Which material is best for the MCS? I live in the south, so Black Leather or Leatherette will really be hot in the summer. If I go with cloth, will it kill the resale value?I hear Cordoba leather will be available in 04, so that might be an option.

For all of you out there, are you happy with your interior choice?

 

:smile: :smile:

I think most people who have chosen any of the interioers whether it be cloth, leather or leatherette, have been pleased. It's all in what YOU like.
donna@dcmetrominis.org

 

X the 'ette, it's sticky and feels weird
The leather is nice, especially the Cordoba :smile:
My pick is the Space cloth, stays cool, and is like velcro for your butt in corners

Cheers,
Ryan

 

IMO, Leatherette or Cloth. MINI's leatherette is an excellent value and doesn't at all feel like a "vinyl seat". The cloth looks great too, and is also a good value. IMO, the real leather is nice (I have real leather in other cars), but overpriced for a car like the MINI.

 

Leatherette is the BEST choice hands down. Does not feel STICKY or WEIRD

Every person that has ride in our Cooper thinks we have real leather seats and when we tell them this is Vinyl they almost faint in disbelief. The Leatherette used in the MINI is the same exact high quality seating material used in the BMW 3 series. It does not crack, peel, sag or fold like the overpriced leather option and it is easier to clean than the Space cloth. Holds you nicely in place too and it is comfortable to no end. We have put 10,500+ in our Cooper CVT and the seats still look factory fresh. Go and look at some of the leather seats in cars with the same mileage to see how soggy those seats look already.

Best of all Leatherette costs $0.

 

Yeah, it's all about what you like. Try all three at the dealer before you buy. I personally like leather, but then again my Grandpa is also a beef farmer. I really like it because of the color (lapis blue & grey), though it will take more care than the vinyl.

 

>>Yeah, it's all about what you like. Try all three at the dealer before you buy. I personally like leather, but then again my Grandpa is also a beef farmer. I really like it because of the color (lapis blue & grey), though it will take more care than the vinyl.

Absolutely is about what you like. This car is my first leather interior and I love it, though there's more cleaning and conditioning involved. It looks great and feels great so far. If I have any issues in the future, I'll just take to the dealership to have a look at. :smile:

 

>>>>Yeah, it's all about what you like. Try all three at the dealer before you buy. I personally like leather, but then again my Grandpa is also a beef farmer. I really like it because of the color (lapis blue & grey), though it will take more care than the vinyl.
>>
>>Absolutely is about what you like. This car is my first leather interior and I love it, though there's more cleaning and conditioning involved. It looks great and feels great so far. If I have any issues in the future, I'll just take to the dealership to have a look at. :smile:

Hate to rain in your parade, but your driver's seat bottom looks like it is beginning to sag.......

 

Individual tastes differ, thats why MINI offers cloth, vinyl and leather as options. But remember, this is a British car, and as a lover of all things "Rosbif", I recommend leather as the most authentic and in keeping with the spirit of England. Look at it this way, leather is a byproduct of Roast Beef.
True no animal had to die for the vinyl interior (at least not in our lifetime, but petroleum is dinosaur goo) but vinyl is so, un-British. Cloth is a viable alternative, and I've been impressed with the space cloth interiors I've seen, but it sure doesn't smell like leather when you open up the car door. As for maintenance, leather is easy to keep clean in all climates, If you live in a particularly hot and humid place, just clean it more frequently.

 

>>Individual tastes differ, thats why MINI offers cloth, vinyl and leather as options. But remember, this is a British car, and as a lover of all things "Rosbif", I recommend leather as the most authentic and in keeping with the spirit of England. Look at it this way, leather is a byproduct of Roast Beef.
>>True no animal had to die for the vinyl interior (at least not in our lifetime, but petroleum is dinosaur goo) but vinyl is so, un-British. Cloth is a viable alternative, and I've been impressed with the space cloth interiors I've seen, but it sure doesn't smell like leather when you open up the car door. As for maintenance, leather is easy to keep clean in all climates, If you live in a particularly hot and humid place, just clean it more frequently.


Most classic Minis I have seen have cloth seats and unless you are talking about a Wolesley (The classic Mini version for the rich) which came with factory cowhide seats standard.

So cloth is more in line with tradition.

 

I actually find leather surfaces better in the heat. As long as you keep the inside of the car cool, good tints and a windshield screen when you get out of the car. Once you put the air one, the seats cool down nicely and stay cooler.

Leather was the only option for me.

