Skutch

Which do you prefer?

Martian

I love my leather interior. Comfortable and easy upkeep (spills are so much easier to deal with).

But really it depends on the application. Leather isn't over-rated exactly, but it is much more expensive. In my car? Hell yeah. Farm truck? Probably not.

__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

Willravel

Leather is better.

BadNick

I much prefer leather for the look, feel, & maintenance aspects as mentioned above. I guess a poorly vented leather seat can be less comfortable in hot climate than some cloth seats, but in my experience a good modern design leather seat is well vented. All three of our current cars have full leather. In fact, we recently purchased an '07 Toyota RAV4 and instead of taking the base cloth seats which they had in stock, we waited almost a couple months for one with the factory leather option.

Plan9

I'm partial to cloth with Scotchguard.

I often buy custom seat covers.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

Psycho Dad

Leather. Durable and easy to care for. While I like the looks of the Alcantara in my car, it is a matter of time until it gets assed up.

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Don't always trust the opinions of experts.

inBOIL

The only time cloth is better is when you're parked in the sun on a hot day. But if you keep a towel in your car to put on your leather seat, this becomes almost irrelevant.

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And you believe Bush and the liberals and divorced parents and gays and blacks and the Christian right and fossil fuels and Xbox are all to blame, meanwhile you yourselves create an ad where your kid hits you in the head with a baseball and you don't understand the message that the problem is you.

Bossnass

Cloth. Leather is too hot and sticky in the summer (especially for my short-shorts/skirt wearing wife) and too cold in the winter. Also tends to be slippery and lets you slide downwards. Maybe it is supposed to be a luxury and a status symbol, but I'm much happier with our newer leather-less car interior than the leathered interior of a car we recently lost.

ngdawg

Cloth. It's not cold in the winter or hot and sticky in the summer. It's cheaper, but just as easy to keep clean unless you're a slob to begin with. It doesn't crack or peel(spouse's leather seats in his cars always looked like crap after a couple of years because of no garage, even with his weekly saddle soap care). And, get a burn or mark in leather that you paid a premium for and it's doomsday. Get one on cloth, take some loose thread and elmer's glue, place on spot, good as new.

ozahs

I prefer leather, but here in MN you cannot have leather unless you have heated seats. If the seats are not heated, then cloth is better.

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"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive"

DEI37

I have heated cloth seats...that's really nice.

__________________
Generally speaking, if you were to get what you really deserve, you might be unpleasantly surprised.

Telluride

I prefer cloth seats. They're not hot in the summer or cold in the winter.

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"I am certain that nothing has done so much to destroy the safeguards of individual freedom as the striving after this mirage of social justice." - Friedrich Hayek

Jadast

In my opinion leather feels better and looks better as well.

Plan9

What about those horrible summer car farts on leather? Oh, god... the humanity.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

BadNick

IMO car farts sound better on leather, and as an added benefit they don't absorb into the material as they would into cloth ...so the lingering oozing out of the odor is less protracted ...for those of you who prefer the prolonged pleasure of the oozing odors, go with cloth.

healer

I'd have to choose cloth. While leather is all luxurious and easy-clean and all that shit, I've scalded my back and ass by sitting on a hot, black leather seat one too many times.

Cloth with ScotchGuard is the way to go.

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snowy

I have heated leather seats, and just use a sunguard in the summer to keep them from getting scorching hot (they are a dark gray, after all). I used to have heated cloth seats in my former car, but I found the older the car got the funnier it started to smell. Odors get into cloth that don't get into leather.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Bear Cub

Cloth with leather/suede bolsters.

spindles

Where is the sheepskin/wool option? Does it fit under 'cloth'? That's what I'd vote for...

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who hid my keyboard's PANIC button?

Willravel

Yes! And what about pink fuzz?!

BadNick

I'm glad some of you are focusing on some other good options. I was also starting to think "why just leather or cloth?" I feel sorry for naugahyde which was so important in early hot rod development. Thank you, naugas, for your valuable contribution


Naugas have consistently donated their hydes in
order to make jackets, gloves, and other essential
items whenever their country called upon them.
http://www.naugahyde.com/history.html

Plan9

Yeah, I saw your Eclipse. How's it feel to be honest?

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

World's King

My leather seat are so fucked up from age...

I still like leather better though.

__________________
heavy is the head that wears the crown

newtx

I prefer leather. However from a practical point of view cloth seats are the clear choice. Cooler in summer and warmer in winter. But cloth seats have no smell. Leather seats have a wonderful smell and are easier to clean up spills.

sky_driver

The only leather I like is Corinthian Leather. The kind that Ricardo Montalban used to promote for the Chrysler Cordoba back in the 70's.

sixate

Leather sucks. If you don't always apply shit to it the leather looks like garbage and cracks after time. Plus it melts your skin in the summer and nearly gives you frostbite in the winter. Cloth is th only way to go.

Fotzlid

last couple of cars had leather. i do like it better. easier to clean and just plain looks better.

red87gt

Leather is nice in a luxury car thats made for long drives, throw it in a sports car and you better hope those leather seats are bucket seats or you gonna be slipping and slidding all over the place. Also, leather is extremely warm in the summer and really cold in the winter (woohoo canadian weather), and as previously mentioned, the leather must be maintained, I voted for cloth.

Deltona Couple

If you are putting a towel down to protect yourself, why have leather seats in the first place? This has ALWAYS amazed me with the number of cars that come in and have leather seats with a towel or some other cloth COVERING the seats. They all seem to say the same thing, when hot out the leather sticks to them, but they love the look and feel of leather....ok wait... You like the FEEL of leather, but you cover it with a towel?????

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BadNick

Or I'll whip out my black leather pants so I can just sit on cloth seats and have the best of both worlds ...nah, I'd still rather sit on leather seats.

ring

Pleather.

Seriously now..I live in a very cold climate and have never had a problem
with a cold bum sitting on leather. (and I ain't that hot-blooded)

I never wear shorts, so the sticking problem...is not a problem.

Now dark leather of course is going to hotter..mine is a weird anemic looking camel color, and I'm sure that helps.

angelica

I have leather seats and I hate them...your ass sticks to it in the summer and you freeze it in the winter. Next car...fabric!

(I agree with Sixate, if you don't continuously treat the leather, it starts to look like crap.)