I have the leatherette & it is very nice looking. At 2 years old the seat my 70LB puppy dog rides in 4 days a week looks as good as new. IMHO the leather is so not worth the extra money. I am torn for my next Mini though. The leatherette gets unbearably hot in the summer with the top down (& the top is down 90% of the summer) so there is a good chance I will go cloth if my next Mini is a vert also

 

If I am lucky enough to live another 50 years, I'll never own another car with cloth seats. No offense to those who like them, but in my opinion, they make a nice car look a little... ummm... less nice.

On top of the way it looks, leather or leatherette is much easier to maintain due to the way liquids (or semi-solids) don't penetrate it.

For the cost difference between the real stuff and the synthetic material, I'll take the leatherette as it looks so much like the expensive stuff that 9 out of 10 people who get in my MINI think it's leather.

 

I just re-confirmed with my salesman that the leatherette is two tone on the R56. I want a solid color on the seats, without a pattern, so I'm sticking with the leather (carbon black) that I originally specified. I think a black interior will complement my spec nicely.

Its a shame that a choice of leatherettes is not available as an option ...for say $500 extra, for all black. I'd do that in a heart beat.

I dislike choosing based on looks alone ...and I dislike paying $1500 extra even more. But, its gotta' look the way I want it to.

I guess I'm just a superficial kinda' guy.



dean.

 

Ok, I'm going to come in here now and disagree with everyone... I have black leatherette in my car, and I guess overall I like it. If I had to do it again though, I would just get cloth.

Maybe it's because I work in the furniture industry, but the leatherette doesn't feel close enough to leather to me. It certainly doesn't breath well either. I agree that it grips a little better than leather, but that's because it isn't as smooth. I would say that leatherette is a great "no-cost" option, but I don't think I would build another one with it.

I feel strongly enough about this that I plan to recover my seats with suede and real leather....

Drew

 

I test drive cars with each choice (ltte,lth,cth) I liked each but I felt the cloth held me better. I felt a bit slippy on both leather and leather-like seats.
Although I like the smell of leather I would not spend over $1000 to satisfy my nose. I'll buy nice pair of gloves for the winter and sniff them.

 

Oh yeah the leatherette doesn't breathe at all. In the summer when I wear shorts the backs of my legs get soaking wet. I dunno if the leather would keep me much drier in Alabama heat & humidity though, but, then....how would cloth do after absorbing sweat for years :impatient kinda makes me go eeeewww

 

I ordered cloth. I'm too cheap to get leather, and I have to say I can't bring myself to get the vinyl(leatherette). I'm old enough (cripes!) that all the cars my family had in my childhood had vinyl seats - they were hot and sticky. That included a hand-me-down 1969 Chevy Nova from my grandfather that I drove from 1984-1991. I can't bring myself to get them even though I think they look great.

You know we also had a vw bug for a while when I was a kid (white w/red interior) and that had perforated vinyl seats which were much more comfortable than our other cars.

 

I had the space cloth in my '02 MCS and after 37,000 smiles thought it held up well enough to spec it on my '06 MCS. When I traded it in it looked like new. No observable wear markes on the drivers seat where you get in and out.

Granted, I have no kids at home, no pets ride in my baby, and I am not a coffee or soda drinker. I also keep it clean and vaccumed on a regular basis.

I agree with all of the other cloth loves. Warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer. Nice and grippy when you are tossing it about in the corners. Never had a problem with smells from sweat, but then I didn't drive about naked either.

I do wish that they had some better color choices.

 

Well I frequently drive topless but usually not bottomless

 

I have a feeling there will be more options going forward -- like every year --- this is one decision I don't expect to be looking back at and wondering if I made the right choice.
think I'd rather not think about the seat as being a sponge for soaking up my sweat. ewww is right!

 

I've had cloth in may last two cars (19 years total). I have always kept them sealed with a ScotchGuard type product. That kept them looking great.

I have decided to go with leatherette on the this one. I hope I don't regret it. I probably won't. I may just have to keep a towel to sit on after soccer practice.

 

Greg, Today's technology is a little better than it was in the 70's and 80's. This leatherette used by MINI is so close to some types of leather, it's hard to tell it's not real. It's N O T H I N G like that plasticky (new word) vinyl you're referring to.

Forget your memories and give it a chance... really.

 

Oh I agree, the leatherette in my car is VERY different than the vinyl in my first ride, a 79 Chevy Truck. However, that doesn't mean that it breathes like you want it to when you get a little hot. I've learned that no matter what the temperature is, if I sit in the seat non stop for more than 2-3 hours, I'm going to have a sweaty back. Yay....

Drew

 

Wear your sunscreen!!!

 

Heh, my 6 year old son payukked all over my wife's new cloth interior Ridgeline on the way to go get my mini, which has leatherette

 

I've only ever owned cars with cloth upholstery. Yes, it may look cheap compared to leather, but I find it's much more comfortable. I don't have to worry about the seats scorching my legs on a hot day, nor do I have to worry about them freezing my backside on those cold mornings. (I'm a female and sometimes wear skirts to work, even in the winter). And the heated seats don't get warm quickly enough to protect you from those first frigid moments.

I can understand the cleaning issues. If you have a major spill or some other food/beverage incident, you might not get it all out. You shouldn't be trying to wolf down that McRib in your Mini anyway.

That, and the carbon black checkered cloth upholstery looks flippin' awesome.

 

I'm very familiar with the newer faux leathers, and I know they are not like the vinyl seats of the past - but they still don't breath. Now if they used something like ultra-suede I would go for that. It breathes, resists and cleans up from stains better than leather, and grips you too. But its nearly as expensive as leather - heck, its probably more expensive than the cheap leather they use in cars. In the bigger world of leather upholstery, its crap.

 

Well, at least MINI uses drum-dyed leather. The leather in my parents' Lincoln Town Car was spray-dyed, and after only a few years, the dye started to flake off in the creases. Plus, the spray-dye has almost a "plasticky" finish to it.

 

Hell yeah! thats what I ordered

 

I was about to book a trip down to 'Bama but then I remembered you drive a "vert".

 

I had the very same problem in my '06 MCS last summer, so I solved it by getting one of those seat coolers. Works like a charm.

Jeff

 

 

They have gotten very good at trapping and skinning the little Naugahs over the past 30 years. It is a major industry here in CT.

Those little skins are very tough indeed, but they just don't breath when they are stretched tight over a seat cushion.

 

What is a "seat cooler"? Is that like what I put my beer in when I go to the beach? Seriously, please explain/give me a link. Thanks a lot!