For supreme comfort, get the Wet Okole's.

Link in my sig below and photos in my Gallery.

 

The only regret I have is that the cloth seats do not have lumbar. I'm not sure if I want to go through the process to put it on as described in the availabe thread.

The biggest deciding factor against leather was the 'butt dimples' I saw in every used MINI I looked at. My cloth seats look as good as the day I picked it up two years ago. No issue here. Besides, I felt two grand was a bit much for leather.

 

I used to have clothe seats on other cars. Now I have leather. If I had cloth on the MINI. I would put on a set of sheepskin seat covers.

 

The carbon black cloth has a subtle checkered pattern that looks great.

 

I was set on getting leatherette but when I fell in love with Rigby he had clothe seats... I took him home anyways. And love him even more now since he has the cloth seats. They dont feel cheap like some cars clothe seats do... and they dont show stains so both are pluses. They are really nice. I love em!

 

Wait, it gets hot in the Bay Area? Here in Houston it can get a might warm and sticky too. I have the cloth seats and after three years they show no wear, but they can get funky if you're already sweaty when you get in since they can absorb moisture. Fabreeze is your friend!

 

My cloth seats are doing fine after 6 1/2 years of daily driving.
Only problem was spilling some creamy mushroom soup on the passenger
seat once (lid came off the tupperware), but was able to get 99% of it out
(very faint stain now).

 

This is a great thread. Thanks for all the info. Based on what I've read here, I am now pretty sure that I will go with cloth.

 

I think cloth breathes better than the other two offerings, lumbar support is already not bad, and all offerings needed to be taken care of. Resale value is also a thought.

 

I love the cloth. Sure, it's tougher to keep clean, but I'll take it over pleather any day.

I'd consider Tuscan Beige leather, but not at that cost.

 

I love my cloth/leather.

 

My 03 MC has leatherette. Wasn't a big fan of it so made sure I got cloth when I ordered my 09 MCS. Ended up getting the cloth/leather combo purely for cosmetics.

 

Get the cloth, drive it for five years then take the $1000 you would have spent on factory leather and have a custom leather interior done at an upholstery shop! Mid-ownership refresh, fall in love all over again and have a totally unique MINI.

 

This has been a growing pet peeve of mine lately - the common disdain of cloth seats, and how hard it is on many cars to get cloth. Even on the MINI, the leather options in the US outnumber the cloth. And cloth is just so much more comfortable! No one sleeps on leather, do they? Some people do buy leather couches but I think cloth is still more popular (and definitely not chearp, just look at Pottery Barn).

People tend to think leather is more durable... but look at some old cars with leather. Even well cared for, it tends to crease and crack. You have to treat it with all kinds of crap to keep it somewhat soft and clean. Plus do some research on the chemical processes used to make leather - it's downright frightening. Not to mention the hoardes of cows we are killing for it.

Now there are some cars with much better quality leather that is softer, and perforated or cooled/heated seats that make it more comfortable. MINI leather isn't cheap but it's definitely not the greatest.

I do like the MINI leather/cloth mixed seats though. Just a little leather in the right places. Although I wish MINI/BMW would do similiar things with different materials.

But after years of leather & leatherette seats in past BMWs and my current MINI, I really want cloth in my next MINI. Even without the lumbar support I think the cloth seats are still more comfortable.

 

The Bay Area is a strange place! It can be 60 degrees in San Francisco and 105 degrees 30 miles east in Contra Costa County. I lived in Concord for over 30 years and saw temps up to 115 degrees! But even without the wide temp. swings the Bay Area is a strange place!!