ok new,nervous mom-to-be of a new 09 mini clubman S... i am down to the final option and really stuck. leather, mini leather or cloth/leather? Chili Red paint offers a combo leather/cloth seat in red leather/cloth black combo (front seats only but full cloth in back) that looks cheeky cool. but i hear the cloth... once dirty, looks dirty and hard to keep looking clean. I cart 9 yr. old boys around a lot. that said, it will get exposed to occasional shoes on the seats, sticky fingers, spilled cheez-its. so cloth is probably not wise. my MA says the leatherette is the way to go... i read old threads here that said the leatherette wore better over time in so many ways...and that there is no difference at all between it and the leather in its feel and luxury. I read where over time the real leather cracks, scratches etc. but those threads are old...any changes in today's 08-09 market? Gotta admit i LOVE the smell and feel of real leather and the cleanability....but my MA swears the leatherette is just as good if not better. i am scared it will come off as cheap or not as comfortable... money is not the issue, practicality AND comfort and luxury are.... Anyone have any comments from a comparative standpoint that will help me get this order in by this weekend? Can't seem to make a decision on this one. Help and thanks.

 

I have the cloth seats and a 7 year old daugther who puts feet up, spilled chips, etc..but I have had no issues.. the dust/dirt wipes right off and the chips, etc. get vacummed up no problem.. I personally don't like leather seats as I tend to slide around.. I am sure whatever you choose, you will be happy!! Good Luck and Congrats on you clubby!! Wise Choice!

 

Funny, my MA tried to convince me the leatherette was "just as good as Leather"...
Hmmm....
OK, my .02:
Cloth- gets dirty. Stains easily. eventually creates lint which WILL pill onto your clothes (while my cloth experience wasn't with a Mini, it's fairly universal and my cloth seats were good). On the other hand, it's no cost.
Leatherette: Honestly reminds me of Nalgahyde (and you know they're endangered, LOL). IMHO, Leatherette has all the worst qualities of leather (slippy, hot in summer, cold in winter, cracks, etc) and only a few good qualities (easy to clean, cheaper than leather, holds up to kids, etc).
Leather: negative aspects include: cost, hot seats, cold seats (see above), possible cracking and staining. Positive aspects: easy to clean, feels good, not man made, can remain supple with proper care, luxurious and increases resale value.

I went for leather in my clubbie... then again, I also ride horses. I do own 2 synthetic saddles and a few synthetic carriage harnesses- They are strong and I don't worry about them breaking like I would with older leather. The Saddles even "squeak" like leather (altho the synthetic saddles squeak much more and are downright annoying). Still, I much prefer my leather saddles, bridles and harnesses. They eventually conform to my body and hands, the horses aren't as hot in them and not as uncomfortable. And they SMELL so much better.

IMHO, there's nothing like nice leather!

Best of luck- this is really a personal choice- Vivi

 

I have an 04 with cloth seats. It's mostly just me in the car, and the seats look dirty. I have been unable to get them clean. They also are somewhat rough. And it grabs my hair. So I am ordering my new MINI with leather. I'm most excited. I would worry about the pleather seats not breathing. Very important in the South.

 

Don't go with Cloth it will look dirty over time.

 

another factor no one mentioned: only the cloth/leather and leather seats have adjustable lumbar supports; cloth and l'ette do not. I had cloth/leather seats in my R53, and they were very nice, except the red cloth part was a beeetch to keep clean. That's been flipped on the new car, the cloth part is black.

l'ette is good if y're a slob or have grubby shedding animals etc etc but I still think it's a cheap knockoff of the real thing. Me no likey l'ette.

As far as the lumbar supports, if U go w/o, you will feel yr lower back sink into the seat upon brisk accleration. A friend of mine had l'ette seats in her R53, and I could not drive it more than a couple hours w/o getting a sore lower back. My car? could drive it for hours with no issues. ALS's make a huge diff!

PS to Vivi: it's "naugahyde," and yes "Naugys" are endangered species....

 

Thanks Sequence- some good points there... and sadly I actually googled Naugahyde but it had been a long, long, day and I still spelled it wrong... I shouldn't be allowed to reply under the influence of exhaustion

 

I'm not sure why everyone is so "down" on the Leatherette?? We opted for Leatherette due to the fact that we wanted a durable material, in the PNW with the variable weather we thought it would hold up best. Water gets on them, wipe off, cleaning is a breeze with 303.

If you have cloth seats or Leather/Cloth the cloth can be easily cleaned with a Spray Bottle of Club Soda and a White Terry Towel. This also works well on carpeting too. For heavy soils just let it penatrate then wipe away.

 

I love the leatherette keeps it shape no wrinkles and cleans easy, my 03 had it and they way it looked after 5 years made me buy it ...red leather and cloth look cheap to me IMHO, the plain cloth is ok too

 

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound "down" on leatherette- I just don't like it personally, for the reasons above and because I have a 1982 MB 300 TD with MBTex (their version of "leatherette). Granted it's old and not the new formula, but it's cracking and where it has cracked, it has sharp, sharp edges that cut me. No amount of goop has seemed to help. I need to replace the seats now - whereas all my leather seats, including my very old saddles, if they're cared for haven't cracked and when they do, the edges can be softened to not take a bite out of me...

And I've noticed a huge difference with my horses between synthetic leather (which is enourmously easy to clean, btw- I literally just hose it off- or in the case of my harnesses, I put them in the shower... SIMPLE!) and leather- the horses like the leather better because it breathes and it is "softer" and not as rigid. When I drive my horses, though, I still prefer the synthetic- I know if I'm driving down the road and a horse "freaks" the synthetic won't break... So again, even in this case there are pros and cons to both.

again, this is JMHO, and it should also be pointed out that I tend to keep vehicles a long, long, long time- much longer than the average car buyer...

Vivi

 

If I wanted pleather I'll just buy the pants and become a rock star

But Im not down on l'ette, my 53 year old back needs lumbar support, that's all.

 

Maybe you need a nice gold beige buick...........

 

I have the punch leather and love it, but I don't think I would recommend it for use with children though. I have visions of all the little perforations filling up with cheetos crumbs.

 

Wow... fantastic feed back!!! I can see after reading 13 responses to my questoin that every product mini offers is good, but I am so glad I asked since this has enabled me to make a sound and confident decision to spend the extra bucks and go with the leather seats!! wooo whoo! ... the Lounge Leather, that is. (thanks for the cheeto tips on the punch leater). I know I will be sliding about on them somewhat and will need to be extra responsible to condition and care for the leather, but other than that... the lumbar support (which I hadn't thought about deeply) and everything else brought up here makes total sense for me and to me... So thank you!!!! Cheeky Chop now has black lounge leather seats in his DNA..