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Why bother with leather?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by yardman 49, Jun 22, 2009.

  1. yardman 49

    yardman 49 Active Member

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    Hello all:

    I've been reading on the forums here about how the GIII "leather" seats are not actually 100% leather, but only the actual seating surfaces. The remainder are high quality vinyl. And also that even the leather surfaces are vinyl coated, to protect the leather from stains, wear, lack of proper maintenance, etc.

    So my question is: why bother? Why not go with a good quality plush cloth/microfiber/whatever, put on a long lasting stain repellant, and be done with it?

    Some history:

    I grew up in the 60's. Back then, unless you had a "luxury" car, the cars here in the U.S. had vinyl seats, or vinyl and some non-plush synthetic cloth. Most of the cheap cars were just vinyl.

    In the Northeast where I lived. those vinyl seats were absolutely miserable in the winter (your butt froze when you first got in); and in the summer (your legs could actually get a burn if you wore shorts and got in the car when it had been sitting out in the sun).

    Enter plush cloth seats. Wow! We've been saved! No more sitting on my hands in the winter or summer until the interior temperature became bearable. No more vinyl cracking after a few summers and winters. Less sliding around on those vinyl coated "bench' seats. Life was good. :cheer2:



    Now "leather", real and fake, have become popular. And now people want their "leather" seats to have:
    • "heating" to warm them from the ravages of winter.
    • "cooling" to protect their backsides from the blistering heat of the summer
    • "ventilation" holes to keep their skin from sweating
    Why? because leather and vinyl are nowhere near as comfortable as good cloth seats. Because just like vinyl, todays "leather" seats need to be heated in the winter, and cooled in the summer to make them comfortable. And ventilation, since leather/vinyl naturally don't ventilate the human skin very well unless you put holes in it.

    I don't have anything against leather. Actually love the stuff for some applications. Just not car seats! :D

    So what kind of logical argument can be made for wanting leather car seats (or, as the Prius and other cars have, leather/vinyl car seats)??
     
  2. dmvp

    dmvp Member

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    Easier to clean, and should "wear" longer than cloth...and I think it looks nicer. Just like the leather couches I finally bought 4 years ago.
     
  3. MaggieMay

    MaggieMay Active Member

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    What he said - easier to clean and they last forever. I've always preferred leather since my early career days when getting in the car in a skirt meant sitting and then spinning my legs in. With cloth the skirt (and slacks too) get all balled up and rumpled. It's like sitting on a felt board - you're stuck. (Hmm felt board reference dramatically ages me...)
     
  4. Midpack

    Midpack Member

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    I live near Chicago and DW and I want the bun warmers...for me it's that simple.
     
  5. jay_man2

    jay_man2 jay_man_also

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    What everyone else said! Bun warmers, no clothing bunching, looks nice, cleans easy, lasts longer, tastes great, less filling. :p
     
  6. yardman 49

    yardman 49 Active Member

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    A good cloth seat with a good stain repellent is actually pretty easy to clean.

    Wear factor is partly dependent on the quality of individual material and constructions (such as quality of seams). There will be some types of cloth that will outlast some leather seats. And vice versa.

    Cloth generally hides holes better. Such as when someone sits on your leather seat with a sharp object in their rear pocket!

    I think that your last reason really is the issue for most people: "looks". As looks are totally subjective, there is obviously no "best" here.
     
  7. yardman 49

    yardman 49 Active Member

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    Hello MaggieMay:

    That's a great reason for leather! I hadn't thought of this!
     
  8. yardman 49

    yardman 49 Active Member

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    I live in the Midwest also. Temperatures down to single digits sometimes in the winters here. My van stays parked outside all winter. Since it has cloth seats, I don't need the bun warmers. They would be a nice "luxury", but not necessary.

    But if it had leather, I'd definitely want them. Brrrrrr......!
     
  9. Blauer Glimmer

    Blauer Glimmer Active Member

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    Even with fabric protectors, the cloth just tends to look shabby and dirty after awhile. Pet hair sticks to it; liquids seep in and are hard to remove; clothing gets staticky when sliding in and out. IMHO, the cloth colors available in the GenII Prius were too light in color to hide much and didn't appear to be very rugged.

