Hi all,
Just drove my first Mini's on Monday......like I wasn't hooked before !!!

Anyhow, my wife and I drove a Cooper,...loved it. Then I asked her, "you know, while wer'e here, we may as well drive the S,don't you think?" Well of course she said "sure"....so off we went!

BIG MISTAKE.....now I want an S !!!! WOW that thing is a little rocket!!

But , back to my topic....the S we drove was a base S in DS/W...no options. The leatherette interior FELT & LOOKED exactly like analine leather! I couldn't believe it!
I got in an argument with the salesman,...I just couldn't believe it! So, I just wanted to share with everyone in case people are wondering what the leatherette is like.

As far as I'm concnerned, if you don't want to spend 1250 on leather, THAT is definately the ticket because it's just like leather...

 

Cows should only be eaten!!
Go for the S...

 

Agree completely with the leatherette thoughts.

About the Cooper vs the MCS from my experiences there's little difference under 30 between the two (assuming you have the manual Cooper). Where the MCS gets to be really fun is above the 3000rpm mark. With the Cooper you have to be much more involved in the shifting process at higher speeds. But that being said if you do mostly city driving you may not notice much of a difference.

>>Hi all,
>>Just drove my first Mini's on Monday......like I wasn't hooked before !!!
>>
>>Anyhow, my wife and I drove a Cooper,...loved it. Then I asked her, "you know, while wer'e here, we may as well drive the S,don't you think?" Well of course she said "sure"....so off we went!
>>
>>BIG MISTAKE.....now I want an S !!!! WOW that thing is a little rocket!!
>>
>>But , back to my topic....the S we drove was a base S in DS/W...no options. The leatherette interior FELT & LOOKED exactly like analine leather! I couldn't believe it!
>>I got in an argument with the salesman,...I just couldn't believe it! So, I just wanted to share with everyone in case people are wondering what the leatherette is like.
>>
>>As far as I'm concnerned, if you don't want to spend 1250 on leather, THAT is definately the ticket because it's just like leather...

 

>>I still can't believe that wasn't leather!

Also, I noticed a difference in first gear as well,...out of the hole so to speak. The Cooper is a tad sluggish...but I agree with the rest of your comments completely.

 

Leatherette is nice- some people liken it to vinyl but I think it is better than that. Similar in appearance to black Leather and durable. Can be covered by cloth or real Leather at any time later so it is versatile. My MCS came with blue and black Leather as an option I didn't order but I like the looks so I went for it. In a hot climate it is easy to get sweaty on leather- not sure how leatherette will work with your region.
Also worth a look is the space cloth seats- not bad as far as cloth goes- that would have been my first choice and also much less expensive.

 

>>>>>>
>>I still can't believe that wasn't leather!
>>
>>Also, I noticed a difference in first gear as well,...out of the hole so to speak. The Cooper is a tad sluggish...but I agree with the rest of your comments completely.

I've never driven a car where there was more gearbox change from 100 miles to 8,000 miles as in the Cooper. The difference is dramatic. A couple weeks ago I drove a friend's MCS extensively back to back with my Cooper. I had driven an MCS several times before but this was the first time I was able to put both through their paces back to back. The biggest surprise to both of us was how fast the Cooper was 0-30. It definately felt faster than the MCS. Also of note to us was the MC's clutch was much more precise (The MCS's felt like a truck in comarison) while the MCS's gearbox was a definate notch above the MC's. One thing that became obvious to me was the Sports Suspension Plus make a big difference in sporty driving. It's optional on the MC and standard on the MCS.

 

The leatherette is a fantastic material. After 8 months of use, the standard Panther black leatherette in our '02 Cooper CVT still looks and feels like showroom new. It is the BEST seat material offered in the MINI lineup and best of all it does not cost a single penny over sticker price (Unlike the grossly overpriced Plasti-Leather for which MINI charges $1,250). A lot of people think that our MINI came with real cowhide seats and when we tell them it is "vinyl" the yalmost pass out.

The Leatherette has not been a problem in our hot and muggy Florida climate. In fact, the Leatherette material has thousands of very tiny and microscopic "Breathing" holes that prevent the seats from becoming sticky and allow better air circulation. The MINI's leatherette is the same exact seating material found in the $30K BMW 3 series. I can't say enough good things about leatherette but highly recommend it over either cloth or leather upholstery choices.

Further, the MINI's leatherette is nothing, I repeat nothing, like the Vinyl seat material found in yesteryear American cars. This Leatherette is 100% high quality.

 

Leatherette looks more like leather than the leather.

Leather smells better, and should conform to different tempratures better.

But, we saved the $1,250 and we are very happy.

 

i'm happy with the leather.
i did pick the car off the lot, so i can't say that i would have ordered leather!
i wish i had the sport seats though, you really need em' in the twisties!

 

The standard seats provide good support but they are not very comfortable on very long drives. In city driving they are mostly OK but in 3 to 6 hour drives they can be bothersome. I wish I had ordered the Sport Seats (a $240 option in the Cooper) but didn't know better at the time of ordering.

My next MINI will have Sport Seats for sure. Oh and Leatherette as well.

 

Completely agree with minihune; check out the Space Cloth if you get an S. As with everything on this car, I spent months researching and many dealer visits and test drives before specifying my final order. Went with the Space Cloth; cool in the Summer, warm in the Winter, looks smart, appears durable, and grips your clothes nicely in those fast corners. I was concerned about needing the adjustable lumbar (only comes with leather), but after some lengthy test drives I found the regular sport seats without the adjustable lumbar very supportive; no added benefit for my body with the adjustable lumbar. Also can't hurt that it saved me $1250. I didn't find the MC cloth near as nice.

