Question for all you leatherette owners... I've never owned a car that didn't have cloth seats, and I'm looking at an in-stock Mini with leatherette (and sunroof, heated seats, and MFSW). Anyone have problems with it killing the back of your legs in shorts when it gets super hot out?

 

No problems with hot seats on mine. Even before adding 18% tint. I prefer the leatherette to leather anyway -- holds up better.

 

I have debated whether or not I would like the leather over the leatherette. I do like it and it cleans up nice, but there is a stretchy wrinkled patch on the drivers seat from wear and I doubt that the leatherette would show that kind of wear so quickly.

 

I love it, it looks cool, it is comfortable, it doesn't get very hot, especialy with the tint. I don't have a sunroof, because I didn't like the extra weight. That may make it get a little hotter, but I dont think that it will get unbearable.

 

Living in Florida it’s been hot here since I got my MCS, but not middle of summer hot. I found no problems so far with the leatherette seats. I do take into consideration they are not cloth and will be hotter to the touch when you first get in.

If you want them, but think they may get to hot, keep a small towel in the car and place it on the seat when you first get in. After the seat adjusts to the AC, pull it out from under you.

 

Have you heard of any problems with the leaterette seats appearing stretched after a period of time? I have heard many complaints about the leather seats. I'm thinking about saving 1200.00 when I order my Mini[LIST]

 

No problems whatsovever with our leatherette seats. This is a very high quality seat material and very similar to the one found in the near $30K BMW 3 series.

The leatherette has thousands of tiny and microscopic perforations in the material that allows it to "breath" therefore the seats don't feel hot or sticky as yesteryears' vinyl seats used to feel in old American cars.

Leatherette is the most refined concept in Vinyl sites, bar none and they are fantastic. Easy to clean and maintain, they look like real leather (Most people can't believe these are in fact Vinyl seats) and don't stretch, crack or peel like the overpriced real cowhide seats actually do. Our leatherette seats still look showroom brand new after 9 months since we got the car.

Oh and by the way, we live in hot and humid Soutj Florida and heat has not been a problem at all. Our Pepper White Cooper CVT has a black roof (No sunroof) and no aftermarket tinted windows, and they still feel very comfortable.

Save the $1,250 on the dubious quality leather and get the standard leatherette instead.

Good luck.

 

One more vote in favor of the leatherette (btw, this seems to be a very frequent topic on MCO...do a search for more opinons).

I think it feels good and has held up well. I have the sunroof, and therefore my interior heats up in the summer. The leatherette doesn't seem excessively hot. That, the lower cost, and the problems some have had with the higher-cost leather seem to add up to leatherette!

 

Thanks, I think I'm convinced that the 1250.00 price tag for the leather is just not worth it.

 

A friend of mine who bought a MCS had the dealer talk him out of
leatherette and into cloth. Believe it or not, this is an actual quote from the sales dude: "You probably want to get the cloth, to avoid the dreaded swamp *** condition."

Now that might be a little too much honesty from a car salesman!

 

Ahhhhhh! The dreaded swamp ***!

 

I haven't had any problem with them being too hot...or being too cold in the winter.

Erin

 

My "motoring advisor" advised me toward cloth over leatherette. He had been driving a Cooper for many months and found the leatherette seats got too hot and sweaty. The heat gets to me too, so I got cloth. (...he advised sport seats, too...got them as well...but that's another story!) I skipped the sun roof for the same reason....excessive heat. Now, lots of my friends have leather or leatherette, but summer's not here yet. The summer sun here is just so intense...I wanted to do everytning I could to make my MINI as comfortable as possible. (I already get singed by the shift **** every afternoon.) So please take my advise with a grain of salt...its based on a specific place...and on my own personal thermostat.

 

>>Have you heard of any problems with the leaterette seats appearing stretched after a period of time? I have heard many complaints about the leather seats. I'm thinking about saving 1200.00 when I order my Mini[LIST]
Don't think the vinyl will stretch. On the other hand, there have been quite a number of complaints about the MINI's leather interiors, especially the lapis blue.

 

My salesman talked me out of the leather as well.....and showed me proof. He showed me a leather seat removed from a mini that was at a show for two weeks with people getting in and out. It was stretched, wrinkled and WORN! Needless to say I didn't order the $1200 option. Nice guy, too.

 

yes

 

I got leather. But IMHO all seats are hot if the sun shines on them. Thus, the reason I did not buy a sunroof.

 

I gto leather wouldn't hav picked otherwise.. always wanted a car with leather knew all teh problems with it.. got it anyway.. adn I got a sunroof... warm days are what windows, sunroofs and air conditionings for... just don't turn on the seat warmers by accident I've done that a few times on a hot day, whew it was a little too hot...