    I agree that leather might be a bit cold in the northeast winter, but it tends to warm quickly from body heat, more so than the vinyl seats of yesteryear. It is also not as sticky and super-hot as vinyl in summer. I discovered this to be true with my leather couches and hope it is the same with my car seats. Of course, my couches are not exposed to such extremes of temperature. :p

    This is my first car with leather (or leather-trimmed) interior, so time will tell.
     
  10. dmvp

    dmvp Member

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    She.
    :D
     
    1 person likes this.
  11. RodJo

    RodJo Member

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    It may depend on the quality of the leather, and it's not clear to me how the 2010 Prius leather compares (or its cloth for that matter), but I disagree in general.

    For me, I find cloth seats very uncomfortable.

    I've owned cars with leather seats for some time now, and I do not find that they "need" to be heated or cooled. Unlike cloth and vinyl, I find leather comfortable in all seasons. Leather seems to warm up pretty quick from my body even on cold New England days. On hot sunny days, black leather can be warm at first but then cools down within a few minutes and it's not that uncomfortable, and I haven't really noticed any heat issues with light-colored leather. As I remember, cloth seats tend to build up heat like a blanket.

    I've also found cloth seats harder to get into and out of, and move around in, than leather. On leather, I find that I can slide around more easily.

    And I think, being skin itself, leather provides natural ventilation.

    I also think that leather wears better than cloth over time, and is easier to keep clean.

    Anyway, they are some of my reasons for preferring leather over cloth.
     
  12. Midpack

    Midpack Member

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    You may know this, but that's what "leather" is in most cars even in Cadillac or Lexus --- leather seating surfaces and vinyl, "leatherette" or something imitation everywhere else. You might get all leather if you by a Rolls, Bentley or Ferrari...
     
  13. jm1515

    jm1515 New Member

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    ........because it comes with my 17" wheels..............:D
     
  14. Tech_Guy

    Tech_Guy Class Clown

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    Sounds like the automobile industry needs a new seat material -- cloth-a-hide.

    Keith
     
  15. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Because you're not getting a full leather interior until you spend $100k. Most luxury cars still have some vinyl in the seat sides (but probably use real leather for the seatback vs. vinyl for inexpensive cars).

    Mostly for the seat heaters. If they offered seat heaters with the cloth seats, then fine by me! Seat heaters warm up a lot faster than the heater can pump out warm air at -40.
     
  16. yardman 49

    yardman 49 Active Member

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    Good point, Blauer. I don't carry my dogs often in the car, but I can see where that issue would definitely be minimized with leather versus cloth.


    My comments were directed towards cloth seats in general, not the Prius specifically. But I definitely agree that it seems like the Prius GII cloth is not as "robust" as I'd like to see.


    Thanks for the comment on this. It seems like others have the same comment, that leather warms and cools more quickly than vinyl. I wonder how well specifically the Prius does in this regard, seeing as how it's seating surfaces are possibly leather with a vinyl coating?


    After you've had a chance to experience it for a while, please report back, if you don't mind.

    Best wishes,
     
  17. yardman 49

    yardman 49 Active Member

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    Thanks, Midpack. I only learned this reading other posts on the forums recently. I've rode in cars with leather seats (and rented them), but never owned one. I did not realize that usually only the seating surfaces are leather.
     
  18. Manolo1

    Manolo1 New Member

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    just two words: resale value...

    I prefer cloth but... the above two words...
     
  19. yardman 49

    yardman 49 Active Member

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    True. Our Volkswagon Beetle used to have cloth seats with heaters. They were a nice "luxury". But almost unnecessary until you get down to the sub-zero temperatures that you are mentioning. Then I could see them as a definite plus.

    Of course, by the time the temps are down that low, I've started wearing my thernal underwear! Those usually go on when we get down below 10 deg. Farenheit and the wind is blustery.
     
  20. wvgasguy

    wvgasguy New Member

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    Gee, never even considered cloth

    Not. Like the feel, like the seat warmers, like the way they look and wear, easy to clean, and as mentione, my 17" wheels and LED lights come with them.