Hey quick question about the leather interior.

I've been In my 06 for 18 months now and the leather is wearing like iron.

Don't expect soft cushy leather (which I had tearing seam problems with in my Acura and Lexus); Prius seems to be looking for durability. No comfort or Florida sunlight problems to report either.

If you get aftermarket (the Toyota brand), don't forget to have the dealer cover the center and side armrests and the small triangle areas between the rear seatback and the door.

Enjoy!

 

We have a 07 Touring Edition and we love the leather. Also get your mom to drive a prius and I think she will be amazed with the ride quality

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IAO @ Mar 20 2007, 12:50 AM) [snapback]408768[/snapback]</div>

The search tool is a wonderful thing (it's been discussed ad nausium in many an other thread). That being said, the prius has only been around for a short time, so who can say how the leather'll do down the road! Even so, our '04 ... one of the original leather getters ... is doing real fine. So there you go ... 3 years of goodness. But 3yrs is all the history there is. As for Caddies and GM? Don't get me started (read consumer reports ... ops! I slipped). I had the cloth, and the leather is way easier to keep clean, and WAY outweighs the 'feels to cold/hot turning on winter/summer' issues.

 

Well, tell your mom if the leather "falls apart" she can get it replaced with top quality leather for between $1000 and $2000 (Katzkin - search on the net). I don't think it's much of an issue.

I have leather in the anti-Prius (see below), probably the same quality as the Prius leather. It's doing fine after seven years and 90,000 km. Once a year clean and apply conditioner (I use the Zaino products).

 

We have leather with 16,000 miles on it (and 2 dogs).... I have no doubt that it is durable - and will definitely not fall apart for 6 or more years (basically the life of the car).

However, it is a lower quality - given the market segment that this car is in. When I say it is lower quality, I mean that it is not as thick or as plush as Cadillac or Mercedes for example.

The car is a very nice car - but it provides a very different driving experience than a cadillac - and that is what your mom has to be foremosted interested in.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(John in LB @ Mar 20 2007, 10:52 AM) [snapback]408937[/snapback]</div>

You're not giving your Prius enough credit, i'm sure that car could last 10 - 15 years....or do most people end up selling in 6 years?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mywhitenoise @ Mar 20 2007, 08:17 AM) [snapback]408950[/snapback]</div>

I knew my comment might be interpreted this way. I did say 6 or more years. Basically, I feel comfortable in assuring the guy that it will last at least as long as his mother wants to keep it. I can't really say beyond that... but I do believe that the leather will last the life of the car (whatever that is - 10 or 15 years). I don't have any concerns about the leather.

 

The leather in the 06's is of decent quality but far from the same leather used in Lexuses. While it seems durable it's not as soft as true luxury cars. I have know experience with leather in Cadillacs so I don't know what they use. I suspect this is the same leather used in other Toyota cars and that Lexus uses a better quality leather.

 

Correct me if i'm wrong, but when I went in to check out the Prii I thought the material was actually Alcantara (didn't get the leather, bought used). Because it doesn't really have the feel of 'normal' leather, and has a lot of perforation that let's it 'breathe'. I don't know, am I right?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcantara_%28material%29

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IAO @ Mar 20 2007, 02:29 PM) [snapback]409105[/snapback]</div>

Nice. I love those Camry Hybrids. If your mom has that kind of money, she made a great choice.

 

I should have through about that...

A limited edition hybrid gives most of the "luxury feel" a Cadillac does and the gas mileage is great (compared to a V8 Cadillac and it has a name for reliability.

The Camry hybrid is one sweet car. If I wasn't soo concerned about my image I would drive one (no joke).

 

Howdy IAQ

Traded my 2004 Prius {fabric seats} for a 2007 Touring, Pkg 6 {factory leather} in Nov 2006. Factory leather is great and included leather-wrapped steering wheel and either leather or matching surfaces on arm rests, console tops etc. We preferred 'factory' instead of 'port installed' which would have the "Liquicell Comfort" pads {thin extra padding} under the leather - felt lumpy to my wife and the steering wheel would have been textured plastic stardard.

Don't yet know about 'wear' since the '07 Prius is only 4 months old but feels and looks great. One perceived advantage over the fabric seats we had in the '04 Prius is it's noticeably easier to 'swing your butt into place' when entering and exiting since the leather doesn't tend to stick to your clothes like fht fabric did - and the 'smell' is nice.

There's also the option for locally installed leather as mentioned which can be very nice and offers options not available on factory or port leather.