I'm looking to order a new Mini...most likely a 2013 JCW Hardtop and the only option I can't decide on is the seats. The dealerships around me don't have any with Recaro seats so I wouldn't be able to compare them all. I'm looking to keep this car for a long time and be comfortable doing it.

My previous car had leatherette and while it lasted 10 years looking great, my back was sweaty almost every time I drove it.
My girlfriend's car has cloth and I got a static shock every time I get out of it...very annoying.
I've heard mixed things about mini leather.
I really don't know anything about the Recaro seats except they're expensive. Are they also the most comfortable? And are they durable?

 

It's going to be hard to find a MINI in a dealership with the Recaros. Something to consider is that they are not made for large folks... the seats are too narrowly bolstered for folks with wide bottoms (like me) The OEM Sport Seats have worked well for me for the past 5 years and 60+k miles.

As far as durability, one of your options is to add seat covers to the OEM seats to make them more comfortable and last longer. I have Wet Okole Seat Covers and love them! Easy enough to install, waterproof (impervious to sweat) so they protect the stock seats, somewhat breathable, machine washable, and made from neoprene rubber which gives a tad more cushioning.

 

Cloth sport seats. Very comfy for me, 6'1" 215#... Cooler in summer, warmer in winter, no nasty leather sweat, FREE... No static shock either. (well at least 2.5 years)...

 

I have the lounge leather interior. No complaints here. It looks great and keeps my back surprisingly cool.

However if given the choice, I would get the Recaros

 

R56 Ed - thanks for the link to the Wet Okole site. I like my black/charcoal OEM sport seats, but have always admired the contrasting piping option. Okole's can do that, and it looks cool.

My only question with that is, what about using them with heated seats? Okole says they add 1/2" of foam padding, and it seems to me that would prevent most of the heat from getting through.

Spridget

 

In drier weather, I definitely get a shock when getting out of my Cooper with cloth sport seats.

 

I have leatherette. If it's hot enough for sweaty back, the air conditioning gets turned on. Problem solved.

 

You're welcome. You bring up a great point that I hadn't considered... using the covers with heated seats. I'm dreaming about ordering a Roadster with heated seats, and had sort of figured on adding the covers, too, just to protect the OEM seats. I'll have to do some research before it happens. Thanks for the thought.

So, I have no idea how the covers would work with heated seats, but I'd check with them to see what they say. There is the chance that the heat might build up too much and cause damage.

 

My experience is with lounge leather - I am very pleased. 30k miles and it looks great. Lexol a couple of times per year and regular cleanings. One of the things that kills leather is if you let sand and grit build up in the seams. I usually take a paint brush and vacuum and clean those areas. Weren't there some wear issues with the Recaros? Seems like that was the reason for the unavailability in the coupe for a while - I thought the story was they needed to reconfigure the seat belt attachment because of wear concerns on the material those seats were made from. I know that the leatherette and cloth have some advantages I'm not commenting on those because I have no experience with them. I was looking at the MINIUSA configurator and was disappointed in the lounge leather color choices for the 2012 - just a personal preference things.

 

My MCS has the green lounge leather and I like the look and comfort very much. That said, the drivers seat is showing some slight wear and tear from ingress and egress, and I have only 25K miles on the clock making me wonder what it will look like at 75k miles. Needless to say I am more careful getting in and out now to minimize the wear and tear. I think if I had it to do again, I'd save the $2K on the lounge leather and go with the cloth (my son has cloth, and other than a few stains from spills it has held up well and is comfortable) and then spend an another 4K making up the total price difference between JCW and MCS and get a JCW.

 

Our dealer had one car with Recaros, I found that they didn't fit my generously proportioned rear end. I've always found the Cloth/Leather sports seats to be a good option, they seemed to be a bit wider than the cloth seats and fit me well. The adjustable lumbar support is a big plus as well. Now we just got our latest with Cloth/Leather, the seats seem a little more snug than I'm used to.

As for static, after driving a Civic with a big static problem, I got used to grounding myself as I got out of the car, I'd lever myself up on the door catch on the B pillar. That also works with the MINIs.