Well my time has come, my EB/MCS has been ordered so now I can start changing my mind. I selected the space cloth, but the lapis blue is, well... it has lots of ooo-ahhh appeal. I have never had a car with leather and I don't know how well it will hold up compared to the cloth nor how it would feel getting in to the car on a hot or cold day here in Denver. My MINI will also have heated seats, so I don't know if that will make a difference.

Comments... opinions...

 

The cold weather package will probably help most with the leather seats since leather tends to be very cold - especially in CO winters And it smells good, looks more like leather than the "profile leather" you can get, and (I hear) is easier to maintain. That one car I had with leather, somehow I ripped the passenger seat in the first two months I had the car. So, my opinion, if you're looking for the leather feel, stick with the leatherette - it'll save you $1250. If you like cloth, then just stick with your original order. I haven't seen too many cloth interiors on the MINI, but I'm sure it's great Good luck in your decision!!!

 

I've been happy with my cloth seats :smile:

My dog gets in with muddy paws sometimes. It'll dry up, and just dust off. Good, tight, durable cloth in my sport seats! Some here are probably cringing now, but hey, it's my car! George is always allowed, muddy paws or not!

 

I swear by leather.... It wont wear like cloth.... It wont stain as easily...
It smells great... feels even better.... although you need to condition the leather OFTEN... I do once every two weeks.... pinnacle leather conditioner...

I live in south florida so my downfall is hot seats (i have all black leather) if sun roof is left open, if I am sweaty I stick to the leather... I also have seat heaters because even in the winter florida gets cold at least 2 days a year and the leather is very cold and it feels so good to have a warm seat... also I use the heaters on long trips t keep my back loose....

 

I like my leatherette... it's cleaner then cloth (my last car had cloth, and NEVER again..), and most people dont' know it's leatherette...

Rocketboy_X

 

MINIgaga: Welcome to MCO!

Please check out the Rocky Mountain Forum and Join the DenverMINI Yahoo group (see link in my signature).

I have a Cooper S with the leather and love it. With 28% tint, it doesn't get too hot in the car during the day (parked outside all day at work with a sunroof). If you change your mind on the leather then get the cold weather package too, so you can get the seat warmers. I don't have the Cold Weather Package on my MINI because it's a pre-spec, but I love the heaters in my Jetta with leather.

Anyhow, congrats on getting your car ordered. When are they telling you to expect delivery?

 

I much prefer either Leather or Leatherette over the Kaleido Cloth seats. Cloth has it advantages as it is warmer in the winter months, cooler in the summer (leather tends to be sticky) and holds you better in place when making turns. However, cloth stains easier, is harder to clean (Specially after a liquid spill) and tends to wear out faster.

I find the MINI's Leatherette seats to be a nice compromise between cloth and real cowhide. The material is of high quality, very easy to clean, gives the car an upscale appearance and it does gets very hot during the summer and best of all, it costs nothing as it is standard equipment. (Cloth is another $0 cost option).

Cowhide is nice but I think is a bit excessive in a car like the MINI and it is expensive to boot ($1250 option). But if leather tickles your fancy be my guest, you can't go wrong with the quality.

 

Thanks all for the input. Now if I could just be sure of the body color... Yellow was my first choice, then electric-blue... hummm BRG with those tan leather seats... DOH It sure will be nice when it is past the point for changes

 

Let me help simplify your choices. You can only get BRG and the Cordoba Beige (tan) leather on the Cooper with the regular (non sport) seats.

Ok now let me add to the choices: Electric Blue / Electric Blue Roof, Lapis Blue leather. Have a nice night.

 

I know this is just re-hashing what everyone else has said, but I chose leatherette for durability and stain-resistance (thinking long-term here). THough I plan on getting seat covers for the front before I even get the car. I love black sheepskin covers. But I'll have to find some that are tailored to fit the mini seats well, with the airbag cutout, etc. It's funny: I got the winter package, but I actually got it for the heated mirrors and wiper jets, not for the heated seats.

