Leather, pros and cons

[zenMachine]

Just curious. What are the pros and cons of leather seats?
Why did you choose to (or not to) have them in your Prius?

[Rae Vynn]

Leather: dead animal skins that are preserved using toxic chemicals.

Also, leather can get very hot if it's sunny. Leather can crack. Leather is slippery, which can be good or bad, but I never cared for it.

I prefer my cloth seats, thank you

[qbee42]

Leather is sticky with shorts, and cold in the winter. I went with cloth.

Tom

[markgunn]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(zenMachine @ Jul 19 2007, 03:08 PM) [snapback]481850[/snapback]</div>

Just curious. What are the pros and cons of leather seats?
Why did you choose to (or not to) have them in your Prius?
[/b]

Well leather will obviously be more durable; easier to clean and maintain; but more expensive.

I actually went for cloth for budget reasons. If you do, you will definitely need to treat with scotch guard and ideally put on seat covers. I went for exact fit covers especially made for the Prius, which are so tight fitting, it is almost impossible to tell they are covers. They cost about $80 and if they get damaged, the original seat underneath is still fine.

So in short, I would advise leather, if you can afford it; otherwise get covers to protect the original cloth seats.

[geodosch]

I never had a desire for a car with leather seats. That is, until I owned one. Now I wouldn't get anything else. I even had the dealer install them in my Prius, since a package #6 was unobtainable in my area at the time I was buying.

Cloth seats are comfortable, but they are difficult to clean, especially if liquid gets spilled on them. They also wear. In fact, when I brought my car back to have the leather installed they gave me a Camry as a loaner, and I noticed how bad its cloth upholstery looked due to wear.

As far as leather being hot, sticky, or slippery, those are all aspects of vinyl seats, but the difference between leather and vinyl are night and day. And I've never had the leather crack in any car I've owned, including ones I've bought used.

They do use chemicals to process leather, but since the cloth seats are made out of synthetic fibers, there are plenty of chemicals in them too. And if you Scotchguard the cloth then you have a chemical that's going to eventually rub off onto you and your clothes.

If you can afford it, I would go with the leather (IMHO).

[PriusBoyAZ]

Leather all the way. Cloth gets dirty quickly and is difficult to clean. Cloth also absorbs odors that you'll never be able to get out -- not a problem with leather. Animals are not killed specifically for leather, so you're not saving any animals by not ordering a leather Prius.

Those interested in saving animals should start with what they put on their plates. Anything else is hypocritical preaching.

[Malarkey]

Haven't had cloth in years; as mentioned, the heat/cracking, etc is either old leather or vinyl, but for the last 10 years none of my cars have had problems like that and all have had leather.

I do keep hoping they'll come up with some synthetic that's spillproof/durable, smooth/comfortable like leather, and prices near to cloth.

[Tideland Prius]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(zenMachine @ Jul 19 2007, 02:08 PM) [snapback]481850[/snapback]</div>

Just curious. What are the pros and cons of leather seats?
Why did you choose to (or not to) have them in your Prius?
[/b]

Pros:
- looks great
- durable
- easy to clean spills
- very comfortable (esp. with the good quality soft leather like Lexus cars)
- availability of ventilated seats (with perforated leather)
- easy to maintain (just a wipe down. But leather does need to be conditioned regularly)

Cons:
- hot in the summer
- cold in the winter
- slippery (if you get the cheap stuff. More expensive stuff aren't slippery or shiny)


Didn't get one in the Prius cause it wasn't available (and still isn't) in Canada. Probably won't get it anyway since it doesn't quite match the case for the Prius. We will get leather in the TCH, however.

[Rae Vynn]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PriusBoyAZ @ Jul 19 2007, 06:23 PM) [snapback]481939[/snapback]</div>

Leather all the way. Cloth gets dirty quickly and is difficult to clean. Cloth also absorbs odors that you'll never be able to get out -- not a problem with leather. Animals are not killed specifically for leather, so you're not saving any animals by not ordering a leather Prius.

Those interested in saving animals should start with what they put on their plates. Anything else is hypocritical preaching.
[/b]

I am a vegan.

[naterprius]

The leather myths continue! The microfiber in the Prius cleans up more easily than leather. Ball point pen will come out of microfiber, but not leather. Plus, it's not leather anyway, it's mostly vinyl.

Nate