I thought the E90 leatherette was nice. I'd take it over Honda-style cheap, stiff leather any day. It's not the same as the leather interior in the E90, no, but it's good quality leatherette.

I think we should stop thinking about leatherette as trying to emulate leather. It's really more of a different option altogether. Not quite as luxurious as leather, but more durable and lower-maintenance, but more luxurious than cloth.

 

I second Ryephile's observations about cloth seats. Breathable, comfortable in hot weather, grippy in corners, durable, and heat up immediately if you have the seat heaters, they are great. In the eyes of some, cloth seats may be less fashionable than leather or leather emulation, but they have the best per-buck functionality, IMHO.

 

Hey,

Thanks for all the informative replies.

Apart from my concerns about heat, etc., I find the Lounge Leather seats the most comfortable (easily), then everything else feels pretty similar, as long as they are sports seats. I kind of like the look of the cloth/leather combo seats but I do share some of the concerns voiced on here about how the cloth might absorb odors after 5 or 6 years. (Most likely I'll keep my MINI at least that long and probably a good bit longer). Anyway you've given me plenty to chew on here.

 

If you have cloth seats, try one of these gadgets:


Attachment 40854 Attachment 40855


They're made for cleaning up pet messes and spills in your house, but both work great for cleaning carpets and cloth seats in cars. They're like a lighter-duty version of the kind of extractors that are used in good pro auto detailing shops. Not too expensive - I know Amazon.com sells these, and Home Depot, Walmart, etc. I have the Dirt Devil one but I've used both and they worked about the same. Clean hot water and cleaning solution go in one tank and the dirty stuff that's sucked up go in another tank.

You will be amazed at the disgusting smelly stuff that is sucked up out of your nice clean (looking) carpets and seats.


__________________________________________________

 

LOVE my Little Green Pro Heat!!! It's the BOMB! (and I know no one says that anymore, but it really is!)

+1

 

Okay, you seriously CANNOT compare the Leatherette to the Lounge Leather. That Lounge Leather is thick, soft, and super luxurious... I felt it in person when mine was in service. I could see how you would get compliments.

The leatherette is comparable to Honda or Toyota Leather (my wife's mother has a Toyota Highlander with Leather, and it is just subpar), but it really isn't that bad for vinyl. I could see how you would like it because it is easy to clean, and not everyone likes the look of aged, but well-taken care of leather.

I personally like aged leather, as long as it isn't cracked or anything. It makes a car look loved and used. A super pristine vehicle just doesn't look like it is motored all too often. Then again, I've got 17,800 miles and seven months of motoring.

Cloth, I believe, is for the true sport-motorer... the type who wants hands-down all the performance he can squeeze out of his MINI. A no-frills, all-go type of person.

Leatherette is for your average motorer who wants ease of use and practicality. The kind of person who spills drinks or has kids and doesn't want the stench of poorly maintained cloth seats. The kind who doesn't want the maintenance of leather.

Leather is for your "I want the best" type of person, even if it really isn't cost efficient. Yes, I will pay $2000 for the luxury and feel, even though the average person wouldn't care to notice the difference. It feels different to them.

I'm in the leather group.... then again, I don't have kids and I don't autocross. I'm young, so I want my yummy toys while I still can... I bet you guys will see my in the leatherette group once my kiddies start popping out! Oh no!

 

Hey, I happen to like Honda leather! No, it's not as nice as mercedes leather, but it's still pretty darned nice!

 

On my next mini i am getting leatherette and not looking back. I got sick of the wear issues with leather even with proper care.
My smilies based review of leatherette and leather.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Leatherette at purchase
Leatherette after one year
Leatherette after two and a half years
---------------------------------------------------------------
Leather at purchase
Leather after one year
Leather after two and a half years -->
---------------------------------------------------------------
anyway get what you want.

 

Seeing these posts makes me wonder if there's a big variation in the different leathers used in the MINI. Mine has the dark blue leather, and after 2.5 years and 50k+ miles, the leather itself still looks perfect - no creases, flaking, or worn spots at all.

The bottom part of the seat has developed some gentle waves/looseness from holding up my 210-pound butt, but that's actually one of the things I like about leather - I don't like the drum-tight look of vinyl seats.

My wife's MINI has the Cordoba Beige leather, and it's holding up great after three years, although she only has about 30k miles on her car.

 

I checked out the interior surfaces on Saturday, my GF and I really liked the beige leather, but decided it wasn't worth the extra $ and the leatherette didn't do it for us so we went with cloth.

 

I was sure my Leatherette was a leather interior when I first saw it. Once I found out it was "pleather", I was disappointed for about 5 seconds until I realized that it would wear so much better than real leather over time. Nothing looks sadder than a stretched, creased, and dirty old leather seat. My only gripe so far: when I wear a leather jacket, the noise it makes rubbing against the Leatherette is ridiculous.

 

Romi has leatherette. Living in N. Texas, I was concerned about the heat and how they would feel in the summer time. I did not want leather as we wanted/needed a car we could crawl into with damp bathing suits on and not worry about damaging the seats. Leatherette is one tough material.

I am a wimp when it comes to heat. Been in Texas all my life and hate the heat. Happy to report, without the sunroof and no window tint, Romi cools down quickly. I have yet to sweat in my seats.

Now, I do one other thing. I got the Mini windshield shade and when I park Romi, I do my best to put her facing the Sun and use the windshield shade to block. It makes a HUGE difference.

My other car is a Lexus IS250. I cannot stand the leather seats in that car. They never cool off and I sweat my butt off in them. As a result the Lexus gets left home when the ambient temperature gets about 85F. Romi is far more comfortable in the high heat.

 

Well good luck with the pick!

 

Man, that's a boatload of stereotyping there, Noegel !

Just to prove you wrong, I opted for leatherette in my CR Cooper and I don't drink or tote kids around in my MINI.

And by the way, I have leather in the JB Convertible and I prefer the look of the leatherette. It's also easier to clean, although that had nothing to do with my reason to purchase it. It wasn't a matter of cost, either.

My next build will also include leatherette.