>>It sure will be nice when it is past the point for changes :smile:

 

I went with the black leather, nothing like leather. Looks great, nice feel, I will never have a car again without it. Chili Red/Red top, S premium, sports,

 

cloth for me baby. I like leather fine if it's premium, soft etc, but it's hot, sticky and you have to really condition it. I've had 2 VW Jetta's w/cloth, grey cloth, not a problem, no stains, i'm clean and I clean it every now and then w/the vaccuum.

it's a matter of preference and expense really.

gidget

 

My other car has cloth and while they have been generally fine, I have come to appreciate MINI's excellent Leatherette seat material. I wish more cars (Aside from BMWs) would offer a Leatherette like material for seat upholstery choices. Not everyone likes real cowhide or gets overly excited about cloth seats.

I do not own a VW product, but I have noticed that the upgraded cloth seat material in Jettas and Golfs tend to attract a lot of lint and begin to look fuzzy after a while. My brother in law has a 2002 VW Golf GL and the standard VW cloth seat material looks/feel better in comparison to the upgrade cloth VW seats.

Letherette for me next time, baby!

 

I like the way the cloth goes with the interior and exterior of my Mini...it grows on me more and more all the time! I have never been a big fan of leather seats, especially with the humidity here and the fact I have a sunroof.

 

I went for the leatherette. No more cloth seats for me. I want something easier to clean. I have heard good things about the leatherette from other BMW owners and at Edmund's.com. Also shaves $1250 off the price of the car.

 

>>I went for the leatherette. No more cloth seats for me. I want something easier to clean. I have heard good things about the leatherette from other BMW owners and at Edmund's.com. Also shaves $1250 off the price of the car.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

 

I actually ordered the leather before I even went to the dealership to order the car! When I went to test drive it, I liked the leatherette look better (the panther black leather has these weird little circles on it) and the dealer said it was more durable by far than the leather! I've had 2 Acura Legends and they both had leather. In both of them, the leather cracked SO much on the seats, and I live in SF, so no extreme weather here. I know that with a new car, you will clean and condition the car constantly, but after the new car novelty wears off (even if it is a MINI)(Yikes, I can just magine all the dirty looks people are giving me! ), it's hard to keep conditioning leather seats!! It's just such a pain to upkeep! I don't really like the kaleido cloth look, space cloth might be better, but haven't seen it in person.

 

If you smoke I don't advise getting leather as it's more difficult to patch a burn in I hear. (I'm a non-smoker and already have leather in my other car and will order it for the Mini) I love leather, it's smell. I also think it gives a good back support.

Leather to me also makes a car have a more European sport look and more classy and sophisticated. But it is also more expensive.

 

I went with the leatherette mainly for cost savings. Most people think it leather (very high quality and thick). Although a friend has the space cloth and it looks much better in person than the pictures. The only problem, IMHO, is the back seat has too much of the lighter colored cloth. It needs more of the black material.

 

>>I like the way the cloth goes with the interior and exterior of my Mini...it grows on me more and more all the time! I have never been a big fan of leather seats, especially with the humidity here and the fact I have a sunroof.

Humidity? L. Mini aren't you in So Cali? You all don't have humidity down there!!! Me, I'm in Alabama and moving even closer to the stagnant part of the Gulf of Mexico. Now THAT'S humid. Even Floridians catch a breeze every once in awhile :smile: But maybe you're down here, too, and I'm just getting confused...I just felt like complaining about humidity, too

 

We get plenty of humidity down here in S.Florida...it sucks!

 

zwoman....nope I am in Baltimore,MD....north of you, but still very hot, humid an uncomfortable during the summer time.....

L.

 

I normally get leather, but on a red MCS, the only leather option is Black. Even though I live up north, black interiors just don't turn me on because they are so hot in the summer (all 3 months worth).

I decided to go with the cloth, but I have 2 boys, so I was glad to hear someone mention that they have a dog and the cloth cleans up real well. Boys and dogs are at least equally messy - anyway - if the cloth gets too warn, I can always get some leather seat covers. :smile:

 

I am leaning toward the black Kaleido cloth. I have always liked the tight-snappy looking cloth interiors of small European cars -- they are nicer and more distinctive than American cloth interiors. We have leather in our other car (Volvo V70) and it is a lot of work to keep clean. And I didn't think the MINI leatherette had as much personality.

I would really like the Cordovan (light brown) leather color, actually, but since the sport seats can't be had that way (bad omission -- the only leather sport seat available in the Cooper is black with odd little circles) it's cloth for me.