I am preparing to order a Mini Cooper S in January, I am having a hard time making the choice on interior...


I really like the redwood lounge leather, except when I looked at a demo at a dealership there was one that seemed like the leather on the seat was stretched out, nor worn but just stetched...

I like the look of the Cloth/Leather combo and that you get the choice of dash and door panels with any upgraded interior...

The leatherette seems to be a good option as well except I would spend $500 for color line and door panels and then I wouldn't have lumbar adjustment...


What have your experiences with interiors been?

maybe pictures? age of car/mileage?


Thanks

 

I have leatherette and love it! Nothing beats the feel of real leather, but I like the durability and low maint. of the leatherette

Couple high mileage car that have come through my shop and their leatherette has held up beatifully!

 

We went with the Leatherette for durability, too.

This is second hand, but a friend of ours had an '02 with the Leatherette which they just traded in for a Clubman w/ Leatherette as well.

The car was 7 years old and even with 2 kids, they said the leatherette still looked just as good as it did when it was brand new... so they HIGHLY recommend the Leatherette.

 

I love the leatherette too. Looks like the day I bought it. I think the seat is very comfortable, but I carry a lumbar pillow for longer trips. The integral lumbar adjustment would not give as much as the pillow IMHO.

People like their leather too. Looks great, but I've seen the stretch too.

 

I have leatherette on my 08 MCS, I'm sure it will durable and low maint. BUT in the summer here in the south..............it's HOT and makes your hiney sweat a whole lot.

 

My friend's who had it in their '02 didn't mention the butt-sweat situation even though we live in FL, so I guess the durability outweighed the butt-sweat

 

The leatherette looks good and is durable, but if had it do again I"d order the all cloth option. I find the sport seats to be a tad to narrow, the side bolster on the seat bottom dig into my thighs. After driving for an hour or so it gets real uncomfortable. The cloth seat are more forgiving in this regard. They seem "give" alittle more than the stiffer leatherette IMHO.

 

Mine is on order, but I went for the Tuscan beige leather. It's a luxury item, IMO, but I plan on keeping this little car a long time, so I stuck to what I really wanted.
My current car has leather; first leather I've had and I really like it. It's durable, easy to clean, and a light tan color so not heat absorbing in the summer.

 

I went for the redwood red, mainly because i love the look of it, I'm not too concerned about the stretch, given that its a more natural material, i think it will go through some stretch and shrink in its life, but thats part of what gives leather it's character. The redwood red is just too perfect for my style. can't wait for pickup next weekend...

 

Oh, also, I have longish hair and the past few fabric seat cars I've owned have caught my hair, and it gets all wound into the fabric on the seat back.

 

Punch Carbon...

Leather wears well when taken care of, and it breathes, and Lumbar support...

 

After 13 months and almost 60,000 miles my '07 with leatherette still looks new and is easy to clean.

 

I am sure I would have gone with the leatherette if it were available in all black. I simply did not like the two-tone look of the gray/black especially with my black and white interior theme. I got the cloth. Looks nice but not as comfortable as my previous cloth seats. Kind of "scratchy" nylon/synthetic material. I do like the sports seats. I was trying to keep the cost down. I would have opted for black lounge leather if I was willing to spend the additional $1500.

 

I also love the leatherette. Don't let the two tone look scare you away. It is not as two tone in person, the configurator exaggerates the two tone appearance.

 

We have the Punch Carbon Black Leather and they are great...

 

I guess I don't understand durability and leatherette used in the same sentence. Maybe I am far behind the times. I had cloth seats in my 04 which would catch my hair. That drove me absolutely crazy. The cloth seats are a bit scratchy, too. I have the lounge leather now, and will never look back!!

 

I have the standard sport seats with grey cloth/leatherette. They look nice enough but I don't care for the sport seats (the side bolsters are too high and narrow...IMO). Since the standard Mini seats aren't an option on the MCS, I would get the lounge leather sport seats in hopes that they would be more comfortable. Expensive option though.

 

My '07 MCS is 19 months old now is my everyday driver (22,000 miles). My all cloth sport seats ($0 option) look like new, they are very comfortable, reasonably grippy and really feel great with the heaters on. The heat can be felt almost instantly and with the sunroof open on a cool morning it's a great way to enjoy the drive to work. Think about the cold package, not that expensive and the toasty seats are great when it's cold out.

 

wow 60K in 13 months!.. impressive.

glad to hear its holding up so well. I was torn between the punch and leatherette.....ended up getting the aero kit instead and settling for leatherette... glad i did, as the grey parts match the car well

 

What color car are you ordering and what state do you live in?

I ordered the blue leather/carbon black upholstery with the anthracite headliner. It looks great with the lightning blue.

 

The leatherette seats are excellent, and would be a rational choice. The cloth seats, however, breathe better and are more comfortable in hot weather. And they heat up instantly when it's cold (provided you buy the cold weather option). For spirited driving the cloth seats "grip" better, for less sliding under G-loads. The Gen 2 cloth seats seem quite durable - they look like new in my 07 MCS after 17K. In sum, leatherette and cloth are both good options, but the cloth has some advantages.

 

With 300 days of sunshine in NM, the black cloth seats conduct heat wonderfully in the cold and I do not have the "cold weather" package.

 

Leatherette here, really love them.

 

I am going with pepper white, and I live in Indiana...

I am thinking Blue/Black Cloth Leather for the Value, since it comes with the Color Lines and Surfaces which would be $500

I cannot believe the Black headliner is a $250 option...
At least it is an option though... I hate how dirty the light color headliners become after a short time of driving with the windows down...

 

My first MINI ('03) had leather seats - and were showing significant wear after 40k miles. My wife's '08 Clubman has leatherette, and it looks and feels great. My current MINI has Tuscan Beige (leather) and it is also quite nice; however, in terms of tactile feel and grippiness, I wouldn't say its significantly better than leatherette. It is a bit different, but not necessarily better or worse.

If the leatherette were available in a variety of colors, I would be happy to have that; but I wanted a lighter interior and the Tuscan is gorgeous.