wear that their leather seats have shown in a very short amount of time.

-- Jay

[stephenjc]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tazminia

I concur with stephenjc (hey, long time no hear from!) in that the leatherette is a darned good imitation of leather in its looks and actually beats real leather in wear-and-tear. I say that from a fat-mans point of view because real leather tends to flatten out and wrinkle badly over a short period of time for me. This leatherette shows absolutely zero wear so far and that's amazing. Ok, I also admit I thought I could have put that 1300.00 to better use elsewhere in the car, so if money isn't really a major concern for you maybe real leather is something to consider. Good luck in choosing and know that it will be good no matter what choice you ultimately decide on.
Taz

So you have been letting some fat man drive your MINI?

Me too.

[Pamlico]

I had lapis blue leather in my '02 MCS. Looked pretty good, but the leather tends to wrinkle up somewhat. Wear was OK, but in general the leather didn't feel as substantial as that on other cars. Seevral months ago we traded the '02 and got an '05 MCS, with leatherette seats. So far I haven't regreted the decision. Both cars had / have the Sports Package, but the only difference in the seats is that those with leather have a knob for lumbar adjustment. The amount of adjustment (at least on the older car) was pretty minimal and didn't make much of a difference. The leatherette is frequently mistaken for leather, at one point even by an insurance adjuster who was closely looking at the car to estimate repair cost of a small dent. He was very surprised when told it wasn't leather. The vinyl feels thicker and more durable than the leater on the older car as well. $1300 well saved.

[Tazminia]

Quote: Originally Posted by stephenjc

So you have been letting some fat man drive your MINI?

Me too.

Yea, I need to talk to the wife about that too...

[OldRick]

Echoing what others have said, it's very good quality leatherette, and not very good quality leather. Take a look at the leather used by Audi, for comparison. The leather used in the Mini is thin and too soft for car seats, it will stretch over time, and won't wear for very many years.

I chose the vinyl, and may get a sheepskin if it proves to be too unbreathable in the summer. A sheepskin also snugs up the fit of the side bolsters, giving better lateral support for us skinny guys...

[Cadfael_Tex]

Another vote for leatherette. Couldn't see spending the $1300 either - especially after reading about the leather wrinkling problems on here. I have been very happy with the leatherette. The sport seats are very comfortable - compared to my Subaru at least. I've done a couple of 10+ hour trips solo with nary a problem. They've stood up - all be it for only two months now - to the elements in my convertible.

[beken]

I have leatherette on my 05 MCS. It fools just about everybody who doesn't know much about MINIs. They all think it's leather. However, having just gone through a summer, the seats get very hot if you park your sun in the car long. Bring a towel to sit on.
I think leather absorbs the heat better. Less likely to burn the backside of your thighs if you're wearing shorts.

Leatherette is very easy to clean.

I vote for leatherette.

[Elsewhere]

Thanks for the input everyone!

I'll keep my option as Leatherette and stick a 1ft x 1ft piece of upholstery leather under the front seats to keep the car smelling like leather. What my passengers don't know won't hurt them.

-Else

[Mister]

I had cloth in my Cooper and now have leather in my S, but I've seen, felt and sat on the leatherette and have to say that I'm really glad I have leather. Can't help it. I'm spoiled.

[ChilliSteve]

I personally wish I had gotten cloth over leatherette. on long trips in the MINI, your back will sweat. it's like wearing a rubber shirt. a breathable material would be preferred in this car IMO, which the leatherette is not.