cloth or leather seats?

[wantsacoopers]

cloth or leather seats?

ive been told that the leather seats are slippery and are bad for hard insane drivin (meaning u slide around on your butt )

and that cloth seats are better because they are warmer when its cold and cooler when its hot. is it true?

i know each has its good and bad points, but wich do u guys prefer

[LagunaSol]

I ordered cloth for my incoming MSC cabrio. Leather and, even worse, leatherette, would not be ideal when the hot sun is beating down IMO.

[Boondox]

Quote: Originally Posted by LagunaSol

I ordered cloth for my incoming MSC cabrio. Leather and, even worse, leatherette, would not be ideal when the hot sun is beating down IMO.

I ordered heated black leatherette seats, but here in northern Vermont our summer is two weeks in September and winters last from November till May with temps below zero for half of that time. Toasty buns are nice!

Pete

[Tigger, Eeyore & Roo]

Quote: Originally Posted by wantsacoopers

cloth or leather seats?

ive been told that the leather seats are slippery and are bad for hard insane drivin (meaning u slide around on your butt )

and that cloth seats are better because they are warmer when its cold and cooler when its hot. is it true?

i know each has its good and bad points, but wich do u guys prefer

My Cooper has cloth seats and the car I use for work has leather.

The leather is a doddle to clean dog's hairs off and is really easy to slide in and out of the car.

However....

The fabric in the Cooper is nice and warm in winter and cool in summer and it holds you in place better in cornering.

But I don't think that's the point. There are few practical reasons for choosing leather over cloth; you spec it because of the nice smell when it's new, the great creased look when it's older and the sheer class of it.

Don't buy it just for practical reasons, buy it because you really like it and only then dream up of lots of practical reasons to justify it to yourself / partner / bank manager

Tigger.

[nylo]

the main reason i didn't get leather was coz I saw a few pics of leather interiors in MINIs and the bum part seemed to go saggy pretty quickly, which I didn't really want...

[Tigger, Eeyore & Roo]

Quote: Originally Posted by nylo

the main reason i didn't get leather was coz I saw a few pics of leather interiors in MINIs and the bum part seemed to go saggy pretty quickly, which I didn't really want...

I recently looked at a couple of new MINIs with full leather in our local showroom and the quality of the leather seemed to be leagues ahead of the leather that I had seen in earlier ones. Poor quality leather is not good to anyone.

Tigger.

[RenaultF1]

What about the combo cloth & leather

I have them on my 05 MCS and love them. They are the best of both worlds IMHO as you get the grip and immediate temp comfort of cloth (although mine are heated which in Maine is a good thing), lumbar support (only available on leather I believe), and the nice smell of leather when you get in the car...oh and quite a bit less ($800 vs $1,300 US) than full leather...

[:: Jon ::]

Quote: Originally Posted by wantsacoopers

cloth or leather seats?

ive been told that the leather seats are slippery and are bad for hard insane drivin (meaning u slide around on your butt )

and that cloth seats are better because they are warmer when its cold and cooler when its hot. is it true?

i know each has its good and bad points, but wich do u guys prefer

leather is the only way to go... cold in winter and hot in summer yeah but looks great... plus its alot easier to clean..

[SteveM3]

Leather can be a pain in that it doesn't grip as well as cloth when cornering. Because it
looks similar to vinyl/leatherette most people think it gets very hot and cold but actually
leather isn't too bad presumably because being natural it breathes. I had full black leather
on an Audi and it was very rare it was too hot and I never found it too cold. Having said
all that I prefer a leather/suede combination but as that isn't available in the Mini I've got
leather/cloth combination and think it's the best of both worlds and looks great.

[Damo]

Go for half leather/half cloth, the cloth grips better.

[:: Jon ::]

or just go all out and have the full leather john cooper works seats... looks great and they grip you alot better!!!! will be ordering them with my S

[Damo]

Quote: Originally Posted by johnmorgan1980

or just go all out and have the full leather john cooper works seats... looks great and they grip you alot better!!!! will be ordering them with my S

...oooohhhhh yes...my fav mod

[DeadCanDanceR]

I have the leather seats...and I love how they look, how they feel and how they smell too!!!

[meinamini]

Go for 1/2 leather, you get the classy look and that lush smell balanced with the grip of the cloth. I have black/black and the satiny glow of the leather v the matte of the cloth works well with the interior of the car ie matte v shiny surfaces.

[Kaelaria]

I have the grey leatherette and am in Florida. They do NOT get very hot! Even after sitting all day in the sun with the windows up, I get in after work and they are mildly warm.

I have charcoal leather in my GTP, and they get a little warmer, but not much, they are perforated.

The leatherette grips like glue in turns.

I keep my cars for many years, and decided I did not want to deal with the long term leather issues such as I have with the GTP; splitting on crushed surfaces, hardening and cracking from exposure to saltwater (after the beach), and the need for conditioning. Yes leather smells WONDERFUL. Yes it has a slightly better feel to the hand. No, your ass cannot tell the difference. No it was not a $1000+ difference to me.