does the leatherette hold up well or should i opt for another fabric

 

leather!!!

 

leatherette is better than real leather.

My MCS has Leather and my wife's Cooper has leatherette. My leather is wrinkled and stretched in places and has cracks.

Leatherette stays looking perfect for much longer.

Save your money and get the leatherette. It feels and looks just as nice and you could convince most anyone that it is leather.

 

Well, I like the natural stretching and evolution of leather...that's what leather does. Also, the new English Leather option (fancier leather) is VERY nice, as is the cloth/leather combination available. But the leatherette is very nice, that is absolutely true. You do not get the lumbar seat adjustment unless you get leather or the cloth/leather combo, so that may be an important point to consider, too.

 

Personally I say it depends on where you live. Deserts are horrible to leather and to blazing hot in the summer for even the leatherette (ask me how I know). But I think for a milder climate the leatherette is wonderful. It holds up great.

 

That is what gives leather its charactor. One of the reasons I went with leather.
Owning leather means that you have to take a bit more care of it, like making sure that you use leather care products so it does not dry out.
Cheers

 

Got the leatherette because they did not have leather in two tone comb that I wanted. Live in Florida. It's OK. Gets a little sweaty when you first get it. I figured that it would be easier to keep clean than the cloth.

 

I've ordered the Space Grey cloth on mine. I've seen it and like the look and feel of it better than leather or leatherette. I was considering the leatherette for durability and ease of cleaning. However, both demo cars I tested at the dealer had the leatherette (on a scorching summer day), and for me that was enough to confirm what I suspected all along - you'll sweat during the summer (even after the A/C had started freezing me out)!

I think this is a very subjective choice, but try to think of each option in real life scenarios and should be able to pro and con to figure out what is best for you!

 

I didn't choose Leatherette (or Pleather as I like to call it) because I bought my car off the lot, but I have been pleasantly surprised about how good it is. If I had actually ordered my car though I probably would have gone with the cloth.

 

We have the leatherette and love it.

 

I got leatherette too, and while it's been pretty sweaty over the last week or so here the leatherette has been no worse than the black cloth seats in my wife's Scion tC.

 

Real leather requires a lot of care. I fully condition my leather every 2 months. In past cars I have never had wrinkling or cracking. If cared for properly, nothing can replace the feel (or smell) of genuine leather.

 

Real Leather!!! Cloth dry rots and splits and gets stained very easily. Pleather will crack and wear through, and there is nothing you can do about it. Real leather can be cleaned and conditioned to keep it from cracking, and it ages gracefully and with character.

I've had leather in most of my cars, and it has held up way better than vinyl or cloth, including the original leather interior in a 1965 Imperial.... just stunning!

 

I always get leather. I am a slob while driving, especially with coffee and take cats on road trips etc. The dealer talked me out of the leather for leatherette. I like the way real leather ages and will miss it, but as said on this thread 3 different MA's told me the leatherette will wear better and doesn't hold the heat or cold as much...

We'll see about that in about 5 yrs.

 

we have the red cloth/leather in both of our MINIs. Prefer to sit on the cloth, wanted the lumbar support.

The red cloth does pick up spots, etc rather easily, but also cleans easily with the 303 fabric cleaner.

 

From what I understand the Leatherette stands up exceptionally well. It's also very nice. Cloth is obviously cooler if you live in a hot climate, but my past experiences with cloth interiors is they tend to hold odors over time and tend to not handle spilled milkshakes very well.

I choose Blue Lapis Leather because I was going for the "matches" look for my Mini, I ordered a HyperBlue car with color matched dash and Blue Lapis seats, which also includes blue carpet. I'm also a part time car care nut so I actually like the fact that leather requires more attention. It gives me something to do.

 

I chose leatherette for many reasons, although it is ultimately a personal preference:

I am not a big fan of sitting on a dead cow, but I also heard the leather is far to expensive for the quality.

The cloth was way too rough and "scratchy" on the back when sitting on it and the two tone of the space cloth (since I am getting sport seats) was too susceptable to staining for my life - esp. the back seat. My current Honda has cloth, and it is pretty gross - although it is at least soft!

I am an outdoorsy kind of guy and like to just throw crap in my car, so the leatherette is the easiest to keep clean with little of the care required for leather...

I live in a hot climate, but am willing to sacrifice the Summer months for getting what best suits my needs. I have friends with "pleather" in their cars, and it has not been too bad at all - even in the peak of Summer...

Ultimately, you just need to figure out what you do with your car and if you are willing to make some sacrifices for what best fits your life even if it isnt neccessarily the perfect option!

 

Leatherette, holds up much better for alot of traffic in and out of your car and just think about what you could do with the 1,300 in what you save to put on MODS.

 

Yucca, how well did you take care of your leather?

I ask because I thought I was doing well conditioning about every there months but I had it professionally detailed last winter and he said I wasn't doing it enough. Better to condition it monthly depending on how its holding up?

 

Back when I ordered my '03 MCS, I chose all 3 packages but went with leatherette over leather for the reasons already mentioned here - in the long term, with decent care and in any case not left out to bake in the sun, vinyl will look better for longer, compared to genuine cow. Some cars are better or worse than others (for example every Acura Legend's leather goes absolutely to heck), but when I spec'd my '03 i had no data to go by. I was very happy with my choice - the seats heated up in winter just as well as leather, and everyone THOUGHT they were leather, if that matters to you. I would do it again without hesitation, but as I prepare to order a new S, I am also considering cloth.

 

I think you guys answered one of the questions I had about my just-purchased 03 MCS- is the interior leather or leatherette?

It has lumbar adjustments, so I'm guessing that makes it leather? It's grey with blue inserts.. there's a pic in my gallery for reference. Look like leather to you?

 

winner!!

 

Lumbar!! Leather!!

 

I don't know about ya'll, but arount here its been in the mid to upper 90s for several weeks. I have a Mini with the leather option, and every time I get in I wish I had opted for cloth or cloth/leather. Its a bit excessive when you stick to your seats after a 5 minute drive at noon.

 

park in the shade, tint your windows, use a windshield visor and vent the windows. no problems here