I'm waiting for my EB Mini Cooper S which should arrive sometime late August. I honnestly can't wait and could talk about it for hours but that's not why I'm here. My question is simple. For those of us who can't justify the cost (and colour) of the leather seats which way do you turn? The cloth was my first choice but I'm having second thoughts after seeing the bold silver swatch of the space cloth and I'm not convinced the leatherette is anthing more than glorified vinyl. I haven't seen either inside the vehicle itself. The Cooper I test drove had cloth but not in that particular shade of tinfoil. My dealer says the leatherette is top notch and the same used in the 3-series BMW's (not that I'm supposed to tell as the BMW drivers might become enraged). Very nice and as close as you can get to leather without hearing the cow bell but will likely have a problem breathing and sweaty backs may be the result. HELP! If anyone has any info, advise, pic's (of the silver cloth seats in the S), or experience with the two let me know. Thanks ahead of time and Keep on Truck'n my brothers and sisters!!!!

 

I wanted to go with cloth interior originally, but after visiting 2 MINI dealerships and finding out that in Southern CA, no one has seen a cloth interior and they won't order it for you because it's less likely to sell if you back out (just what I was told) I changed my mind (on the cloth, not the car!).

I test drove 2 MINIs with the leatherette interior and I don't care for the stuff at all (although it not coming from the hide of a dead animal is nice). It's very thick feeling and rigid, not at all soft like you'd hope or expect. It didn't move or give- stiff stuff. It felt cheap to me- a death worse than cloth. So, relunctantly (being an animal lover) I sat in a model with leather and it was SOOO soft and wonderful! I do feel a bit guilty, but my MINI will have the profile leather interior (the little round bumps are supposed to make it breathe much easier). We'll see how that really works out.

In the end, it's personal preference. Only get what you know will make you happiest. The worst thing would be to have the perfect car you've always wanted with an interior you can't stand (especially since you will spend most of your time sitting in that front seat). Goodluck! :smile:

 

Do me a favor, remind me to never buy a car in CA. I can't believe some of the things I've heard on the different MINI boards I follow, about CA and So Cal dealers. $2500-$4000 mark ups, forced options at outragous prices, now denied options? You want something but you can't have it because the dealer doesn't think it is a good or sellable option! A word of advice, If you live in Cali go to Nevada, Oregon, or Arizona to buy your MINI. Don't put up with that kind of carp(sp). Don't worry, I'm getting off my soapbox now.

 

Nice name :smile:

I had the SAME question for my version of the SAME car!! Anyway, my husband and I checked out some dealers last weekend to decide on the answer to that question and we walked away deciding we'd get the leatherette. We couldn't really tell the difference - so much so, we had to keep checking stickers after sitting in cars to figure it out. We test drove an S that had the blue/black leather combo and my legs were sweating already in the 20min drive. I was in the backseat, but still! So, if I'm going to sweat, I'm going to sweat on leatherette in order to save me $1250 that I'll use on the Sports package instead

 

Well, I've actually seen all the combinations of cloth, leather, and leatherette, and here is my imput... If you're against the sweating of legs, you must go with the cloth... but if you live in a place like me, (Maine) you should really consider the other two options... I'm not going to lie.. the natural hide feels really good against your back, but it's quite stiff. So stiff that any "common Joe" probally wouldn't be able to tell it apart from the leatherette... It has a nice texture, and really does look good! But like many people have said... "You should go with what feels good to you."

 

When I was first building MINI's on the web I really liked the look of the cloth. I wanted a red cooper with the red interior. Then when I first got to sit in one the leather was so nice on the skin. It was about 80 outside and I had shorts on and the leather was warm but breathed enough that I did not sweat hardly at all. With the sun roof and windows open it was great, when I later test drove the leatherett demo car it was a different story. Those seats seemed very sticky after just a short while they did not seem to breath at all. We also sat in one with cloth that had been out in the sun for a while and it seemed fine but we noticed that the seats seemed less firm then the leather ones.

I ended up going with the leather (Cordoba with British Racing Green Exterior, I could not resist that combo) and when we took the car to Indy last weekend it was very comfortable. My wife particularly like the lumbar adjustment and said it was one of the most comfortable seats she has ever been in.

The leather that they use is so much better then in other cars I have had, my cougar had leather and it was not half as soft or as rich looking as the Coopers. If you can swing it I think for the added comfort, lumbar support and ease of cleaning that you can,t go wrong.

 

I've had my Indi Blue with "Panther Leatherette" for about 3 weeks. It gets about as hot here as the surface of the sun and I have not had much discomfort.

I will say the seats are firm, as I think they SHOULD be in a performance car. I really enjoy driving my car. (Even though my wife claims to HATE it.)

However, I have the cloth seat covers being sent to me by the dealer as soon as they come in from backorder. When I get them, I'll have to post my opinion. I figure I have leatherette, and for about $500 I will have the cloth option. Sort of the best of both worlds.

Larry

 

My 3 series leatherette and my new mini leatherette are indeed very similar in quality and feel. I am quite happy with it. It appears to be a high quality material. I live in south Florida and do not experience the sweaty back you refer to. In any case, synthetic material fairs much better than leather. (And I am sure the cow agrees with me)

 

>>My 3 series leatherette and my new mini leatherette are indeed very similar in quality and feel. I am quite happy with it. It appears to be a high quality material. I live in south Florida and do not experience the sweaty back you refer to. In any case, synthetic material fairs much better than leather. (And I am sure the cow agrees with me)

Rembrandt,

Do you have a sunroof down in S. Florida? Is the heat that gets into the car during the day - parked in a parking lot all day - from the sunroof get to an unbearable level? I live in Alabama/S. Mississippi and it gets pretty hot and humid here. We're trying to figure out whether to get the leatherette and the sunroof since it's not completely covered...