Leather vs Cloth

I have never owned a vehicle with leather interior, but I do have some leather furniture in my house. The leather interior in the Legacy looks much better than the cloth interior, but what are the downsides to leather, other than increased cost? It requires more maintenance, right? And it is probably less comfortable in hot weather than cloth, because it doesn't breathe like cloth (have noticed this with the leather furniture in my house). Do you find automotive leather more comfortable than cloth? Why do you prefer one over the other?

Cloth. Leather is ass burning hot in the Texas heat for one thing, and sticking to the seat isn't fun. For colder cilmates the seat warmers will probably do the job nicely. The maintainence for the leather is more, and cloth is easier to clean. Cloth also usually ages better.

My forester is my first car with leather, and I prefer it to colth. Kid spills milk in it all the time, wipes clean with a wet rag, it doesn't stain. Crumbs and dust don't get ground in the fabric, so after you clean it still looks new. With cloth you are shampooing to get that stuff out. It does get a hot in the sun, but that only lasts until the A/C kicks in. The only other weakness I could think of is vulnerablity to punctures if you had a dog or were hauling alot of tools.

[quote name='Drift Monkey']Cloth. Leather is ass burning hot in the Texas heat for one thing, and sticking to the seat isn't fun.[/quote] LOL, I can believe that. I think some of the Mercedes $$$$$$ sedans have cooled leather seats to prevent that problem.

Don't forget that the leather in the Legacy is perforated, probably helping the "breathing" issue. What's more comfortable in the long run? Leather or cloth? If I get a car, I'll be driving back and forth Northern and Southern California, so I'll need to keep comfortable.

I still say cloth though I'll admit I haven't sat in the LTD seats yet.

The leather-burning-your-ass problem isn't so bad as long as you tint your windows.

[quote name='SC GT']The leather-burning-your-ass problem isn't so bad as long as you tint your windows.[/quote] You don't live in TX do you?

[quote name='Drift Monkey'][quote name='SC GT']The leather-burning-your-ass problem isn't so bad as long as you tint your windows.[/quote] You don't live in TX do you?[/quote] No, but neither does outahere.

I'm actually interested on seeing how the lighter color leather in the Limited works out as far as being hot during the summer. My tan leather in my Miata can scorch the backs of your legs if you aren't careful but I have heard that dark leather is worse. The Limited leather is lighter plus I plan on tinting the GT darker than I tinted the Miata (you can't do much with a plastic back window).

I was just gonna post about this. Mine is an 05 Outback XT limited with charcoal leather- are you supposed to use leather conditioner on it or Armor All?

Use a good quality leather conditioner and it will last a long time and not crack.

everyone i know uses Lexol. I've used meguiars, armor all, even more expensive stuff like oakwood, and none can compare.

Yeah, that's the brand I always see advertised- Lexol- I wonder how often you have to use it and does it make the seats sticky?

I've been torn over the cloth vs. leather issue myself (I know, life is tough isn't it?). I think cloth is more comfortable, doesn't burn or freeze your ass like leather, and holds your butt in place around turns better than leather. Leather protects against odors and stains better, and it looks nicer. For me I think the answer is to get cloth. The extra $$$ for leather just isn't worth it for something that isn't clearly superior in the first place. In the summer I'll throw on one of those cheap seat covers to protect against my sweaty or wet ass when coming from the pool or beach. I generally don't let the kids eat or drink in the car so stains should not be much of an issue.

[quote name='gurpman']In the summer I'll throw on one of those cheap seat covers to protect against my sweaty or wet ass when coming from the pool or beach. [/quote] Oh, the [b][i]mental pictures[/i][/b] from that one! I think it's time for therapy again! :lol:

Admit it, you needed the therapy anyway :lol: If I'm blown away by the leather interior I may change my mind, but cloth seems to make a lot more sense.

[quote name='jedimaster']Yeah, that's the brand I always see advertised- Lexol- I wonder how often you have to use it and does it make the seats sticky?[/quote] I use the Lexol cleaner and conditioner on my leather seats now. Just make sure you rinse your rag often with plenty of clean water and dry the leather immediately. You will know when your leather needs to be cleaned when it gets that oily shine. Lexol will return it to a nice soft satin sheen. Use the conditioner after every cleaning to keep the leather from drying out and to help reduce the amount of oil from your skin being absorbed. I clean the interior 2-3 times a year, sometimes more often on the drivers seat and definitely the steering wheel. Been wondering though how it will be to clean a perforated seat. Seems like the water could get down under or those little holes get clogged.

One big disadvantage with leather is that you can't use those aftermarket seat covers. I know because I've tried. They just slide around. I have some cheap wetsuit material covers I got from Costco that I'll use on my cloth seats

[quote name='7stars']One big disadvantage with leather is that you can't use those aftermarket seat covers. I know because I've tried. They just slide around. I have some cheap wetsuit material covers I got from Costco that I'll use on my cloth seats[/quote] Depends what kind. My dad has a nasty sheepskin cover for our Mercedes. It doesn't slide around and it gets too hot in the weather we have at home. But yeah. In our van we also have one and it slides around a lot, but with the supplied support cable thingys it doesn't move that much.

I'm going for the leather seats.

[quote name='7stars']One big disadvantage with leather is that you can't use those aftermarket seat covers. I know because I've tried. They just slide around. I have some cheap wetsuit material covers I got from Costco that I'll use on my cloth seats[/quote] I don't really like the look/feel of covers, so I probably won't be using any. Although a layer of plastic over the floormats (just to be extra clean) may be in my future.

Thanks man! This is my first car with leather, so I want to make sure it's going to last the life of the car. [quote name='Sub-attraction'][quote name='jedimaster']Yeah, that's the brand I always see advertised- Lexol- I wonder how often you have to use it and does it make the seats sticky?[/quote] I use the Lexol cleaner and conditioner on my leather seats now. Just make sure you rinse your rag often with plenty of clean water and dry the leather immediately. You will know when your leather needs to be cleaned when it gets that oily shine. Lexol will return it to a nice soft satin sheen. Use the conditioner after every cleaning to keep the leather from drying out and to help reduce the amount of oil from your skin being absorbed. I clean the interior 2-3 times a year, sometimes more often on the drivers seat and definitely the steering wheel. Been wondering though how it will be to clean a perforated seat. Seems like the water could get down under or those little holes get clogged.[/quote]

[quote name='Sub-attraction'][quote name='jedimaster']Yeah, that's the brand I always see advertised- Lexol- I wonder how often you have to use it and does it make the seats sticky?[/quote] I use the Lexol cleaner and conditioner on my leather seats now. Just make sure you rinse your rag often with plenty of clean water and dry the leather immediately. You will know when your leather needs to be cleaned when it gets that oily shine. Lexol will return it to a nice soft satin sheen. Use the conditioner after every cleaning to keep the leather from drying out and to help reduce the amount of oil from your skin being absorbed. I clean the interior 2-3 times a year, sometimes more often on the drivers seat and definitely the steering wheel. Been wondering though how it will be to clean a perforated seat. Seems like the water could get down under or those little holes get clogged.[/quote] This is a good point, also thanks for the info on taking care of leather. I had no idea what I should do to condition and keep it looking like new. Thanks again!

[quote name='Sub-attraction']...Been wondering though how it will be to clean a perforated seat. Seems like the water could get down under or those little holes get clogged.[/quote] That's always been my concern with perforated leather too. I personally find perforated leather a bad thing and is one of my gripes with this car. I guess i'll just have to get used to it.