Leather or Cloth - which one?

[larceny fink 10]

Recently bought a late vr6 with cloth interior, drivers seat bolster worn and in need of repair. Never been a huge fan of leather seats but thought they would make a decent replacement. However prices seem steep for decent interiors (one for starting price of £700 just gone on ebay and it is standard leather not recaro!) and the cloth interior is well comfy. Do I still go down road of leather or find replacement drivers seat/interior in vr6 cloth trim? Anyone state a case for leather?

[robrado974 1]

I swapped from cloth to leather a few years back now .Think it looks so much better . I have cream or beige as its sometimes called , i used to have black leather but the oppotunity came up and i took it and sold the black. Cloth can look very nice as well ,i do like the black. Leather is becoming more rare now and prices do vary , but they do come up for less than £700.00. Recaro will always be alot more, mabe its just me ? overated in my opinion ,think you are payin shed loads for the name .I had porka front seats which were said to be just as comfy as the recaro's , they held you very well . But i wanted to go more oem and they were a tight fit .

[8vMatt 1]

I find standard leather to be comfy, the Recaro's are IMO too wide in the base and you slide around on the seat (unless you have a fat ass!). I reckon, for rareness, have a look for cloth Recaro's. They are a better shape and hold you so well.

[DriverVR6 11]

Well, being honest when I was looking to buy my VR6 I wanted a Mystic Blue Storm (which comes with with Black Leather as standard)

However, I ended up buying a flash red one with cloth interior!!!

So the pros and cons of leather or cloth;

Leather; it looks good and it is timeless in that black leather will always be fashionable. Leather is also very easy to keep clean. However, it can be uncomfortable when the weather is very hot or cold.

Cloth; it looks good if it is in mint condition, but it is difficult to keep clean, especially if it is used as a daily. It is comfortable all year around.

Both leather and cloth wears as well as each other (VW cloth is one of the best around for being hardwearing), and the drivers bolster wears down in both leather and cloth.

So in summary, it is down to personal preference. If I had the choice between leather and cloth, both mint, then I would go for leather. If however I found a mint cloth one, then I would not turn it down. And I would not pay over the odds for leather, as the huge premium in price, in my opinion, is not worth it.

There is no way I would pay more than £700 for a mint complete leather interior (front and rear seats and door cards).

[Portent 0]

While searching for my car I test drove cars with all types of interior; cloth, leather, recaro cloth and recaro leather. My original criteria was that it had to have leather. But a couple of the cars I drove had very good condition cloth. I was genuinely surprised how good the interior looked and how comfortable cloth was. In fact my car had standard cloth seats when I bought it and I really loved them. I only bought the recaros for the rarity factor.

 

Standard cloth holds you in much better and the seats are softer. It's personal opinion of course but for general driving they are just as comfortable (in a different way) as the cloth recaros. The big advantage of them in a non-air conditioned car is that they are cool in summer and warm in winter. I was genuinely surprised how much I liked the standard seats.

 

Standard leather if in good condition really does make the inside of the car feel more upmarket, particularly with the leather door cards (I love that diaginal stripe of leather on the cards). They are also heated too (if they aren't then they are probably just recovered standard seats). The downside is that they can be cold when you first step into the car in winter and can get hot and sticky in a car with no aircon.

 

Cloth Recaro's are supremely comfy. They don't hold you as firmly as the standard seats and they feel 'harder' to sit in. But I love them and find them just a little bit more comfy overall. The really great thing about them is rarity. I guess that's because they were less desirable than leather back then. They also have electric movement (but not heated) which is a bit of a gimmick if I'm honest. But they do look great as the shape just lifts the interior slightly. A big advantage of them is that they are cool in summer and warm in winter, just like standard seats.

 

Leather Recaro's are seen by many people as the pinacle (but this comes at a price of course). They have the premium look of standard leather and take it a step further with the nicer shape (in my opinion). They have electric movement and heating and the rarity factor and the lovely period 90's look. However they can look tired if not looked after properly (just like standard leather), don't hold you as securely as any of the other seats (my opinion) and have the same disadvantages as standard leather - ie hot in summer and cold in winter. These are the seats to get for the best look but maybe not the best all round comfort.

 

 

So which would be the best to get? Obviously cloth or leather recaros if your budget will stretch that far and you can find some. But if we're only considering the standard cloth or standard leather then it is, unfortunately a personal choice. Maybe you should come to a meet and try a few seats. Alternatively if you bought leather then it would be easy to sell on again for the same money if you decided you didn't like them.

 

But for me the standard leather just has the edge over the standard cloth. Yes the cloth is, arguably, slightly more comfy and stays an even temperature. But the leather just raises the notch for premium look and the heated elements.

[Anton Sobriquet 0]

I'd say it all depends on how you drive your car and how it's set up.

 

If you're a driver, your car will most likely be stiff and bumpy... at least a bit. Never mind the aesthetics or status, leather will have you sliding around and squirming about as you have to ram your left foot against the footrest and use the wheel to push yourself back up into the seat when you'd really prefer to be focussing everything on getting round the corner on the absolute limit of adhesion. So, to be securely planted behind the wheel, leather's not going to do it for you and you'll really need to go for cloth, or reckon on ditching the back seat and getting a harness bolted in.

 

If, on the other hand, you're more of a cruiser and your car is less stiff and bumpy, or not even stiff or bumpy at all, you'll still slide around a bit in leather, mostly towards the footwell, and the seat belt will likely ride up your belly from time to time. But it's sexy, looks cool and s****y and might even smell nice, even though it's cold in winter and hot and sticky in summer without AC.

 

Cloth really gets it every time if you keep it well, unless, like me, you're a male dog owner who takes him with you everywhere you go. Then you really do need leather, irrespective of how you use your car, simply because it's so easy to keep clean in spite of the canine secretions, the muddy paws and copious amounts of spiky hair and it just doesn't seem to get torn.

 

Anyways, chances are, if you haven't already, you'll soon fall in love with your new VR and want to spend your life, not to mention all your money, together. FWIW, my advice would be not to spend too much too soon. Go for something reasonably priced, in the best condition you can find it, whatever it is, and see how you like it. If you don't, sell it and try something else. As long as you don't get tucked up on a deal, you should be able to sell for the same or similar money within a reasonable period. You'll maybe have years and years worth of making different choices and trying diffferent things. The car tends to be for life but the seats don't have to be...

 

---------- Post added at 2:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 2:51 AM ----------

 

Why can't the word 'ywkasn', which is good old northern slang and not rude or offensive in any respect, not be published, but 'sexy' can be?

 

Can't I even mention Hilary S**** any more?

[Redfox 10]

tried the standard cloth Corrado seats: nice and soft, holds okay.

Leather Recaoro for Corrado: nice and harder, holds just fine and best looking.

Golf 2 Recaro Edition One in cloth: The top of the pop, hard, comfortable, holds you firm and you sit like in nothing else. I konw, because I had a set of them. Regrettably I sold them. Should have never done that. Put them on a Corrado Recaro frame, and you're done.

 

Cheers,

Redfox.

Edited April 10, 2012 by Redfox

[Anton Sobriquet 0]

Wouldn't you get height issues with Golf seats in a Corrado?

[KADVR6 0]

Wouldn't you get height issues with Golf seats in a Corrado?

 

yeh you would, but not if fitted to a set of corrado sub frames, or a set of scirroco mk1 bases.

[Anton Sobriquet 0]

I've got standard Corrado seats which I find are a bit high. If it's not a stupid question, is it possible to lower them without losing adjustment?