 

>>>>:smile:
>>
>>Hate to rain in your parade, but your driver's seat bottom looks like it is beginning to sag.......
>>

But I did see the same thing on other "leather" MINI owners' seats too. I wonder if it'll continue to sag.

 

>>
>>>>>>:smile:
>>>>
>>>>Hate to rain in your parade, but your driver's seat bottom looks like it is beginning to sag.......
>>>>
>>
>>But I did see the same thing on other "leather" MINI owners' seats too. I wonder if it'll continue to sag.


Well, you can always take it back to the dealer to have the seat bottom replaced under warranty.

 

I live in Florida, and have the black "profile" leather seats, and they ARE cooler than regular leather...
my salesperson assured me of this when I was skeptical about getting leather seats and she was right.

So I recommend either the profile leather or space cloth...

 

This thread cracks me up... I didn't realize that hte rear seat in leather was so...inflated.

And MGCMAN, I love your logic about England and beef byproducts

 

I agree with Ryan - the space cloth is great. Have no complaints about interior temps on hot day. I have the sun roof and the space cloth stays cool when parked in the sun. The interior doesn't seem to hold the heat so I have no problems with the A/C's ability to cool the car.

 

Get the cheapest, i.e. ...leatherette, then add neoprene seat covers, they're great and you can color co-ordinate them to your MINI.

 

The space cloth seats are great too, my only problem with fabric upholstery is that they have a tendency to attract embedded dirt, sweat and they are easier to get stained.

But I am sure they are very grippy too.

 

I chose the space cloth on the grounds that I wasn't interested in paying and extra $1250 for leather, and that cloth would be much cooler on the rear end in the Vegas heat. All the (3) MINIs I'd seen at that point had either leather or leatherette, so I ordered it unseen. I couldn't be happier. Comfy, cool, and cool looking.

 

Leather and heated seats are must haves on any car I buy. No sag in the leather after 4,500 miles, but I am not too impressed with the heat generated by the heated seats on the MCS.

_________________
2003 Chili Red/White MCS, sport pack w/white wheels, cold weather pack, black leather w/anthracite dash, DVD-based Navigation w/OBC, HK sound, MFSW, PDC, rain sensing wipers & auto dim mirror.

 

>>
>>Well, you can always take it back to the dealer to have the seat bottom replaced under warranty.


That will never happen, i promise. It would have to be a defective seat in some manner. Leather is a natural material, and it will stretch and settle in no matter if you're 5' tall and weigh 95 lbs. or 5'10" and fat like me.

 

One of my friends had problems with the leather of his 330ci and I owned two cars with leather - a Saab 900 and a Miata. I am of the opinion that premium leather is worth the money and upkeep, but that premium leather is fairly rare in auto circles. I've been in BMWs, Acuras, and my two cars amongst others with leather and they never could hold a candle in the sniff/touch test to my friends 911 or a Jaguar.

All of that in my mind, not expecting great leather seats, I went with the space cloth and pocketed the difference.

 

Thanks for the replies! I am leaning towards the space cloth for the folowing reasons.

1) Cloth is much cooler here in the hot, humid south.

2) You don't slide around as much in a cloth seat. ( Important for Auto-X)

3) $1250 is a lot of $ for leather in such a small car.

 

>>Thanks for the replies! I am leaning towards the space cloth for the folowing reasons.
>>
>>1) Cloth is much cooler here in the hot, humid south.

I live in hot and humid Florida and have had ZERO problems with the leatherette. No sticky feel at all and cooler as it can be.
>>
>>2) You don't slide around as much in a cloth seat. ( Important for Auto-X)

You don't in the leatherette seats either.
>>
>>3) $1250 is a lot of $ for leather in such a small car.

We can agree on that.

 

>>Thanks for the replies! I am leaning towards the space cloth for the folowing reasons.
>>
>>1) Cloth is much cooler here in the hot, humid south.
>>
>>2) You don't slide around as much in a cloth seat. ( Important for Auto-X)
>>
>>3) $1250 is a lot of $ for leather in such a small car.

I agonized over this same thing recently before I got on a list for an S. I am a big fan of cloth because it's generally hot and sticky up here in New England for six months of the year; however, cloth seats are problematic to clean. I have cloth now in my anycar, and despite being easy in the heat, it's a pain for coffee stains and the occasional trip to the vet with the large dog. No way to get that dog smell out. So I opted for the leatherette because it will be easy to clean and durable. But since I actually prefer cloth, I am going to get cloth seat covers to go over the leatherette since I can just rip them out for cleaning or replacement.