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#1 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Perth, Northern Suburbs
Posts: 4,941
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Curious on this.
Maybe I'm just showing my age, but I have always liked leather seats. So, is it just my perception, or have they become LESS common (in new cars) of late? When looking/browsing on car sales, I often filter by features. I've noticed that even when filtered by all the latest features, only a fraction of the cars selected will have leather seats. Is this a case of changing tastes? Perhaps a reflection of more Vegan/Vegetarian tastes? Or has leather become so comparatively expensive, that's it reserved for only the top-level trim, on high-end models or luxury brands? Also, Heated Seats? Even 20 years ago these were becoming common on many imported brands, especially European, American, and Japanese. But now I find they're less common than all the latest tech wizardry.
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2024
Time to Make the Hippies Cry Again |
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#2 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Perth, WA
Posts: 638
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I'd rather cloth seats myself (1981 model) never understood the attraction for heated seats particularly in Perth but I must admit driving the work car around in the winter they do get cranked up when it's cold, vented seats would be a much better option for Oz IMO
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FGII FPV F6 #406 BFII FPV F6 Typhoon R Spec #118 VK HDT Group A/Group 3 #3249 |
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#4 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 889
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Leather comes from dead animals. It is cruel to kill and eat animals, but people do it. What is left over is their skin, which is disgusting in its raw state.
So, you want to dry it and sit on it in your atmosphere polluting machine. Double disgusting. Not only that, you want to put electric wires in that ex-skin so you can warm your bum on a less than naturally heated sunshine day. Please excuse what I have written above, I had a greenie, woke, PETA moment. Most leather now is just pleather, a split with a simulated grain and seal. Compare an old Jag upholstery with a Falcon / Territory / Holden. And it is expensive to produce now, which is what Australia doesn't do anymore, it is cheaper to dump the skins and import leather from NZ. As for heated seats and steering wheels, who needs these in Australia. |
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#5 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Pt Lincoln far side South Oz
Posts: 5,782
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PETA
P eople E ating T asty A nimals
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Dont p i s s off older people. At our age the term Life in Prison is not a deterrent |
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#6 | ||
DIY Tragic
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Sydney, more than not. I hate it.
Posts: 21,993
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Imagine if seats were upholstered with bacon.
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#7 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Pt Lincoln far side South Oz
Posts: 5,782
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would'nt get much driving done
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Dont p i s s off older people. At our age the term Life in Prison is not a deterrent |
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#8 | ||
Thailand Specials
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Centrefold Lounge
Posts: 49,102
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I'm pro cloth seats, because you don't have to maintain them like you do with 'leather' seats or they go all brittle and crack.
Not huge on heated seats, feels like you shat your dacks. I've got enough *** there to be well insulated from the cold, it's like wearing 6 jackets. |
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#9 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Perth, WA
Posts: 638
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+2 for the wear and maintenance also
Big fan of velour, the VK has a plush wool insert, god I love the 80's ![]() The FG F6 is running clotch trim which still good good for 11 years of daily use
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#10 | |||
PURSUIT 250
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Location: sydney
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Quote:
They need more maintenance to make them not putrid. Cloth seats are harder to clean which means they never get cleaned. |
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#11 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Perth, Northern Suburbs
Posts: 4,941
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Leather is 100% easier to keep clean and looking new. Especially compared to any premium cloth.
Heated Seats, that put the heat in the right spot, are awesome when you're old and have a crook lower back.
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#12 | ||
Regular Member
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 141
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Heated/cooled and even massage nappa leather seats are very common in 2024 China cars or in Alcantara if you don't like leather.
And since China now makes over 1/3 of all new cars these days I guess that is where all the leather has gone. |
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#13 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Dec 2004
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#14 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Melb.
Posts: 4,443
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I'm never buying a car without heated seats, fitted them to our Territory and my Vito ...it's that early morning heat that is only bettered by a real massage...
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#15 | |||
Thailand Specials
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Centrefold Lounge
Posts: 49,102
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Quote:
![]() Should have seen 30 years of fat truck driver *** sweat that come out the seats of my ACCO when I hit them with the upholstery cleaner ![]() |
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#16 | ||
PURSUIT 250
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#18 | ||
Donating Member
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#19 | |||
Regular Member
Join Date: Oct 2021
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Quote:
I miss my old Brock (VK SS), and the interior was nice.
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#20 | ||
Donating Member
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This is a tough question. There is no doubt in my mind that cloth is more comfortable, both in temperature control and in softness. And when it looks like this, well................................I purposely chose this over the leather option...........
![]() ![]() ![]() However, my first car, an AU III Fairmont had Vulgarlour. Which always had to be combed to remove all the pilling. Hated it. I also wouldn't choose a cloth interior these days either, most of the higher end cars don't offer it anyway. And cloth is harder to clean. Leather? Well, its not really leather in the true sense. The only portion that is considered leather does vary somewhat, but for the most part its limited to the steering wheel and the parts of the seat you sit on/rest against. The bolsters, sides and seat backs are all vinyl. And of the "real" leather, its what they call split grain, which has a plastic coating on top to provide wear resistance. In actual fact, you really wouldn't want real leather in a car, it becomes far too brittle over time and how many people are going to invest time into keeping the car seats hydrated? I would, but then.......... ![]() ![]() ![]() And don't think because you bought an expensive car that you are getting real leather or more of it. Even Jaguar, the king of wood and leather, its the same story as any other mass-produced car. What bugs me the insistence on black leather. Boring boring boring. This seems to be a very Australia thing, because car companies just spec out their range with black on black for simplicity. But it's just so dull. The Jag I referenced earlier, well I specifically wanted the Light Oyster interior, in black makes the interior very bland. ![]() ![]() The same basic interior used in my sisters F-Pace................. ![]() The same thing with the G-Series. In black, it was too monotone, but in Cashmere or Northan Tan? ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The Mustang is offered in several interior colours, including the boring black, they offer saddle brown, red, white and even blue on the Darkhorse. And which do they offer us? ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Aussies are more conservative than we realise.
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#21 | ||
Budget Racer
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 2,421
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Mmmmm bacon!
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#22 | ||
Kicking back
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Western sydney
Posts: 8,581
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Leather has its downsides, especially black leather like my car, in summer. The main positive is if you have young children. Child seats you can remove the covers and shove those in the washing machine to rid the spew or poosplosion. Cant do that with cloth seats so leather or pleather/vynal its much easier to spray and wipe. Yes you can clean cloth seats but if you dont air the car out and let it dry you can end up with a car that smells like a wet dog.
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#23 | |||
Experienced Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Australasia
Posts: 7,572
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Quote:
PS: I don't have any qualms sitting on animal hides, the vegans/greens can sit on whatever they like. Cheers. |
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#24 | ||
Kicking back
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Western sydney
Posts: 8,581
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How about opinions of best leather and best cloth trims?
For leather, everything about my dads jag sucked except the leather on the seats. Seats themselves sucked but compared to bmw, benz's and the like, the leather was a few steps above. Cloth, just my personal opinion once again, eb or ed fairmont. |
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#25 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
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#26 | ||
Cabover nut
Join Date: Aug 2015
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The reason I had mine re-upholstered.
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#27 | |||
Sharper than a marble
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#29 | |||
Donating Member
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Quote:
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#30 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
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With great POWER comes great responsibility
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I6 + AWD |
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