We're looking to upgrade the family grocery getter and one of the shortlisted cars comes with leather, is leather worth it?
I mean, personally I've never been a fan because its cold in winter & hot in summer. I guess given two identical cars, one with leather & one without I'd prefer the one without as I've not seen an upside to it. Not really interested in the tiny added resale value of it either.
Whats the upkeep of it like, better or worse than material?
cheers
brapbrap8,
Dec 21, 8:05pm
What car are you looking at? If it is less than about $60k brand new I would pass on the leather, cheap leather is nasty.
bwg11,
Dec 21, 8:14pm
Personally, I would not thank you for even premium leather, let alone pay extra for it. Also, quite a bit of maintenance is required to keep quality leather "nice".
serf407,
Dec 21, 8:15pm
Depends on the quality of the leather.
bwg11,
Dec 21, 8:28pm
Very hard to judge this by sight and feel. There are also several confusing and almost contradictory "grading" or "quality" rating systems in current use. Have just "been there, done that" recently with quality lounge furniture and just hope we have made a good choice.
2sheddies,
Dec 21, 8:31pm
Hate it personally. Cold in winter and in Summer you get stuck to it. If I ever ended up with leather seats, I'd put seat covers over them.
socram,
Dec 21, 8:47pm
And vinyl is better? Leather wears extremely well and takes no more looking after than cloth. Aged leather or aged cloth? No contest. A patina of age on leather is acceptable. A patina of age on cloth often looks disgusting!
I have leather in two vehicles and don't ever find it cold in winter, as I am wearing trousers anyway! Going up a notch, many cars have seat warmers.
In summer, much will depend on the colour. Black or any dark colour is going to be hotter than a pale colour.
pebbles61,
Dec 21, 9:05pm
Leather, it's also easier to clean up when the kids spill crap on the seats lol
clark20,
Dec 21, 9:09pm
My last 3 cars have had leather, all good and easy to look after
heavydee,
Dec 21, 9:30pm
Currently own my first car with leather seats. No complaints. Easy to keep clean and in good condition. My interior cream/beige so have no issues with hot seats.
timmo1,
Dec 22, 6:53am
Depends on the car and its use. Sports cars with leather seats. no thanks (slide around in them too much and bolsters wear far too quick). For a luxury car, leather certainly looks the part. personally I prefer fabric: Easy (ish) to clean, more comfortable, ages better.
tamarillo,
Dec 22, 6:56am
Yah every time. Love it.
loose.unit8,
Dec 22, 6:57am
Nah for me. Cold in winter, sticky and hot in summer. Gross
cinderellagowns,
Dec 22, 6:58am
I don't agree with that.No way is fabric is easier to clean and and ages better - leather wins hands down on those two criteria. I have a slight issue with the black leather seats in my car on a hot day if I'm wearing something short, but its not a major.
kazbanz,
Dec 22, 7:27am
First car I have owned as a long term driver with leather is my Brevis. Mrs Kaz just loves the heated seats in winter. In summer Im not too worried about the seat getting hot. That's what AC is for
3tomany,
Dec 22, 7:29am
Good leather seats yes. Cheap leather seats no. Would prefer cloth than cheap leather.
martin11,
Dec 22, 7:29am
No they are not , in winter the heater in the seats is very good .
illusion_,
Dec 22, 7:30am
Leather all the way.
Even on hot days not a problem in modern cars. Aircon takes care of that.
illusion_,
Dec 22, 7:31am
This too, along with "cooled" seats for summer
timmo1,
Dec 22, 7:37am
To be fair, that's not a 'Leather vs cloth' issue but a heated/cooled seats vs unheated/un cooled seats issue.
timmo1,
Dec 22, 7:43am
I didn't say 'easier' to clean. I agree leather is easier to clean than cloth, but cloth (generally) is easy enough to clean. I don't agree that leather ages better than cloth though- It doesn't take long for the oils etc from your body to start hardening the leather and adding a shine. It's especially noticeable in cars where the back seats aren't used. they look good, the fronts look completely different.
vtecintegra,
Dec 22, 7:50am
I like part leather - it's a good mix between comfortable, practical and good looking.
marmar1,
Dec 22, 7:53am
Leather seats are great,had my car for 8yrs and have done nothing to look after it and they still look great also if you or the kids make a mess they are easy to clean.
monaro17,
Dec 22, 7:58am
One of our cars has semi aniline leather and is heated and cooled. No worries whatsoever .
socram,
Dec 22, 7:59am
Long term - and I do mean long term, all fabrics will break down - particularly with the high UV in NZ. With leather seats, looked after properly, only the thread will break down. The leather will not. If the leather fades, it can be re-coloured. Generally, if fabrics fade - which they will, they cannot be successfully re-dyed.
I suppose that means that the only logical solution to preserve the looks are seat covers - few of which look anywhere near as smart as the originals and many are just downright tacky.
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