Just don't wear shorts, well don't wear them with leather either. I burned the heck out of my legs on Saturday and I just have space cloth (leather on the sides and bolsters with cloth in the middle.

Michael

 

Cloth works well, not hot in the summer, not cold in winter, and it grips your butt better in turns

 

I've had leatherette the past 3 years and it still looks new. I was afraid that the leather would be more of a problem to maintain and might stretch, soften, wrinkle or get dirty. The leatherette is so easy to clean and maintains it's shape, IMO. Sorry, I didn't realize that I had posted twice!

 

I'm real happy with my gravity leather and sports seats. Passenger gets lumbar support and the leather breaths for the most part. Only a couple of times I had a soaked back and those were when I was out walking in the heat then in the car.

Bill

 

And a good sunshade for the windshield....
+1 on the cloth/leather. Stays amazingly cool in the hot Texas summer when the interior is a sauna upon opening the doors. Also, very comfortable and looks damn SEXY (red color line)!

 

Here's a link to the latest post from Edmunds' long term review on the CM.. this one focus's on the $1000 option Leathers/Cloth seats and passenger comfort/lack of lower back support

http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtest...-indicted.html

 

I am not sure I understood the article fully. The article starts out discussing hating the back seats but then doesn't explain if the dislike is all of the seats, just the backseats, front seats etc?????

Michael

 

Confusing. Do the seats have lumbar support on this car? The back cushions look awfully flat.

 

any seats with leather will have adjustable lumbar, the leatherette seats don't

 

I read it the same. The wife is having an issue while sitting in the REAR seats. It says nothing about the fronts. I can honestly care less if my rear seat passengers are comfy on long drives. They should have offered to drive then.

 

no the rear seats don't, but the backs do tilt back and forth to sit more upright, they are actually pretty good, everyone who rides back there is always surprised at the room and the seats.

 

Definitely no lumbar in the rear seats. They will tilt forward, but not recline as the boot is in the way.

Bill

 

If I remember correctly when trying at the dealer.. the rear seats move back and forth but when you move forward and try to recline further back, it doesnt recline past the point at which it would hit the boot. In other words the back seats don't really recline

 

I have the leather/cloth and the seat bolsters kill my right leg on long drives. Wish I had a way to get the lounge leather, short of buying another car. Also the seat back squeaks and moans like crazy every time I move. Hopefully dealer can correct that next week!!

 

I have the leatherette, in Houston Texas. July was the hottest month on record in Texas and found the leatherette to be fine.

When I test drove the cloth/leather option (twice) I found the seats to be less comfortable. The side supports on the bottom to me felt too narrow. I believed if it bothered me a little on the test drive, it would bother me a lot later. I wanted to have the variable lumbar support. And although I have degenerative disc disease in my lower back, I found the leatherette seats to be more comfortable.

 

when I test drove my first Mini (MCS) is was a very hot SouthernCalifornia day...95+ and the car was sat in the sun when we got into it. At first I thought seats were leather...no I was told, it's leatherette!. They were not hot at all. Driving around for hours after buying that car I never had a sweaty back. Had the car for 6 years, bought the CM...and demanded the leatherette based on my Socal expeirence (I'm in Vancouver Canada now). Well, the leatherette on t he CM must be quite different, as I now get a sweaty back within minutes on just about every drive I take in the car. Temps are in the md 70's tops around here.

 

You made the right choice. The only thing I'd change with my car is the seats. The lack of lumbar support on our leatherette-equipped cars is a real disappointment. We only test drove cars with full leather, so we had no idea that lumbar support isn't included on the base leatherette. We're using $30 lumbar pillows in the front seats to make it comfortable (with the pillows, it's right).

 

Love our leather seats with lumbar support. And made sure we ordered the leather again!

 

Curious: I know that both the leather and lounge leather seats have lumbar support (yay!), but is there any difference between the leather and lounge leather seats other than the obvious (appearance)? I ordered the Polar Beige leather, and I'm just wondering if there's a reason to reconsider and upgrade to the lounge leather while I still have time to change my order!

 

Just curious: is there any difference between the seats in the leather and lounge leather other than the obvious (appearance)? I ordered the Polar Beige leather on my CMS and I'm just wondering if there's any reason to reconsider and upgrade to the lounge leather while there's still time to change my order!

 

I really, really wanted the polar beige leather, not only because it so sharp looking, but also because it would be so much cooler here in FL. I know you are in TX, so you have the same consideration. However, after MUCH back and forth, I decided on the lounge leather in black. We have two kids and a dog and after looking at the parchment leather in the back of my husband's 2007 MDX, it was a no brainer. And he only carries kids around on the weekends. Now, could he get his car detailed more- yes. But do I have time or money to keep that leather clean when everyone is in my car on a daily basis? Probably not.

I am buying a nice sunshade and having the windows tinted. I park in the garage most of the time, so I should be okay. And frankly, plenty of people here choose black leather and are fine, so I am hoping for the best. I did get into several cars at the dealer with the black lounge leather that were sitting out in the sun on a 98 degree day and I did not burn my hiney, nor did I get the sweaty back that I got with the leatherette. I do not envy you this decision. It was the one thing I went back and forth about the most, besides the bench seat. In the end, my vast impatience won over practicality and I chose the buckets.

If you do choose the lounge leather with the bench, please send pics! That's the one combo I have not seen pictures of yet. Good luck!

Molly

 

I own the Countryman Leatherette and had the opportunity recently to drive the Lounge Leather for a few days. I prefer the taller bolstering of the Leatherette - it holds you in the seat better. The lounge leather has a wider cushion with less bolstering, and the bolstering has less depth than with the leatherette. One advantage of the lounge leather is the lumbar support that comes with it, which is not part of the leatherette. I have not driven the leather/cloth combination. I like the durability and maintenance free aspects of the leatherette - e.g. soccer shoes and kid food crumbs, etc. I just vacuum them whereas my old car's leather seats required cleaning and conditioning.

 

Gravity leather has side bolsters, think Recaro type seats. Lounge leather are super comfortable, better if you have a wider bottom.

 

Can't speak for the CMS (Still waiting!), but I had an F-150 with leather, and boy, they are nice the first year. After that, they start to become worn and split, even after being treated/conditioned just as they are supposed to be. I like the leather look and feel, but once it gets some age, no thanks. So I chose the leatherette;and by the way, I never felt the leather in the truck was "breathing" in the heat ...it was sticky/and or slippery depending on the conditions. Wife hated it.

 

When we ordered our 2012 CM S last month we were going to go with the leather but our sales adviser talked us in to going with the leatherette, saying that it was more durable and (I'm still skeptical) that it, believe it or not (his words), breathes better than the leather.

I have black leather in my two other German cars so I'll be able to make somewhat of a comparison. Here is Austin, TX, especially this year with more than 84 days in excess of 100 degrees, all seats are hot!