Of course this is my opinion, due your own research, but my material preferences would line up like this:
1. Space Cloth (MCS only)
2. Profile Leather (MC sport seats only) - way cool bumps and seemingly thicker/more durable than the other leathers.
3. Leatherette - all the look and feel of real leather without the maintenence and price; wonder though if its sweaty in the summer?
4. Gravity, Soft, or Natural Leather - All nice but wonder about durability and +$1250!!??
5. Kaleido Cloth

Finally, a little off-topic, but hopefully helpful: In the nine months I was on the waiting list I went from a fully loaded MCS at about $25.5k, to a nicely equipped but purposeful MCS at under $22k (less than my brother is paying for his fully loaded MC). Spend some time on this site and learn what the different options really do and don't do for you and you might save yourself some real $$$. Just my $0.02

Cheers,

James

 

Thank you very much for this feed back on the leatherette. I was swaying toward the leather and then wishing I didn't have to spend the money when looking at the other options. Now I know I'll get the leatherette!! thanks so much!

 

The Letherette is very cool in the summer months thanks to microscopic perforations in the material that allows it to breath. I have owned many cars with cloth seats and quite frankly I am no longer interested in any kind of cloth upholstery seat material. There are very nice looking cloth seats but the problem with most cloth seat materials is that body persperation tends to get embedded in the cloth material overtime and this leads to all kinds of funny odors developing in the interior of the car. This has been my experience in hot and humid Florida where heavy sweat is the order of the day.

To me the Leatherette solves this pesky problem and adds the upscale look of real cowhide without the added cost or high maintenance. Leatherette can be easily cleaned and wiped. try that with your trusty cloth seats. When cloth seats get dirty they need to get shampooed at by your car wash detailer.

i wish more automakers woul doffer leatherette as an alternative to both cloth and real leather.

 

Despite window cracks and broken boot latches I like to say that I have absolutely no regrets about my MCS. (I do so love him).

But now all you guys talking about how fabulous the leatherette is.... I might be formulating regrets! I really like the clean look of leather, but I don't believe in gratuitous use of it--a category into which leather upholstry certainly falls. At the same time, I had all the same preconceived hot-sticky-vinylesque notions about the leatherette so it was even less of an option than real leather. I only ever considered the space cloth. Never even looked at the leatherette. And I'm really happy with the space cloth; I think it looks good, seems durable, but now I'm wishing I would have at least scoped the pleather, especially since something--I'm presuming it's the space cloth--results in truly wicked static charge that nearly causes electrocution every time I open the door.

Bummer.

Oh well, we live and learn, yes?

~Kelley

 

To reduce the static charge put your hand on the door jam as you slide out of the seat.

retroom

 

Cool, retroom, thanks. I'll try that.

 

Everyone is suprised when I say that it's not real leather. The best part I saved $1250.

 

I agree with Mister_S, the space cloth is great. Looks cool and is cool - I live in a hot climate. I'd go for leatherette second. Good luck.

james

 

I found that the leather seats fit like a glove and are among the most comfortable I've known. However, the leatherette seats my wallet decided upon have a big lump that jabs my lower spine in a terrible way. Soon I'm going to have to disassemble the seats are correct them. Also note that the leather back seat is very nicely stitched whereas the leatherette is just molded from one giant sheet of vinyl thus resembling that of a patrol car. Leather is also said to be warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer but there are many complaints about its durability.

 

Still leatherette all the way my friend. No way all those real leather "stitches" are worth $1,250...no way....

 

I have to say I really enjoy my leatherette. There have been a couple of instances where I've gotten the seat a little wet and I don't worry about it. I think that if they were cloth or leather, I'd be like a mother hen worrying about it.

HOWEVER, A HINT FOR LEATHERETTE OWNERS:

One of the not-so-great things I noticed early was that the leatherette was a fair bit tacky. I'd go to slide in behind the wheel and I didn't exactly slide; I'd sort of stick. Then, there'd be this scruffed up area on the seat on the upright of it closest to the door. I found that a little irritating, so, here's what I did to fix it...

Aerospace 303 is what seems most recommended for the dash and vinyl things in the car. By mistake, I figured I'd just apply it to my leatherette seats which made them quite slick and shiny. It wore off in a couple of weeks, but I decided to reapply it to just that one part of the driver's seat and viola, no more tackiness getting in the car. Everything is a smooth slide.

There's my 2 cents.

 

I'm in favor of the pleather also. In my old car I would get zapped every single time I went to close the door, plus with the cloth seats it tends to make your shirt (and skirt) twist all over the place. Some of you boys in big trucks might appreciate that but still it was very annoying while driving. I'll never go back!

I have used a bit of the PermaPlate Vinyl conditioner and getting out is lickety split quick!

 

>>Everyone is suprised when I say that it's not real leather. The best part I saved $1250.

Why tell them? I expect that most who get a ride in my car assume its leather. I don't ask what they think it is

 

The leatherette is the best!! On top of the looks and feel, it is worry free. There is no need to condition and care for leatherette the way real leather should be treated. Spend the extra money on the automatic windshield and rear view dimmer and the heated seats. Now that I have them I can't imagine living without. Sorry 02's. The auto dim mirror big bonus with all the SUV's out here. Heated seats, even if its warm I just turn the A/C down. Oh, and the self leveling Xenon headlights are the super coolest thing ever. They level as you drive, you never worry about blinding anyone and the light output is incredible. It is a special bonus to turn them on and watch them level

 

Another vote for leatherette. I hear from folks all the time that they're surprised when they find out that it's not leather. I use Lexol vinyl treatment from time to time. Cleans things right up and makes the surface a bit slicker for a little while. I've got the sports seats, and I've not had any problem w/ comfort, tackiness, or the like.