I just took delivery of my much anticpated Clubman S ss/blk. This is my first Mini and it drives and feels as good as I recall from the brief demo I took before I placed my order almost two months ago. However, I was very disappointed to see that the HC leather/fabric conbination was in reality 90% fabric and only 10% leather. Pardon the pun, but what a rip-off. Even my MA expressed surprise when she noticed the lack of leather in the back seat. I ordered this combination from two sources, the configurator and a Cooper that was on the lot. It appears that there is a difference between the Cooper and Clubman seats when it comes to the leather/fabric upholstery. Unfortuanely that was never revealed before I took delivery. I really am quite disappointed. I hope that doesn't offend anyone who might like the combination, but to my eye it really cheapens the look of the car.

 

I'm sorry to read this. I've never really looked at that combination, since I'm too cheap to spring for anything but the "leatherette". It's very tough when photos don't match real life. I hope that it will grow on you?

 

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this does look like about 10% leather for the back seats ...

 

Funny you mention this, as I seemed to notice the same thing when I was getting ready to order and looking at all the combinations I could in advance. The brown cloth itself didn't seem to look as "up-scale", and seemed to accentuate the fact that there was so little leather involved in the combo (not as apparent with the black for some reason). At the time, I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was I didn't care for since it is a nice shade of brown, but I think you're exactly right when comparing it against the full brown leather or the two-tone in black cloth. Hopefully, it'll grow on you over time, and at the very least, it WILL be cooler. Best of Luck with your new Clubman; Sparkling Silver is one of my favorites!

 

Thanks guys.
I wish I had seen this before I confirmed my order, but after all is said and done it could have beem a lot worse! Actually, after reading the previous thread I feel a bit better. Now I can't wait to get out of work and drive the car!

 

That actually looks very nice. I guess the surprise is a bummer, but the reality looks very comfortable and practical. I'm rethinking my lounge leather preference!

 

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I went with the Punch Carbon black leather. I must say it is absolutely awesome!

 

What do the front seats look like?

 

Picture of front seats?

 

I got the Rooster Red Leather/Cloth. If you think about it as $1000, then your right, its a rip off. But you get the Color Line and Premium Trim with it, so its kinda of like a mini-package. The color line and trim would run you $500 by itself. Your paying the other $500 for a tight fabric and some colored leather accents. Worth it in my mind since I didn't want to fork over for the leather.

But I've had problems with the cloth getting dirty. It just doesn't stay "black". Needs to be cleaned, which I imagine is going to be harder to do than with leather.

Jon W.

 

I saw the red/black and found it cheap looking also went with standered seat till i figure out if i want real leather seats aftermarket

 

That's the same way we looked at it; in our case, $1500 extra for the Punch Leather which actually worked out to be $1000 since we already knew we wanted the color-line and upgraded interior trim anyway (an additional $500/$250 ea.). Didn't hurt quite so bad that way (though it's all over-priced) , and as it turns out, we're very happy with the Punch Leather both in terms of looks and breathability.

What do you mean about the cloth getting dirty and not staying black? I'd think it might only show a lot of lint/dust, but be fairly easy to clean when it really needed it a long ways down the road. Does it turn white-ish from skin rubbing off on it or actually stain easily? Just curious; maybe a thorough vacuuming might help.

We were afraid to chance the leatherette with the intense heat here, and the blue seat inserts seemed too much since it didn't quite match Laser Blue, so it was a process of elimination for us. I would have loved a gray leather option.

 

The cloth gets kind of a white-ish dusty look to it. I haven't had any other cloth seat do that ever. I haven't tried a heavy duty cleaning yet... I probably will next weekend when I have time to wash it.

Jon W.

 

I have the cloth leather combo and love it. I had all leather before in my last car and it was insanely hot on sunny days. It looked and smelled great, but whew, did it roast my rear! I clean my cloth with a generic upholstery cleaner from Zaino and it works fine. I also used a cheap version from Wall mart at first and it worked good too. Upholstery is easily cleaned. I also keep a lint roller in the car because my labs leave lots off hair behind. Even the dog drool comes of fine, as long as you don't let it stay for a lengthy time.